Sleek Heat
Smokeless and soot-free, outdoor fire has matured
Image courtesy of Venturi Flame
A traditional outdoor wood-burning fireplace may seem like the perfect touch for a backyard, but some of them can end up being more expensive and messy than expected. This year's Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Expo in Orlando, Fla., hightlighted innovative and affordable solutions for lighting and heating an outdoor area. Among the exhibitors was president of Anywhere Fireplace in Larchmont, N.Y., Peter deVoogd, who notes increasing demand for eco-friendly options. "As time goes on, we'll see more biofuel products on the market," he says. Biofuel products use renewable energy generated from natural resources. They burn bio-ethanol fuel and give off water vapor and carbon dioxide but are smokeless and odorless, leaving no soot behind. DeVoogd's Gramercy Indoor/Outdoor Bio-Fuel Fireplace can sit on tabletops because it needs no gas or electric hook-up.
"Traditional fireplaces are still popular, but they cost more than $10,000," says Dan Shimek, president of The Outdoor GreatRoom in Burnsville, Minn., which has an under-$300 table top flame line that also uses biofuel, the Venturi. Two other new products are the OptiMyst by Dimplex North America Limited, which is an electric fireplace that produces the illusion of fire by creating a fine water mist using ultrasonic technology; and the Art of Fire by Bio Flame, which is a clean-burning fireplace that runs 12 hours straight without emitting gases, smoke, ashes or soot.
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