Safe fire enjoyment: New DIN standard for ethanol fireplaces gives consumers security
Since January 2011, DIN standard 4734-1 defines requirements for safe ethanol fireplaces
Frankfurt am Main. – As the evenings get cooler in autumn and it gets dark earlier, the longing for a fireplace with an open fire awakens. Both owners and tenants of apartments or houses without a chimney connection are increasingly turning to ethanol fireplaces. These offer comfort and atmospheric flickering flames – without any soot or smoke.
The DIN standard 4734-1, published in January 2011, now gives consumers the necessary guidance to be able to choose a device that is also safe. Unfortunately, there have been repeated accidents with ethanol burners in the past, some of them serious. The cause was mostly operating errors, but also defective cheap devices or unstable "table fires".
In order to avoid such accidents in the future, the requirements of the new standard can be checked on site when purchasing an ethanol fireplace. The HKI Industrial Association for Home, Heating and Kitchen Technology eV draws attention to this, and has set up a special department for ethanol devices under its umbrella.
The most important security features at a glance
- An extinguishing device as an integral part of the fireplace.
- For floor-standing devices, a solid weight that offers sufficient stability.
- For wall-mounted devices, a sufficiently stable wall mounting.
- All devices have a clearly visible burner level indicator.
- A fuel tank that does not exceed a maximum capacity of three liters for floor-standing devices and 0.5 liters for table-top devices.
- And: Detailed operating instructions with clear safety instructions – especially regarding lighting, ventilation and the necessary cooling time before refilling a fireplace that is still hot.
High-quality ethanol fireplaces meet these criteria. However, caution is advised when it comes to super-cheap offers. Because here too, safety has its price.
If you would like to know more, you can also contact the HKI specialist department or its member companies directly. These are the companies Alfra Feuer (Leutkirch), Beefire (Trier), Blomus (Sundern), Ecosmart Fire (Sidney/Australia), Eurolux/Kaminwunder (Lengerich), The Flame (Jenbach/Austria), Hark (Duisburg), Planika (Brzoza/Poland), Radius Einrichtungsbedarf (Brühl), Ruby Fires (Langedijk/Netherlands), Safretti (Haaksbergen/Netherlands), Gebr. Schulte (Sundern), Spartherm Feuerungstechnik (Melle) and Wodtke (Tübingen).
Further information is available at: www.ratgeber-ethanolkamin.de
Contact and contact person:
HKI Industrial Association for Home, Heating and Kitchen Technology e. V.
Peter Täubl
Lyoner Str. 9
60528 Frankfurt am Main
Phone: +49 (0)69-25 62 68-0
Fax: +49 (0)69-25 62 68-100
Email: info@hki-online.de