I am often asked about how difficult is it to care for and maintain an ethanol fireplace. In the first instance, I can only talk about models from the Ecosmart and BluBox ranges, since I am only familiar with these products.
The simple answer is that it is easy to care for your Ecosmart or BluBox ethanol fireplace.
We have demonstration models in our store which are running for most of the day so we can show clients how they work. Whilst ethanol burns cleanly, there is little or no soot and no odour, however the burners themselves can require cleaning over time.
Our normal cleaning regime involves the following;
Before Using the Fireplace
Make sure the Burner is off and cold. Wipe the opening of the Burner mouth with a damp piece of paper towel to remove any build up.
Once a Week
Make sure the burner is off, cold, and has no fuel in it. Vacuum out the inside of the burner
Once a month or when we smell a slight burning odour (like a candle burning)
Make sure the burner is off, cold, and has no fuel in it. We remove the burner and take it to a sink. We run hot water through it for a few minutes until the water runs out clear.
We then turn it upside down and leave it overnight to dry out.
For normal domestic use, the cleaning regime mentioned above can be done on a less frequent basis according to your needs.
General cleaning tips
To clean the stainless steel, the case and the glass we use tap water and we purchased one of those spray bottles from the supermarket. We lightly spray the water onto the surface to be cleaned and wipe the surface with a microfibre cloth.
The Burner will have a heat staining effect around the flame opening. This is a normal part of the heating process and you can't do anything to stop it. If you choose to remove it, any stainless steel cleaning agent will do the job. We avoid using these cleaning agents since they tend to leave a residue and when you next use the fireplace it tends to fume off. We put up with the heat stain. It will only go to certain size and not increase further.