What is the difference between a wood-burning fire, an open fire, a multi-fuel fire or stove and a gas fire?

Nothing can compare to the experience of a real wood fire. The sound, the smell and the lively flames create a very special atmosphere in your home. If you decide that you would like to have a fire or stove installed in your home, then there are several options. When you are looking at installing a fire or a stove, you will encounter various descriptions of fires, stoves and other appliances. We are happy to list the various descriptions and possibilities.

A comparison between open fires and wood-burning fireplace inserts

Particularly in older homes you usually find a classic open fire. An open fire is cosy and gives you a very direct experience of the fire. However, the classic open fire also has many drawbacks.

Output from an open fire and a fireplace insert

An open fire seems to give off a lot of heat, but this only concerns radiant heat. A stove or fireplace insert, on the other hand, also provides convection heat; hot air that heats the entire room. A higher temperature is reached behind the doors of an insert fire. This makes combustion of the wood cleaner, more complete and more efficient.

A fireplace insert provides more heat and more efficiency. That difference in output is significant: an open fire has an output of around 10%, while a fireplace insert has an output of 65%. This means that with a fireplace insert you need considerably less wood to comfortably heat a room than with an open fire.

Maintenance and safety of an open fire and a fireplace insert

A fireplace insert also has advantages over a traditional open fire in terms of maintenance. An open fire leaves behind a lot of ashes, which spread easily in the living room. With the fireplace insert, there are fewer ashes due to efficient combustion, and secondly, they stay in the insert. Cleaning up and keeping the environment around the fire clean is much easier. A fireplace insert is also safer. Whereas you always need to keep an eye on an open fire, an insert with a door will stop any sparks.

It is therefore advisable to have a traditional open fire replaced with a fireplace insert. There are various sizes of inserts, so in many cases it is possible to install the fireplace insert in the current location of the fire, possibly with minor modifications.

What is the difference between a wood-burning fire and a multi-fuel fire?

Multi-fuel is a misleading term. A real multi-fuel fire for home use does not exist. Only the government has waste ovens, which you can describe as multi-fuel burners. If you use random fuels at home, you endanger your own safety and that of others. Moreover, you impact the environment more than necessary.

However, multi-fuel stoves do also exist within the DRU range. These stoves are suitable for the combustion of wood logs, as well as for lignite briquettes and coal. But even in a multi-fuel stove you cannot and do not burn everything. The multi-fuel stoves can be recognized on the DRU website by the abbreviation 'MF' in the product name of the stove. You will find these in the freestanding range of wood-burning stoves.

Differences between a wood-burning fire or stove and a gas fire

Are you wondering whether to choose a wood-burning fire or heater or a gas fire? The type of fire that suits you best depends on your personal situation and preference. Wood-burning fires and gas fires generally differ slightly in output: the efficiency of a gas fire is around 85% or higher.

However, high-efficiency wood-burning stoves also exist that perform similarly. First, consider which type of fuel is preferable. For example, do you have enough space to store wood and do you have no problem, but take pleasure in lighting a fire or stove? Then a wood-burning fire or stove may be the right choice.

If you envisage problems relating to the storage of wood, and prefer to enjoy your fire as quickly as possible at the touch of a button, a gas fire is probably the best option. The requirements for the outlet may also differ. A wood-burning fire or stove always requires a chimney that leads to the highest point on the roof. This is not necessary for a gas fire.