Gas fires

Claim 1

A gas fire including: an open-fronted combustion chamber, a fire bed arranged within the combustion chamber, simulated solid fuel supported on the fire bed and arranged to provide a desired visual effect, a gas burner arranged adjacent to the front of the fire bed and disposed to direct flames at the fire bed and the simulated solid fuel, and a heat exchanger unit for heating ambient air to receive combustion products associated with said flames and to utilise the products to heat the ambient air, said unit having an inlet for combustion products adjacent the rear of the fire bed, wherein at least selected portions of said simulated solid fuel are formed with internal passageways, said passageways opening towards said flames and having means provided to guide said combustion products generally along the fire bed to the inlet, wherein some simulated fuel portions are provided with an inner V-shaped surface to guide combustion products around the interior of said respective portion, the inner V-shaped surfaces comprising, or at least providing a part of, said shaped interior surface of the fuel, the combustion products heat interior surfaces of the solid fuel through which they pass causing it to glow and are constrained to remain in the vicinity of said fire bed along their entire path from said gas burner to said inlet.