Are you considering a new electric-style fireplace as the focal point in your living room home improvement project? Then this article is here to help you. While a traditional fireplace has its place, these days, most people just want a hassle-free fireplace that still captures the same ambiance of a real flame. This is especially true for people who live in condos or apartments where wood-burning fireplaces just are not possible. Of course, there are some questions that might come up for you. Questions such as: is an electric fireplace heater the same as an electrical fireplace? What do they have to do with each other? Which electrical fireplace should I even get? Luckily, this guide is here to help with these questions and much more.
In The Following Guide, You Are Going To Have All of These Questions Answered and Topics Covered:
- What Is a Fireplace Heater In Regards To an Electric Fireplace? – A fireplace heater and an electric fireplace aren’t exactly the same type of thing, but they have a lot to do with each other. In this section, we will explain the fundamental differences between an electric fireplace heater and an electric fireplace.
- How Does The Fireplace Heater Inside of an Electrical Fireplace Work? – In this part of the guide, we will talk about the inner workings of how electric fireplaces work to produce heat in the most efficient way possible.
- How Many Different Common Electrical Fireplace Types Are Found In Homes? – There isn’t just a one size fits all solution to electrical fireplaces. There are so many choices of types and styles to choose from and picking can be overwhelming for a first-time buyer. This section will do a great job explaining these different types and what they are good for so that you can feel more confident in picking a type of electrical fireplace that best fits your specific needs.
- Do You Really Need An Electric Fireplace? Isn’t a Wood or Gas Fireplace Okay To Use? – While wood fireplaces aren’t nearly as common as they used to be, even gas fireplaces have their downsides. In this section, we will help you understand all of the upsides to have an electrical fireplace over one that is more traditional.
- Can You Order A Budget Electrical Fireplace on Amazon? If Not, What Brands Are Okay? – Don’t be tempted by budget fireplaces you see online or at your local Walmart or another retailer. This section will talk about the dangers of these budget devices and why investing in a high-end electrical fireplace will actually save you more money in the long run.
- What Is One of The Best Electric Fireplaces? – While there are many decent brands you can go with like Dimplex, Duraflame, and more, there is only one brand that is the total package. In this section, we will highlight everything great about MagikFlame electric fireplaces and why they are a no-brainer choice to be installed in your home.
A fireplace heater is actually just the heating unit that is inside of an electrical fireplace. That is the main difference. Electric fireplaces usually have a heating element, some kind of technology to attempt to create a realistic flame effect, and a body that houses it. Some also have additional features like audio sounds and the ability to use a remote control to set an adjustable thermostat.
For the visuals, they will usually have some kind of firebox behind glass doors that will have an ember bed and a log set inside of it. For high-end electric fireplaces, they will have some kind of 3D flame effect. The best ones on the market will use holographic technology for this 3D projection. Really cheap electrical fireplaces will have tacky effects like basic LED flames and LED lights. People are usually disappointed after installing an electrical fireplace in their home which isn’t absolutely realistic. Because of this, you should focus on an electrical fireplace that has holographic flames.
The heater inside of electric fireplaces works through the heating method of convection. After you set the thermostat to your preferred heat settings, then anytime the temperature drops below your setting, cold air in the room will be pulled in and cycled through the fireplace. As it is pulled in, the cool air comes into contact with the infrared-style quartz heater that is inside. This heating element instantly warms the air that cycles through, and that warm air is then gently sent back out into the room through the fireplace’s blower or blowers.
By working this way to generate heat, higher-end electric fireplaces are capable of heating homes of usually around 1,000 square feet. For homes that have more square feet where a single fireplace may not be enough, you can set it up for supplemental heat or zone heating. This means that you put an additional fireplace in another part of the home, or even more fireplaces for, particularly large homes. While it can be a larger upfront expense to install multiple fireplaces like this, you actually end up saving even more on your heating bill when you are only using fireplaces in rooms when there are people in them and you leave the doors between rooms closed. Over time, these additional savings from zone heating can easily cover the additional upfront costs of multiple fireplaces.
Many heaters in electric fireplaces have additional safety features like overheat protection sensors and an automatic shut-off system. While this is a rare occurrence, it is usually just due to something blocking the blowers on the electrical fireplace, in which case you just need to move whatever is in the way. This can be as simple as leaving some clothes in front of it, or not realizing you pushed another piece of furniture in the way and it is not blocking the blowers.
Keep in mind that because electric fireplaces don’t actually have any kind of flame or burning and they don’t release any kind of harmful emissions, they don’t have any need for venting in the slightest. This means that you can easily install them in any room of the house as long as the plug can reach a standard 120-volt wall outlet.
There is no shortage of different electrical fireplace types out there and it can be absolutely overwhelming for homeowners when choosing one. Do you need one for small spaces so that you have more accessibility in the room? Are you looking for something that also has a media console? Do you want something that is wall-mounted? Here is a list of the most common types so that you can be sure to pick an electrical fireplace that best fits the situation and needs in your home:
● Fireplace Mantel Package For a Flat Wall Area – These are the standard style electrical fireplaces that you see that look the most like a traditional wood fireplace. These are installed on the floor against a flat wall. The mantel and the fireplace itself usually comes as two separate pieces that you combine together when installing. The main reason for having them disconnected like this is that many companies offer more than one style of mantel to go with their fireplaces, where the fireplace itself stays the same.
● Fireplace Mantel Package For The Corner of a Room – Functionally, there is little difference between this type of fireplace and the flat wall units listed above. Of course, these types of fireplaces are designed so that they fit into a corner rather than against a flat open wall. This allows people to save a bit safer, but also helps people who have less commonly shaped rooms where the corner is just a better place in general. These have the added benefit of allowing a TV to be placed on top of it up to a certain size. You could also install corner cabinets or bookshelves above one of these to make a kind of fireplace reading corner.
● Fireplace TV Entertainment Center – To save a bit of space within your home you can get fireplaces that are also a fireplace TV stand combined into one unit. Sometimes these units will have additional space in them as shelving for other kinds of media devices. These types of units can also come in a corner unit style for additional space-saving.
● Wall-Mounted Electric Fireplace – A wall-mount electric fireplace is one that is wall-mounted using secure brackets and allows it to be off the ground to save a bit more space this way. It has the added benefit of having a more interesting modern look to it. These fireplaces can also be installed into the recessed walls instead of simply hanging on the wall.
● Electric Fireplace Stove – An electric stove heater is just an electrical fireplace that is made to look like a wood stove. These are for people who want that very rustic and country, farmhouse style of look.
● Freestanding Electric Fireplace – A freestanding fireplace is one that is basically the same as a standard space heater that is portable. Of course, these are designed to look like fireplaces due to their general aesthetic and fire effects. Of course, by combining both a heater and fire effects into one small unit means that it will be more limited in both regards. Usually, you should avoid these and stick to the other standard electrical fireplace types.
● Electric Fireplace Insert – These inserts have two uses. First, they can convert existing fireplaces that burn wood or gas into ones that are electrical by inserting them into the opening. Secondly, they can be used if you want to use a mantel that is different from the ones available from the manufacturer of the fireplace or if you want to build a mantel yourself.
Wood fireplaces are notoriously dangerous to use in your home. This is one of the reasons that new houses aren’t built with wood fireplaces in many areas of the US. All of the soot that builds up inside of them easily catches fire and can cause a house fire. This is why people with existing wood fireplaces need to have professional cleaners come and take care of all of that soot build-up two or three times every single year. Wood fireplaces also have tons of emissions that are harmful to inhale like smoke and carbon monoxide. It also doesn’t help that the smoke leaves stains on your walls and always seems to make your home smell bad.
Gas fireplaces are slightly safer, however, they have issues with weak flames, strange flame colors, and a lingering grassy smell.
On the other hand, electrical fireplaces don’t have flames that will cause house fires, have no harmful emissions, and no bad smells. They are easy to install, can be put in any room of the house, come with a remote, and most importantly, they will cost you a lot less on your heating bill because they work so efficiently.
You absolutely should never go with a budget, generic brand type of electrical fireplace. Not only can they have some serious safety concerns, but they also don’t work very well and without fail, they always look very cheap and very tacky.
Instead, focus on brand-name electric fireplaces so that you can be satisfied with your hard-earned money being spent. When you properly invest your money in a quality, high-grade electric fireplace, you are ensuring that the heating element inside works much more efficiently to keep your home warm. You will also have fire visual effects that are much more realistic and the fireplace itself will just look much more luxurious, clean, and modern.
There are a handful of decent electrical fireplace brand options that you can go for like Duraflame, Dimplex, and much more. However, there is only one brand that stands above them all with a superior, holographic fire effect, a timeless fireplace design, and a powerful heater. Read the next section to find out what this special fireplace brand is and why you should consider installing it in your home.
Being one of the only high-end electric fireplaces with holo flame technology, it is no surprise that MagikFlame electric fireplaces are easily the best fireplace that you can choose to add comfort and atmosphere to your home. There are few companies that can even come close to these quality electric fireplaces, and this is for the following features and benefits that MagikFlame has to offer:
● Eye-Pleasing 3D Holoflame Technology – The ultra-realistic 3D flames that are holographically projected onto the physical log sets inside of MagikFlame electric fireplaces are almost impossible to tell from the real thing. You and your guests can enjoy 30 breathtaking flickering flame varieties that you can easily cycle depending on your mood.
● Atmosphere-Inducing Auditory Enhancement – To further give you an authentic fireplace experience, the realistic sound of crackling logs complement the flicker of the flames. This additional audio enhancement really takes the experience to the next level. You can also choose nature sounds to add to the relaxation of your fireplace.
● Home-Warming Built-in Infrared Convection Heating – A powerful infrared heating device efficiently warms your home by putting out 5,200 BTUs of heat. This can easily keep a small house, an apartment, or a condo warm with just a single MagikFlame unit. Multiple units can be purchased for larger homes to implement zone heating strategies so that you can further add to the savings on your heating bill.
● Effort-Reducing Smartphone Application Control – Never get up from your seat. Instead, control your fireplace completely with this intuitive and effortless app. With this app installed on your smartphone or tablet, you can control every aspect and feature of your MagikFlame fireplace from anywhere in your home.
● Awe-Inspiring Timeless Fireplace Design – The housing of MagikFlame fireplaces are truly a work of art with their exceptional craftsmanship and quality. Because of the outstanding timeless design of MagikFlame fireplaces, it will continue to be a sense of pride in your home for many years to come.
● Installation-Easing Fireplace Setup – MagikFlame electric fireplaces are incredibly easy to install yourself. After you pick the best place in your home for them to be, all you have to do is plug it into a standard 120-volt electrical outlet that is nearby. Once it is plugged in, you can turn it on and enjoy everything that MagikFlame has to offer.
If you are considering getting an ultrarealistic MagikFlame electric fireplace with a powerful infrared heater built into it, then here is some more information that can help you:
● If you still have a lot more questions about electric fireplaces and want to learn more about them before buying them, you need to read the MagikFlame best electric fireplace buying guide.
● There is a reason that MagikFlame fireplaces are so reliable and known for their excellent craftsmanship and quality.
● Investing in a high-end electric fireplace like MagikFlame can seem a bit daunting, but everything is made very simple with their payment plans and financing.
● Any great company has confidence in the quality of their products and this is no different with MagikFlame. You can see that for yourself with the full warranty.
