How Does an Electric Fireplace Flame Work?

How does an electric fireplace flame work?

A flame is a beautiful but complex thing. It is a plasma, neither solid, liquid, nor gas. It mesmerizes with a collection of colors and non-replicable movements dancing away. With most of the electric fireplace flames in the industry, it is immediately apparent that this is not real flame, or it is real and looks like a blue gas jet and not at all like a wood-burning flame. Lights may hit some phantom screen as it dances, and the ambiance is simply wrong. Knowing the right type of flame to fit your needs helps you choose the best flame for your fireplace.

How do different fireplaces make different flames?

Fireplaces come in many varieties. Old-fashioned traditional wood fireplaces have advanced into gas and electric fireplaces, which have developed into infrared quartz electric fireplaces. Each of these types of flames has different strengths.

Traditional wood fireplace

An old-fashioned wood fireplace has the flame everyone aims for. It burns low, dancing through the red, orange, and yellow range of colors. Then it hits some sap green, and blue sparks fly. The flame moves around, battered by drafts or seeking more oxygen to burn. A flame from a wood-burning fire has an ambiance like no other.

Wood-burning stoves

A wood-burning stove works much like a fireplace, except that it is enclosed, and sometimes there is a small window where you can see the flames. Some of these stoves burn alternate materials such as pellets. People buy these more for the heat and less for the flame.

Gas fireplaces

Gas fireplaces have a nice warming flame. But a natural gas or propane flame is a unique creature. It has two colors, blue and white. It flickers but does not dance like a real flame. The most powerful thing is the release of its fuel, which is as steady as the flames themselves. A gas fireplace makes warm air, but it comes off sterile.

Electric fireplaces

Electric fireplaces come in different forms, from a firebox that slips into your current fireplace to wall-mounted and corner units. When buying, people tend to be focused on how the electronics work and the appearance of the mantle—people who have owned one for a time like to talk about the flames instead.

How does an electric fireplace flame work? Electric fireplace designers saw the fireplace flame and loved it. They saw the gas flame and knew they could improve on that. Electric heaters make their heat without a flame, so designers get the chance to create a semblance of a flame by other means. The following section lists these types of flames.

What are the different varieties of flames?

Each electric fireplace heater has its own type of flames. These flames differ so much that you must check out the flames before purchasing to ensure you find the electric fireplace that has the flame to suit your taste. 

Mechanical flames

Mechanical flames are made in several but related ways. For many, a metal rod turns and flashes mirrors in front of a light. The light could be one color or many. Special screens reflect the light from light bulbs. This process produces lovely flickering lights. Beautiful and pleasant to watch. But not fire. Mechanical electric heaters circulate warmed air.

Water vapor flames

Water vapor is an unusual idea for a flame. Water is run near the heating unit and released as steam. The fireplace shows rising steam being hit with lights. They can set the changing colors. But the mist is not fire – and water behaves differently than plasma. Plus, the owner must refill a water reservoir to get the flames; without water, there is no fire. The flame is flickering and beautiful, but it does not look at all like an actual flame.

Chemical flames

Chemical flames are another choice for electric fireplaces. A can of a chemical agent (e.g., Sterno) is lit and placed in the electric fireplace. Here, the flame is real. You can adjust the chemical mix to display different colors. This can be hazardous and messy. The flame rises from one spot and lacks the chaotic element of a wood fire.

Holographic flames

Holographic flames are state-of-the-art. The base of the fireplace is a log set. Atop that, the system projects a video of actual flames, giving the flame its realistic 3d look and adding unpredictability. Sound like a Hollywood movie flame? It is.

Our founder used to work in the movie special-effects world. There, he specialized in creating effects using holographic technology that looked more real than before. When he turned that FX skill to replicating the most realistic flames, he designed the core of the MagikFlame, its flame. You even get to choose your flame effect.

MagikFlame fireplaces include 30 ultra-realistic flames. Do you like embers flickering in a red glow? We’ve got you covered. Do you like dancing flames showing off all their colors? We have that one, too. We also have crackling log sounds and a faint scent of pine and fire in the background.

Why choose an electric fireplace?

An electric fireplace has no real flame. The heating element creates radiant heat that warms you and the room immediately. It can be a freestanding unit or a traditional fireplace. Homeowners want flickering flames without the hassle or safety hazard of a real flame.

Real wood-burning fireplaces and stoves need venting so harmful smoke and toxins like carbon monoxide leave the house. Particulates and other pollutants travel out of the flue. Clean-up is a dirty process and requires both homeowner and professional cleaning. A traditional fireplace comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility, from cleaning the chimney, stoking the fire, cutting and carrying wood, etc.

An infrared quartz fireplace does not have a real flame but creates the illusion of a real fire. The fireplace also has a thermostat that works with your existing home heating system; it has 5200 BTUs that can heat up to 1,000 square feet. You can turn the heater on or off with remote control. You can also change the flames. MagikFlame infrared quartz electric fireplaces come in several styles of wall-mounted electric fireplaces or a corner fireplace mantel. You can also get a firebox to install into your existing fireplace.

What is the function of the flame?

The function of the flame is to connect you, the user, to the experience of the fireplace. (It was that or carrying wood. We thought you would like the flame better). A realistic electric fireplace brings in the whole experience. LED lights plus holographic technology mean that this has realistic flames. You feel the heat against your skin while you watch flickering flames.

How does heating tie to the flame?

The heating and the flame are entirely separate. (In fact, if you don’t want to look at flames, we recommend the Fish tank). We found the best way to produce heat and the best way to simulate flame and paired them together to create an impressive realistic electric fireplace.

In a mechanical electric fireplace, a heating coil turns electricity into heat. Then a blower picks up that warm air and circulates it around the room. A convection current moves cool air out and brings in warmer air with a fan.

An infrared electric fireplace uses quartz as a heating element to create infrared light and heat that you can feel immediately in the room. It does not need a fan or even moving parts. You do not hear a fan; you hear the crackling of flames. Heat travels across greater distances. This type of heating is the most energy-efficient and costs less than all methods, including central heating.

Both fireplaces create supplemental heat. MagikFlame small fireplaces plug into a regular outlet, or you can have an electrician hardwire it straight into your house. The fireplaces heat a room or a smaller area up to 1000 square feet. MagikFlame designed its fireplace to be part of a home heating plan that includes multiple heat sources. MagikFlame is not the only builder of infrared heaters. Although we think we create the best electric fireplaces. Dimplex makes good heaters as well.

What does a MagikFlame look like?

It looks like a flame. It actually has 30 different flames. You can choose a classic fireplace flame, a campfire flame, or the Phoenix flame. We have a video of our flames so you can see each one. Or visit our photo idea gallery, where you can view the MagikFlame electric fireplace in several different living rooms. Look at our fireplace models as well. Is your electric fireplace part of your entertainment center? There is no problem mounting a television atop it or mounted on a wall above it as the heat blows out the bottom of the fireplace. Or do you just need a fireplace insert to fit your existing fireplace?

What does a MagikFlame feel like?

MagikFlame feels like a real fire. The infrared quartz electric heater heats the side of you turned toward the fireplace more than the side facing away, in the same way as a traditional fireplace. The quartz heating unit creates light on the infrared spectrum, invisible to the human eye. We only feel the heat.

It does not waste energy and is one of the most energy-efficient types of heat. Engineers created this process using the Sun as a model. The sun heats people and objects but does not waste time heating air.

How does an electric fireplace flame work?

MagikFlame has 30 ultra-realistic flames using video of real flames and holographic technology. On top of this, there are many crackling and popping wood sounds to choose from, a real pine scent, and a remote control that controls temperature and allows you to choose a fire that fits your mood. Are you in the mood for a big crackling, popping fire with spitting, leaping flames like perhaps a bonfire? Or would you instead like to relax with a sedate, quiet flame?

An infrared quartz heater creates warmth. The infrared unit is energy efficient and generates no emissions which reduces your carbon footprint and increases your air quality. It is also quiet and does not overpower the sound of the crackling flames. It blows infrared heat across the room, efficiently warming everything in its path.