While you’re drawn to the idea of having a fireplace in your home, you probably don’t want to worry about cleaning a chimney, procuring firewood, fiddling with a damper, or removing ashes from the fireplace. If maintenance for a traditional fireplace sounds like too much to deal with, then a MagikFlame electric fireplace may just be what you’re looking for. You naturally have a few questions about an electric fireplace, such as the benefits, what to look for, and how to measure for an electric fireplace insert. We have the answers you’re looking for.
How are electric fireplaces different from traditional fireplaces?
The biggest draw to fireplaces is the scent of burning wood. For thousands of years, people used fires to keep themselves warm, cook their food, and provide a sense of safety. While we don’t have to rely on fire to cook our food and keep us safe, the sight and aroma of a fire in the fireplace still relaxes us and keeps us warm.
A fireplace insert is far more affordable than a traditional fireplace. Not only do you have to worry about major wall construction and the masonry work, but you also need a chimney added if you don’t already have one.
With a fireplace insert, you can hang it right on a wall or in a recessed area to give the appearance of a real fireplace. With an existing fireplace, there’s always the concern about embers from the fire floating out of the fire and landing on a rug, carpets, or furniture and starting a fire.
Benefits of electric fireplaces
If you’re concerned about energy efficiency, then the electric fireplace is the way to go. The EPA states that traditional open fireplaces lose 90% of their heat output through the chimney and other vents. With a cast-iron wood-burning fireplace, you may notice that you’re warm near the fire, but the rest of the room is colder.
Since electric fireplaces are considered supplemental heating, you can lower your energy costs. All you need is a functional nearby electrical outlet with an electric fireplace. With a wood-burning fireplace, you have to carefully construct a wood structure that will allow a fire to burn and kindle.
Sometimes the fire doesn’t start at all or right away, but you have to keep feeding the fire by adding wood every few hours. You also don’t have to worry about the fireplace smoking in the house.
Another benefit is that you don’t have to worry about a gas line if you choose not to go with a natural gas fireplace, which takes propane or natural gas. You don’t have to worry about fumes if you choose an electric fireplace, as carbon monoxide impacts indoor air quality and your health despite the amount of heat it provides.
Electric fireplaces are less susceptible to rust and corrosion than other fireplace types.
Along with soot and a build-up of minuscule ash particles, rust, and corrosion, other fireplace types last fewer years than electric fireplaces or look far older than they are. Electric fireplaces function and work like new years after installation, and you don’t even have to worry about the need for venting.
Do electric fireplaces need a chimney or vents?
You need a chimney or a vent with a masonry fireplace and a natural gas fireplace, as those fireplace types create emissions. Since electric fireplaces don’t produce emissions, you don’t need a chimney or a direct vent to the outdoors. If your home currently has a chimney with a fireplace opening, you can either have the fireplace and chimney removed or simply have the chimney blocked off.
Before removing the existing masonry and the flue, there are a few things you should consider. The original builders may have signed or dated the bricks, revealing that your chimney has historical or monetary value. If you decline to remove your chimney due to its historical significance, you’ll need professional masons and chimney sweeps to keep it in top shape. You may decide to seal the chimney to retain an aesthetic value. The workers may also have to remove a chimney liner, protecting chimney walls from heat and corrosion.
If you decide to remove your chimney, you should consider the contractors’ costs to remove it. Brick chimneys must be disassembled brick by brick to avoid structural damage to your home. This means that it will take longer to remove your chimney, which also means you’ll spend more money when you hire professional help to remove your chimney.
What to look for in an electric fireplace
There are a few things to consider when choosing an electric fireplace before choosing one by either price or appearance. Before you know how to measure for an electric fireplace insert, the size of the space you wish to provide supplemental heating for is one of those considerations. If you have a room of about 900 square feet, then an infrared quartz unit will suit it best.
If the room is smaller, under 500 square feet, then a forced fan fireplace is a better choice. If your room is larger than 1,600 square feet, then the heating efficiency of any heater drastically reduces. Electric fireplaces also come with remote controls and a thermostat. Our coil heaters offer up to 4,000 BTUs, which provides excellent heat output.
Other factors that impact the heating efficiency of your electric fireplace are windows, drafts, vaulted ceilings, and inefficient insulation. Energy-efficient windows keep heat in the home longer, lowering heating costs and reducing condensation. The proper amount of insulation also helps to keep your home warmer longer.
How to measure for an electric fireplace insert
If you’re interested in an easy DIY project, installing an electric fireplace is the project for you if you know carpentry and electricity. Suppose you don’t have experience working with electricity. In that case, it’s best to call a professional electrician for assistance installing an electric fireplace as there will need to be a power outlet in the opening of your old fireplace. Electricians will be able to assemble and install the freestanding plug-in fireplace with minimal hassle as they already know how to measure for an electric fireplace insert.
There are a few requirements when it comes to clearance needs for your electric fireplace. Since you can install electric fireplaces on a combustible surface without any fireproofing, there are no minimum clearance requirements to the floor; it does need at least one inch from the back and sides of the electric fireplace to the walls surrounding it, as well as the back wall. It also requires two inches from the top of the frame to the mantel board and 3/8 of an inch from the top of the firebox from combustible or non-combustible material.
This means you can’t place something right in front or above the firebox, whether streamers, stockings, other decorative items, or clothing. You must also never place furniture right in front of your electric fireplace, despite the lack of potential embers.
If you have experience working with carpentry or electricity and decide to install the electric fireplace yourself, you will need a few tools and building materials. You’ll need gloves to keep your hands safe, but you’ll also need a measuring tape to ensure the fireplace is in the correct position. You’ll also need a level to ensure that you aren’t installing the fireplace at a tilt, however slight.
Other tools you’ll need to install a fireplace insert with little hassle are a hammer, a saw, pliers, a drill, and a Phillips screwdriver. Of course, you’ll need building materials such as non-combustible caulking, wall finishing, and framing. Some non-combustible caulking is heat resistant up anywhere from 240F to 2000F. When choosing non-combustible caulking, check that it meets the International Building Code (IBC) and International Residential Code (IRC) fire-blocking requirements.
Questions to ask yourself before installing a MagikFlame electric fireplace
Read more in our electric fireplace buying guide
What if I have never installed a recessed electric fireplace before?
We provide a handy installation guide with all MagikFlame Electric Fireplaces. The buyer’s guide warns against using a power strip to plug in the log set as it will draw too much power when other items are plugged into the power strip, thereby overloading the breaker. Like Dimplex fireplaces, our electric fireplace runs on standard 110 volts, but you can hardwire it into your power source and connect it to existing J-boxes.
What are the dimensions of the electric fireplace?
Our electrical fireplaces stand 31.723 inches tall, 28.167 inches wide, and 12 inches deep. The opening of our electric fireplaces is 22.4671 inches tall, and 28.1107 inches wide, with a 0.722-inch lip. The base dimensions are 12 inches deep.
The hidden panel, whose top 9 inches can be sealed in, is 9.097 inches high and 27.250 inches wide. The viewing hole size is 28.160 inches wide and 22.7 inches tall. The base for the insert, the wall framing, is 28.167 inches by 31.723 inches by 12 inches.
Does Magikflame offer warranties?
We offer a 1-year factory limited warranty for all fireplace inserts. All our inserts are constructed to last as they are built using high-quality components. Our inserts have no moving parts, making our products much more reliable than those with rotating lights and an electric motor. We use LED and LCD technology, so you never have to worry about replacing lightbulbs frequently. LED lights and LCD technology are energy-efficient and last a long time.
What are some of the benefits and features of fireplaces?
With our electric fireplace insert, you never have to worry about the risk of fire from hot embers that float in the air and land on furniture or carpeting. Since our vent-free inserts don’t burn as a traditional fireplace would, it is safe to the touch. If you have curious pets or children, you never have to worry about them getting too close, burning themselves, or accidentally causing fires.
Since there are no real flames, similar to Dimplex fireplaces, this also means that there is nothing to burn. You don’t have to search for firewood to purchase, which is often more expensive during the cold months due to high demand.
You also never have to store wood in or next to your home. Since you won’t be burning anything, you don’t have to worry about dangerous carbon monoxide fumes that burning wood emits or smoke in your home if the fireplace isn’t venting correctly. Another thing you’ll never have to worry about is the cleaning and sweeping of dirty ashes or wood debris around the fireplace or the twice-yearly vent cleaning to keep your chimney clear.
Even though you may never have to worry about cleaning up after wood logs have burnt to ash, you can still enjoy an electric fireplace’s warmth and comfort. Our fireplace insert has vivid photorealistic flames on logs and the illusion of glowing embers and wispy smoke. If a visitor, or someone at the other end of a video call, didn’t know any better, they would never guess that it wasn’t a real fire.
In addition to glowing embers and wispy smoke, each log contains colorful LED lamps that simulate glowing embers. Each log is painted and crafted so that it’s difficult to discern from a glance whether or not you have actual wood in your fireplace. The ambiance isn’t the only thing that provides the illusion of realistic fire; sound also helps. After all, what’s a roaring fire without the roar?
Our fireplaces include built-in speakers that reproduce the crackles, pops, and sound of burning logs that are so real you’d probably forget that you don’t have a real fire burning. Suppose you want an even more realistic experience. In that case, we offer an optional add-on of a device that oscillates the crisp scent of fresh-cut winter pine as your electric fireplace operates. This add-on provides an immersive experience of sight, sound, and smell that makes you forget that you aren’t actually burning wood in your fireplace.
Does the fireplace have a remote control?
Yes, our fireplace inserts can be controlled remotely via our iPhone smartphone app. Our MagikFlame electric fireplaces have integrated Bluetooth technology so that you can control all options on your iPhone. An Android version is in development and will be available soon. With the app, you can connect to your Wi-Fi for free updates, control the appearance of the flame, adjust the sleep timer, or even enable or disable ambient nature sounds.
How can I buy an electric fireplace?
You can choose from various electric fireplace models on our website or on Amazon. Such models include the Trinity, Artemis, and even Morpheus. You can also chat with a representative in a chat window or call us by phone. You can even contact us by email if you have further questions about our model types. We understand that not everyone can pay for an electric fireplace upfront, which is why we have partnered with Bread.
With Bread, we can offer our customers an easy and fast way to apply for financing with clear terminology so you can pick your payment options without dealing with any pre-payment penalties. Simply choose the “pay over time” method, provide some basic information about yourself, and see if you pre-qualify for Bread’s financing options in seconds.
At MagikFlame, we’re here to add a little magic back into your world – so, this is the best place to buy an electric fireplace.
