Getting an electric fireplace for your home is a great decision. However, sorting through all the different electric fireplace types can be overwhelming. It is both a blessing and a curse that you can choose from so many different electric fireplaces. To save space in your home and increase accessibility, people usually choose one of two options: a TV console fireplace built inside the body of it or a wall-mounted electric fireplace. While an electric fireplace TV stand and a wall-mounted electric fireplace can be excellent, each has its distinct advantages and disadvantages.
This post will compare these two popular types of electric fireplaces. We will also explore different electric fireplace types that might offer a similar solution. Lastly, we will cover what features to look out for when buying electric fireplaces and what brands are worth considering.
In this post, you will learn:
- Why Are Electric Fireplaces the Best Thing for Your Living Room?
- What Are The Advantages of a TV Console with Fireplace Inside?
- What Are The Disadvantages of a TV Console with Fireplace Inside?
- What Are The Advantages of a Wall-Mounted Electric Fireplace?
- What Are The Disadvantages of a Wall-Mounted Electric Fireplace?
- Can You Mount TVs Up Above a Standard Electric Fireplace?
- Can You Put TVs Up on a Corner Electric Fireplace?
- What Electric Fireplace Features Should I Be Aware Of?
- What Electric Fireplace Brands Are Okay?
- Which Electric Fireplace Has the Best Flame Effects?
Why are electric fireplaces the best thing for your living room?
- No Added Fire Risk – Electric fireplaces in the living room don’t burn anything like a traditional wood-style fireplace or a gas fireplace. This means you don’t have to worry about the danger of a house fire, like the extreme fire safety issues of using wood fireplaces in your home.
- No Harmful Emissions – Traditional fireplaces produce smoke and carbon monoxide that gets into your home no matter how much exits through the chimney. This can be very dangerous to your health and, in large amounts, can be deadly. Since electric fireplaces don’t burn anything, they also don’t produce any of these harmful emissions either.
- No Staining or Smells – The smoke from wood fireplaces produces a strong smoky smell. This odor gets in your furniture and lingers in the air. There may be some soot buildup on the wall directly above it. The walls will start to yellow after a while. Electric fireplaces don’t have either of these issues. You don’t have to worry about any smells or staining.
- Using it is Easy – A lot of work goes into maintaining wood fireplaces, building fires, and keeping an eye on them. With electric fireplaces, things are much simpler. After turning on your electric fireplace, you can choose the temperature that you want and go about your day enjoying the warmth.
- Easy Installing – Installing a fireplace that runs on electricity is a pretty straightforward process. Once you find the perfect spot for your electric fireplace (for example, you can install your electric fireplace in your bedroom and create a cozy ambiance), you just plug it into a nearby electric outlet. After it is plugged in, the fireplace is ready to use.
- Any Room in Your Home – Since they don’t need ventilation, you can install them in any room of your house.
- Heat Efficiency – A good electric fireplace can easily warm homes up to 1,000 square feet and your energy cost will be very low.
- Supplemental Zone Heating – If you have a much larger home, bigger than 1,000 square feet, you can get another fireplace for a different room. This will save even more on your electric bill by only turning on a fireplace when that area is occupied.
- Remote Control – Electric fireplaces usually come with a remote or a smartphone app that connects through Bluetooth. With one of these, you can easily turn it on, set the thermostat, choose the effects of the flames, and more.
- Flame Effect That Captures Fireplace Atmosphere and Ambiance – If you get a premium electric fireplace, you will likely have some kind of driftwood log set. Also, there will be an ember bed under the logs. If you have chosen an electric fireplace with holographic flames, it will be 3D projected onto the physical logs so that it looks just like an actual wood fireplace.
What are the advantages of a TV console with a fireplace inside?
Getting a fireplace that is also a TV stand has some specific advantages. First of all, you combine two different furniture pieces into one, saving half the space for other things or leaving more room to get around.
With these combination fireplaces, there are tons of different extra features they come with. You can get ones with open shelves or a media shelf for your cable box, DVD player, and video game console. They will also usually come with side cabinets for storage. You can have open cubbies or glass doors to show off your media collection on adjustable shelves like the shelving in ordinary bookcases.
These come in many different styles. You can make your TV stand-style fireplace modern with bright white color and minimal details. Or you can get a rustic one where the wood media-type console looks like it was built from a barn door. You can get a mix-and-go with a farmhouse fireplace TV stand with modern farmhouse elements. You can get something made from dark walnut wood or with an espresso finish if you prefer darker colors. Keep in mind that espresso looks good if you have furniture that already matches; otherwise, you are better off with a lighter, like a white electrical fireplace, to match more of your home in a timeless style.
Some larger stands can hold a TV up to 65 inches. If you need something for a TV that isn’t up to 65 inches but is, in fact, larger, you may need a more custom solution, like putting an electric fireplace insert in another TV stand or getting separate furniture pieces. If you have a TV this size, saving space probably isn’t much of an issue for you.
What are the disadvantages of a TV console with a fireplace inside?
One of the most significant disadvantages of these units is that you have limited space within the unit to work with by trying to combine both. This means you are trying to fit a fireplace underneath but still leave room for the shelves and cabinets. In attempting to do so much in such little space, you are making two necessary sacrifices. First, you don’t have nearly as much space for all the shelves you may need in your TV area. Second, they usually have to put in a smaller fireplace unit with a weaker heating device and worse fire effect technology.
Many of these units use poor building materials like engineered wood with laminate on top. The laminate looks fake, to begin with, but then begins to curl and peel in the corners as the glue starts to break down after a year or two.
Lastly, if the fireplace inside your TV stand breaks, you usually have to replace the entire thing. The same is true if a piece of the stand itself breaks. Having to replace the whole thing when only one-half of it breaks can be a bit of an expensive headache.
What are the advantages of a wall-mounted electric fireplace?
Wall-mounted fireplaces allow you to secure an electric fireplace on a wall using mounting brackets made specifically for this purpose. The mounting brackets are made to attach to the studs inside the wall or with wall anchor bolts for people with stone or brick walls instead of standard drywall.
Having a wall-mounted electric fireplace allows you to free up space below it. You can usually fit a small sideboard or other cabinet-style tables for some additional storage to bring the room together.
Mounted fireplaces also have the advantage of installing them into a recessed wall. This means they can be completely flush with the wall. You can also partially recess the electric fireplace so it sticks out just a bit. Whether you do a full or a partially recessed install depends entirely on your preferences and the space you have to work with.
Wall-mounted electric fireplaces look modern and unique compared to your more typical fireplaces. You can get them in a variety of widths like a long, linear fireplace that spans the entire length of one of the walls of your home.
What are the disadvantages of a wall-mounted electric fireplace?
While wall-mounted electric fireplaces are really nice, they also have some disadvantages. First, the installation is not as easy as many other electric fireplace installs. A TV console with a fireplace is just a simple piece of furniture you have to set down and plugin. With wall-mounted fireplaces, the installation is a bit more involved. At the very least, you will have to mount it securely using the mounting brackets.
The process will involve much more if you want to do a recessed installation. Additionally, unless you have an outlet directly below or behind the fireplace, you will need to fish the plug to an electric outlet. This may require a professional electrician to come and install an outlet.
Another issue with wall-mounted fireplaces is that while some are good, quite a few have inferior fire effects. They will have strange, bright blue, purple, and red flames played over a 2D LED screen. The best fire effects will always have holographic flames. So, if you choose to wall mount a fireplace, make sure it is one from a company with holographic fire effects.
Keep in mind, that because wall-mounted electric fireplaces are already mounted around eye level, you can’t really mount a TV above them.
Can you mount TVs above a standard electric fireplace?
Yes, if you have a standard electrical fireplace mantel package that is made to be installed on the floor flat against a wall. This is a wonderful way to save space and bring the TV and fireplace focal points into one central area. Because you are getting a better fireplace with a better heater and more realistic fire effects, this is a better alternative than getting a fireplace built into a standard TV stand.
The only downside is that you don’t have easy access to your cable box, DVD player, or DVD collection. Of course, many people these days don’t really use cable boxes or DVD players anymore. Most people stream on services such as Netflix. Since Netflix and other streaming apps are now built into most modern TVs, you can clean up your TV area with a more minimalist setup.
Can you put TVs on a corner electric fireplace?
Yes, you can put a TV on top of your electric corner fireplace. This is another excellent way to save space because of the smaller unit. Again you won’t have any shelves or cabinets, but if you stream most of your media, this won’t be an issue.
It is important to note that corner fireplaces actually have a bit less space for a TV to go on top of it due to the clearance of the two walls in the corner. Therefore, this solution may not be best for people with very large TVs. The TV wall mounting over a standard electric fireplace mantel will be a better solution in that case.
What electric fireplace features should I be aware of?
There are many different features and styles to consider when buying any kind of electrical fireplace. Here are the main features that you should focus on when purchasing your electrical fireplace:
- Fireplace Type and Size – You want to ensure you are getting the type that best fits your specific needs and a size that properly fits the area. Sizing, especially, can be an issue. You need to make sure you are measuring the area that you have available. Compare it to the dimensions of the fireplace you are thinking about getting for your home.
- Fireplace Material – What kind of material is used in making your fireplace will go a long way in looks and longevity. For a wood mantel fireplace, choose quality, solid wood rather than poorly engineered wood like particleboard. Buying a fireplace with cheap materials will mean it won’t look as nice and won’t last nearly as long. If the materials are cheap, then the parts used to make the mechanical aspects of the fireplace may be cheap too.
- Fireplace Color and Style – The color and style of the fireplace’s design have a lot to do with how it will look in your home. It is important that you get something that will look good so that you aren’t unsatisfied after installation.
- Fireplace Heating Ability – Good electric fireplaces should sufficiently heat an area of up to 1,000 square feet without working at maximum capacity. This comes out to an output of around 5,200 BTUs. If you put a fireplace with a weak heating element in your home and try to heat a large room, it will fail miserably and increase your electric bill. On the other hand, with premium electric fireplaces with an efficient infrared quartz heater, your home will stay warm, and your heating bill will be low.
- Fireplace Fire Effects – Fire effects are very important if you want a fireplace that doesn’t look tacky. If you want a fireplace with flames that look exactly like the real thing, you have to get one with holographic flames. Like the HoloFlame technology found in MagikFlame electric fireplaces.
What electric fireplace brands are okay?
There are several reputable brands of electric fireplaces, whether you are getting a standard electric fireplace, a TV stand version, or one that is wall-mounted. Some decent brands are Dimplex, Walker Edison, ClassicFlame, Duraflame, Highboy, Sargent Oak, Southern Enterprises, Ameriwood, and more. However, it is important to know that different brands specialize in a specific type of electric fireplace. Before you choose a brand, you need to see which brands make the type of fireplace you want.
Whatever you do, don’t run out and get a cheap generic electric fireplace. Buyer’s remorse is common. People regret purchasing them because of their lousy performance, tacky looks, and the fact that they tend to break after only a year or two. However, if you want a brand with the highest built quality, the most powerful and efficient heating, and the most realistic holographic flames, you need to get a MagikFlame electric fireplace.
