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Do Electric Fireplace Logs Produce Heat?

Electric Fireplace Logs

There are an overwhelming amount of electric fireplace options that you can go with for your home. Regardless of what kind of electric fireplace you end up getting, there are definitely some things you need to keep in mind before purchasing. Your electric fireplace needs to look great in your home, both as a whole, and whatever technology it uses to simulate real fire. It also needs to have good build quality with high-quality parts so that it lasts for a long time. Lastly, it needs to be able to produce a sufficient amount of heat for the space that you will be using it for. These requirements lead to more questions, especially when it comes specifically to electric fireplace logs. Do they produce heat? Do they have good build quality with high-quality parts? Do they look great as a whole and how do they simulate a pulsating and dancing flame?

In the article that follows, we are going to examine exactly what these electric fireplace log sets are, and what situations they will work for, and we will also offer some alternatives if you find they don’t fit your scenario.

You Can Expect To Learn The Following In This Article:

  • What Are Electric Fireplace Logs? – In this beginning part of the article, we will define exactly what we are talking about when we mention an electric log set and what that means for your home.
  • Do Electric Fireplace Logs Produce Heat? – Here we will talk about which electric log set will produce heat, and how well it can do this task for your home depending on the BTU rating.
  • What Are The Issues With Choosing an Electric Fireplace Log? – There are some issues that you should be aware of when purchasing certain types of electric log set to go into your living area. Here we will cover those types so that you can be better informed before purchasing.
  • What Other Electric Fireplace Choices Are There For The Living Room? – If you find that a standalone electric log isn’t right for you, here is a list of alternatives and what situation you might want to use them in. Read this section carefully so you have a better idea of exactly which fireplace type you should get.
  • Is an Electric Fireplace Actually Better Than a Real Fireplace That Burns Wood or Even a Gas Fireplace? – If you aren’t even sure if an electric fireplace is right for you, this section will talk about all of the ways that electric fireplaces are superior to wood or gas fireplaces that produce a real flame.
  • What Brands of Electric Fireplaces Are Worth Looking At? – Before jumping on Amazon and buying a random electric fireplace because it is on sale or you like the pictures of it, make sure you read this buying guide. This buying guide section will talk about which brands are worth looking at. This will cover brands like Dimplex and their Revillusion and the Revillusion electric fireplace log set, Duraflame, Napoleon, and more.
  • Which Brand of Electric Fireplace Has an Ultrarealistic Flame Effect, a Realistic Ember Bed, and a Log Crackling Sound? – If you are looking for the best electric fireplace on the market that is energy efficient and produces enough heat for your home all while having the most beautiful fire effects that look like a real wood fire, read this section carefully.

What Are Electric Fireplace Logs?

There are two types of these logs. First, there are full-size electric fireplaces that have physical logs in them to increase the realism. There is also another type, and these are the smaller, portable log and grate units that are just set inside of the opening of a traditional fireplace. These will be the type we will be talking about in this article.

Do Electric Fireplace Logs Produce Heat?

Do Electric Fireplace Logs Produce Heat
Heat produced by gas fireplaces have a tendency to dry out the air.

If we are talking about the small, portable units, then yes, many of these logs have the ability to heat with a small, built-in heater near the top of the logs. Of course, these can also come in purely visual types without a heater unit inside of them.

The logs that are found in full-size electric fireplaces are usually just there for the realistic visual element and the larger, more powerful heating device is located elsewhere in the fireplace. This gives full-size electric fireplaces a distinct advantage over smaller, portable inserts. However, there are larger inserts that also slide into traditional fireplaces, but these are usually full-size boxes that fit snugly in the opening. These will have the benefits of a full-size electric fireplace but be able to be inserted like the small log and grate standalone units.

What Are The Issues With Choosing an Electric Fireplace Log?

The three requirements that we talked about before were the visual quality, the build quality, and the heating ability. Unfortunately, the small standalone portable log units fall short in all three of these different categories. They have a very basic ember glowing ability with little to no actual fire effects. They tend to be made with lower-quality parts that perform worse. Finally, due to their limited size, their heating ability is very weak, and they can basically only be used to heat very small spaces. You wouldn’t have trouble being able to heat a large room with these, much less an entire house. Additionally, they usually lack the features that make larger electric fireplaces so efficient, so you might see a higher electric bill if you were to use one of these portable log and grate units.

What Other Electric Fireplace Choices Are There For The Living Room?

What Other Electric Fireplace Choices Are There For The Living Room
MagikFlame is the best choice compared to other types of fireplaces.

There are several other types of electric fireplaces out there. Some are better than these portable units, some aren’t. Here are the different types and when you might want to use them:

  • Mantel Package For a Flat Wall – This is an electric fireplace that looks like a real traditional open-hearth style wood-burning fireplace. These electric fireplace units come with a mantel and are placed against a flat wall.
  • Corner Fireplace – Internally, these work just the same as the units made for a flat wall. However, these are built in a shaped design so that they can be installed into the corner of a room rather than installing one against a flat wall.
  • TV Stand White Fireplace – One of these units is an electric fireplace that is built inside of a TV console stand. The advantage here is that you get two pieces of furniture in one. The disadvantage is that the fireplace itself may not be as high quality due to the limited space that is available.
  • Corner TV Stand Fireplace – These are TV console stands with a fireplace built into them, but these are a corner unit variation. These may perform even worse due to even more limited space.
  • Wall Mount Electric Fireplace – A wall mount unit is simply one that can hang on a wall using special mounting brackets. They can also be installed in a recessed wall for a completely flush, modern look for your home.
  • Electric Fireplace Insert – This is a full-size electric fireplace without a mantel. You insert these into a fireplace you already have, instead of using the weaker standalone portable log units.
  • Freestanding Electric Fireplace Heater – This is just a space heater with some fireplace elements that are added to it. There are some issues here with space for a sufficient heater and fire effects, so these should be avoided as well if you want a serious fireplace in your home.
  • Electric Fireplace Stove – This is a fireplace that is functionally the same as a wall unit or corner unit, but it has been designed to look like a rural wood stove. These will look out of place anywhere than a farmhouse or wilderness cabin.
Is an Electric Fireplace Actually Better Than a Real Fireplace
Interior design options are limited to a stove.

Is an Electric Fireplace Actually Better Than a Real Fireplace That Burns Wood or Even a Gas Fireplace?

If you are still on the fence, you probably aren’t aware of all of the issues with wood and gas fireplaces, or the benefits of electric fireplaces over them. First, here are the issues with wood fireplaces:

  • Fire safety is a serious issue with wood fireplaces. This is partly due to the exposed flame and the fiery logs that can roll out, but the real problem is the flammable soot that builds upon the inner walls of the chimney.
  • Harmful emissions in the form of smoke and carbon monoxide can prove to be a serious health risk for you, even with plenty of ventilation to help out with it.
  • Wood fireplaces are a hassle to both use and maintain. It really ends up feeling like a part-time job to keep them going.
  • One of the biggest problems with wood fireplaces is how much heat that they actually lose through the chimney. This requires you to burn quite a lot of wood to make up for it.
  • The smell of the smoke will get your curtains, your furniture, your carpet, and even your clothes. That smell will stay there long after the fireplace has already been put out.
  • Another issue with smoke is the stains it causes in your home. It will yellow your walls and stain your furniture over time.
  • You can’t mount a TV on the wall above a traditional wood fireplace without risking serious permanent damage to your TV. It can stop working completely and will need repairs or even replacement. Typically, this isn’t covered under warranties.
  • You need a place to store the massive amounts of wood you will be using throughout the winter.
  • If you want to build one onto an existing house and it is even allowed in your region, you are looking at some major construction costs to do so.

Gas fireplaces are admittedly better than wood fireplaces because they burn cleaner and are a bit safer. However, they still suffer from some disappointing issues:

  • Just like a wood fireplace, there is an exposed flame that can lead to a potential house fire inside of your home. Anytime an exposed flame is present, this is a safety concern.
  • Carbon monoxide is still produced in many types of gas fireplaces so you have to worry about these noxious and potentially deadly fumes.
  • Certain types of electric fireplaces produce a very ugly blue flame that removes the sense of realism that most people want. Even the more realistic flame colors still tend to look too bright and neon.
  • Many gas fireplaces suffer from weak flames where the fire stream is weakly spilling out instead of flickering and roaring like a real wood fireplace.
  • Costly Installation – Because they usually need venting and they are directly built-in units, the installation can be very costly. It usually isn’t something that you can do yourself, and instead requires you to hire expensive professionals to come and take care of it for you.

On the flip side of all of the wood and gas downsides, electric fireplaces have a large number of benefits that you get to enjoy. Here are just some of those common benefits that people like:

  • You don’t have to worry about an electric fireplace causing a house fire due to an exposed flame.
  • No dangerous emissions come out of electric fireplaces. They only produce warm, clean air. You don’t have to worry about deadly smoke inhalation or carbon monoxide poisoning.
  • Since there is no burning and no smoke, you aren’t going to have to worry about your home smelling like smoke or your walls and furniture yellowing over time with smoke stains.
  • Using it is very easy, especially when you compare it to all the hard work required to build and maintain fires in a traditional fireplace. For electric fireplaces, all you have to do is turn it on. That’s it. You can also change the temperature easily with the press of a button if it is too warm or too cold for you.
  • They are easy to install. You just set it where you want it to be, and the plug-in fireplace works with any standard 120-volt power outlet.
  • Since electric fireplaces don’t need venting and have a simple install procedure, you can actually put one in any room of your home. You aren’t just limited to the main room. You can choose to add one to your dining room, your home office, or even your bedrooms to keep you nice and warm at night.
  • One of the best things about electric fireplaces is how incredibly efficient they are with heat. For starters, they don’t need any ventilation, so you won’t have that massive heat loss to worry about. The heat stays right there in the room so that the fireplace doesn’t have to work so hard to keep it warm. Additionally, electric fireplaces typically use powerful infrared heating coils that warm air very quickly, using very little electricity to do so.
  • You can set up supplemental heat zoning if you have a much larger house with many different rooms. You do this by putting more than one fireplace in your home, and only turning that fireplace on in the area of the home that you will be using. By keeping the doors that are connected between different parts of the home closed, you use significantly less energy to keep the occupied parts of your home warm. While the initial cost of an additional fireplace can seem like a lot, it often ends up paying for itself with time due to the high savings involved in your heating bill. If you purchase a small electric fireplace on a payment plan, you can start putting some of those savings towards your payments right away.
  • Most electric fireplaces will come with some sort of remote control so that you can easily change settings or turn them on without getting up from your seat.
  • It is perfectly safe to mount your flat screens on the wall above an electrical fireplace.
  • If you get a fireplace with realistic holographic fire technology, you will truly capture the fireplace ambiance and experience.

What Brands of Electric Fireplaces Are Worth Looking At?

What Brands of Electric Fireplaces Are Worth Looking At
MagikFlame is a top-of-the-line electric fireplace.

There are many decent brands of electric fireplaces out there. Some have basic LED lights for their fire effects. LED technology can look nice when you are standing right in front of the fireplace, but it lacks the depth of 3D. Others, like the Dimplex Opti-Myst electric fireplace project flames onto water vapor to attempt a 3D effect. Dimplex also has the Revillusion models like the RLG20 or RLG25 Revillusion Electric Fireplace Log Set.

There are other brands out there like Duraflame with the Duraflame 20, Napoleon with the Napoleon Woodland, or even Ashmat. Ashmat is an electric log insert that would fit into the firebox of your existing fireplace with a glowing ember bed. Another similar version of a fireplace log with an ember bed that sits in the firebox of a normal fireplace would be a Pleasant Hearth 20.

Make sure to avoid any generic brands that you see, as these don’t last long, perform poorly, and tend to look very tacky once they are actually in your home. Instead, invest your money wisely the first time around and buy an electric fireplace from a trusted brand.

If you truly want a brand that has the most realistic fire effects, a powerful and efficient heater, and several more amazing features, read the next section.

Which Brand of Electric Fireplace Has an Ultrarealistic Flame Effect, a Realistic Ember Bed, and a Log Crackling Sound?

Which Brand of Electric Fireplace Has an Ultrarealistic Flame Effect
MagikFlame’s HoloFlame technology makes logs look like they are wrapped in fire.

MagikFlame has tons of features that make it one of the most sought-after electric fireplaces on the market. Here are the features that people love the most:

  • 3D Holographic Realistic Flames That Capture The Ambiance of Real Wood Fireplace – Inside of a MagikFlame electric fireplace is an ember bed with a physical log set over it. When you turn on your MagikFlame fireplace, flickering flames are 3D holographically projected onto the logs and look exactly the same as a real fire. There are 30 different flames you have the privilege of choosing from so that you can cycle through flame styles to fit your mood.
  • Crackling Log Sounds For Elevated Atmosphere – Taking the realism to a further level, the sounds of logs that crackle can be heard to match the flickering of the flames. This adds an entirely new level of immersion to the entire experience when using a MagikFlame electric fireplace.
  • Powerful 5,200 BTU Infrared Quartz Heating Element – The powerful and efficient heater inside of every MagikFlame fireplace can easily heat an area of 1,000 square feet. If you have a much larger home, you can set up supplemental zone heating with more than one MagikFlame fireplace and lower your heating bill further.
  • Smartphone or Tablet App Controller – Instead of a regular remote control, MagikFlame can be controlled by an amazing smartphone app that lets you set the thermostat from anywhere in your home, as well as control all of the other features that MagikFlame comes with like visual and audio effects.
  • Beautiful and Timeless Fireplace Design – There is no shortage of beautiful mantel styles that MagikFlame offers with their electric fireplaces. All of them have a premium look and built, with a timeless home decor style that will look great for many years in your home.

Traditional White Electric Fireplace Mantel & Insert with Sound and Heater
Stand-Alone Electric Fireplace Insert with Sound and Heater
Modern White Electric Fireplace Mantel & Insert with Sound and Heater
European Style White Electric Fireplace Mantel & Insert with Sound and Heater
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