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Do Electric Fireplaces Give Off a Burning Smell?

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Fireplaces are used to keep homes warm by distributing the heat they produce through different means. Traditional fireplaces are designed to make use of firewood. Due to the nature of burning wood, they are famous for being smoky. They produce a lot of smoke and emit an odor depending on the type of firewood used. A burning smell can be noticed whenever someone uses a traditional wood-burning fireplace. The firewood loaded into the fireplace will determine the scent.

You might have gotten used to the burning smell if you have recently upgraded from a traditional wood-burning fireplace. However, you should not expect the electric fireplace you are upgrading to produce any odor. You might feel like your sense of smell has been tricked, but this is not the case. Electric fireplaces are known not to give off a burning smell, which is a huge advantage. Other fireplaces might produce foul odors, but with the electric fireplace, your home will stay clean smelling and comfortable. You will also feel safer while living in a house with an electric fireplace with an infrared heater. Thanks to the modern fireplaces’ safety features and automated mechanisms, you will enjoy a safe heating and housewarming experience.

In this post, you will learn:

Traditional fireplaces and burning smells

For the traditional fireplaces, the home builder or architect must change the home’s interior design to accommodate them. The fireplaces used to occupy a lot of space and were known to be stressful and cumbersome to have at your home. For instance, you needed to have an additional room to store the fuel in your home. It was usually a wood store for the wood-burning fireplaces where you would keep an entire winter supply. They were an expensive undertaking, and the installation would cost thousands of dollars. You would need ductwork to get the heat to more homerooms and not let the heat go to waste.

Wood-burning fireplaces are used to operate by burning wood. The smoke from the wood was passed to the outside through the chimney. The heat would dissipate into the room where the people were. As the wood burned, a particular smell would be produced, affecting the entire home. If you were exposed to that smell for an extended length of time, you would experience severe side effects such as migraines, headaches, and nosebleeds. It results from the smoke from the wood entering your nasal cavity and causing irritation. 

When you smell smoke for the first time from the wood-burning fireplace, your nasal receptors are activated. They transmit the smell of the smoke to your nervous system and start your neurons. As such, you can immediately detect smoke in your house. However, your senses get dull if you are exposed to the smell for too long. You no longer smell the smoke as sharply, but it’s still detectable. Continued use of the wood-burning fireplace also has other severe effects like respiratory problems and other health complications. It was not deemed safe to use the wood-burning fireplaces due to the odors that they produced. Without regular use, mildew and mold would grow in the traditional fireplace causing irritations.

Using the best wood-burning fireplaces for prolonged durations was one of the reasons people would experience Phantosmia. 

According to NHS, it is a condition where your senses begin perceiving smells that do not exist. Some of the common symptoms of Phantosmia include smelling burnt toast or burning rubber when there is none. Some might notice the odor in just one nostril, while others have it in both. The odor may come and go, or it may be constant. You might even start detecting phantom smells like cigarette smoke when there is none lit close to you. You will begin to smell something spoiled or rotten. You will likely develop olfactory hallucinations when you have a common cold, allergies, sinus infections, irritation from smoking, or poor air quality, to name a few.

The prolonged use of the traditional electric fireplaces is also one of the common causes responsible for Parosmia. In this condition, you may experience a loss of scent intensity, meaning you can’t detect the full range of the scents around you. The typical symptom of Parosmia is an inability to properly categorize the odor’s natural smell. For instance, sniffing an orange would be overpowering and rotten. Scents that you used to find pleasant may now become unbearable. If you try to eat food that smells bad to you, you may feel nauseous or sick. 

When the burning smell irritates the lining in your nasal cavity, you might experience a temporary loss of smell. The condition is known as Anosmia and is the partial or complete loss of the sense of smell. Olfactory dysfunction and problems with the olfactory bulb are common for people who have been using fireplaces that produce a lot of smoke. The scents affect how they can perceive other natural smells in their surroundings. Whenever you feel an irritation in your nasal or a musty feeling, it is due to the smoke.

Traditional fireplaces powered by propane could also develop gas leaks, which would be deadly and risky for the home occupants. These gas leaks are easy to detect and smell like rotten eggs or sewage. As soon as you notice such a smell in your home, it is recommended that you immediately turn off the gas supply to your fireplace and the fireplace itself. You should then report the matter to the local fire department and have a technician look at your gas supply. Problems and issues in the gas supply for propane-powered fireplaces have led to heavy losses for homeowners as the entire home might get reduced to ashes in the event of a fire.

Electric fireplaces and smells

Anyone that has had enough of realistic traditional fireplaces is advised to upgrade to an electric fireplace. Electric fireplaces are a massive improvement over their conventional counterparts and a true reflection of the modern world. Renewable energy sources are preferred over firewood, which is known to harm the environment by releasing harmful, toxic gases into the atmosphere. By moving from wood-burning and propane-powered fireplaces to the electric fireplaces, you will reduce the impact on your environment. Greenhouse gases resulting from burning wood in the fireplace will no longer emanate from your home. 

You should not expect an electrical burning smell to come from your realistic electric fireplace when it has been installed in your home. Typically, the electric fireplaces are noiseless and barely affect your daily life. They are also intended to stay out of the way. As such, they do not take up much space in your home. Depending on the type of home décor used in your home, you can have the fireplace blend in with the rest of the home décor. It can easily blend in with your wall, for instance, or get installed between the bookshelves.

Your creativity can enable you to place the electric fireplace in a section of your home where it will be the focal point or the main attraction. Installing it below your TV, for instance, can enable you to spruce up the look of your entertainment spot in the home. Your living room will also look more appealing when you have the electric fireplace nicely concealed in a place that is not easy to detect. DIY installation for the electric fireplaces is also easy, and they have been designed for one-person installation that takes less than an hour to complete. With the instruction manual, you will easily follow the provided steps and ensure that you have installed the fireplace as the manufacturer recommends. There is no need to call in an electrician for an installation that you can manage by yourself.

Electric fireplaces have not been known to give off any burning smell. They are a hugely smell-less installation that will not affect the balance of sensation in your home. The safety features built into the appliance ensure that the fireplace gets automatically turned off whenever it is getting overheated. Whenever the temperature gets above a specific limit, the heating element is automatically turned off until it has cooled down significantly. Thankfully, most of the electric fireplaces also have multiple sensors that are embedded into their design. These sensors ensure that the fireplace’s temperature is closely monitored to avoid getting beyond certain limits.

Only Phantosmia and getting used to traditional fireplaces can make you feel that the electric fireplace produces heat. The fireplace only provides you with a fire effect meant to display realistic flames dancing around. The flames might trigger some of the olfactory conditions described, and when you look at the flames, you might be tempted to think that something is burning. Your mind will fill in the rest of the gap by perceiving smells that are not even real. You might start to feel like a burning or a rotting smell in your room looking at the flame effect.

In effect, you can always change the fireplace’s graphical appearance and visual effects to see if there will be a change in your olfactory senses. Changing the type of flame on display can cause the perceptions to change, and in effect, your smell sense will get back to normal. You can also change the sound effects your electric fireplace produces to notice if there is a change. Sometimes, the sounds you hear can affect the smells you sense, and changing the sound can bring things back into perspective. Electric fireplaces will not give off a burning smell, and you will only perceive the unrealistic smells as a result of your mind trying to explain what the flame effect is for.

Due to their design, the electric fireplaces do not give out any smell. They are primarily smell-free and will not produce any burning smell even when continuously used for prolonged periods. Using them in your home is therefore safe, and you will be able to enjoy spending time at home without any olfactory hallucinations playing games with your mind. The safety features embedded into the fireplaces eliminate the likelihood of a fire taking place and burning off your fireplace. You can use the thermostat to adjust the maximum temperature to the desired level, where you will stay comfortable and not have to raise the temperature to unwanted levels.

The electric fireplaces are considered safe for any home, and once you have installed them, you have nothing to worry about. You should, however, be careful about connecting the electrical cord to the wall supply unit. An incorrect configuration can cause an unusual surge in power supplied to the heating unit, causing it to get damaged. Much engineering has been put into designing and manufacturing of electric fireplaces so that you no longer have to worry about your home developing a burning smell. When installing an electric fireplace, you should not expect it to give off any scent.

The electric fireplace does not give off any smells because it does not combust anything to produce heat. In contrast, traditional fireplaces had to burn firewood to ashes to provide warmth. In contrast, the electric fireplace uses a heating element induced by an electrical current to produce heat. The blower motor distributes the heat to the rest of the room. The heat is produced by electricity, and there is nothing that gets burned in the process. The electric fireplace is the safest way of heating your home.

burning smell

MagikFlame fireplaces

If you want to eliminate the olfactory conditions caused by the smoke produced by the latest traditional fireplaces, why not upgrade to the best electric fireplace. For many years, MagikFlame has been at the forefront of researching and developing electric fireplaces that are a true reflection of their technological advancement. The designers and engineers have put in their best work to ensure that the products made for your home are nothing short of the best. The features included in the new fireplaces are powerful and incredibly powerful features. For instance, you can easily see your fireplace’s temperature from the comfort of your mobile device.

Using a mobile app to pair up with your fireplace and control it remotely is one of the main advancements that MagikFlame has made. If you have been following the MagikFlame story, you will notice that the newer models have started using solid-state technology for most visual effects. As such, they can produce more realistic flames than the competition. You can get these fireplaces through Amazon or the MagikFlame website.

The MagikFlame fireplaces’ flame effect is perfectly balanced with the entire fireplace, and you will see the flames dancing naturally. They will not appear to be out of place, thanks to the design and engineering that has gone into their production. For instance, the flame effect is made possible by the use of solid-state elements. In other brands, the flame effect is created by moving parts known to break down and get destroyed easily. They will only provide you with service for a little while before they require repair and even replacement.

A realistic visual effect is ensured by using solid-state display elements in the MagikFlame fireplaces. As a result, you will get more years of service from the fireplace. You will not need to replace the unit or keep taking it for repairs due to the moving parts grinding and chewing on each other. There are many pre-installed flames to choose from, you can find one that is your favorite, or you can switch between them as often as you like. You will notice that the flames are all unique; this is meant to make the visual effect created in your home perfect every time.

Another advantage of the MagikFlame fireplace is the ability to produce sound effects. These create an ambiance that makes you feel like you are in a different environment. Some of the effects make you feel like you are in a natural setting, such as a rainforest. The sounds are authentic, and you can turn the volume up or down to your comfort level. The MagikFlame reviews are all evidence of the work that has gone into engineering these marvelous home heating systems. Your HVAC system will get a massive boost when installing a MagikFlame electric fireplace, and you will notice that your family and friends will be more comfortable with it in the room.

Knowing how MagikFlame is built makes it possible for you to identify the difference between this fireplace and others available on the market. You will learn about the unique features of the MagikFlame fireplace and the technology that has gone into making them the leading fireplaces on the market. The MagikFlame electric fireplace buying guide should be able to give you all the information you require about fireplaces. You will be able to see the available models and what features they provide to you. You will also be better positioned to make a buying decision and view MagikFlame’s payment plans and financing options.

The 5200 BTU heater installed inside the MagikFlame fireplace ensures that as much area is covered. The heat gets distributed to the entire room, keeping the occupants comfortable and cozy. Crackling log sounds make the occupants comfortable about the flame, and they will not experience any olfactory hallucinations. The log sounds also compliment the flame effects and assure everyone in the home concerning the flames produced. As such, no one will panic whenever they see the flames in the unit.

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