It’s not surprising that so many people love the idea of having a fireplace in their homes. The ambiance that it adds is unparalleled during a cold night when the room is warmed by the soft glow of a cozy fire.
The problem is, not everyone can experience this in their own home. Many new homes aren’t allowed to build a traditional fireplace that is wood-burning due to regulations. A gas fireplace tends to fall short when trying to replicate a wood fireplace. On top of all this, some people live in a condo or an apartment where they can’t even install one of these fireplaces if they want to.
Enter the electric fireplace. Many homeowners these days are deciding to use this as a great alternative in their living room. Some electric fireplaces with mantel have really made huge leaps when it comes to real flickering flames while heating your home. However, this leads to some questions: How do electric fireplaces put out heat, and is this a good fit for my home?
This post is going to answer these questions. First, we are going to break down the different options that are out there when it comes to fireplaces for your home. We will also highlight why an electric fireplace might be exactly what you are looking for. Then we are going to cover the best electric fireplace that you can get: MagikFlame. We will share the MagikFlame story, explain how MagikFlame is built, and share some MagikFlame reviews from past customers.
In This Post, You Will Learn:
- Types of Wood Fireplaces – The common types of fireplaces that burn wood.
- Downsides of Wood Fireplaces – Why a fireplace that burns wood is not the best idea.
- Types of Gas Fireplaces – The common types of gas fireplaces.
- Downsides of Gas Fireplaces – Why a fireplace that burns gas is not the best alternative to one that burns wood.
- Types of Electric Fireplaces – The common types of electric fireplaces.
- Benefits of An Electric Fireplace – All the different benefits that make an electric fireplace one of the best choices.
- How Do Electric Fireplaces Put Out Heat? Here is where we get right down to the important question: How do electric fireplaces put out heat and will this be good enough for my home?
- The MagikFlame Story – We cover the MagikFlame story and how it became one of the best fireplace options.
- How MagikFlame Is Built – We cover how MagikFlame is built to provide your home with a cozy ambiance.
- MagikFlame Reviews – We show some MagikFlame reviews from real customers who have installed one in their homes.
- Why You Should Consider A MagikFlame Electric Fireplace – We break down exactly why MagikFlame is the ideal fireplace for your home.
Types of Wood Fireplaces
Fireplaces that burn wood will usually be one of these four types:
- Open Hearth Fireplaces – This kind of fireplace is the traditional wood one that most people think of. It has an open firebox where real wood can be burned. Smoke and a certain amount of heat escape through the venting flue which usually requires a traditional chimney.
- Enclosed Fireplaces – This is a fireplace unit that burns wood but is completely enclosed, usually by a glass panel in front so the real flame can still be seen. These tend to be slightly more energy efficient than an open hearth, but not as efficient as a gas or electric fireplace.
- Fireplace Inserts – This is a fireplace insert that can turn an open-hearth fireplace into an enclosed one.
- Wood Stove – These are not typical fireplaces, however, they still burn wood to produce heat. The stove itself radiates heat into the room and the top can be used for limited cooking. These are common in cabins but tend to look strange in homes with a modern look.
Downsides of Wood Fireplaces
Having a fireplace that burns wood is a big hassle. First, you have to continue putting new logs on to keep it going. Second, you have to clean all of the excess ash out of it. Third, you have to have a professional come and clean out the chimney at least a couple of times per year.
Burning wood is one of the least efficient ways to heat your home. It requires expensive piles of wood and additional fire-starting logs like Duraflame.
They are the least safe type of fireplace. They are a leading cause of house fires. They also produce carbon monoxide emissions due to an incomplete burn of the wood.
Types of Gas Fireplaces
These are the two most common types of fireplaces that burn gas:
- Direct Vented Built-In Fireplace – These are gas fireplaces that require venting, usually in the form of a pipe. They burn cleaner than wood and usually produce a yellow or orange flame.
- Ventless Built-In Fireplace – These are gas fireplaces that don’t require any kind of ventilation, however, they require a different type of gas that usually burns blue.
Downsides of Gas Fireplaces
While gas fireplaces burn cleaner than ones that burn wood and require a bit less maintenance, they can still produce carbon monoxide from an incomplete burn. They also tend to have a slight gassy smell to the burning.
Regardless of which type you go with, you will need to install new gas lines depending on where you want your fireplace to be located. This can be an expensive project and many condos and apartments won’t even allow it.
The yellow and orange flames of the vented fireplace don’t quite look as authentic as they should. The blue flames of the ventless fireplace look completely artificial.
They still aren’t as cost-effective of a way to heat your home as a quality electric fireplace.
Types of Electric Fireplaces
Electric fireplaces usually come in one of these four types:
- Electric Fireplace Mantel – This is a standard electric fireplace mantel set that looks like the real thing. This will usually include the mantel and fireplace unit as two separate pieces for ease of installation, but it sometimes comes as one piece. They can also be part of a TV stand or entertainment center.
- Wall Mounted Electric Fireplaces – These are the kind of electric fireplaces that can be mounted on a wall and sometimes installed into the drywall so that it sits flush with the wall. These should come with all of the equipment needed to hang it.
- Electric Fireplace Insert – These inserts can be placed into your existing fireplace or mantle. This is a great way to convert a fireplace that burns wood or gas into a fireplace that runs completely on electricity. If you have a traditional brick fireplace and chimney, one of these inserts goes a long way to keeping the authentic look while enjoying all the benefits that come with electric fireplaces.
- Freestanding Electric Fireplace Heater – This is essentially a space heater that has been built to look like a fireplace. Although it is nice to have a space heater to move from room to room, and one of these can easily be found on Amazon, they don’t quite look as good as one of the other electric fireplace options listed above.
Benefits of An Electric Fireplace
There are tons of benefits to installing an infrared fireplace in your home or converting your current fireplace into one that runs on electricity.
Without a doubt, electric fireplaces are one of the most cost-effective types of fireplaces to help you heat your home. This also makes them a lot better for the environment.
Electric fireplaces are much safer than either wood or gas. Because they don’t burn anything, they don’t produce carbon monoxide and they significantly reduce the chance of a house fire.
You don’t have to do all of the excessive cleaning or maintenance that is required with a fireplace that burns wood.
You can hang a TV directly above most electric fireplaces without the risk of causing damage to the TV like with fireplaces that burn wood or gas.
A high-quality electric fireplace will produce a flame effect that looks much better than most gas fireplaces and usually has additional options to further add to the emersion.
Electric fireplaces usually come with a remote control or the ability to control it from your smartphone. This allows you to easily control the thermostat and change the heat settings to a heat output that is ideal for your home.
Electric fireplaces are perfect for supplemental heat if you want to set up zone heating for your home to further save on your electric bill.
The thinnest electric fireplaces are super easy to install. You usually just need to place them where you want them to be and plug them into a standard 120-volt wall outlet.
How Do Electric Fireplaces Put Out Heat?
There is a huge misconception that electric fireplaces aren’t able to heat a home as well as a fireplace that burns wood or gas. Not only can a high-end electric fireplace produce as much or more heat as these other examples, but they are much more efficient while doing so.
So how do electric fireplaces put out heat?
To produce heat, electric fireplaces pull in the cool air that is in the room. Once this air is in the fireplace, a heating element, often a heating coil of some type, will warm the air before it is gently released to circulate in the room. This type of heat source is called convection.
The amount of heat that electric fireplaces can produce is measured as BTU, or British Thermal Unit. When you check the details about a specific electric fireplace, it should have the BTUs clearly listed. The more BTUs that a fireplace can produce, the more square feet that it can reliably keep warm. Most quality electric fireplaces can heat large rooms and sometimes entire homes depending on the size. For very large homes it’s even more efficient to get multiple electric fireplaces and only turn them on when that part of the home is being used.
The MagikFlame Story
MagikFlame is one of the best electric fireplaces that are on the market today. MagikFlame is a small family business that started in 2015. Their goal was to create one of the most realistic electric fireplaces that people can put in their homes. Due to the owner and founder’s extensive experience with visual effects and technology in Hollywood, MagikFlame is one of the most realistic electric fireplaces.
How MagikFlame Is Built
MagikFlame is engineered with laser-cutting technology to ensure that each unit meets and exceeds the absolute highest standards. Their goal is to provide innovative technology, a reliable product, and a beautiful piece for your home.
Every MagikFlame electric fireplace is hand-assembled by expert qualified technicians to ensure the best possible fit and sturdiness.
MagikFlame Reviews
Customers who have acquired MagikFlame electric fireplaces for their homes are beyond happy with their experience with the product.
One customer has put a MagikFlame corner unit in their guest room so that guests can stay warm and cozy when they visit. He mentions the quality of the product, how well it fits, and how stunning it looks.
Another customer mentions how realistic the flames look and how well they heat the room. They also talk about how much they love the authentic crackling log sounds that come with MagikFlame electric fireplaces.
One customer talks about how they searched for a realistic electric fireplace for over two years with no luck. They are so happy that they eventually found MagikFlame and that it is exactly what they were always looking for.
Why You Should Consider A MagikFlame Electric Fireplace
There are several different ways that electric fireplaces try to simulate the look of a real fireplace. Some cheap, low-quality models just use a spinning mechanical piece with LED lights. Others like Dimplex try to project flame effects onto water vapor, but even this isn’t quite as realistic as it can be.
What sets MagikFlame apart is their unique holoflame technology that projects hologram flames onto a real physical log set. The 30 different flame effects are ultra-realistic and can be set to fit any mood that you desire.
To accompany these incredibly realistic fire effects, MagikFlame also comes equipped with realistic crackling log sounds. Because the sound is paired with holographic technology, it helps give you the full emersion of a realistic fireplace atmosphere. Many of your guests won’t be able to tell the difference between this and a real fireplace that burns wood.
If this wasn’t enough, MagikFlame’s built-in heater produces an incredible 5,200 BTUs of heat. This is enough to keep your home nice and toasty during an especially cold winter.
If you think MagikFlame might be something you are interested in, check out this MagikFlame electric fireplace buying guide now.
