A good architect can design your home with a wonderful layout. However, it takes a good home builder to make that design come to life. Similarly, A great interior designer can come up with some fantastic interior design ideas, but you have to actually see the home decor placed in your home for you to truly know if it is right for you. These same principles can be applied to your outdoor area as well. Outdoor fireplaces can elevate your outdoor patio, but you need to make sure you are getting the right one. You want something that looks stunning but is also very efficient when it comes to heating. Whether you are decorating the backyard of your new home, or simply doing a backyard remodel, this article is going to help you choose the option that is right for you. We will cover many new product types involving outdoor heating regardless of what postal code you live in. Let’s get right into things.
In This Post, You Can Expect To Get Answers To The Following Questions:
- What Are The Main Types of Outdoor Fireplaces People Use as a Centerpiece or Focal Point of Their Outdoor Living Area? – There are several options for heating the outdoor area of your home, from a fire pit, an electric fireplace, and more. We will cover those options here.
- What Are The Different Types of Outdoor Fireplaces That Are Electric? – Electric heating can be a great way to warm the outdoors when you are enjoying your backyard. Here we are going to cover some common types.
- What Are The Different Outdoor Gas Fireplace Types? – It is common to have an outdoor fire that is fueled by gas, so this section will allow you to explore some of the different types of gas fireplaces for outdoor use.
- Should an Outdoor Gas Fireplace Like a Fire Pit Be Propane Gas or Natural Gas? – If you choose a gas fireplace, you might not know what type of gas you should even be using. Should you be using propane or another fuel type? This section will help.
- In What Situations Are Electric Fireplaces More Efficient For Your Outdoor Living Space? – While gas fireplaces are decent for large open areas, they aren’t always the best choice for your home. In this part, we will explore what situations where an electric fireplace will actually thrive.
- Can You Use a Fire Pit Indoors? – Are you thinking about using a fire pit table inside of your home? Before you attempt this, it is very important you read this section.
- What Kind of Fireplace is Best Inside of Your Home? – If you want a fireplace inside of your home, should you use a wood, gas, or electric one? This section will explore this top in detail.
- Are There Many Electric Fireplace Types? – Whether you want an electric fireplace for outdoor or indoor use, there are several interesting variations that are available to you. Here we will list the common ones.
- Is There an Electric Fireplace Brand That Is Best For An Enclosed Patio Space or Inside of Your Home? – If you are looking for realism when it comes to your electric fireplace, you don’t need to look any further than MagikFlame electric fireplace.
What Are The Main Types of Outdoor Fireplaces People Use as a Centerpiece or Focal Point of Their Outdoor Living Area?
There are three many types of heating units you might use for an outdoor space:
● Wood burning – These are basically just standard outdoor wood fire pit that produces heat from wood burning. There aren’t too many other subtypes when it comes to wood as a fuel source.
● Gas – Gas is most common in the form of a gas fire pit, but can also be some other types.
● Electric – There are electric outdoor tower heaters as well as an electric fireplace you can use for some outdoor spaces around your home.
What Are The Different Types of Outdoor Fireplaces That Are Electric?
● Infrared Tower Heater – These are tall heaters on a tripod that put out heat all around it. These don’t usually look that great but are good when you have a large gathering outdoors when it is cold out and you need to warm the gathering area effectively.
● Tabletop Space Heater – these are small space heating devices that are really only there to heat the immediate area. The warmth will usually just be felt by people around the table or right next to the heater when outdoors.
● Electric Fireplace – An electric fireplace is the most visually stunning of the different outdoor electric heaters. It can simulate the flames of a traditional fireplace while keeping a larger area warm. These are best when used indoors, in an enclosed patio, or in an area with some kind of coverage that helps hold the heat in the area.
What Are The Different Outdoor Gas Fireplace Types?
There are many types of gas types and many features that can come with them:
● Gas Chiminea – A chiminea can be found in a gas fuel type, even if they aren’t traditionally fueled by gas.
● Gas Fire Table With Firebed – This is more of a rectangular table that can have things like
● Fire Pit – Similar to traditional pits that are dug into the ground, these are often built into a table as well.
● Fire Bowls – It is common to fill fire bowls with things like fire glass to add interesting color elements to the fireplace.
● Fire Column – These are smaller, columns with a fire element on top, rather than larger table elements.
● Tabletop Gas Novelty Fires – These are small fireplaces that can sit on a small table and more commonly use something like ethanol as a fuel source. These are more just for the novelty of a cool-looking flame and they produce very little heat, especially outdoors.
● Gas Fireplace – You can get a gas fireplace like the Lanai linear gas fireplaces. These are usually built into some kind of wall or housing rather than being freestanding. Gas fireplaces can come as vent-free or ventless for ones that use gas that uses gas that requires venting, or direct vent for ones that need ventilation. There are also ventless and vent-free gas fireplaces that use log sets inside of the firebox. Log sets in the firebox help the fireplace look more natural and a gas log can help break up the flame streams so it flickers more. A gas log can be found in fireplaces like Villa gas fireplaces.
Should an Outdoor Gas Fireplace Like a Fire Pit Be Propane Gas or Natural Gas?
The natural type of gas that comes from your gas utility lines is used for some fire pit table types. The benefit of using gas that comes from gas lines like this is that you don’t have to change tanks, however, the pricing for installation can be higher because of the same lines that need to be installed.
On the other hand, you have propane. Propane gas is cleaner and more efficient than natural gas, however, you do have to change the tanks for these outdoor fire pits compared to outdoor fire pits that have gas lines installed on them. Propane is also commonly used for an outdoor BBQ, so you can use these tanks interchangeably.
Regardless of what type you get, the gas burner is typically stainless steel.
In What Situations Are Electric Fireplaces More Efficient For Your Outdoor Living Space?
While gas fireplaces can be much more efficient in completely open areas, electric fireplaces are actually a much better choice anywhere that is more enclosed. This can be a completely enclosed patio, or even a partially enclosed patio. This is because electric fireplace. work best when the heat is held into an area and the air can easily be cycled to make it warm.
You can even use electric fireplaces in a situation where space is covered with some kind of tent or canopy because the heat can be held in. They are completely safe to use in situations like this, where a gas option may release harmful emissions that are incredibly dangerous, and they have exposed flames that can start fires in enclosed areas.
So, if you have a completely open area with a safe, stone or concrete foundation, you might want to lean towards a gas option. However, if you have any sort of covering at all, are in an enclosed space, or are near flammable objects, an electric fireplace is a better choice both for safety and efficiency.
Can You Use a Fire Pit Indoors?
Fire pits should never be used indoors. They are strictly for outdoor use. They can produce tons of harmful emissions and the exposed flame isn’t good for your home. For indoor use, you will definitely want to go with a fireplace rather than some kind of fire pit.
What Kind of Fireplace is Best Inside Your Home?
Indoors, you have three fireplace options: a wood fireplace, a gas fireplace, or an electric fireplace. Unfortunately, wood and gas have some issues that make them less than ideal. Here are the issues with wood fireplaces:
● These are the fireplaces that are most likely to start a horrible house fire.
● They push out harmful emissions such as smoke and carbon dioxide.
● They are an extreme hassle to use and maintain.
● There is a big heat loss problem because heat seeps out of the chimney.
● They make your home constantly wreak of smoke.
● The abundance of smoke will yellow and stain your walls.
● TVs cannot be mounted directly above them because of eventual permanent damage.
● Wood Storage – They require plenty of space for wood storage around your home.
● If you can even get approval to build one, which is very unlikely, you have to understand that it will be a very expensive and time-consuming project. You will likely have to move out of your home until it is finished as well.
Gas is a little better than wood when it comes to safety and efficiency, but not much better, and here is why:
● You don’t need to concern yourself with flammable soot-like wood ones, but gas fireplaces still have exposed flames that can cause fires.
● Carbon monoxide is still produced by many types of gas fireplaces, even if smoke isn’t an issue.
● If you at all care about visuals, you will be disappointed by the gas fireplace flame color.
● The Bunsen burner-like streams of fire are unlikely to impress you any time soon.
● Although not normally as costly as a wood-burning fireplace installation, there are quite a lot of costs associated with installing one and you are going to need the help of a professional.
An electric fireplace is a clear winner. Here is why you should heavily consider an electric fireplace for indoor use:
● You can put your mind at ease when it comes to house fire risk since nothing is actually burning inside of an electric fireplace and there are absolutely no flames of any kind.
● Another thing you can be happy about that you don’t need to worry about is harmful emissions. An electric fireplace doesn’t have smoke or carbon monoxide causing you any issues at all.
● With the complete absence of smoke, there are two more things you don’t need to worry about: smoke or stains on your wall. Instead, you can use your fireplace as much as you want with no odor and clean walls.
● An electric fireplace is easy enough for you to use. Once you turn it on, you only need to make sure it is set at your ideal temperature. The electric fireplace can regulate its heat output to match the room temperature that you want.
● Simple installation is another benefit of an electric fireplace. Set it down like any other piece of furniture and then just plug it into the nearest convenient electrical outlet.
● An electric fireplace can go within any room. You aren’t limited to the living room. Put it in your bedroom, dining area, family room, game room, and more.
● If you want to safe space, a great thing to do is to mount your TV right above your electric fireplace. Not only is it safe, but you will be combining both of these common focal points.
● Heat efficiency is great with an electric fireplace due to the superior infrared heaters and how heat isn’t lost through a ventilating chimney.
● Zone heating can be set up so that even large houses can experience wonderfully low heating bills.
● An electric fireplace will come with some kind of remote control that will allow you to stay seated while changing settings.
● With fireplaces that have high-end flame effects, your electric fireplace can capture the true ambiance associated with traditional fireplaces.
Are There Many Electric Fireplace Types?
Whether you are looking for something for your patio, outdoor use, or for the inside of your home, here are the different types of fireplaces that run on electricity:
● Flat Wall Fireplace Mantel Package – If you want a fireplace that looks and feels like a standard fireplace that burns wood, you will want a flat wall mantel package. These go against your wall so they look like they are connected to a chimney. They usually come with a mantel that is unattached so that companies can offer a variety of mantels with their fireplace.
● Corner Fireplace– A corner fireplace functions just the same as one that goes against a flat wall except that it has a shape designed for the corner of a room in your home. These are excellent if you would like to save some additional space or if you want to just make the corner the focus of the room rather than a flat wall.
● TV Stand Fireplace – Be careful buying these fireplaces that are built into the body of a TV stand. While they are great if you want to save some space, the fireplace inside can easily be less than ideal compared to the ones above that are a standard full size.
● Corner TV Stand Fireplace – Just like the normal TV stand fireplaces, you need to make sure the specific one you buy comes with a decent fireplace, otherwise, you will be better off getting a standard Corner Electric Fireplace.
● Wall Mount Electric Fireplace – If you want a cool modern look, you can get these fireplaces that you can hang up on the wall or have inserted into a wall recess. These come in many sizes and styles and some can even be wide enough to span an entire wall.
● Electric Fireplace Insert – For some people, they might have an existing fireplace that burns wood. An insert can easily transform these fireplaces into one that is electric. You can also use these inserts if you want to build a mantel yourself, or use an insert with one company with a third-party mantel. Just make sure the mantel fits the insert your purchase.
● Freestanding Electric Fireplace Heater – These portable heaters have been designed so that they somewhat resemble a fireplace. Unfortunately, most of the time, these are quite cheap-looking and don’t even heat a room very well. Usually, it is safe if you just avoid these completely and focus on the full-size ones above.
● Electric Fireplace Stove – One of these fireplaces is made to look like some kind of wood stove that you would typically find installed in a rural log cabin. Unfortunately, these usually look very out of place in most modern homes and you should avoid them unless they absolutely match your decorating style.
Is There an Electric Fireplace Brand That Is Best For An Enclosed Patio Space or Inside of Your Home?
MagikFlame is easily one of the best electric fireplace brands on the market due to its ultra-realistic fire effects. However, that isn’t all they have to offer. They are the complete package. Here is why you should consider an electric fireplace by MagikFlame:
● 3D Realistic Holographic Flames – MagikFlame produces flame effects that look just as good as the real thing due to their 3D holographic flames. These flames dance, move, and flicker just like a real fireplace. With the simple push of a button, you can select between 30 flame styles to fit every mood.
● Crackling Log Sounds – MagikFlame fireplaces are further enhanced by the sounds of crackling logs. These add an auditory element to the already stunning visual elements of the fire. If you want to feel even more relaxed, you can easily turn on some additional sounds of nature as well.
● 5,200 BTU Heater – MagikFlame fireplaces all have a powerful infrared heating device inside of them, and they are also very efficient. They can easily warm your home while using the smallest amount of electricity necessary so that your heating bill remains low.
● App Remote – MagikFlame fireplaces come with an app that can be installed on your smartphone or tablet, allowing you to easily control your fireplace from anywhere within your house using the touchscreen device. It features large, graphic buttons that control every aspect of the fireplace.