If you are looking for the best electric fireplace for your home, there are some important things you need to know about. These things are very essential so you do not make the mistake of purchasing one that you have to return after only a few days of use.
I’m going to show you these essential features so that you can buy the best electric fireplace that you will enjoy and last for a long time.
These are the essential features that the best electric fireplace should have;
- Heating. How well it can heat a particular size of room
- Realistic looking. How well it imitates the real wood burning fireplace.
- Flame effect. How well it mimics a real wood fireplace flame.
- Crackling fire sound effect. Whether it gives off a crackling fire sound that mimics real wood fireplace fire sound.
- Installation. How easy it is to install.
- Placement. Where to place your electric fireplace to get the maximum effect it produces.
- And safety. How safe it is to operate.
All these features will be shown under the various types of best electric fireplaces .
The overall best electric fireplace.
This electric fireplace is the best not only in it’s category of electric fireplace but also the best when you look at all the types of electric fireplaces. It has…
- Heating power to heat a large space,
- can be installed with ease
- can be controlled with a remote control
- Mimics fire flames with real authenticity
- Gives off the ambience that adds to your room décor
That is the R.W.FLAME 36″ Electric Fireplace Insert, Freestanding & Recessed Electric Stove Heater,Touch Screen,Remote Control,750W-1500W with Timer & Colorful Flame Option.
This is the recommended best electric fireplace in the market for now. It has almost all the features you will want in an electric fireplace. It can be used as an insert, freestanding or stand alone, recessed and a stove electric fireplace.
Installation is easy. You can use it in several places. Like your office, home or any particular situation where you need heat or fireplace ambience.
It comes with these superb multi operating modes;
- Touch Screen On Front Panel;
- 5 flame & burning logs color modes;
- 5 flame speed modes;
- 5 flame brightness levels;
- Specially automatic design(the flame color and brightness changed automatically);
- 1 hour to 8 hours timer control;
- 8m remote control operating distance;
- Sleep modes with all lights down while heating.
For energy saving purposes, it has heat settings for 750 watts and 1500 watts. Which means you can use it for different sizes of rooms in your home and different weather. It also has energy saving LED technology.
With it’s zone heating, you can heat an area of about 400 square feet.
You can use it with or without heat.
It has really cool and realistic looking dancing flame which gives the right ambience for a fireplace with a burning log effect.
For safety, it has the ETL safety certificate. It has auto heat kill safety to stop any overheating
Best electric fireplace mantel.
Ameriwood Home Chicago Electric Fireplace TV Console for TVs up to a 50″, Espresso.
looking for the best electric fireplace mantel ? look no further than the Ameriwood home Chicago electric fireplace.
This is a fireplace that comes with a TV console and storage space. It can hold a 50’’ flat screen TV weighing 70ibs. It is constructed with a laminated particle board and MDF with an espresso finish.
The 18’’ fireplace insert is used with a 120 v outlet with a heating capacity of an area of 400 square feet.
You can operate it with or without heat.
Best electric fireplace logs.
Pleasant Hearth 20″ Electric Crackling Natural Wood Log. OR the Duraflame Electric DFI030ARU Infrared Quartz Set Heater with Realistic Ember Bed and Logs, Black.
For the best electric fireplace logs, we recommend the Pleasant Hearth 20″ Electric Crackling Natural Wood Log. Or the Duraflame Electric DFI030ARU Infrared Quartz Set Heater with Realistic Ember Bed and Logs. The main difference is that the Pleasant Hearth is just for décor and ambience, meaning it does not heat, but the Duraflame can heat.
Best electric fireplace stand alone or free standing.
TURBRO Suburbs TS17 Compact Electric Fireplace Stove, Freestanding Stove Heater with Realistic Flame – CSA Certified – Overheating Safety Protection – for Small Spaces – 18″ 1400W.
Recommended for the best stand alone or freestanding electric fireplace is the TURBRO Suburbs TS17 Compact Electric Fireplace Stove, Freestanding Stove Heater with Realistic Flame.
This has an efficient 4777BTU of heating power to keep a substantial part of your room heated. You can choose to use the flame effect only or turn on the heat. Even if it runs for a long time, the body is always cool to the touch because the heater element is situated at the bottom of this unit.
It has protection for overheating and also if the unit is accidentally tipped over, it switches itself off.
It is very easy to use. Put it on and turn to your desired temperature and your room starts heating almost immediately.
Best electric fireplace wall mount.
Touchstone 80001 – Onyx Electric Fireplace – (Black) – 50 Inch Wide – On-Wall Hanging – Log & Crystal Included – 5 Flame Settings – Realistic Flame – 1500/750W Timer & Remote.
This electric fireplace wall mount can both serve as a room heater and an addition to your room décor. With it’s two heat settings of high and low heat, it can be used all year round. It has five flame settings which you can use to adjusts the glow of the flame brightness to suit your need.
It provides the appeal of an authentic fireplace with it’s realistic flame effect which can wow your guest. Included are faux logs and crystals which helps to add to that real effect. It has a built in timer which can be set from 30 minutes to 7.5 hours with auto shut off.
Installation is easy even for one person. It also safe for children and pets. For more reviews of the best electric fireplace wall mount.
Best electric fireplace recessed.
Touchstone 80004 – Sideline Electric Fireplace – 50 Inch Wide – in Wall Recessed – 5 Flame Settings – Realistic 3 Color Flame – 1500/750 Watt Heater – (Black) – Log & Crystal Hearth Options.
This is the best electric fireplace recessed. This means you create a simple frame in your wall using the measurements that come with the instructions and mount this unit. This can be hardwired or plugged in.
Just like the Touchstone 80001, this unit also features two heat settings, high and low.
For this, the heat vents are located on the upper front part of the unit. It has realistic flame effect with three color change for the flame imitation and five settings for the brightness. These can all be set using a remote control.
Also included in this electric fireplace are faux logs and crystals to provide the authentic glow required to mimic a real fireplace.
It operates on a 1500 watts power and 120v. due to it’s front vent feature, care must be taken to mount it well beyond the reach of children and pets.
Best electric fireplace insert.
PuraFlame 23 Inches Western Electric Fireplace Insert with Fire Crackling Sound, Remote Control, 750/1500W, Black.
This is the best electric fireplace insert. It is an insert logs. Installation is super easy. You even just slide it in on the floor of you existing fireplace. Though it cannot be hardwired.
It comes in different sizes to accommodate different sizes of existing fireplaces. Choose the one which best suit you from 23inches, 26 inches, 30 inches and 33 inches.
It has 3 flame settings for intensity and has a heat and no heat setting which makes it suitable for all year round use.
It has adjustable thermostat for supplemental heat of up to 400 square feet space and comes with a remote control for easy operation.
The front glass is safe to touch even when the heater is on.
With it’s LED Technology, electric bills are reduced drastically.
Best electric fireplace TV stand.
Ameriwood Home Chicago Fireplace 65″, Dove Gray TV Stand.
This is the best electric fireplace TV stand. It gives you the electric fireplace and storage place.
This beautiful electric fireplace TV stand can support a flat screen TV OF UP 65’’ with a weight of about 120 pounds.
The electric fireplace insert is 18’’ and can heat a room of size 400 square feet. It is run off a 120 V outlet. It can be with or without heat, which means it can be used all year round.
It has enough shelf space to take in your Blue ray player, DVDs and some books. Go here for 9 best electric fireplace TV stand reviews.
Best electric fireplace stove.
TURBRO Suburbs TS17 Compact Electric Fireplace Stove, Freestanding Stove Heater with Realistic Flame – CSA Certified – Overheating Safety Protection – for Small Spaces – 18″ 1400W.
Same unit recommended for stand alone or freestanding electric fireplace. For reviews of best electric fireplace freestanding and stoves.
Best infrared electric fireplace.
Duraflame Electric DFI030ARU Infrared Quartz Set Heater with Realistic Ember Bed and Logs, Black.
This is the best infrared electric fireplace. It comes with all the advantages that an infrared quartz electric fireplace has over the electric heater.
It can heat an area of 1000 square feet of space with a 5200 BTU. It’s zonal supplemental heating ensures that the air remains natural and not dried up of it’s moisture, which is what happens in electric space heating.
It provides a rolling, pulsating, realistic log set and ember bed projects flames onto the back of an existing fireplace.
The flame effect can be operated with or without heat giving you a beautiful ambience whenever you want all year round.
Your buying guide and questions answered.
in addition to the above recommended best electric fireplace for all types, these are the answers to the most important questions you need to know before buying your electric fireplace.
Are electric fireplace worth the money?
Electric fireplace is well worth the money. The advantages are numerous. These range from..
- Easy to install.
- Easy to operate.
- Cost effectiveness compared to gas or wood fireplace.
- More affordable
- Much safer
- It does not occupy much space
- You can move it about in the home
- It adds to your home decorations
- You get instant heat through mere touch controls from remote buttons
- Minimal maintenance unlike the ash you need to clean with wood burning fireplace.
- If you choose you can install electric fireplace in several rooms in your home because installation is easy.
The electric fireplace can be used all year round because of the advantage of heat or no heat operation. When you don’t need the heat you can use only the flame effect which gives your room the ambience for a cozy atmosphere.
They are also very inexpensive to use than the traditional wood or gas fireplace. It is much safer using an electric fireplace. Here you are not dealing with potential gas leak, smoke etc. and you have safety features built in the electric fireplace, like auto shutoff when the unit gets too hot.
Does electric fireplace use a lot of electricity?
No. The electric fireplace does not use much electricity. Even though the cost of using an electric fireplace varies with regions, on an average basis it is still much lower than using gas. Research done online indicates that the annual cost of electricity using electric fireplace falls between $60 and $80 while for gas is between $200 to $500.
Is electric fireplace better than gas ?
The electric fireplace can heat any room as much as gas can, however, most times electric fireplace acts as supplemental heater. That is , you may need a primary source of heat, but the gas fireplace may act to heat your room alone.
The added advantage for the electric fireplace is that you can use it all year round with it’s heat and no heat ability and it adds to your room décor.
With that said, let’s look at some of the main differences;
- Realistic flames. The gas flames is more realistic even though the electric fireplace flame is getting more realistic with the use of new technologies.
- Efficiency. While the electric fireplace may appear more efficient it does not warm your room as much as the gas fireplace.
- Installation. The electric fireplace is easier to install than the gas fireplace. For some units, all you need to just plug into an outlet and you are set. But if you need your electric fireplace hardwired, then you need a professional to do it just like you would for a gas fireplace.
- Costs. In terms of cost, the electric fireplace is certainly cheaper to have. The cost of plumbing (pipe running), venting makes the gas fireplace costlier.
- Maintenance. The electric fireplace does not require maintenance except for occasional cleaning. It is an electronic unit like you TV. However, there should be regular yearly maintenance for the gas pipeline and valves for leakages to avert disaster.
- Safety. While gas installations are generally safe, with safety mechanisms built in, it still riskier than an electric fireplace. However, one problem that the electric fireplace has is, that is common with some units is that it melts the outlet when left on for too long.
- Time to heat a room. Even though they both heat a room almost instantly, the gas heats more space instantly than the electric fireplace.
How long do electric fireplaces last ?
Electric fireplaces can last up to 10 years. Maintenance is minimal. Mostly you will just have to change the LED bulbs once in a while to keep it going.
what is the most realistic electric fireplace flame?
There is no fire without smoke in the wood burning fireplace. So if you want the most realistic electric fireplace flame you will have to find the one that produces the smoke, flame, glowing embers, soot stained brick background and sound effect like a real fire. The smoke effect is produced by water vapor technology that mimics real smoke. The flame is effect is produced by LED technology to mimic not only the different colors in a flame but the brightness and intensity of the flame too. And then the crackling sound like a real fire.
The range of technology used today makes the electric fireplace more real than ever before.
The Dimplex brand of electric fireplace gives you the most features in one electric fireplace. That is the DIMPLEX OPTI-MYST® PRO 1500 – 65” ONE OR TWO SIDED VAPOR FIREPLACE WITH HEATER (GBF1500-PRO).
Do you need a vent for an electric fireplace ?
The short answer is no, you do not need a vent for an electric fireplace. Vents are needed for wood burning and gas fireplaces because of the by products that result as a result of burning, which are dangerous to health. So vents, chimney are needed to takeaway these by products after combustion. But the electric fireplace does not involve burning, just heating of an element electrically and blowing of the heated air into the room ( that is for electric fireplace with fan blower). That is why the electric fireplace is said to be 100% efficient, because all the heater air is used to heat the room unlike the wood and gas fireplace.
Can I leave my electric fireplace on all night ?
While it is safe to leave your electric fireplace on all night, it is advisable not to, unless it is very necessary. If you decide to leave it on all night, it is better to reduce the settings to low or schedule it to turn off by itself after sometime. It always good to observe some basic safety rules when using household appliance that tend to generate heat by themselves.
Can you repaint an electric fireplace ?
An electric fireplace may not be paintable. However, the materials used to surround it can be painted. If you feel that an electric fireplace does not fit into your home décor in terms of color, then you could paint the mantel, cabinet, tv stand used to incorporate the electric fireplace.
Do electric fireplace flames look real ?
Electric fireplace flames try to mimic the real flames produced by wood burning fireplace. So even though they look real because of recent LED and water vapor technologies, you will definitely notice that it not real flame on very close examination of the flames.
But do not let that discourage you because electric fireplace technology has advanced from a few years ago and you can now buy one that will be the cynosure of all your visitors eyes because they attract and add real décor to your home as well as warm your room.
Can you plug an electric fireplace into a regular outlet ?
You can use a regular outlet for an electric fireplace. However. It is best if the outlet is a dedicated one. That is one circuit breaker that is connected to that one only outlet so that it carries only the electric fireplace. If you have other electric appliances connected to that outlet, most likely it will become hot and might trip.
Most electric fireplaces come with dual power settings of 1500 watts and 750watts. When using the 1500 watts settings you are drawing the full power that is going to the outlet and any additional load from any other appliance could trip the breaker or make the plug or outlet get hot.
So I will advise that when using your electric fireplace for the first time monitor the temp of the plug just by simply touching it lightly after it has been on for about 10 minutes at full settings of 1500 watts. If it is abnormally warm or hot then you have to observe it a longer period.
What are the features to look for in an electric fireplace ?
There are many great electric fireplace and different types too but there are certain features you should look for when you want to purchase an electric fireplace. These are;
- The power of the electric fireplace which means the size of room it can heat. Most can heat a space of 400 to 500 square feet. Some other can heat up to 1000 square feet.
- What type of electric fireplace. Whether it is an insert, recessed or built in, wall mounted, free standing, insert in cabinet or tv stand or mantel. Each type has it’s advantage and disadvantage. You have to determine which one suits your situation. For example, the wall mount fireplace is suited for apartments and the insert for already built fireplaces. If you don’t want any hassle installing your electric fireplace then the freestanding or tv stand type will suit you best.
- The electric fireplace with dual modes of heat and no heat. So that you can use it even when the heat is not turned on. It provides a ambience and resembles a wood burning fireplace.
- Another thing to look for is how the heat comes out of the vents of the electric fireplace. Some have the heat come out in front and others up or down. So depending on where you want to install one you will have to choose. If you have pets or children, then you may not want one that the heat comes out in front. On the other hand installing one close to your carpet with the heat coming out under could burn your carpet.
- Lastly, your budget. The prices of these electric fireplaces rang from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. All you have to do is work within your budget and tick the points listed above to arrive at your ideal best electric fireplace.
Can I put electric fireplace on carpet ?
Yes you can but it depends on the type of electric fireplace. Electric fireplace with mantel, with cabinet, TV stand or freestanding can all be placed on a carpet. The electric fireplace that you do not want to pace on the carpet are the ones that have their vents facing downward. That is, the heat comes out through the bottom of the unit. So if the heat is directly heating the carpet, it could cause fire incident.
Are all electric fireplaces noisy ?
No not all electric fireplaces are noisy. The noise from an electric fireplace actually comes from the blower fan which sends out the heat generated through vents into the room. So the more powerful the blower fan or the higher setting is, the more noise can be heard. There are some other type of electric fireplace that do not use the blower fan. These are the ones that use infrared quartz for heating. So this types have no moving part for heating and operates silently.
What size breaker do i need for a 1500 watt heater?
The size of breaker you need when using a 1500 watt heater on a 120 v outlet is 20 amps. How do you know this? The National Electric Code requires that the rating of a circuit breaker be 125 percent larger than the circuit it controls. To know the current rating we need to divide the power by the outlet voltage, which is 1500/120 and this gives us 12.5 amps. Current drawn.
If we are to adhere to the national electric code that means we have to use a breaker that is 125 percent of 12.5 amps and this gives us 15.6 amps circuit breaker. Since we cannot now use the 15 amps breaker, we now use the next best rating of a circuit breaker, that is, the 20 amps circuit breaker. This is even better because it allows you to add additional small loads like bulbs, etc, to this circuit breaker.
Are electric fireplace 110 or 220 ?
fireplace inserts or built-in are hard wired and come with 220 v voltage kits and produce higher BTUs of about 9600 BTUs.
How far off the floor should an electric fireplace be?
The distance between the electric fireplace and the floor ranges from 12 inches to 42 inches. It depends on where you want to place the unit and also whether it is front, bottom or up venting. The most concern will be when it is bottom venting. That is, the heated air comes out the bottom of the electric fireplace. In this case you have to be careful the heat doesn’t burn your carpet or something else.
In places like the living room or bedroom you would want the electric fireplace to be at eye level. That could be anywhere from 12 to 20 inches off the floor. It could be higher if it is in the kitchen or bathroom.
Does an electric fireplace increase home value ?
The electric fireplace will not increase the value of your home like the gas fireplace would. Remember that the electric fireplace is just like an electrical appliance which you can take anywhere with you when selling your home. However, if you were to get a premium electric fireplace with professional hard wiring to the electric system of your home, it could be a selling point of the value it adds if there is no prior wood or gas fireplace.
What does infrared heater mean and are infrared electric fireplaces safe ?
The infrared heater radiates heat in a straight line and the heat gets absorbed by any object with a lower temperature that is in it’s path. Examples of radiated heat are the feeling of warmth from the sun, the heat from a toaster. The infrared light is invisible to the eye since it is beyond the light spectrum we see. The invisible heat which is at a higher temperature than our bodies gets absorbed by our bodies and other objects and this is how the infrared heater works.
The infrared electric fireplace is very safe. It does not add any pollutants into the air. It does not dry up the humidity present in the air either. It is environmentally safe.
It does not cause static electricity like other heaters.
How many BTUs do I need for an electric fireplace ?
BTU means British Thermal Unit which is a unit of measurement for heat. The higher the number of BTUs the more heat the unit can produce.
The simplest way to know the number of BTUs for an electric fireplace is to measure the room you intend to place the electric fireplace in and go look for the electric fireplace that can heat that size of room. You will most likely see the BTU on the specifications of this unit.
But I must warn that there are other considerations if you want to know the exact BTUs for a particular room. Things like the height of the ceiling, insulating materials used in the room like curtains, the number of windows and how big they, the weather. All these may impact the heating capacity of the electric fireplace hence estimated BTUs. To find a very estimate of the BTU needed to heat a size of room, there are BTU calculators online. Just search Google with these words, “ BTU calculator “ without the quotes.
Can electric fireplace catch fire ?
The electric fireplace is a very safe electrical appliance. If it is used as recommended by the manufacturer, I see no chance of it catching fire. However, if the electric fireplace is drawing a lot of power and it left on for long periods, the socket to which it is plugged could get hot and burn. For this, a product like the Safer Socket Fire Prevention Plug could be used.
Can I plug an electric fireplace into an extension cord ?
No. This is a definite No, No. It could cause the extension cord to get hot and burn leading to fire outbreak.
Summary.
With all the recommendations provided and the answers to questions you are likely to ask before purchase of an electric fireplace, I hope you will eventually choose the best electric fireplace that is right for you and will last for a very long time.
Author: Saleh Ibrahim
