Electric fireplace: device, dimensions, portal, drawings and framing

A modern model of an electric fireplace with the effect of a live fire is a worthy replacement for a classic wood-burning hearth, which is simply impossible to install in an apartment in an apartment building without violating fire safety rules. Such devices may be equipped with a heating element, but often they are simply a decorative element. This publication will tell you how to choose the right model of electric fireplace for your apartment, and what nuances you should pay attention to when purchasing it.

Operating principle and design of electric fireplaces

An electric fireplace is a heater with decorative elements that imitate a “living flame.” Structurally, the electric fireplace consists of the following elements:

housing made of plastic, wood or metal;
reflector;
an open or closed heating element located at the focal point of the reflector;
decorative elements.

To increase comfort and safety, many manufacturers equip their electric fireplace models with a remote control and a protective screen.

The operating principle of this device depends on the type of heating element, the principle of transfer of thermal energy and the method of air exchange.

There are two types of electric fireplaces:

Infrared. The action is based on the directed reflection of infrared radiation;
Airborne. The fan takes cold air from the room, passes it through the heating element and releases it back into the room.

Infrared electric fireplace Air electric fireplace

Despite the fact that the heating function is not the dominant one in a decorative fireplace, such devices can act as the main heating device in rooms up to 20 m2.

The main advantages of electric fireplaces:

Compact size and light weight;
Does not require installation of a chimney or additional maintenance;
Do not require permits;
Easy to install and operate;
Fireproof;
Very realistic.

Almost all models of modern electric fireplaces easily fit into the interior of the room and do not take up useful space. Despite the many advantages, such equipment also has disadvantages, the main one of which is the fairly high energy consumption.

It should be noted that almost any heating element burns oxygen to a greater or lesser extent. To ensure a comfortable microclimate in a room with an electric fireplace, it is necessary to consider a fresh air supply system.

Principle of operation

Looking at the jumping flames, you can’t help but wonder how the manufacturers were able to achieve such an incredible resemblance to real fire.

In fact, several methods are used to create the effect of burning wood. Here are the most popular ones:

“Firewood” made of painted plastic bars is placed in the center of the hearth. Strips of red material (in most cases, silk) are tied to them, and at the bottom there is an incandescent lamp and a fan. That is, the hearth in this case works as follows: the lamp, heating up, illuminates the firewood, and the fan drives the air from bottom to top, thereby fluttering strips of matter. Despite the fact that this method is the most budget-friendly, such electric fireplaces look quite good in operation.
More expensive models use a similar scheme, only slightly supplemented. In them, under the “firewood” there is a rotating reflector. Thanks to this addition, the light emanating from the lamp casts a glare onto the firewood, resulting in the fluttering matter reminiscent of dancing flames.
In more modern models, fire imitation is achieved by projecting glare onto a cloud of water vapor and using multi-colored LEDs.
The sounds of wood crackling from the fire come from the built-in speakers.

The electric fireplace copes quite well with the heating function, thanks to the built-in heating elements or spirals. They can be placed both above and below the hearth. The fan built into the device drives heat out of the fireplace and at the same time helps to cool it.

Most modern models of electric fireplaces include electronic controls, thanks to which the device operates almost independently. That is, you will need to perform only a minimum of actions, namely:

connect it to the power supply network;
set the desired temperature in the room.

Upon reaching the set temperature parameters, the electric fireplace will automatically turn off the heating function and turn it on again when it drops, which is very convenient.

Types of electric fireplaces for apartments

Before you choose a suitable electric fireplace for your own home, you should familiarize yourself in detail with the varieties of this equipment presented on the domestic market of climate control equipment:

Electric oven. In fact, this model is a regular electric heater with decorative elements, made in the shape of a fireplace. Electric furnaces are compact and quite mobile;
Hearth. Heater without housing. Such models can be installed in any suitable size portal, niche, frame, which makes them very popular among interior designers;
Wall. A ready-made module in the form of a “living” picture or an LCD monitor that hangs on the wall. Such models are easy to install and immediately ready for use;
Built-in. Such a fireplace is a block (heater, reflector, decor), which must be built into a special portal. There is a huge range of ready-made portals of various types, sizes and design solutions. Many of our compatriots assemble portals themselves from plasterboard. For greater realism, you can decorate the portal surfaces with red brick or wild stone tiles;
Floor electric fireplace. Based on the type of placement, floor-standing models are divided into two groups: attached and free-standing. A floor-standing fireplace is a ready-made device that does not require additional modifications (installation in a niche or portal). Attached models are installed along the wall, free-standing models are installed in the center of the heated room.

Electric stove Built-in model Wall-mounted fireplace Floor-standing attached fireplace Floor-standing free-standing fireplace

Internal organization

To understand how an electric fireplace hearth works, it is necessary to divide its functions into two groups and consider them separately.

Room heating

A heating element is used for these purposes. It is usually presented in the form of a nichrome spiral inserted into a quartz tube. Sometimes there are heating elements on a ceramic frame. In more modern versions, a conductive substance is sprayed onto an insulated plate. Such elements cannot be repaired, but are replaced with new ones in case of failure.

They all have the same principle of operation: when an electric current flows, heat is generated. For directed heat release, a reflector made of polished metal is used. The purpose of the reflector is to reflect radiation and concentrate it in the desired direction.

Infrared fireplaces do an excellent job of heating

If we limit ourselves only to the heating function, then the electric fireplace’s operating principle would resemble old devices familiar from Soviet times. But even with this simple task, electric fireboxes cope with a modern approach. So, in addition to adjusting the filament power of the spiral, any electric fireplace is equipped with a thermostat, which allows you to maintain a constant temperature in the room, and control of the fireplace modes is available using the control panel.

Good to know: Practice of using electric fireplaces in the interior of various rooms

To choose the right electric hearth for a fireplace according to its technical characteristics, you should pay attention to the power of the spiral. You need to focus on the fact that a 1 kW heating element can create comfort in a room with a volume of 10 square meters. m.

Flame visualization

To achieve amazing results, manufacturers are constantly improving flame simulation systems. Let's consider them in order of increasing production complexity. The firewood in the fireplace is ordinary plastic dummies. Recently, you can see illuminated logs that appear to be smoldering. But without a well-executed fire, the overall picture will not be fascinating.

Free flame option on hot coals

The easiest way to simulate a flame is based on a rotating plate with slots, which is illuminated by LED lamps. The resulting dancing reflections are reflected on the screen and on the dummy firewood. You can adjust the speed of disk rotation, but the similarity to the real picture is quite low. Manufacturers decided to smooth out the gross differences by producing glass with an uneven matte coating. A smoke effect is created. This option is the most affordable.
An alternative to it is a fire flame made from small strips of material. From below, the matter is blown by a directed air flow, which is created by a fan. Using well-placed backlighting in red, yellow and blue, you can achieve an excellent effect, especially for admiring from a long distance. Stage designers in theaters often resort to such techniques.
A more expensive option is an electric fireplace insert in the form of a liquid crystal display. The fire flame is formed in the form of an image of sufficiently high resolution. The user has the opportunity to choose the brightness of the backlight and several flame modes. The use of special optical systems creates a three-dimensional illusion. To enhance the effect, many companies producing electric fireplaces accompany the image with sound effects similar to the crackling or hissing of wood burning. This method of simulation has one significant drawback - the image quality changes for the worse as the viewing angle increases and is nullified when you try to look at the fireplace along the plane of the screen. For these reasons, these models are installed in wall-mounted fireplaces.
The most realistic picture of a flame is created by an electric fireplace that uses cold steam to project the image. Steam is obtained from pure water under the influence of an ultrasonic generator. A small electric motor with an impeller causes the steam to rise upward. In the flame zone, it is illuminated by directional light from halogen and LED lamps. The light rays are controlled by a microprocessor, and the colors allow you to get not only flames, but also smoke in the area of the firewood dummy. Together with the sound, a difficult-to-distinguish picture of a real fireplace is created, which can be viewed from different angles. This technology, called Opti-Myst, is developed by Dimplex. The presented fireplaces are among the most expensive, but the incomparable quality of the illusion justifies the entire financial investment.

Good to know: Electric fireplace repair: fault diagnosis and problem solving

Main selection criteria

How to choose a good electric fireplace for your apartment? First of all, familiarize yourself with the positions that you should pay priority attention to.

Power

A modern electric fireplace can combine two functions: a heater and a decorative element. The power of most models with a heating function is limited to 2 kW, which is enough to heat a thermally insulated room with an area of up to 20 m2. Decorative electric fireplaces without a heating function consume no more electricity than an incandescent lamp - on average, 100-200 W. As a rule, connecting devices of this power does not require laying a separate power supply line.

An electric fireplace can heat and be a decorative element

To calculate the required fireplace power for a specific room, we recommend using a simplified method: heating 10 m2 of a room requires 1 kW of thermal power + 15-30% reserve to cover heat loss through natural leaks, glazing and enclosing structures.

Advice! Before connecting powerful electrical equipment to a household electrical network, we strongly recommend that you seek advice from a qualified electrician, who will give an opinion on the quality of the wiring and recommendations on the maximum permissible load.

Flame

The second most important selection criterion is the realistic flame simulation. In budget models, decor is installed, which is a dummy of smoldering logs, which are made of colored glass or plastic. Inside the coals there is LED lighting, which provides an imitation of their smoldering. The effect of flame movement is created by the rotation of the reflector and backlight, which projects reflections onto a glass screen located in the hearth.

For more expensive models, the effect of simulating “live fire” is ensured by:

Vibrating red ribbons and foil strips. The colored stripes of material are driven by air currents created by a built-in fan. The play of color is provided by incandescent lamps;
Image on the monitor. Essentially, you are watching a looped movie with a fairly realistic picture and the sound of crackling wood. However, at an angle the picture may be distorted, which significantly reduces the effect of live fire;
Water vapor. The flame effect is created by water vapor and halogen lamps. An ultrasonic steam generator is built into the fireplace. The lighting is reflected in streams of steam, due to which the artificial flame is given volume. The imitation is almost impossible to distinguish from real fire.

Electric fireplace with the effect of “living” fire

In more advanced models, the realism of what is happening increases due to the aromatization of the room with the smells of tree resin and smoldering coals.

A heating element

It is impossible to answer the question of how to choose the right electric fireplace for your home without considering the design features of the various heating elements used in this equipment. Today, the climate control equipment market offers consumers electric fireplaces equipped with an open or closed heating element.

Open

Open type heating elements are spirals made of highly resistant alloys, which, depending on the model, can have the following designs:

a spiral between two ceramic insulators;
a spiral passed through the middle of ceramic heat sink beads;
a spiral made of a bimetallic alloy mounted on a ceramic insulator;
nichrome spiral with a core in the form of a ceramic rod.

For information! Open heating elements are installed, as a rule, in budget and obsolete models. An open spiral significantly reduces the level of humidity and the amount of oxygen in the room.

Closed

In electric fireplaces with a closed heating element, the following can be installed:

heating element;
infrared lamp.

Infrared heating

Equipment with a tubular electric heater (TEH) is safe, easy to use and burns much less oxygen than an open coil. Infrared heating fireplaces are considered the most effective. The principle of operation is to create radiation of a certain wave, which heats not the air, but objects located in the range of the device.

With this principle of operation, each piece of furniture acts as a kind of battery with a large heat exchange surface, which transfers the received thermal energy to the air.

Dimensions

Equipment dimensions are the most important parameter that you should pay attention to when choosing a device. The modern market offers these devices in two implementations:

Mini-electric fireplaces are characterized by compact sizes, which allow them to be placed on tables, cabinets, or built into furniture. Such models are ideal for installation in small apartments and country houses;
Large-format units are characterized by large power and heating area. Such models are most often used for heating private houses and large apartments.

Mini electric fireplace Large format model

Today, the most popular models are electric fireplaces with a width of 600-650 mm, a height of 500-550 mm, and a depth of 150-250 mm.

It should be understood that in a small room a huge fireplace can look very inappropriate.

Heating and power consumption adjustment function

It would be very nice if the selected model is equipped with a thermostat, which makes it possible to regulate the heating and maintain the set temperature in the room, which significantly reduces the energy consumption.

Electric fireplace with thermostat

The thermostat can have smooth or step adjustment.

Brightness adjustment

A fairly useful option that allows you to adjust the brightness of the effects in accordance with the lighting in the room. The ability to adjust the brightness allows you to reduce eye strain and make the flame more expressive.

Design

If you have already decided on the purpose and technical characteristics of the electric fireplace, then the next step in choosing a device is selecting the design of the portal or the type of frame:

Classic. If the design of the room is in a classic style, then choose a strict rectangular portal, decorated with marble or other natural materials;
Baroque or Empire style require a frame rich in decorative elements and gold;
Country or rustic style is characterized by simplicity of elements made from rough natural materials. Ideally used to frame tiles to resemble “wild” stone;
Loft. The best option for decorating a portal in a loft style is raw brick;
Ethnics. It’s quite easy to choose a frame in an ethnic style: pay attention to the design of the portal with tiles or a similar version of ceramic tiles;
High-tech and avant-garde are a laconic and minimalist frame using metal and glass.

Classic style Baroque style Country style Ethnic style Loft style High-tech

For information! Many models in the middle and premium price segments are equipped with a block for sound simulation of wood burning. The sound of crackling coals improves the perception of the “picture” and significantly enhances the realism of special effects.

What types of electric fireplaces are there?

First you need to disassemble the internal and external structure of the electric fireplace. It consists of the following parts:

Frame.
A heating element.
Decorative elements.
Special screen for protection.
Remote control.

There are several classifications by which different types of these devices can be distinguished. For example, there are open and closed types of heating element. Each of them is also divided into subtypes.

Open heating element type:

It consists of ceramic rods with a spiral stretched between them.
Ceramic beads are attached to the spiral.
The double helix, or bihelix, is located on a ceramic base.
The ceramic rod is tightly wrapped with nichrome wire.

Closed type of heating element (represents a glass tube made of quartz sand with a spiral sealed inside). The tube itself is:

Transparent.
Translucent.
Matte.

As one of the main classifications, we can note the one that divides electric fireplaces by location:

Hanging (or wall-mounted). Placed on the wall in any suitable place. The body is narrow enough so that the fireplace will not stick out much.
Tabletop. The dimensions are small, since the device is located on the table.
Floor-standing. Such fireplaces are the most voluminous.

By mobility level:

Built-in. The back wall of the fireplace is built directly into the wall, so it cannot be moved. This type includes, for example, fireplaces with a portal and wall-mounted fireplaces.
Portable. Equipped with rollers to make it easier to move. Therefore, they are easier to use.

The classification by type of accommodation is as follows:

Open fireplace. Installation is possible anywhere.
Semi-closed fireplace. Built into the wall.
Corner fireplace. Installed in the corner of the room.

Electric fireplaces can be equipped with various functional additions. There are models with infrared heating, a steam generator, and floor-standing fireplaces with legs.

Additional functions

In the fight for consumers, manufacturers of modern electric fireplaces equip their models with a lot of additional options.

The most popular functions include:

Humidifier. Not a bad option, especially in light of the general decrease in humidity levels in a room with a fireplace;
Built-in air purification filters reduce the amount of dust in the room;
Adjusting the power of the device allows you to set the required heating temperature;
The timer allows you to set the operating time of the device;
The backlight allows you to use the device as an additional source of lighting;
Remote control significantly increases the comfort when using the device.

Significantly increase the realism of the effects:

adjustable flame height and brightness;
soundtrack with imitation of wood burning;
aromatization with the smells of resin and smoldering logs;
3D lesion;
multimedia portal.

It should be understood that additional functions, on the one hand, improve comfort, expand the capabilities and scope of use of the fireplace, and on the other hand, significantly increase its cost. That is why, before choosing the optimal fireplace model for your apartment, decide what functions you need.

Which electric fireplace is better to choose?

Modern electric fireplaces are installed in both small bedrooms and large living rooms.

The sizes that the industry produces easily allow you to implement an interesting solution and fit the model into any room.

Today, electric fireplaces with a living flame effect are increasingly found in private homes and city apartments. They can even be seen in offices, restaurants and hotel lobbies.

The love of modern buyers for fireplaces is easily explained. They not only heat the room, but also represent complete interior items. Electric fireplaces embody coziness and comfort, creating a special homely atmosphere.

What material is better to choose a fireplace from:

The wooden frame of electric fireplaces imitates a huge variety of types of wood, from simple to elite species.
Metal finishes can have a shiny surface or have an aged, patina effect.
Modern heat-resistant plastic will delight the consumer with a bright range of colors.
Imitation of natural stone will allow you to get a model made of marble, granite, basalt and other natural formations.
Creating built-in portals for fireplaces made of plasterboard will allow you to recreate a complex design solution and an elegant appearance of the hearth.
Fireplaces that imitate a fire in brickwork or other artificial products are common.

Designing the image of a room in one architectural style requires choosing a fireplace model taking into account the chosen finish.

An electric fireplace with a flame will be the main highlight in small rooms and should be in harmony with the rest of the decoration.

For a standard classic style, electric fireplaces with a natural finish or its imitation in the form of natural stone or wood in calm tones are suitable. The color corresponds to pastel shades of style - beige, brown. It is allowed to use gilding and decoration with discreet carvings.

The Shelby chic style prefers artificially aged finishing elements, pastel colors, decoration with roses and small flowers. Live flame fireplaces for this style are made of plastic, with a worn-out effect; the portals are made of plasterboard with the same color options. The metal decoration is antique with patination or green copper.

There are a wide variety of options for installing a fireplace in a rustic or country style interior. The fireplace fits into them as if it was born there. It is planned to construct portals from natural stone materials or wood under antique stoves or neat brickwork. To reduce the cost, they use modern imitation of natural components or use only overlays.

The high-tech style is distinguished by original solutions for the shape of portals and fireplace screens. Some wall-mounted ones are unusually simple and resemble stands for electrical equipment, others are complex, with many unexpected shelves, built-in safes and spotlights. Their typical materials are plastic and metal.

Corner fireplaces are decorated with shelves on which there are small wildflowers, cornflowers, forget-me-nots, and daisies in vases. You can put several family photos in tartan frames. The Japanese style will require framing a wall-mounted fireplace with a flame under a large plasma panel. The preferred colors in this style are red or orange.

When choosing a fireplace, you need to create a project. Here you need to decide on the size, shape, design, as well as the necessary technical characteristics.

You should pay attention to:

Size. Fireplaces come in different sizes, so you should first decide on this parameter. A mini-fireplace for an apartment or a large fireplace for an elite country house.
Design. The high-tech style of the room and the classic fireplace are incompatible; similarly, antique furniture in the room and a device made of glass and polished metal will not look harmonious.
Electric fireplace heater power. Before purchasing a fireplace with a powerful heating element, you should carefully check the electrical wiring, since the socket may not handle it and you will need to lay an additional wire. A cheap fireplace may have low power.

The best manufacturers of electric fireplaces

Today, most manufacturers of climate control equipment produce electric fireplaces for the home. Let's look at what brands you should pay attention to when choosing a device.

Dimplex. This company became the founder of the Opti-Myst technology - imitation of “live fire” with water vapor and halogen light sources. The domestic market offers models with a 3D effect, ready-made kits, various portals, and air purification filters. Products of this brand are in demand by our compatriots due to the widest range of products, the provision of a guarantee and a whole network of authorized service centers in the Russian Federation.

Electrolux, Burley, Hark, Suncrest are European brands that produce quite functional electric fireplaces, portals, and accessories of excellent quality. There are specialized trade missions and online stores in Russia engaged in the wholesale and retail sale of these goods.

Classic Flame is a fairly well-known brand whose manufacturers offer domestic consumers various models of electric fireplaces, portals, and hearths. There are retail and wholesale sales.

Blaze is a Chinese brand. Equipment produced under this brand is very popular among our compatriots due to its good quality and affordable cost.

Scarlett is a Russian-English trademark. The company produces small and medium-sized household appliances, among which electric fireplaces occupy a worthy place. All products are manufactured in Chinese factories and are of good quality and affordable cost. There is a network of authorized service centers on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Preparatory stage

First of all, you need to think about the power supply and the place where the false fireplace will be installed.

The shape of the portal will depend on the chosen location. It's worth checking out the following options:

The built-in design allows you to significantly save space.
A hanging structure is an unconventional approach, but it will look impressive provided that the space around it is not cluttered with various interior items.
If the room is small, the most preferable installation option is a corner. As a rule, this is the least popular area, so installing a homemade fireplace will not affect the availability of free space. The base of the corner portal is triangular.
Wall arrangement is the most common option because it looks the most plausible. But installation is possible only in one case - the room must be spacious. The shape of the portal is rectangular.

Mounted

Angular

Wall-mounted

Built-in

If the room is so small that none of the above options is suitable, you can consider the option of embedding the structure into furniture or a partition.

At the design stage, it is also important to take care of the power supply to the fireplace. It is recommended to install an outlet near the fireplace installation site. You should not install it in such a way that it is inside the portal, despite the fact that this option is considered the most preferable from an aesthetic point of view. A fireplace, like any other electrical appliance, poses a potential threat, so it is important to take care of your personal safety.

Tips for choosing

And as a conclusion, we will try to briefly outline the main criteria for choosing electric fireplaces for an apartment or a house:

Dimensions. The selected model must correspond to the size of the living room or bedroom;
Power. If you plan to use the fireplace to heat the room, then choose a model with a power of at least 1.5 kW. If you are only interested in the decorative component, then a power of 200 W is sufficient;
Realistic effects. The best today are fireplaces with an imitation of “live fire” using water vapor and halogen light sources;
Design. The style of the fireplace should match the design of the room;
Availability of useful functions. Pay attention to models with adjustable power, heating level, and backlight brightness.

Watch a video on how to choose an electric fireplace

How modern electric fireplaces work

If the fairy-tale hero Buratino had buried his nose not in a painted hearth, but in a modern electric fireplace, he would have been very surprised. During this time, the process of simulating live fire has come a long way from a rough drawing on canvas to a high-tech device using the latest achievements of engineering.

electric fireplace with portal

Electric fireplaces have been around for a long time, but until a certain time they were simply iron boxes with open electric coils inside. Of course, such a fireplace can warm you up on a cool evening, but you won’t get any aesthetic effect from it.

The easiest way to create the effect of a living fire in electric fireplaces was to use cut pieces of silk fabric. They were blown from below by a fan, swayed under the air flow and, in general, if you didn’t look closely, they quite resembled fire. The effect of the presence of lamps that illuminated the dancing shreds was enhanced.

electric fireplace device

A modern electric fireplace with the effect of a living fire is a miracle of engineering. The illusion of fire is created in it using a complex system of halogen lamps and water evaporation. The lamps flicker according to a special, non-repeating algorithm, because even a real living fire never repeats its dance movements. Light from light bulbs is reflected from tiny particles of water in moving vapors. This “cold fire” cannot be distinguished from the real one even from a distance of several centimeters.

Additional effects of creating the impression of a living flame can be enhanced by mirrors built into the firebox, which, by repeatedly reflecting the illuminated “fire,” enhance the effect of presence.

The system for simulating live fire in an electric fireplace and the heating system usually work independently of each other. This means you can enjoy the spectacle of dancing flames in your electric fireplace on a hot day without the risk of sweating. Moreover, many modern electric fireplaces operate with water vapor. It is noteworthy that this steam is cold, since it is created not by heating water, but by ultrasonic waves. Thus, your electric fireplace, showing you the effect of a living flame, can simultaneously humidify the room. Agree, it is simply impossible to achieve such an effect from a real, classic wood-burning fireplace.

Moreover, modern electric fireplaces may well demonstrate not only dancing flames, but also pictures that are completely unexpected for a fireplace, for example, the water splashes of a mountain river.

And finally, a number of manufacturers equip their fireplaces with additional devices that turn it into a completely different device. There are electric fireplaces that can serve as a good audio system. So you can look at the fire and listen to your favorite music at the same time. A minimal sound system capable of reproducing the sounds of logs crackling in a fire is present on models from many manufacturers.

Design and calculation of parameters

Drawing of a fireplace portal
At the design stage, it is important to pay attention to the following details:

Design features. The main element of the portal is the vents, which are necessary for the unhindered circulation of fresh air. Otherwise, when the system is equipped with heating elements, the electric hearth will overheat greatly.
Dimensions of the combustion hole. The edges of the hole should not block the frame. It is imperative to adhere to this rule, regardless of whether the frame is neutral or made in any style.
Dimensions of electric fireplaces. The dimensions of the portal should look proportional to the size of the fireplace used. As a rule, the body is 2 times wider than the hearth and 1.5 times higher.

Hooks or shelves are also important to securely secure the power cord.