What to look for when choosing an electric fireplace?

A fireplace for a modern person is certainly more than just a heater. The view of the open fire is mesmerizing, you can look at it for hours, indulging in thought. That is why, despite the wide selection of modern heating equipment, there are few who do not want to have this symbol of the hearth in their home, even if it is an ordinary city apartment. Building a real fireplace is fraught with certain difficulties, and not in all rooms it is in principle possible. Currently, a large selection of electric fireplaces is available, from which you can choose a device for both home, apartment or cottage. This article contains a small overview of these devices, which will help answer the question of how to choose an electric fireplace for an apartment and which is better in terms of power, company, and functionality.

Content:

Type of heating element
Installation method
Power consumption
Decorative features and design
Additional features
Top manufacturers
To summarize

Type of heating element

In terms of design, an electric fireplace is still a device for heating. The choice of the type of heating elements with which the electric fireplace is equipped may be in favor of closed or open. The element is a closed type, usually a tubular electric heater (TEN), it can also be a special source of infrared radiation.

Open heating elements are conventional spirals made of high-resistance alloys. An open spiral is usually used in cheaper, as a rule, already outdated models. Such an electric fireplace more actively dries the air and burns out the oxygen contained in it.

The most environmentally friendly choice is such an electric fireplace, which uses infrared heating. Such an electric heater produces radiant energy heating, due to which, first of all, interior items and walls are heated, and not the room air itself. Choosing such an electric fireplace is preferable, since with infrared heating the apartment will have a healthier atmosphere.

In the Fornax company catalog, you can see the photo and find out detailed characteristics for heating a house.

Installation method

According to the installation method in the room, the electric fireplace can be assigned to one of the following types:

Angular. There are devices that occupy the inner corner of the room, or form a protruding outer corner.
Wall. An electric fireplace of a suspended type, which can be located on any convenient section of the wall. If there is a small apartment, it is advisable to choose such a fireplace.
Floor. It is installed on the floor. Models are available for installation along walls or in the center of a room.
Desktop. Compact models that are placed on the desk.

Power consumption

Since the electric fireplace is a heater, one of its main characteristics is the electric power of the device.In this regard, you can choose any product, starting with miniature models that practically do not emit heat and perform only decorative functions, to full-size fireplaces with which a city apartment or part of a residential building can be heated. Such an electric fireplace can be selected with power up to several kilowatts.

In order to correctly choose the power of an electric fireplace, we recommend that you follow the following ratio: for heating 10 square meters of a room, you need at least 1 kW of power. Those. for a bedroom or living room, it is recommended to choose a model with a capacity of at least 1.5 kW, if the choice of an electric fireplace is carried out in order to heat the room, and not just for decor.

Decorative features and design

The external design of the device can imitate a classic antique fireplace, decorated with stucco and painted tiles, a choice can be made in the modern or techno style. In some cases, when the apartment is decorated in a certain style, you can decorate an electric fireplace with separately purchased elements, creating its correspondence to the interior, as shown in the photo below:

There is one important property, due to which the electric fireplace is so similar to a real wood, and from which the apartment is transformed. This is a live flame simulation. There is also a large selection of options. We list the main simulation methods used in modern electric fireplaces.

Reproducing the burning effect with pieces of fabric. Shreds of matter when blowing them with a fan, make movements resembling tongues of flame. The choice of special lighting enhances the similarity of the process with combustion. Under the "flame" are usually models of logs.

In more modern and expensive models, the image of logs burning in the hearth is reproduced on liquid crystal displays. The effect is enhanced by the use of special optics. At a certain viewing angle, the image is almost impossible to distinguish from a real flame. However, such an electric fireplace also has drawbacks caused by the features of liquid crystal monitors, namely, a small angle at which you can view without distorting the picture.

Imitation of a flame with trickles of water vapor illuminated by halogen lamps. This is the most modern high-tech method. An ultrasonic frequency generator is built into the electric fireplace, generating low-temperature water vapor. The rising trickles of steam under special lighting cannot be distinguished from natural fire, moreover, the effect is voluminous and can be observed in any direction.

In addition to the application of visual effects, the reproduction of sound accompanying the burning of logs with a characteristic crackle is used. A special device, mounted in an electric fireplace, spreads the smell of wood resin and smoldering logs in the room.

Additional features

When choosing an electric fireplace for an apartment or a house, it is important to pay attention to the additional functionality that the device may have. In 2017, electric fireplaces can be equipped with the following functions and accessories:

humidification and air purification;
heating temperature controller;
shutdown timer;
backlight;
the ability to control from the remote control;
adjustment of flame height and brightness;
sound accompaniment at work;
imitation of a smell of a smoke during the work;
multimedia portal;
3D hearth.

Top manufacturers

Well, the last thing I would like to talk about is which electric fireplace is better to choose by company. As for manufacturers, the following brands are leading the market:

Dimplex (Ireland). One of the best manufacturers to date.
Electrolux (Sweden). Good quality at an affordable price. A wide range of models.
Burley (UK).
Hark (Germany).
ClassicFlame (China).
GoldStar (China).
Scarlett (China).

To summarize

So, what should be guided in order to choose the right electric fireplace according to the parameters? Let us dwell on some points that should be considered before choosing an electric fireplace:

Power. Choose a model, based on what functions are assigned to the electric fireplace. If an apartment should be heated with a device, the required power must be selected based on cubic capacity or area of the room.
Dimensions. The main thing is that the electric fireplace can be conveniently placed in the living room or bedroom.
Design style. It is important what design the apartment has.
Useful functions are the choice of heating intensity and brightness of the flame.
It is preferable to choose a model with the functions of humidification and aromatization of air.

Finally, we recommend watching a useful video on a topic where an expert intelligibly explains which electric fireplace is better to choose for a house and apartment:

Now you know how to choose an electric fireplace for the apartment and which one is better in terms of power, manufacturer, and also additional parameters. We hope that the provided tips were useful for you and helped you choose the right model!

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