Eternal fire in the market of electric fireplaces

Which of us has not dreamed of sitting in a cozy chair in the evening with a good glass of wine and watching the cheerful flames in the fireplace, dreaming or remembering?? And arrange a romantic date with the person you love? Unfortunately, this desire often remains unfeasible for many people. Fire is a symbol of life. In addition to heat and food, it always brings joy and peace of mind. Remember the story of Pinocchio: for want of anything better, he even had to hang on his wall a canvas with a fireplace painted on it, which pleased his eye so much…

The first electric fireplace appeared in England in the second half of the last century. When chimneys in poor homes eventually wore out, it was a disaster for many homeowners because they simply could not afford to replace their main source of heat and food. For many at the time, the emergence of an electric stove was an indispensable find – it was simply inserted into an already useless hearth.

This immediately eliminated the agonizing question of restoring the chimney. In addition, this option turned out to be much more economical and easier, almost no cleaning hassle for hostesses. The owners of newfangled technology and realized that such a device is very mobile, that is, at any time it can be moved to another corner or room.

The advantages of an electric fireplace over a traditional fireplace

For many centuries, stoves and fireplaces have been indispensable attributes in every home, because thanks to them the family kept warm and cooked food. It wasn’t until the advent of electricity, which turned the world upside down, that their role gradually began to become less important.

Nowadays a real fireplace is no longer a symbol of the family home, but rather a luxury attribute of rich country homes. But who has not dreamed of having a fireplace to spend evenings with his family near it?? Unfortunately, to put a wood burning fireplace in a typical city apartment is not realistic.

First, it is necessary to obtain the appropriate permission, and it can be obtained only if you live on the top floor.

Secondly, there is bound to be a question of partial redevelopment of the apartment.

Thirdly, you need to understand that the fireplace will probably be in the house for several years. What if you want to make a renovation with a new redevelopment?. After all, even a not very expensive fireplace in any case will cost several thousand dollars.

Fourthly, the owners of fireplaces need to master a rather complex and time-consuming technique of its operation. And even the burning of a single log will be too much for a city apartment – you will have to think through a system of additional ventilation of the room.

Finally, the presence of a wood-burning fireplace in the house is associated with a great danger, which will be subjected to the neighboring apartments.

And it is an electric fireplace will help you realize your dream in an urban environment. Such a device is suitable for both large country houses and small houses and city apartments. Today, even wealthy people often install electric fireplaces in their properties in order to avoid many problems.

A miracle of technology

All electric fireplaces are direct infrared radiant heaters consisting of a reflector with a focal point heater and a metal, wood or plastic body.

The principle of heating the room is almost the same as that of heaters: after turning on, the air begins to be reflected from the special elements, creating a heating effect. Interestingly, the device body is not heated even during prolonged use – all the heat is directed forward and not scattered in different directions.

If you still decided to install an electric fireplace in your home, you should pay attention to a few basic points.

They all differ in the type of heating element – open and closed, the purpose – table, floor, wall and universal, as well as the shape of the reflector. In addition, fireplaces are classified by power – from 0.5 to 2 kW and the temperature of the electric heater and the outer surface.

As heaters in electric fireplaces are used heating elements heating element made of graphite or wire, placed in a hollow metal tube , which are equipped with many household appliances.

Almost all modern electric fireplaces can work in a mode of imitation fire for this purpose they have a built-in thermostat , just pleasing the owners with their presence, and in a mode of heating the room. In the first case, much less energy is used than in the second. This function is very useful – you can quickly warm up on a cold winter evening, and in summer – just relax, looking at the “virtual” flame.

In some models, the heat received is similar to the natural heat from a fire or the sun. In such fireplaces, a reflector hidden by a decorative grid collects and re-radiates the heat power coming from the heating elements.

Speaking of the flame. Surely everyone is interested to know what is made of what is so similar to the real flame of an electric fireplace. And it consists of rags of silk, a fan, ordinary lamps, mirrors, an electric motor and red light filters.

Often “tongues” of flame are cut from ordinary thin metal foil painted in various shades of red. The foil begins to flutter under the influence of an active fan and is reflected in a complex system of mirrors.

The flame is one of the main components of the entire composition of the fireplace, as it is very important to the owner that the fire in it is as realistic as possible. That is why up to now the major firms-giants of the fireplace industry are actively competing in its improvement.

The brightness of the flame can be adjusted in some models: if you change the power of the electric motor and the glow of the lamps, the “fire” starts to flare up quickly or, conversely, calm down and put out. And so that the owner does not have to go to the device every time, many models are equipped with a remote control.

Modern technology allows you to create an artificial fire, which looks almost indistinguishable from the real.

To “heat” the fireplace you can use coal, wood or pebbles, it all depends on the manufacturer and your preferences. In any case, the “fuel”, made of translucent plastic, is painted by hand, thereby recreating a realistic effect of smoldering wood. Some companies even make models in which you can fill the hearth with real charcoal.

For coziness, warmth and comfort

All electric fireplaces can be divided into two groups: “conveyor” and piece. You can buy the first ones at specialized stores for $150-300. They are small appliances with a weight of 20-25 kg. They are convenient in that they can be transported to the country house in the summer and heated in the city apartment in the winter.

They are not so skillfully made, and they can be easily distinguished from a real fireplace. Expensive showrooms offer already finished expensive models, assembled by hand, among which you can choose the appropriate option. And the custom-made devices are the real work of art, for which it is not a pity to lay out 1000 and more dollars.

So first you need to decide where to place the electric fireplace. Since they are very mobile, you can install them almost anywhere: in the living room, bedroom, kitchen and even bathroom. In addition, the fireplace can be built into the wall, and can be located close to it. It can be placed in the middle of the wall or in a corner of the room.

The fireplace can even wrap around the corner so that it can be seen from both sides. The fashion for fireplaces that stand right in the center of the room, similar to stoves, has begun to return. You can safely let your imagination run wild and transform the shape and size of the fireplace to your liking.

The design of the fireplace should be thought very carefully so that it is fully consistent with the interior. Among the huge selection of sizes, shapes, and cladding types that craftsmen offer you today, you’re sure to find the one that’s perfect for you.

Choice of fireplace for the interior is a very thin thing, you can make a mistake in a detail, and eventually violate the entire composition. So it is better with this question to ask a professional designer. At any large firm that produces fireplaces, their employees will offer you their designer’s services.

By design, fireplaces can be divided into open and closed. Recently, closed-type fireplaces have become more popular, as they are safer. In addition, the glass partition in front of the fireplace gives the whole structure a more interesting appearance. Closed fireplace requires almost no attention, and the open fireplace is still desirable to heat under partial supervision.

So you’ve already thought out the location of the fireplace in the house or apartment. Now you need to think about its external cladding. Here can be used a variety of materials: from classic – stone, wood, tile, cast iron, to the most fashionable and modern – plastic, ceramics, marble. A very large trend today is to make the cladding from decorative materials that mimic natural marble, wood and even metal.

This option is much cheaper than using natural materials. For example, real marble is not only expensive, but also very heavy and can look a bit rough in a city apartment. But the skillful “fake” is not inferior in appearance or quality, in some cases even exceeding it.

Unlike its predecessors, in modern fireplaces, not only the lining, but the entire structure is made of modern and very durable materials that meet all standards. Thanks to this, the fireplace can serve flawlessly for generations to come.

However, despite the full use of modern materials, designers still left the appearance of the fireplace elements of antiquity as its integral part. But even here, you can dream up your own individual design lines. In order to match the room’s interior completely, it can be made even in high-tech style.

The main motto of our age – fashionable is what you like, but you can still try to experiment with a specialist and create a cocktail of classics and modernity. All styles can be mixed – as long as you stick to the principle of harmony.

To make the electric fireplace have a full resemblance to the real one, you can buy additional accessories to complement the surroundings. These can be fireplace matches, paddles, pokers, tongs, and special materials for taking care of the fireplace.

If the fireplace does not have a built-in door, you can put a protective screen of glass, with or without framing. Also, experts can suggest putting a firewood-box with real logs next to the fireplace.

To give your electric fireplace more “authenticity”, you have a very rich choice of accessories. For example, you can put a protective screen as if from sparks in front of the firebox, and next to it – a stand with a set of fireplace tools and an elegant wood-burner with real logs. To give you an example, you can buy a woodchipper for $30-50.

Masters of fireplace art

His services for the production of fireplaces, wood and electric in America offers many world-renowned firms: Dimplex, which has plants in England, Canada and Holland, Burley – the most famous British company for the production of electric stoves, as well as British firms Be Modern, Suncrest, Modern Group and the German company Ewt Dinamics.

By the way, on the fireplace of each individual country is the imprint of its peculiarities of mentality. For example, English fireplaces are primarily aimed at heating the room. Unlike England, the Greek appliances are the most open: in a warm climate the heating is almost unnecessary. French fireplaces are interesting because of their height.

The fact that in France, the ceilings in the rooms are much higher, they differ significantly from our standards. The Austrians, who are famous for their tasty meals, produce multifunctional fireplaces, like fireplaces, stoves and smokestacks. The Dutch preferred the functional load of the fireplace in favor of elegance, which plays an important role in the overall interior. And of course, the Arabian fireplaces are famous all over the world for their luxurious finish.

In America, the production of fireplaces began not so long ago. Despite this, they will soon be able to compete with foreign manufacturers. American designers have so far specialized in a narrow direction of types of cladding – from marble and soft stone.

Prices for electric fireplaces, depending on design and construction, range from $500-3500. However, this limit is rather arbitrary. For a minimum amount of money you can buy a small fireplace from inexpensive factory-assembled materials. In more expensive fireplaces, the entire lining is made by hand, according to the individual order. Depending on the material and the complexity of the order, and varies its final cost.

On average, the metal firebox will cost you $ 400-800, and the lining of natural stone will cost approximately $ 1000-3000. It is clear that the execution of the order will take more than one day. Prepare for the fact that the wait will take at least three weeks, and for a very complex job can even take several months.

This is in case you want to make the facing from a rare species of wood and, for example, with a particularly complex carving. By the way, the main species of wood, most often used for the facing of the portal – are hard wood: oak, walnut, maple, etc.

The modern desire to combine several appliances in one device did not ignore the electric fireplaces. For example, you can often find devices with light and music, a variety of optical effects, built-in temperature sensors and software control. In some models of fireplaces there are even built in monitors that have a video recording of the fire.

Progress even went so far that there were fireplaces that combine seemingly incompatible things, such as a waterfall. Be sure that all guests will come to full admiration at the sight of such exoticism. Some manufacturers have even gone so far as to include into the model reservoirs with aromatic liquids that can not only have a relaxing effect on the body after a hard day’s work, but even absorbing into the skin, to moisturize it and have a rejuvenating effect.

Is it true or not, we can not say with certainty. If a room with a fireplace is not very spacious, but you want to realize all your plans in it, you can order a model with a built-in bar. In this case the mantelpiece can play the role of a bar.

And if someone in your family still has the art of cooking in an oven, you can also consider a synthesis of a fireplace and a American stove. True, this variation is only suitable for country houses. Located in the kitchen in the name of space saving fireplace can be made in one body, for example, with a refrigerator.