Fireplace in a typical urban apartment? Seriously, is this a joke?
At first glance, this task seems impossible, but if you use the achievements of home appliance manufacturers, your dream may well come true.
Ready-made corner electric fireplace in the living room
A corner electric fireplace will not take up much space and will decorate any living room, and the imitation of a living flame in modern models is so plausible that it is sometimes very difficult to distinguish an electric hearth from a wood-burning one.
Content
Advantages and disadvantages of electric fireplaces
The first and most important advantage of electric fireplaces is their availability and the ability to install in any house or apartment. You do not have to strengthen the floors, equip the chimney, perform fire-resistant finishing of the floor and walls. You just need to buy the model you like and install it near the outlet.
The second, no less important advantage - safety. Unlike a wood-burning or gas fireplace, modern electric hearths, when properly used, do not heat up beyond the permissible temperatures, do not burn oxygen in the air, and do not spark. You can install it in any room and not have to worry about fire or accidental contact with them by children or animals with the risk of burns.
The third feature is the absence of soot, smoke and soot that pollute furniture, walls and floors of the room. For a city apartment, finished in bright colors, this is quite a significant plus. The high level of automation in modern models will allow you to set the desired mode and forget about adjusting the temperature in the room.
Electric fireplaces are not without drawbacks.
The first one is the high price of electricity. If you use an electric fireplace as the main source of heating, the costs will be quite high, because when working in continuous mode, it will consume up to 50 kW / h per day. In decorative mode, the electric fireplace consumes much less - about 100 watts per hour, which is comparable to a conventional light bulb.
The second drawback is the impossibility of installing an electric fireplace in a particularly humid room: in a bathhouse, in a bathroom or in a pool. Such a need arises extremely rarely, so this disadvantage can be considered insignificant.
The main types of corner electric fireplaces
Long gone are the days when electric heaters had an unsightly appearance, dried the air and knocked out traffic jams. Modern models are compact, convenient and completely safe. In total, several types of electric fireplaces are shared: corner, frontal, embedded in a decorative portal and portable.
An example of a corner electric fireplace
Electric fireplaces are also divided by type, there are:
- Decorative hearths imitating the firebox of an ordinary fireplace;
- Heaters made in the form of a fireplace and equipped with one or more heating elements;
- Universal models that include both functions, as well as additional options.
Heaters are heating elements installed inside the furnace.The direction of convection flows is regulated by a reflector, in a simple way - a reflector. The power of heating elements usually does not exceed 2 kW, so the electric fireplace can be safely connected to a working household electrical network by allocating a separate outlet for it. Modern models are often equipped with a heating controller, smooth or stepped, as well as a controller that allows you to change the heating power depending on the set program or room temperature.
Imitation of live fire is a decorative function of an electric fireplace. The realism of the hearth depends very much on the price of an electric fireplace: inexpensive models provide uniform illumination of the firebox, while more modern and expensive ones imitate a flickering flame, smoke, smell, and even crackling logs.
How is the imitation of live fire done?
In simple models, one or more colored lamps are installed, illuminating decorative plastic or ceramic coals and logs. Lamps can be located at the bottom of the firebox or in the logs themselves. The light from them is uniform, without reflections, and does not give the effect of live fire. More expensive models are equipped with a swiveling reflector that makes the light flicker, giving reflections and shadows. Such a fireplace is already more like a real one, but on closer examination, of course, it loses to it in decorativeness.
Fire pattern in decorative fireplace
Electric fireplaces give the greatest realism, corner and front, equipped with imitation of live fire and smoke. Such models, in addition to the flickering illumination of logs, are equipped with a fan and narrow strips of silk or foil, as well as a system of reflectors. Air currents directed from the bottom up make the ribbons sway, and flickering lights and reflectors add volume to the “flame”.At the same time, water vapor is supplied from the evaporator to the furnace, creating a smoke effect. For the sound effect - the noise of the flame and the crackling of firewood - special devices are built into the fireplaces - crackers. This option can be purchased as a set or additionally. Full resemblance to the burning of natural firewood can be achieved by also using flavors with a slight smell of natural smoke.
Corner electric fireplace in the bedroom
According to the type of execution, electric fireplaces can be:
- Free-standing, in the form of a potbelly stove or a cast-iron fireplace;
- Built-in, so-called cassette fireplaces;
- Fireplaces built into the finished portal;
- Wall-mounted - they can simply be mounted on the wall at any level.
The first three types of fireplaces can be both frontal and corner. If you have chosen the perfect place for a fireplace in a city apartment or in a small country house, take the exact measurements and feel free to go to the store!
Choosing a corner electric fireplace in a store - video
Before choosing a specific fireplace model for your home or garden, you need to decide on the functions, dimensions and other characteristics you need:
- Decorative or functional? The main characteristic of an electric fireplace, on which your choice depends, is its purpose. If you need an element that decorates the living room or bedroom with the reflections of a safe flame, and not an additional source of heat, it makes no sense to overpay for heating elements and load the electrical network. In this case, it is reasonable to opt for decorative models, paying attention to the realism of the "flame" and "firewood". If you need an additional source of heating, choose a fireplace with heating elements.
Decorative fire in the fireplace
- The power of the heating elements. Have you opted for a heated fireplace? Then you need to understand the power of electric heaters and their regulation modes. As a rule, the power of electric fireplaces does not exceed 2 kW. Temperature control can be either stepwise, with modes of 0-1-2 kW, or smooth, with finer divisions of 250-500 W. On average, a power of 1 kW is enough to heat a room of 10 m2 with ceiling heights up to 3 meters.
- Freestanding or built-in? Embedded models of corner fireplaces are placed in pre-provisioned corner niches or portals; you can also purchase a fireplace with a ready-made portal. With this built-in cassette and the appropriate design, you can create a fireplace that does not differ from a traditional wood-burning hearth. Freestanding models mimic a small metal stove or fireplace and are more compact and versatile, easy to move around the house and set up anywhere.
Free standing fireplace
- Management and additional features. Electric fireplaces compare favorably with classic stoves in that you do not have to cut wood and kindle a fire - all control is concentrated on the front panel or remote control. You can use the buttons to light and adjust the “flame”, set the heating mode, turn on the steam and sound effects, and also program the electric fireplace to turn off. Check with the seller exactly what features the chosen model will please you with and how to manage them.
Installing and connecting an electric fireplace will not cause you any problems, you do not have to call a specialist or builders.It is enough to install the selected hearth in the right place and turn it on, adjust the modes and enjoy a safe flame and heat.
Checking the performance of a corner electric fireplace
A built-in cassette will bring a little more trouble: you need to buy and install a ready-made portal made of polyurethane, wood, or mount a fireplace niche with your own hands.
Video: tips for choosing an electric fireplace
