Fireplace Flair Blog

Electric fireplaces, are they heaters?. The short answer is Yes! Almost all are heaters but they come with a built in on/off switch, so if you don’t want or need heat, just say OFF. Some, but very few, come with no heating element. I looked at the specs of several that advertised no heat and sure enough, they all had the heat option, or on/off switch.

There are three types of electric fireplaces, free standing, wall mounted and inserts. We will go into some detail later but first I’d like to address some of the pro’s and con’s of electric fireplaces.

-Pro # 1, They are eco-friendly. Electric fireplaces do not burn wood, coal, or gas.

I was confused about the ECO part of this word. Turns out that it comes from the Latin root “oeco”, which means household. Oeco evolved to mean home, habitat, or earth, thus, eco-friendly means earth friendly.

-Pro # 2, They are cost effective. Let’s face it, a traditional wood burner loses lots of heat through the chimney, Up Up and away in my beautiful – oops, sorry.

The fact is, free standing and wall mounts are more efficient than traditional wood burners and an insert still has to contend with heat loss to some extent.

-Pro # 3, They are easy to install.

Some free standing fireplaces need to be assembled. However, once assembled, pick your location and plug it in.

A wall mount comes with brackets and instructions.

An insert slips inside the fireplace opening and a little into the firebox. Make sure the insert is the right size for your fireplace. Do Not buy a 32 inch insert for a 28 inch fireplace.

-Cons, None that are earth shaking.

There are no real flames. (DUH)

They must have electric to work. (DOUBLE DUH)

Pick colors and sizes that compliment the room. An electric fireplace that is too big or small for its location is not a good look.

-Power Usage. Most use 1500 watts. This is the same as kitchen appliances. Plan ahead and don’t overload your system. This equates to roughly 20 cents an hour and $50 to $100 per year. I found these price estimates online and they are pre-inflation 2022. Also, a switch to LED lighting will save lots of electricity.

Now, back to the three types of electric fireplaces, free standing, wall mount and inserts.

-1, Free Standing. As stated above, position it and plug it in. But Wait! Most are ordered online and delivered to your door. Some are fully assembled, with accessories like shelves and remotes packed separately. Some require assembly, so follow the directions carefully. In store purchases are almost always boxed, so have a plan on how to get it home.

P.S. I looked at many specs for free standers and it seems like there are few or no flame color options.

-2, Wall Mounted. If you are buying a wall mounted electric fireplace for an existing home, you’re most probably going to surface mount it. They come in lots of sizes so plan your location carefully. A wall mount comes with brackets and instructions. Make sure the wall can handle the weight and stress of the wall unit. Recessed wall mounts take a lot more work and planning. Wall mounts, for the most part, come with flame color options and brightness control. Some are manual and some come with remotes and some are blue tooth compatible.

-3, Inserts. As you might suspect, these go inside the existing fireplace opening and slightly inside the firebox. Inserts eliminate the need to use your wood burning fireplace and come in many styles. Many, if not most, emulate a wood burning fireplace with logs in various configurations. Inserts also come with color choices and brightness controls. Again, the most important consideration is to buy an insert that fits your fireplace. Do Not buy a 32 inch insert for a 28 inch fireplace opening. Also consider where the plug will go. It’s best to plug all three types directly into an outlet, no surge protector or extensions.

In conclusion, these three types of electric fireplaces, placed with care and thought, enhance any and all living spaces. They are easy to install and inexpensive to operate and come with so many options. Used for heat, they can warm up rooms 400 sf and larger, depending on what model you purchase.

Take your time and explore all your choices, one is right for you.

Chimney Chase – The area or structure around metal flue pipes. The chase is usually built with wood or steel studs with an exterior that can include brick/stone veneer or wood siding or stucco. Chimney – One or more passageways, vertical or nearly so for conveying flue gases from the appliance to the outside atmosphere …Aug 28, 2016, Pennsylvania Guild of Professional Chimney Sweeps, http://paguild.org/chimney-terms

OK, that’s the definition by the Pa. Guild but there’s much more to the story. Most of the time the chase is defined as the part of the chimney protruding above the roof line. As you can see, and I happen to agree, the above definition includes the lower part of the chimney as well. Therefore, I always consider the chimney chase as all the chimney visible on the outside of the house. As stated above, the chimney chase can be brick, stone, wood or stucco. Also a chimney can have multiple flues. Older buildings in England and some in the U.S. have multiple flues. These came about when buildings housed multiple residences, (flats, apartments) and each resident or family had their own fireplace.

The part if the chimney chase that is above the roof line serves several purposes. It is far enough above the roof to prevent embers from setting the roof afire. It moves smoke away from the home. The chimney cap prevents rain and debris from falling down the chimney as well as preventing birds and small animals from entering. The chimney chase that is above the roof line has to be located in a very specific and, I think, confusing way.

First, facing the rise of the roof, we must use our imagination to visualize a horizontal line through the chase to the point it touches the roof. This horizontal line, from the inside of the chase to the roof must be ten feet. The distance vertically, from our imaginary horizontal line up the inside face of the chase to the top of the chimney must be two feet. The distance vertically from the outside face of the chase at the roof line to the top of the chimney must be three feet. The top of the chimney is the level at which the flue exits the chimney. Confused? I still am. However, there are several good graphics to be viewed online if you search chimney chase.

As I have stated before, the original fireplaces evolved from an outside to an inside fire pit. Inside fire pits were vented through a simple hole in the roof. Hearths were invented for heating and cooking. Finally, when the hearth was moved to an exterior wall, the chimney developed. There were many variations of fire.places and stoves. Count Rumford invented a shallower fireplace and his designs are still used today. Ben Franklin invented the Franklin stove. Again, his design is still in use.

One last thing to clarify, and that is the smoke stack. To me, smokestacks are the giant chimneys one might see in an industrial area. They are used for various purposes. A flare is a way to get rid of unwanted material that has built up through the constant work flow of a particular industry. In the oil refining industry flaring is a method used to control pressure buildup in plant equipment. I am amazed every time I see a flare, especially at night. I guess the point here is that smoke stacks are completely different from residential chimneys and flues.

As usual, be sure to call your local chimney and fireplace experts for cleaning and maintenance. fireplaceflair.com

March 10, 2020
Spring has sprung. All of us who used our wood burning fireplace during the winter now face the tasks of cleaning and preparing for summer and all those wonderful outdoor activities we all love. A living room or den with a fire place is an especially cozy area to gather with family and friends on wintry days but cleaning up is no ones favorite activity. Good News!!! There’s a great appliance that makes fireplace cleaning a breeze – The Ash Vacuum.
Yes, the Ash Vacuum actually exists and is still, to my knowledge, little known. Sooo!!!, here comes a review of what I found to be the three top rated ash vacuums. But first, I found some cool complimentary information that could help us decide which vacuum best suits our needs. Namely, the HEPA Filter and the Micron. Don’t be alarmed, it will all make sense.
HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air. A Micron is one millionth of a meter or .000039th of an inch. A HEPA rated filter traps 99.97% of particles that measure .3 microns. Ergo, vacuums with HEPA filters are very efficient. By comparison, a typical cartridge type pool filter is rated at 10-15 microns.
Why should we worry about HEPA filters and micron ratings? Well, ash that continues to smoulder produces carbon monoxide. C O is odorless and colorless. Only 800ppm can kill you in 2-3-hours. Occasional cleaning and a good spring cleaning is definitely in order.
But! Don’t throw ash away!
Ash is great for your outside plants. It contains good stuff such as boron, potassium, calcium and phosphorous and can raise your soil’s ph.
Now, on to the actual Ash Vacuums. There are three brands that get consistently good reviews. The Power Smith, the Shop Vac and the Snow Joe. All three are for dry pick-up, they are not wet vacs.

The Power Smith is the only vac of these three that can be used for warm as well as cold vacuuming. With a 10 amp motor it is the most powerful vac but has the smallest canister volume at 3 gallons. (Don’t ask!). It has two layer filtration, a four foot vacuum hose and the longest power cord at 16 feet. It also has a wheeled base. The price is around $70.00 with a larger canister model (5+ gal) coming in at about $135.00.
The Shop Vac has a 6.3 amp motor with a 5 gallon canister volume. This vac has a triple layer metal filter and a HEPA filter. It has a four foot vacuum hose and a 6 foot power cord. The price is around $85.00
The Snow Joe has a 4 amp motor with just under a 5 gallon canister volume. It has a pre-filter and a washable cartridge filter. The vacuum hose is four feet and the power cord is 8 feet. The price is about $60.00.
All three wiegh in at between 9 and 13 pounds and come with a 2 year warranty. These are all great ash vacuums that can be used inside and out, on wood burning stoves and barbecues in addition to fireplaces. Power Smith has the strongest motor, Shop Vac gas the HEPA filter and Snow Joe is the best value as well as highly rated for ease of use. Choose the one that best suits your needs.
Go to http://fireplaceflair.com/accessories-and-gifts/blog/ to purchase these on line.
Don’t forget to go to http://fireplaceflair.com/ for screens, tools, accessories, gifts, fire pits, fire glass and much more, Thanks.

The Kamado style grill originated in China as a ceramic style cooker (stove) for steaming rice. The kamado then spread to Korea, then Japan where the modern versions made their way into the mainstream.
Now we can choose from many brands such as Pit Boss, Kamado Joe, Louisiana Grills, and others. These ceramic models vary in size and features. In my opinion, the features most desired are a temperature guage, and adjustable vents top and bottom to control air flow and ultimately temperature. The actual diameter size and the interior configurations are also important features to insure great results. In my experience the ceramic grill, by it’s very nature, takes quite a while to heat up to the desired temperature for your meats or other dishes , but once attained, BBQ Heaven.
The Kamado’s are available in roughly an egg shape that sits on the ground or on a platform , but I favor them mounted in a caddy with one or two side trays, a bottom shelf and wheels. This allows your favorite BBQ Boss to set everything up in advance then Just Cook Baby!!!
PS – a pull out ash dump tray is another great feature to look for.
PPS – temperatures can range from the low 200’sF to over 750F.

Firin’ it Up!. First of all – What not to do. Don’t use charcoal briquettes. As we all know briquettes give off carbon monoxide and the quick lighting kind may be pre-soaked in charcoal lighter giving off fumes that can taint our food, especially if used in a lidded vessel like a kamado grill. Therefore it is recommended that hardwood charcoal is used.
If you want a smoky flavor, mesquite is probably the most popular, but there are several options like hickory, apple, pecan and others. A small amount is all you need to get the desired effect. These smoky varieties seem to come in chips and pellets but consult the manual to your kamado to be sure you are using the right fuel.
Lastly, the racks are what makes or breaks a great grilling session. Pick a kamado that gives you lots of options as far as height settings, and heat deflectors that allow direct and indirect cooking. There are also rack extenders, which are an additional rack that clips on top of a lower rack, and pizza racks. This is far from a complete or detailed description of everything that can be done with kamados but hopefully it whets your appetite.
Research kamados and purchase the one that best suits your needs.

Check out some Kamado Grills here and
Happy Grilling from http://fireplaceflair.com

It’s that time of year again and I am not going write yet another article with all the minute details on how to clean your fireplace. However, just like when I paint, I suggest working from the top down. In other words