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An electric fireplace is an electric heater that mimics a fireplace burning coal, wood, or natural gas. Electric fireplaces are often placed in conventional fireplaces, which can then no longer be used for conventional fires. [1] They plug into the wall, and can run on a "flame only" setting, or can be used as a heater, typically consuming 1.4 to 1.6 kW to heat a 40 m2 room.
The electric fire was invented in 1912 [2] and became popular in the 1950s. [3] Electric fireplaces found in 1950s homes were typically small and could be easily moved. [4]
Techniques for electrical "flame effects" have been around since at least 1981. [5]
Commercial electric fireplace techniques include the Optiflame, introduced in 1988 by Dimplex.
Dimplex claims to have produced the first electric fireplace with a "realistic" wood-burning flame effect in 1995. [6] It is unclear what specific technique is being referred to, although it may be U.S. patent 5,642,580 .
In 2008 Dimplex launched the Opti-myst effect which simulates both flames and smoke.
In 2013 Dimplex launched the Opti-V effect which combines realistic flickering flames with three dimensional LED logs that sporadically sparks and an audio element of crackling logs.
Many electric fireplaces have heating coils that produce heat as electricity flows through it. The heated air is propelled out into open space by a fan. Other heating techniques used in electric fireplaces include PTC ceramic heating and infrared technology.
Electric fireplaces are typically controlled by a remote or a set of buttons in which the temperature, lighting, and flame effects can be controlled. Some electric fireplaces are connected to an app in which the controls can be changed from the user's cell phone. [7]
Advantages of electric fireplaces are that they:
Disadvantages of electric fireplaces are that they:
A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the stack, or chimney effect. The space inside a chimney is called the flue. Chimneys are adjacent to large industrial refineries, fossil fuel combustion facilities or part of buildings, steam locomotives and ships.
Water heating is a heat transfer process that uses an energy source to heat water above its initial temperature. Typical domestic uses of hot water include cooking, cleaning, bathing, and space heating. In industry, hot water and water heated to steam have many uses.
A stove or range is a device that generates heat inside or on top of the device, for -local heating or cooking. Stoves can be powered with many fuels, such as natural gas, electricity, gasoline, wood, and coal.
Wood fuel is a fuel such as firewood, charcoal, chips, sheets, pellets, and sawdust. The particular form used depends upon factors such as source, quantity, quality and application. In many areas, wood is the most easily available form of fuel, requiring no tools in the case of picking up dead wood, or few tools, although as in any industry, specialized tools, such as skidders and hydraulic wood splitters, have been developed to mechanize production. Sawmill waste and construction industry by-products also include various forms of lumber tailings. About half of wood extracted from forests worldwide is used as fuelwood.
A kitchen stove, often called simply a stove or a cooker, is a kitchen appliance designed for the purpose of cooking food. Kitchen stoves rely on the application of direct heat for the cooking process and may also contain an oven, used for baking. "Cookstoves" are heated by burning wood or charcoal; "gas stoves" are heated by gas; and "electric stoves" by electricity. A stove with a built-in cooktop is also called a range.
A central heating system provides warmth to a number of spaces within a building from one main source of heat.
A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design.
A gas heater is a space heater used to heat a room or outdoor area by burning natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, propane, or butane.
A pilot light is a small gas flame, usually natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, which serves as an ignition source for a more powerful gas burner. Originally a pilot light was kept permanently alight, but this wastes gas. Now it is more common to light a burner electrically, but gas pilot lights are still used when a high energy ignition source is necessary, as in when lighting a large burner.
A flue is a duct, pipe, or opening in a chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. Historically the term flue meant the chimney itself. In the United States, they are also known as vents for boilers and as breeching for water heaters and modern furnaces. They usually operate by buoyancy, also known as the stack effect, or the combustion products may be "induced" via a blower. As combustion products contain carbon monoxide and other dangerous compounds, proper "draft", and admission of replacement air is imperative. Building codes, and other standards, regulate their materials, design, and installation.
Electric heating is a process in which electrical energy is converted directly to heat energy. Common applications include space heating, cooking, water heating and industrial processes. An electric heater is an electrical device that converts an electric current into heat. The heating element inside every electric heater is an electrical resistor, and works on the principle of Joule heating: an electric current passing through a resistor will convert that electrical energy into heat energy. Most modern electric heating devices use nichrome wire as the active element; the heating element, depicted on the right, uses nichrome wire supported by ceramic insulators.
A masonry heater is a device for warming an interior space through radiant heating, by capturing the heat from periodic burning of fuel, and then radiating the heat at a fairly constant temperature for a long period. Masonry heaters covered in tile are called Kachelofen. The technology has existed in different forms, from back into the Neoglacial and Neolithic periods. Archaeological digs have revealed excavations of ancient inhabitants utilizing hot smoke from fires in their subterranean dwellings, to radiate into the living spaces. These early forms eventually evolved into modern systems.
A kerosene heater, also known as a paraffin heater, is typically a portable, unvented, kerosene-fueled, space heating device. In Japan and other countries, they are a primary source of home heat. In the United States and Australia, they are a supplemental heat or a source of emergency heat during a power outage. Most kerosene heaters produce between 3.3 and 6.8 kilowatts.
An electric match is a device that uses an externally applied electric current to ignite a combustible compound.
A convection heater, also known as a convector heater, is a type of heater that utilizes convection currents to heat and circulate air. These currents move through the appliance and across its heating element, using thermal conduction to warm the air and decrease its density relative to colder air, causing it to rise.
An oil heater, also known as an oil-filled heater, oil-filled radiator, or column heater, is a common form of convection heater used in domestic heating. Although filled with oil, it is electrically heated and does not involve burning any oil fuel; the oil is used as a heat reservoir (buffer).
A fireplace insert is a device that can be inserted into an existing masonry or prefabricated wood fireplace. Fireplace inserts can be fuelled by gas, wood, electricity, coal, or wood pallet. Most fireplace inserts are made from cast iron or steel. Fresh air enters through vents below the insert, where it then circulates around the main chamber and back into the room. Separate adjustable air vents control airflow into the firebox which then exits through a chimney. Typical fireplace inserts have insulated glass doors that allow the fire to be viewed while closed, improving its heat output and fuel efficiency while maintaining ambiance of a traditional fireplace. Air is directed across the interior surface of the glass to prevent a build-up of ash.
A wood-burning stove is a heating or cooking appliance capable of burning wood fuel, often called solid fuel, and wood-derived biomass fuel, such as sawdust bricks. Generally the appliance consists of a solid metal closed firebox, often lined by fire brick, and one or more air controls. The first wood-burning stove was patented in Strasbourg in 1557. This was two centuries before the Industrial Revolution, so iron was still prohibitively expensive. The first wood-burning stoves were high-end consumer items and only gradually became used widely.
A rocket mass heater (RMH), also known as rocket stove mass heater, is a form of slow-release radiant heating system, designed to primarily heat people and secondarily to warm areas in line of sight around it. Variations of RMH can also be extended for the functions of cooking, heating water, and producing warm air for distribution.
