Traditional Electric Fireplace Inserts

Traditional Electric Fireplace Inserts combine classic style with modern technology.

Electric fireboxes and fireplace inserts are those fireplaces which most closely resemble a traditional wood-burning fireplace. Electric fireboxes and fireplace inserts range in shape from standard rectangular to elongated, to vertical.

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Features

Ember beds in today’s electric fireboxes and fireplace inserts may consist of traditional logs, driftwood and pebbles, or crystals. Like their linear counterparts, electric fireboxes and fireplace inserts have flame colours ranging from yellow to orange to blue, with many colour combinations in between. They may also have additional accent lighting from above or below the ember bed.

Electric fireboxes and fireplace inserts are designed to be inserted into a wall, cabinet or existing fireplace opening. To enhance interiors today, electric fireboxes and fireplace inserts come with very clean lines, and minimal trim. However, many offer optional trim kits to provide a neat finish and cover gaps that may occur around an existing opening that is too large for the insert.

Electric fireboxes and fireplace inserts are zero-clearance, and have heat venting out of the front of the unit. As with all electric fireplaces, fireboxes and inserts may be enjoyed with or without the heaters turned on. All fireboxes and fireplace inserts may operate on a standard 120 volt electrical connection, and some are also adaptable for 240 volts, for greater heat output. As with all electrical devices, it is best to consult with a licensed electrician when making changes to any electrical connection.

Fireplace Insert vs. Firebox

Is there a difference?

You may hear hearth industry pros refer to inserts and fireboxes, and wonder “What’s the difference?” Simply put, there is no difference. We use these terms interchangeably when referring to more traditional electric fireplaces. In fact, an ‘insert’ could be any fireplace that may be installed into a wall or cabinet, and a ‘firebox’ is the backend of any fireplace, where the flames are produced. So why don’t we use these terms when referring to more modern linear fireplaces? It may be just a term that has stuck with the more traditional style fireplaces, even as more linear styles have increased in popularity. Initially, these traditional fireboxes were intended to be used for retrofitting into an old wood-burning fireplace, thus they were called ‘inserts’. Now, we design around them as our preferred alternative. If you hear someone use either of these terms, and you’re not sure what they mean by it, just ask!

DIMPLEX RBF42WC REVILLUSION ELECTRIC FIREPLACE WITH WEATHERED CONCRETE

LIVING ROOM WITH NAPOLEON NEFB26H CINEVIEW ELECTRIC INSERT WITH 4-SIDED TRIM

Can all traditional electric fireplace inserts be used in my wood-burning fireplace?

Tips for selecting a fireplace retrofit insert

In theory, any electric insert may be installed inside your old wood-burning fireplace. However, in practice, there are geometric forces working against a good fit. Most importantly, most masonry wood-burning fireplaces get narrower toward the back of the cavity, so that the width at the front of the opening is larger than the width at the back. The most important measurement you will need for a retrofit, is the measurement midway between the front and back of the fireplace opening, at the same depth as the insert you are considering. However, if the insert fits this measurement, then it will be too small to take up the full width at the front of the opening. For this reason, some electric fireplace inserts have optional trim packages for closing the gaps. Most traditional electric fireplace inserts do NOT have trim packages available, so you will either need to close the gap by other means, or choose another product.

We’ve broken it all down on our Stylish Blog.

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