Fireplace Services

Inside an electric fireplace installation

Any electrician's work is scheduled in the right order and listed on its own line.

Why the rest of the circuit matters

NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, limits how much of a branch circuit's rating one cord-and-plug appliance may use when the circuit also serves other outlets. A plug-in fireplace heater is that kind of appliance, so the circuit's other loads belong in the installation plan.

Applying the code is the electrician's job, and we do not guess at it. What we do is identify the circuit the unit will use, list what else is on it as far as you know and flag the question in writing, so the answer is settled before the unit is mounted.

120-volt and 240-volt models

Household outlets supply 120 volts, and many plug-in fireplaces are built for them. Some built-in models also come in 240-volt versions that produce more heat, and those need a circuit made for them. The model number, never the size of the unit, tells you which version you have.

If you are still choosing, we point out which versions of your preferred model suit the power already at the wall. That helps you avoid ordering a 240-volt unit for a room where only a 120-volt supply is available, or the other way around.

A solid sill under the unit

A recessed fireplace needs something firm to rest on. The earlier linear manual we reference calls for a bottom sill of a stated minimum depth in the framed opening, so the unit sits level and fully supported across its width.

We build the sill to the manual and check it with a level before the unit goes in. A soft or narrow base can let the unit tip forward over time, which puts stress on the trim and the glass and shows up as an uneven gap along the top.

Intakes and outlets left open

An electric fireplace heater pulls air in through an intake and pushes warm air out through an outlet. The manuals we reference warn against blocking either one or covering the front of the unit, since the heater depends on that airflow to run as designed. Decorative logs, stones or glass media are set so they sit in the flame tray and away from the heater outlet.

Our installers check that trim, decorative media and furnishings leave both openings clear. At handover we point out the intake and the outlet, so everyone in the home knows which parts must stay uncovered.