I suggest going to a local fireplace store and seeing what they have. Ask them about electric, vented, and b-vent fireplaces. We have been doing our due diligence and have decided the most realistic looking with the least heat would be a B-vent fireplace. It requires venting out the roof, but you can use a realistic log set. Plus you don't have to keep the glass door closed.

I think when you look at electric fireplaces and gas fireplaces, you won't think the electric look realistic at all. They don't. They look like holograms. Honestly for me, if the choice were electric or nothing, I'd do nothing.

Of course I don't think I've seen the Dimplex Opti-mist. It's supposedly the most realistic. If you see one, let me know how realistic it is. I've written the company asking where to see one down here.

I went to two stores today to look at electric fireplaces, a furniture store and a hearth and patio store.

I've decided that there are two main categories of electric fireplaces:

(1) Ones that try really hard to look like a traditional wood or gas burning fireplace, and which all fail at doing so! But some come close enough, and they still provide lots of benefits that you can't get with gas:

- inexpensive to purchase and install

- can have flames without heat (e.g. in warm climate, or in summer)

- safety: does not get hot

- nice electronic features: thermostat controlled, sleep timer, remote control, etc...

(2) Ones that embrace modern technology to provide a contemporary fixture/appliance that provides ambiance to a space without trying to fool anyone as to the type of flame. These are often more rectangular in shape, with a base of fire crystals in place of fake rocks or logs, and with really cool LED color effects that you can change or have cycle through.

If I go with an electric fireplace for my new build in FL, I'll likely go with the more contemporary looking unit and design my TV+fireplace wall and built-ins with that in mind. Gas would require a long run to my desired location, through a wood floor truss under a main living area which I'm not thrilled about. Plus I'd like to realize the other benefits of electric listed above.

CP: I agree that the Dimplex Opti-mist looks really hot (pun intended). But I don't think it has an option to provide heat - it has good looks only! Plus I wouldn't want to have to keep filling it up with water - too high maintenance! So I'd probably end up going with one of their "standard" firebox inserts: link

Yes the difference is I don't have as many levels as you do so for me the fireplace chase will go up through my second floor and then out the roof. The chase will actually be between the guest bathroom upstairs and the hall closet right outside the guest bathroom, so it works well for us.

I think my concern would not be about filling it with water but with standing water and mosquitos.

You can get a vented gas fireplace that vents out the side of the house so it doesn't need to go up the chimney. And those provide heat too if needed. Only the b-vent gas fireplaces with log sets need to vent through the chimney. The others don't.

We have a Dimplex electric fireplace (live in Florida). This was the simplest solution to adding a fireplace to our house. It has a nice ambiance but it does NOT give off much heat. Well, it will warm you up if you stand right next to it, but with our 22 feet family room ceiling, it goes right up and does not warm the room. Luckily we rarely, if ever, would really need the heat!

Not the best pictures, but I'm attaching a picture of it installed.

Erica does it look like real flames?

Sorry... just saw this. Not at all... its got glass pieces inside of it and the flames are not realistic. I feel like it's kind of like something you would see in a restaurant.

I think I would go with a gas insert as well. The electric fireplaces are ok, but I think based on your question you would be happier with a gas fireplace insert.

We looked at a Dimplex electric fireplace last week. The cost was $975. plus if you wanted the remote $75.00.. It looked cheap and ugly... No thank you!

Thanks Cindy and Erica.

While my build will also be in FL, I haven't been able to wrap my head around the electric fireplace look. We're doing a gas log insert especially since my house will not be contemporary.

Does anyone know the size of the screws that secure the glass front on the xl50? Recently purchased and they were not in the box, waiting for their customer service team to respond to me

Most of electric fireplace is not powered by gas for safety

You can find more about best electric fireplace here: http://gearupz.com/best-electric-fireplace/

Most of electric fireplace is not powered by gas for safety

Most?!? I think it's safe to say that ALL electric fireplaces aren't powered by gas. :)

I have an electric fireplace. I think it's fairly realistic. Would it trick me into thinking it's real? No. Maybe at a cursory glance you might assume it's gas. The upper level electric ones have come a long way from what electric fireplaces used to be.

Gas fireplaces don't trick me into thinking it's a wood fireplace either even though it has 'logs' and its a real flame. They look 'fake' to me as well.

I like the look of my electric and that's all that matters. Plus the benefit of not having to use the heat feature is great because my furnace keeps my house warm enough. I get the ambiance without the wasted heat.

I got a Dimplex Revillusion and love it. My condos do not have gas, so the choices are limited. Although it is a wood burning fireplace, I do not want to fool with wood and ashes. The Revillusion satisfies my need for something that looks like a fire. I can use it year round too! It has LED lights projected onto a Plexiglas shield. You can sometimes see reflections on the Plexiglas if there's a lot of light in the room, but most of the time (especially at night), it is invisible. For sound effects you can download a fireplace sound effects app on an old cell phone and put it in the fireplace. Then you can buy candles or wax melts that smell like a campfire. It's just like the real thing. Hahahaha! Here's a video of the logs at night with the glass doors open and the mesh curtain closed. I'm scrolling through the different lighting options.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR8mKa5CMLI

Hi - Thank you for the video. That's great! If you do not have the sound effects on, does the fireplace itself make any annoying noises?

Looking at/facing the fireplace, where is the electrical cord on this model?

It makes no noise at all when just the flames are on. The sound you are hearing in the video is the phone sound effect app which is turned up a little too loud. I usually turn it down so you can barely hear it. If you turn on the heater, you can barely hear the fan. It doesn't put out much heat even when it's on high. The electrical cord comes out of the right rear part of the unit (if you are standing in front of the fireplace and looking at it from the front).

I still love my fake fireplace. I used it all summer on cloudy days and every night. It looks great (for a fake fireplace).

Thank you!

Electric fireplace is the only option. Direct vent gas fireplaces come with a warning in the manual that they contain elements which cause cancer. Once the gas exhaust is vented, where do you think the gas toxins go? Right back into every crevice in your house, your yard or your neighbors. Our neighbor tragically died in a gas leak after having an expensive new furnace installed. He had two little girls. Wood fires are even more terrible for indoor air quality (and outdoor). So, yeah, electric. Fake logs, fire, bring it on. I'm okay with it.

Hi, Keywest. I have an electric fireplace from Dimplex. To be honest, there are some flaws, but in general it is very good. Dimplex is a well-known company https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlenDimplex. In order to get acquainted with the products of Dimplex in more detail, read this article, I was very helpful in my time.

We love Dimplex. We ordered two of them off Amazon, easy assembly, quick delivery. The Opti-myst looks pretty good in the living room in the open fireplace. The Revillusion 25 looks great in the den behind folding glass doors. It looks amazingly realistic due to the height of the flames on the Revillusion and the heater for added effect. Though we wonder about the optional burning coals accessory in front, as it does get hot from the heater. I wish the Option-myst came with a sound effect or heater or that its humidifier was stronger for more visible smoke effect. But we love them over the alternative of smoky toxic and dangerous wood and gas fires. It is kind of weird that most homes still have a fireplace / shrine to a big hole in their heating envelope these days. Although I love a good mantle, passive houses really don't utilize fireplaces.

Dimplex is considered a good electric fireplace with its affordable price but some features could be missing as compared to gas ones. The major thing that differentiate the gas fireplaces from electric ones are their noise. Here, you can read more reviews about some quality electric fireplaces https://bestazy.com/best-electric-fireplace/ that could be better than Dimplex. On the other hand, electric fireplace is safe to use with kids as it doesn't transmit heat on touch. If your primary concern is cost and energy efficiency, an electric fireplace is undoubtedly a better option. Here, you can read more about electric and gas fireplaces. https://www.modernflames.com/blog/fireplace-review-gas-vs-electric/