Anyone have a fake fireplace?

[Loreena]

Like these?

http://www.mantelfactory.com/

I was over a friend's house with one. Makes crackling noises, throws heat (5000 btu) and looks real but cost five grand! :Q

 

[ncage]

I used to have one of the stove ones. It sucked. It didn't look anything like a real fireplace. It was pretty much a plastic junky looking thing that didn't really look like a real fireplace with a space heater bolted to the bottom. I ended up selling it for $20.

 

[nakedfrog]

I used to have one with a little electric space heater in it, and a light bulb to illuminate the fake logs. It looked alright, but was no good for heat.

 

[Loreena]

The new ones are much better though.

Yes 5000 btu is small like a little space heater but unless you have a 240V outlet nearby that's about all you get. It's a good chill chaser and adds to the realism when you walk in front of the "flames" and feel some heat, etc.

 

[Blayze]

I have one in my new house. The builders put them in for this development. It actually works pretty well, and will heat up the room a little. Its not one of the units with a mantle, etc... Its just a insert. The mantle is seperate.

From the looks of it I could take the insert out and put a gas one in place of it. However it works well, and looks nice in my opinion.

 

[MotF Bane]

We have a gas fireplace embedded in the wall of main house and vacation house, plus a portable stove-fireplace-looking electric one. The electric works, takes about 30-60 minutes to get a room up to temperature. Closed room, 10x10x8 or so. The electric one hums while it's running, but nothing annoying by any means. Black stove body, fake flame picture things. As for the gas fireplaces, they're wonderful. Primary source of heat for the family room of each house, at about 30x15x15 and 30x20x10. Slight pinging sound as they warm up with a very small hiss, once they reach full temperature, the blower kicks in. That's a little loud, but it becomes background noise after the first few runs. Real gas flames, logs look decent too. I might be able to find pictures tomorrow.

 

[theflyingpig]

I have a crematorium, but I tell people that it's a fireplace. They always look in and say "wow its so big! What do you put in here?" then I just laaaaugh and tell them "Oh nothing, tee hee".

 

[biggestmuff]

I have a fake Loreena.

 

[xSauronx]

my parents have the gas logs. when they built their home dad came across these at lowes when i was with him....he spent 15 minutes in awe over the damn things because they "look so real, are you sure theyre not real?!"

 

[0roo0roo]

tacky

 

[Linflas]

Our house came with a gas one that we hate. I have to admit that it does heat the room very well the few times we have used it but a fireplace isn't a fireplace unless you can poke and prod at the wood with a poker and have a nice bed of red hot embers underneath the wood.

 

[Pepsei]

had both real and gas fireplace, personally, i prefer the gas fireplace, less maintenance and instant heat whenever you want.

 

[TwiceOver]

Have a gas fireplace. It is the only heat source in our basement, unfortunately I don't think we'll be able to run it this year.

 

[BW86]

I have a cheap one - I forget the make but it sucks.

 

[acheron]

Have a fake one that runs on gas.

 

[Anubis]

My parents have 2 gas insert fireplaces, one that looks like a normal fire fake logs and whatnot and the other looks like a standing cast iron wood stove. There really isn?t anything "fake" about them. They put out a serious amount of heat.

The ones in your link look much more like decorations then heating devices

 

[Loreena]

Originally posted by: Anubis
My parents have 2 gas insert fireplaces, one that looks like a normal fire fake logs and whatnot and the other looks like a standing cast iron wood stove. There really isn?t anything "fake" about them. They put out a serious amount of heat.

The ones in your link look much more like decorations then heating devices

Fake = no vent and does not burn wood.

Unvented natural gas with yellow flames is not something I'd want.

The electrics are nice and provide the romantic feel of a real fire without the associated hassles. A real fireplace it not a viable source of heat as well since it sends too much up the chimney. The best compromise is a wood stove insert with glass window doors but chopping wood is a lot of work. But the heat is so nice.

The fakes are perfect for condo/apt renters too. The kids never know when the stockings have been hung. Much better than those cardboard fireplaces with a tv sitting in there on channel 3 with a VHS tape playing of a fire.

 

[effowe]

I have a gas fireplace that has ceramic logs. It's only been lit once to test, seems like more of a pain to use than it's worth.

 

[darkxshade]

Can't get any faker than a fireplace mov file playing on your iphone against the wall.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: Loreena

Originally posted by: Anubis
My parents have 2 gas insert fireplaces, one that looks like a normal fire fake logs and whatnot and the other looks like a standing cast iron wood stove. There really isn?t anything "fake" about them. They put out a serious amount of heat.

The ones in your link look much more like decorations then heating devices

Fake = no vent and does not burn wood.

Unvented natural gas with yellow flames is not something I'd want.

The electrics are nice and provide the romantic feel of a real fire without the associated hassles. A real fireplace it not a viable source of heat as well since it sends too much up the chimney. The best compromise is a wood stove insert with glass window doors but chopping wood is a lot of work. But the heat is so nice.

The fakes are perfect for condo/apt renters too. The kids never know when the stockings have been hung. Much better than those cardboard fireplaces with a tv sitting in there on channel 3 with a VHS tape playing of a fire.

the ones my rents have are vented, but yes there is a real flame, the both vent to a chimmey

 

[uberman]

I had a screen-saver fake fireplace on my computer last year. It was cool.

 

[So]

This city has a ban on anything more "real" than a pellet stove. I moved into a house built in the 40's and just got to have my first real indoor fire since I was a kid.

 

[Loreena]

Originally posted by: uberman
I had a screen-saver fake fireplace on my computer last year. It was cool.

Watch out those. If they are left on too long your monitor will yellow.

 

[uberman]

Originally posted by: Loreena

Originally posted by: uberman
I had a screen-saver fake fireplace on my computer last year. It was cool.

Watch out those. If they are left on too long your monitor will yellow.

Thanks. I just turned on mine when I was reading in bed. I always turned it off before sleeping because of fire danger.

 

[Loreena]

Originally posted by: uberman

Originally posted by: Loreena

Originally posted by: uberman
I had a screen-saver fake fireplace on my computer last year. It was cool.

Watch out those. If they are left on too long your monitor will yellow.

Thanks. I just turned on mine when I was reading in bed. I always turned it off before sleeping because of fire danger.

NEVER let the cat sleep on top of the monitor when the flames are on! :laugh: