Electric fireplaces
Fire without a flue.
The three we would put in your room
What decides one of these is recess depth and electrical circuit — measured before the order, not after it.
What decides the fit
- Recess depth
- Roughly 5 to 8 in covers a large share of recessed units, which is why so many are designed around standard framing depth. Confirm the required depth including any rear clearance - the unit's own depth is not always the hole it needs.
- Electrical circuit
- A 15 A, 120 V circuit is what most plug-in units are built for, and that ceiling - around 1500 W - is why so many of them share the same heat output. A dedicated circuit is the usual recommendation, because a fireplace sharing a circuit with a room's lighting and outlets is a nuisance trip waiting to happen.
Worth knowing before you order
Why recess
A built-in electric fireplace is framed into the wall like a window, so what matters is the rough opening — the hole in the framing — rather than the visible face. Three dimensions decide it: width and height of the opening, and the depth of the wall cavity, which is where most retrofits fail because a standard stud wall is shallower than many units need. That is why so many are installed in a false wall or a chase built out from the existing one, which also gives somewhere to run the supply.
Vent
None of it. An electric fireplace produces no combustion, so there is no flue, no chimney, no gas line and no clearance to a vent. That is the whole reason the category exists as a retrofit — it goes in a wall that could never take a gas or wood appliance. It does still have clearance requirements around it, and the ones people get wrong are the distance to a television or a mantel above and the air path around the heater, both of which are on the manufacturer's sheet.
Heat
Treat the heat as supplemental. A plug-in electric fireplace on an ordinary household circuit is limited by that circuit to roughly the output of a space heater, which will take the edge off a room but is not a heating system. Hard-wired units on a dedicated circuit can do more. Crucially the flame effect and the heat are separate on almost every unit, so it runs as a visual in summer with the heater off — which is how most of them are actually used.
A presentation set. Venerabull is in its first phase and is signing its first manufacturers — the models on this page are our own, shown so a maker can see the page their line would get. As lines are signed their real products and photography replace these, and anything that was never inventory comes down.
VENERABULL
Heavy, premium goods for the home and everywhere that isn’t. Venerabull LLC · New York.
Company
United States · USD
Everything we carry
Golf simulatorsEnclosures, launch monitors, impact screens
FireplacesLinear electric, gas inserts, mantels
Saunas & cold plungeCedar cabins, plunge tubs, water systems
Outdoor kitchensGrills, cabinetry, refrigeration
Wine cellarsRacking, cooling units, glass doors
Home gymRacks, plates, cable systems, flooring
Hot tubs & swim spasHot tubs, swim spas, covers and lifters
Standby generatorsAir-cooled, liquid-cooled, transfer switches
E-bikesCommuter, cargo, off-road
Rooftop tentsHardshell, softshell, awnings
Boat liftsFour-post, elevator, PWC lifts
Car liftsTwo-post, four-post, scissor
TrailersEnclosed, utility, car haulers
Dock hardwareLadders, bumpers, cleats, whips
Deck ovensStone hearth, electric, gas
RefrigerationWalk-ins, reach-ins, prep tables
Ice machinesCube, nugget, flake
Barber chairsHydraulic, styling, shampoo units
Pallet rackingSelective, drive-in, cantilever
Safes & vaultsFire safes, gun safes, vault doors
Espresso machinesOne, two and three group, grinders
KilnsPottery, glass, front and top loading