The range of Electric fires available on the market is Huge. Large Landscape Electric fires lend themselves ideally to being installed into Media walls.
Each manufacturer uses a slightly different type of flame effect system on their fires, some offering multiple effects in their range.
Below is a snapshot of what type of Flame effects are available to try and help you decide which type is best suited to you.
Ribbon Effect
As the name suggests, this flame effect is made with the use of silk ribbons suspended behind the rear glass of the fire. Below each set of ribbons there is a fan unit, which blows air up, to pass over the Ribbons, to make them shimmer, to give the flame effect.
This is the most used flame effect by Manufacturers, it gives a slightly more random effect and it has been the longest effect available. You will use a little more electric with this type of fires, due to the possibility of having numerous fan units to run long rows of ribbons found on the likes of 1.5m, 2.0m long fires.
Some people find them a little fast and you do not have the ability to slow the effect down, as slowing it, would make the ribbons stop fluttering. The majority of manufacturers use this effect in their more premium lines, adding such things as multi colour flame options.
Rotisserie Flame Effects
It’s not a name that you would think had anything to do with an electric fire flame effect, Rotisserie is most used for chicken roasting and Doner Kebabs.
But this style of flame effect is becoming more and more popular. essentially, the flame effect is run by a long spindle of metal, attached to a small motor. Off this spindle is attached metal flame shape plates, which when revolved, create the flame effect on the rear screen of glass on the fire.
Some manufacturers offer speed settings on these models, as they are able to slow the motor down, without the effect being affected. Multi colour flame options, tied with multi colour fuel beds, do give a slightly more relaxed, undulating flame picture, which consumers may like more over the ribbon effect, which some find too rapid and distracting when watching the TV, if it is sited above the fire.
With only using one small motor, they also cost a little less to run on flame effect, over a ribbon fire.
Optimyst Effect
This effect is supplied by mostly one supplier, Dimplex, although they do sell them under licence to a small amount of manufacturers to use in their suites.
The Optimyst effect has been around for approx. 20 years. The Fire has a row of either Halogen, or LED bulbs sited below the fuel effect bed. In front of this is a Reservoir, with a Water bottle, which supplies water to a unit inside the reservoir called a Transducer. With an electrical charge, this turns the water into a water vapour, which is not hot like steam, it is more akin to the humidifiers you find in homes, where you can fill with essential oils, to fragrance the room and give some humidity to dry atmospheres.
Some models have heaters fitted too, the burner units have no heaters installed. The effect gives a glow, with the look of smoke coming from the fuel bed, which a number of consumers like the effect of. The drawback with this effect is that water has to be filled on a daily basis to supply the smoke. If the reservoir is empty, then the halogen lights will not light up, as a safety feature to stop overheating.
Holographic Effect
We are a main supplier in the area for the Dutch manufacturer Kalfire.
They have a range of designer electric fires with a Unique flame effect.
By the use of Monitors playing a looped video of a real log fire blazing away ( sparks and all) and angled glass and sound effect, it gives the most realistic flame picture on the market today.
The effect has to be seen to be believed, even when switching off for the evening, the flames gently decrease, ending with a flurry of smoke emitted from the inside of the logs.
Designed for the commercial market, it is now available to domestic homes , the size of the fire is a major factor in not being suitable for every home, but if you have the space and the budget for a large Designer fire, then call in and see it in the flesh in our large Designer Electric store, next door to our Original showroom, where you will see the entire range of each style, for you to choose from.
Every Media wall type Electric fire sold by Quality fires, has the assurance that every manufacturer has confirmed that if any issues affected the fires workings in the future, they can all be repaired/reset from inside the fire, without removing the fire from its site. Unlike cheaper, more inferior fires found on the likes of the shopping sites online, which will most likely have to be returned to the manufacturer for repair/swap. Leaving you with risk of having to rip apart your media wall and the subsequent cost of rebuilding it back. Just be aware that things that seem cheap, do come back to bite you at a later date !