duraflame Electric Log Set 1,000 Sq Ft Heater, Faux Logs Insert with Infrared Flames for Existing Fireplaces, Remote Control Included

I am a real person in Louisville, KY writing an honest review. I only do reviews of products that either exceed expectations or don't work at all. This electric log set exceeds all my expectations. We had a very mild winter here up until the last few weeks. Then it got very cold and we had accumulations of snow. Of course that's when our old electric log fireplace unit decided to quit working. It was a Dimplex unit. Comparing features Dimplex vs our new Duraflame, the Duraflame is a superior product. First - the heat. I bought this primarily for the heat. The infrared heater and fan work great. The heat unit is on bottom so heat blows out bottom and then rises. This is important: the old Dimplex heat element was on top. So we always lost a lot of heat inside the fireplace - it never made it into our living room. But with the Duraflame you can stand 4 feet away from fireplace and feel the heat rising up and into the room. Our living room is approx. 15x15. It keeps living room 3-5 degrees warmer than rest of house. Sitting 12 feet away my wife and I can feel the warmth. When you enter the room you immediately feel the difference in temperatures. The Duraflame makes the same noise as a small electric heater. Unnoticable in background. Next - the flame effect. At night it is excellent. It looks quite real projected on to the back of fireplace. The Dimplex projected onto a smoky mirror. During the daytime and often at night you could see a mirror. The flame effect on mirror was OK but you could still tell it was a mirror. The Dimplex also required two lightbulbs to make flame effect, and there was a motor running inside unit (additional to fan) that moved this tinsel stuff on a rod to create the flame effect. Clunky. The Duraflame flames look quite real at night. Next - the ember/ coals effect. On the Duraflame it's pretty fake looking. It doesn't modulate randomly. The internal LED just dims/brightens/goes off in a set pattern over and over. Remote. The Duraflame remote has power/flame/heater controls, so you can operate most everything remotely. On side of actual Duraflame unit there are also controls for intensity of flame, embers, heat level, and a thermostat. We really like thermostat - allows you to control just how warm your room gets. Finally - installation. It's very light and comes with a fairly long cord. The cord comes out the right rear, but even though our outlet is on left of fireplace the cord still comes out of fireplace and extends an additional foot or so. It must be about 3' long. We bought a high amp extension cord to get to outlets that is still several feet away. To install it you just set it in your fireplace and plug it in. Then you adjust thermostat and other things to your liking. That's it. Great! We love it and we think you will, too. It is a quality product shipped quickly.

After having lived 1.5 Minnesota winters in my 100+ year old Craftsman, I realized we needed something to supplement the heat on the main floor. The entire house is on one thermostat, meaning by the time it thought the downstairs was appropriately cozy, the upstairs was doing a convincing impression of a Swedish sauna. I needed something to supplement the heat downstairs and tell the thermostat to (literally) chill—and a bit of ambiance wouldn’t hurt. I did some homework and realized that, with my eczema, I’d need infrared heat, and this little guy was the best rated. Six and a half years later, I have not regretted my choice. I’ll run through the specifics below. Size: I have a coal-burning fireplace, meaning it’s much smaller than a wood-burning one. This heater fits perfectly. Heat output: the technology on mine doesn’t allow me to pick an exact temperature, but it acts as a great supplement to my radiators even on days when the temp drops to well below zero. Ease of use: you can set it how you want it on the side panel, then just use the remote to turn it on and off. I find the remote buttons to be vague enough that I don’t really know what difference they’re making, which is why I only use it as a power switch. Ambiance: does it look like a real fire? Not exactly, but it’s close enough that it makes the room pretty and cozy. Definitely sets a “curl up with a hot chocolate and a good book” mood. Value: This is what I really came here to say. We have run this thing for several hours almost every day for about six months out of the year (remember: Minnesota) for SIX. YEARS. Over the past week it kept shutting off, and I was worried I’d have to replace it. Nope! Turns out the intake vent was choked with dust and cat hair. A good vacuuming with the blade attachment, and it is once again happily chugging along at my side like the day I set it up. Which brings me to... Safety: What I thought was a malfunction (turning itself off quickly after I turned it on) was actually the unit's safety feature at work. It was saving us from a conflagration of dust and cat hair. Good to know that feature works! If you need an aesthetically pleasing, practical, long-lasting space heater/fireplace insert, buy this. It’s worth the money and then some.

Looks great and puts off enough heat to just take the chill off. Does sound like a small fan running. I’ve had it for two years now and am still happy with it!

I love my wood burning fireplace but I guess it just got old finding wood, getting it started and carrying in all the trash, cleaning out the fireplace etc., you get the idea. I've looked into gas and heat value vs cost to see what might be my best option. Gas heaters that would heat the room are not fireplace looking so with this, I felt I'd get the best of both worlds. It says 5200 BTW to heat 1000 SF and I'll beg to differ on that point. I think the space I'm heating may be 800 SF and it kind of keeps it maintained so that my central unit isn't constantly running. Using a laser thermometer, I got readings over 200 degrees from the bottom (heated/blower area) so it's putting out heat. It might be a really good source of low cost heat for a small room of 400 SF or so, but not open plans. I have a pretty well insulated house with 8 ft ceiling and live in a temperate southern area with occasional 30 degree or below weather for a few days so I really didn't expect I'd need something much bigger. I just wanted to take the load off the central unit from heating the entire house when I'm only in one area. Upon first hooking it up, there was an annoying buzz when it started running. I am not sure if my fireplace is off level since the buzz stopped when I pick up the back or front just a bit and it now quits soon enough after it heats up. It has calmed down on start and non-existent after 2-3 minutes. Four star, the thing is really adorable, flames look pretty doggone good, too. Anyone who sees it is in awe how neat it is. Heat value has an endless number of variations that could affect how well it does. But the description I read said 1000 SF and I think that is over estimated. For me, the ambiance, cute, realistic factor outweighs the heating utilitarian factor. UPDATED COMMENT: This appliance is not compatible with smart plug. I thought it would be a nice feature to have my Echo turn on/off the fireplace but there is a cool down that needs to take place when the appliance is shut off. I thought my heater/blower had gone out, called customer service, figured out how to reset it but then when it did it again, I realized that the complete disconnect from using the smart plug was causing it to trip.

I had my fireplace inspected and was told told I could not burn firewood in my fireplace. That was a bummer because I really like to have a fire burning during the cold months. This was recommended by a friend since it has a heater and the look of firewood burning. I really like the way it looks since this is as real as it is going to get. It keeps the space warm and it does have a little sound but it does not bother me when the TV is on or

This insert is wonderful. After loving my Duraflame heater thought I'd try this for my non-heat electric fireplace. It's perfect. It's beautiful for starters and gives off the perfect amount of heat in my living room. It makes my fireplace look real and so much better. The flame effect is amazing. I had thought about removing the fireplace - so glad I didn't.

Kids, don't expect this to warm up your living room, much less the claimed square footage. We sit on the couch 7 feet away and still need our slipper, robes and afghan to stave off the chill, no matter how hard this faux fireplace tries, bless its heart. Knob turned to Max Heat? Check. Aimed right at us? Check. Fact is, the fan noise is far more present and noticeable than the positive reviews suggest, and the warmth it produces far less so. Not sure if the "electric" version would behave any differently. What we perceive is just a lukewarm draft passing across the floor at leg level, as if someone were aiming a cheap hair dryer in our direction. Worth the money? Maybe. The flame effect is quite pretty, as is the gentle glow (three different brightness levels to boot). But the heat function leaves a LOT to be desired. Now you know.

This was just perfect when we converted our corner gas fireplace in our basement to electric.

Llegó rápido. Funciona bien.

We wanted an 'interim solution' and knew ultimately we'd need to make the decision of staying with our log burning fireplace or getting a gas insert.....we had prior experience with this product in our Dad's home for several years.......it was a 'flaming beauty' in an old brick firebox and gave off surprising warmth in the room or cozy flames whenever you didn't want the extra heat. This time, the firebox is wider but lower so we don't get as much of the flame action but it is still very cozy and nice to look at....our room is larger than Dad's and has a very high ceiling - the heat dissipates faster here but we still feel it, even when it's not on "HIGH". And the Die Hard Log Burning Fireplace lover in our family is becoming a big fan of the remote control and the 'coziness' the unit brings to an empty fire box (it's not even dark out right now and he has it going!). For us, our only complaint is that the electrical cord is about 10" too short and we needed an extension cord. Also we had to 'gerryrig' some 'foot extensions' to position it over an intact log lighter (make sure you get a gas fitter to certify that your gas is off to avoid any electric sparks meeting up with your gas line). And, also, the way to increase the heat is to turn up the dial on the unit itself (not on the remote)....but once set you don't need to play around with it much. Highly recommend. We trusted the Duraflame brand and the seller's rep.

Shipped fast to Canada, installed into fireplace and wow, pumps out lots of heat. quiet, flame effect on the backside is a nice touch. all in all pleased!

Unit is just as described, very easy to install, just put it onto a base in your fireplace, plug it in and you're working. Looks pretty good for ambience, not noisy at all. Puts out good heat with an internal fan, but it has only one setting of 1500 watts so no partial heating; it takes everything a wall outlet has to offer. The front legs are also weak, so be careful with them. For $250, it provides a good secondary source of heat and gives the look of a slow burning fireplace if don't look too closely and aren't too picky. Suggestion, make sure it's installed a bit higher than the front of your fireplace since the heat shoots straight out of the unit's bottom. Our fireplace has a metal surround that was stopping the heat flow so I put the unit on a layer of grey bricks to raise it a few inches.

Generates steady heat without drying the air. Very pleased after 2 years' daily use. Sits unobtrusively in a decommissioned stone fireplace hearth and doesn't look hokey. Very happy with it.