Electric Fireplace Project - by Michelle M. Kinney, e-Pointe! Founder

Webmistress - Amy Savidge

e-Pointe! Newsletter & e-Pointe! Web are independently generated by Sierra Pointe homeowners. e-Pointe! is not the official newsletter or website of the Sierra Pointe HOA Board of Directors or its Property Manager, and is privately funded by those who generate it.

Electric Fireplace

As we know, not all condos at Sierra Pointe have a fireplace. It seems to be a fairly random feature. For those of us lucky enough to have a fireplace, we want to enjoy the atmosephere that a fire in the hearth can create.

Nice as a fire is, a wood burning fire is expensive. A wood burning fire takes more heat out of the home than it brings in. Since the flew will need to remain open for a time after the fire has died out, heat continues to be lost for some time. The cost doesn’t end with heat loss. The cost of wood, the annual maintenance of the chimney can run several hundred dollars. Of course there is the mess and effort of stocking and storing the wood. With the high cost of utilities, the ambiance of a fire can be more than we can afford.

From time to time a Sierra Pointe homeowner will suggest converting their wood-burning fireplace to a gas fireplace. But the cost and (in many units) the feasibility of running gas lines is just not realistic. Again we can’t forget about cost. A gas fireplace is great, clean, and easy to turn on and off. But in today’s world gas fireplaces are also expensive to run.

For Sierra Pointe homeowners, a reasonable and easy alternative is an electric log fire. Electric logs usually run on a 40-watt light bulb and they are as easy to plug in as a lamp. Electric logs can be purchased at JCPenney.com for about $60.00. The large home improvement stores often carry electric logs on a seasonal basis.

Simply clean out your fireplace (be sure all ashes are out!) and drop in the electric logs. It’s that easy. The electric logs do not generate heat; they do not look like realistic fire. The light flickers and there is a “crackling” sound. But let’s remember we are going for atmosphere. So, dress it up. The photo at right shows the same electric fire logs with some added decoration.

First, the firebox was cleaned and painted. Yes, painted! We used a high heat flat black paint to make the firebox look crisp and clean. The electric fire logs were set on a metal firewood grate – the very same grate you’d use for real firewood. The logs may be placed directly on the floor of the firebox, but we found setting the logs on the grate allows light to pass under the logs and gives a more realistic and lively effect. To dress up the logs we added some decorative “tracery” to act as a fire screen. In this case the tracery happens to be metal but remember there’s no real fire so any type of decorative screen will work.

The electric logs turn on and off with the flip of a switch. No wood, no flame, no mess!