I recently bought a freestanding electric fireplace stove to help heat my home without always needing to rely on the central heating. It also provides a calming view of a fire when I don’t want the hassle of making a real fire in our open fireplace.
To show you what to expect when buying a freestanding electric fireplace and to give you an idea of what kind of assembly may be required, I’ve put this guide together to explain:
- How to put together an electric fireplace.
- How to setup an electric fireplace.
I made sure to document every step I took to put my electric fireplace together and set it up in my home. I’ve therefore used my own fireplace as an example throughout this article to help you further understand what is required to assemble and setup a typical freestanding electric fireplace.
Here’s what my electric fireplace now looks like in my home:
How To Put Together An Electric Fireplace
Freestanding electric fireplace can typically be found mostly put together in the box, and so you can generally get your fireplace up and running in a short amount of time.
For my particular freestanding electric fireplace, the main thing that had to be put together was the legs. The rest of the electric fireplace already came pre-assembled, and so I was able to get my fireplace installed within around half an hour.
Expect your electric fireplace to come well packaged in a box. Here’s what my electric fireplace looked like when it arrived:
The fireplace came protected with polystyrene at the base and the top of the unit inside the box, as well further protection for the glass door on the front of the fireplace.
Be sure to also check for any packaging inside the electric fireplace itself, as there was more polystyrene behind the door inside my fireplace to help protect the screen used the flames.
The majority of my electric fireplace already came pre-assembled, as so the fireplace could be removed from the box as one unit. The only other parts that came in the box apart from the fireplace unit were the legs and instruction manual; the latter of which included the screws inside the packaging in order to put the legs on.
The plastic packaging then needs to be removed from the fireplace unit and any other components.
The legs now need to be joined to the base of the fireplace unit using the screws that came in the box. A screwdriver isn’t typically supplied with an electric fireplace, and so you’ll need to ensure you have one at your disposal to put your fireplace together.
To install the legs on a freestanding electric fireplace it’s best to turn the appliance upside down.
The manual for my electric fireplace states that it should be carefully lifted and turned upside down, rather than being tipped over.
Freestanding electric fireplaces aren’t too heavy, and so you shouldn’t have too much trouble lifting the appliance rather than tilting it. For reference, my electric fireplace that resembles a stove weighs 7.5kg (16.5lbs), while my dad’s real multi fuel stove weighs 125kg (275lbs)!
Simply line up the legs in each corner of the base of the fireplace and screw them in:
Ensure not to over tighten the screws as you may snap the plastic legs by doing so.
When you’ve screwed in all four legs, check that they’re all screwed in properly and turn the fireplace back over (by lifting, not tilting).
With your electric fireplace put together, your fireplace is now ready to be setup!
How To Setup An Electric Fireplace
With the electric fireplace assembled, it can now be setup in a chosen location in your home.
For convenience and safety reasons, when setting up an electric fireplace you’ll need to ensure that:
- There is a nearby wall socket.
- The fireplace power cable is long enough to reach the wall socket, without the need for an extension lead.
- The power cord isn’t plugged into an external timer device.
- The appliance isn’t located on high or long pile carpet.
- The power cord can be placed a safe distance away from the heater part of the electric fireplace.
- The power cord is uncoiled and not placed under any carpets or rugs.
- The appliance is placed upright on a flat surface.
- The fireplace isn’t placed in a confined space such a cupboard, or in high moisture location in your home such as a bathroom.
- Keep a good distance between the electric fireplace and any surrounding objects so that the heater doesn’t get blocked at either the inlet or the outlet.
For safety reasons, manufacturers recommend only plugging your electric fireplace into wall sockets, and not into extension cables.
The manual for my electric fireplace states that ‘the use of an extension cord with this appliance is not recommended’.
For now, I’ve chosen to setup my electric fireplace in the existing open fireplace in my living room.
There’s sufficient space around the electric fireplace to allow for ventilation, and it’s located on fire-resistant material (the hearth).
An electrical wall socket is also located within reach of the fireplace, without the power cable being too stretched or coiled up.
With your electric fireplace setup, you can now turn the heater and flames on, and sit back and enjoy!
Putting Away An Electric Fireplace
Be sure to keep the box for your electric fireplace so that you can put it away when you may not need it (such as in the summer months).
In the meantime, the box is a great place for a pet to have some fun…
Further Reading
You can also check out some of my other electric fireplace articles:
Why Does My Electric Fireplace Keep Shutting Off?
Does An Electric Fireplace Have A Real Flame?
Does An Electric Fireplace Need A Chimney?