Electric Fireplace: Safety And Maintenance Tips

Well, everybody loves to receive that “One warm hug” which melts their stress right away! Yes, the electric fireplace exactly knows how to cheer us up by handling our freaking crazy mood swings by creating a jovial atmosphere!

The electric fireplace offers more than just the warmth. Say what? How exactly? The glowing dance of the eye-catchy flame is all enough to cheer us up and make us go Oh. so. happy! Covering the entire place with a soft and warm touch, it creates a perfect ambiance to feel refreshed and super relaxed.

Now, as a thank you, it is a part of our responsibility to shower some love! Right? So, here are the safety and maintenance tips to take the best care of your electric fireplace:

Safety Tips

• While installing the electric fireplace, make sure to go with the instructions given by the manufacturer exactly.
• Avoid using the extension cords at the first place. In case if you are using the extension cord, go for the shortest one having a heavy-duty of about 14 AWG or even massive gauge is recommended.
• Go for the electric fireplace which has the Underwriter Laboratories (UL) for the heater and the cord.
• Be very particular about the area of installation. Try to keep a minimum distance between the walking area and the installation area.
• As the single circuit breakers are mostly of 15 Amp, make sure you never ever plug any other electrical appliances to the same outlet. The only circuit breaker gets tripped if it is being overused. This might make the cord to catch up the fire.
• Be specific regarding the anti-tip over the bracket and the safety switch. The anti-tip switch makes the heater automatically shut down whenever the unit gets tipped over. The bracket in the other hand is somewhat relatable to an electric stove which can be screwed on the floor or the wall.
• If the cord, the wall outlet or any related stuff is broken, do not use the malfunctioning units as you might invite a hazard!
• Avoid the cushions, curtains, furniture or any flammable objects near the electric fireplace. Even though it is “touch sensitive” when it is cold, it is recommended to maintain a decent distance of at least 3 feet.
• Make sure to plug the electric fireplace to a 3-prong which is grounded 120 volts to the earth.
• While the electric fireplace is on, do not touch it with bare hands as the surface area is hot.
• Make sure you have sufficient air movement. Do not try to block the intake of air or the discharge of air as this might ignite the fire.
• As a safety concern, pull off the plug when the electric fireplace is not in use for a longer duration.
• While purchasing, go with the description size of the electric fireplace and make sure to check it fits in your hall/room area. Thus, there is no need to worry about the electric fireplace being oversized to your hall/room area.
• Do not try to burn paper or any other things as such as it might cause severe damage by catching up the fire, electric shock, or even death.

Now that you have plenty of reasons to stay safe, you might be even more interested in increasing the lifespan of your electric fireplace. Well, it all depends on how efficiently you maintain your electric fireplace. Here you go:

Maintenance Tips

• Keeping clean is the preliminary and a fundamental concern to keep your electric fireplace in a proper working condition.
• Make sure not to use the polish on the cabinets.
• Make sure you clean the surface only when it is cold enough.
• Dusting and cleaning the compartments can be done once in a while.
• You can clean the glass surface with not-so-strong cleansing powder/liquid by gently dabbing it on the required surface. 

So, here we are. Clean and neat! No matter how pricey your electric fireplace is, if it is not maintained properly, then, you will soon regret when you see it placed in a corner, not working, not clean! Hence, make sure you spare some minimal amount of your time so that you can add a few more years to your electric fireplace!

Thus, keep your home warm and cozy enough and feel refreshed and stress-free! Well, it is obvious that you should contribute your care to receive the never-ending warmth in return!