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Small Fireplaces: Gel Fuel, Electric, Wall Mounted or Virtual?

Although most of today’s homes no longer rely on a fireplace for heating purposes, they are still in high demand. Fireplaces will always have a special allure. The vision of cozying up in front of a roaring fire, mug of hot chocolate in hand, while snow falls gently outside the window or sitting in front of a rippling fire while you and your beloved spend a romantic evening together are two appealing scenarios that may come to mind when thinking of a fireplace. If you live in a small home, apartment or condominium, you may not have the luxury of a built-in fireplace. However, today you can purchase a fireplace that would fit into even the smallest of spaces. There are various options to choose from.

These include:

Virtual/Digital fireplaces
Compact fireplaces
Wall-mounted fireplaces
Tabletop fireplaces

Whether your style leans more toward modern, contemporary or anywhere in-between, one of the above-mentioned fireplaces would suite it perfectly.

Electric or Gel Fuel Fireplaces

When looking into purchasing a fireplace for your small space, you will discover that some use gel fuel and others electric. The advantages are both are eco-friendly, do not require venting or special hook-ups and are clean and odor-free. However, you may want to consider the cost and convenience of both before making a particular small space fireplace purchase.

Gel Fuel

Each gel fuel can lasts approximately 3 hours. They come in a case of twenty-four and cost on average. By doing the calculations, it can be determined that one case of gel fuel will last around 72 hours. Due to the cost, most retailers will inform you that small fireplaces that run on gel fuel are mainly for decorative purposes rather than heating.

Electric

The advantage of purchasing a small fireplace that runs on electricity is the ease of use. It is also unnecessary to spend your valuable time (not to mention gas), to make trips to the store to get what is required to keep the fireplace going. The disadvantage is that your electric bill may increase significantly. However, this can be remedied by monitoring the amount of time the fireplace is in use.

Virtual/Digital Fireplaces for Small Spaces

Many may not consider a virtual fireplace as a serious fireplace option. However, before it is written off completely, it should be noted that today’s technology has brought the virtual fireplace a long way from the mock fireplaces of yesteryear. Today’s virtual fireplaces are basically a DVD that you put into your television or personal computer that creates a realistic illusion of a crackling fire. The DVD loops around and plays continuously until you turn it off.

Depending on your expectations, you may find yourself disappointed either by the quality of the video or that it is just not “real” enough for you. However, a virtual fireplace is perfect for small spaces. If you have room for a television or computer, you are already one step closer to having a fireplace. It may only be a facsimile of the real thing, but it is worth looking into if you have limited space and you want to add an ambiance of romance or the warm cozy feel that a real fireplace adds to any room.

Compact Fireplaces Made for Small Spaces

A normal size fireplace is around 40-50 inches wide. Those in the range of 25-35 inches wide would classify as a compact or small fireplace. Most traditional fireplaces are available only in floor models. Compact fireplaces are wonderful space savers as many are designed as corner units.

Wall-Mounted Fireplaces Perfect for Small Spaces

Wall-mounted fireplaces obviously take up no floor space. For that reason alone, a wall-mounted fireplace would be considered the ultimate in space saving design. If your style in décor is traditional, you may have difficulty finding a wall-mounted fireplace to suite your taste as most have a contemporary look and feel. However, as wall-mounted fireplaces increase in popularity, it is probable that the selection will grow offering more variety in design.

Tabletop Fireplaces Uniquely Designed for Small Spaces

Tabletop fireplaces are in one word “unique”. If you are not wanting a floor model or wall-mounted fireplace, but you desire a small fireplace that is not only fun, but also out of the ordinary, then a tabletop fireplace may be just what you are searching for.

From a smokeless glass-fire tabletop fireplace made specifically to enhance the view of the dancing flames to a contemporary tabletop fireplace with stainless steel logs mounted on a slate base, these small scale fireplaces are miniature works of art that are bound to be great conversation starters.

Today, there are various options to choose from to have a cozy romantic fireplace in even the smallest of spaces. From compact, wall-mounted, tabletop, to a virtual/digital fireplace, there is sure to be one to suite any home or even office décor.

Neff Built-in Electric Oven

Ovens from Neff are available in six series. Series one is the most basic and Series six has the most features packed in. Series one is also the cheapest series of Neff ovens and provides the basic functions needed for cooking and includes CircoTherm® technology. Series two has all the features that are included in the Series one models, but also includes a centre surface grill. Series three features mid- rage models and has the same features of Series one and two as well as Intensive CircoTherm®, top and bottom heat, bottom heat and CircoRoasting features.

Again, series four has even more features including bread baking and dough proving functions together with electronic controls. By Series five we are beginning to get to the higher specification Neff built in electric ovens. These ovens have a special steam setting that is not available in Series one to four. Series six is the absolute top of the range that Neff have to offer. It has all the features that are available in the other Series, but also includes ClearText and other special features.

People who have not used an electronic oven before often worry about the controllability of an electric oven compared with gas in terms of temperature. Neff built in electric ovens use electronic controls on some of their models. This feature automatically suggests and maintains the exact temperature needed. ClearText is added to this on some of the models and is a way of controlling the various oven functions. ClearText groups the functions relevantly so that they are presented clearly. On some of the models, recipes can be stored in the ClearText memory and the temperature display shows how fast the oven is heating up.

Another feature that comes with Neff’s electric ovens is the FlexRail, which is designed to make the oven more versatile. It is basically an internal rail and shelving system that can be reconfigured to suit different sized pans, trays and dishes used inside the oven. The rails have stop bars at the back to prevent them from tipping and they can be purchased separately if more than one set is needed.

Neff were the first kitchen appliance manufacturer to provide halogen lighting inside Neff built in electric ovens. This lighting system, known as NeffLight® means that whatever is cooking inside the oven can be seen without ever opening the oven door. This means that heat is not allowed to escape as the oven door can remain closed throughout the cooking process. NeffLight® is brighter and more effective that most other oven lights as it does not lose any of its effectiveness whilst cooking. Because it is so bright it means that all three levels of the inside of the oven can be seen- not just the top. The light turns off when the oven door is opened so as not to blind the chef making this quite a nice and useful little feature.

All of this adds to the controllability of a Neff built in electric oven, so maybe it will sway some minds when faced with the choice of gas or electric in the future as both have their advantages.

Neff Built In Electric Ovens