Electric Fires - Noisy? Expensive?

rustyboy21

jessie15 wrote: »

Looks lovely, how much are these roughly?

Hi Jessie


They are around the £400-500 mark. They are more expensive than the bog standard electric fire, but it is the technology used which makes it expensive. With it also being a patented design, Valor are the only ones who make it. It is a little cheaper than the Opti myst range though.
Well worth looking at them in the flesh.

pjfm

I am searching for an inset electric fire which has a quiet/silent flame effect. Can anyone recommend one, please? I bought an optiflame but the flame effect has a humming sound so the retailer has kindly agreed to take it back - but what do I buy instead? The Valor Dream Dimension looks great but the one I have seen in the shop seems to circulate a cold draught ! Any ideas gratefully received.

rustyboy21

pjfm wrote: »

I am searching for an inset electric fire which has a quiet/silent flame effect. Can anyone recommend one, please? I bought an optiflame but the flame effect has a humming sound so the retailer has kindly agreed to take it back - but what do I buy instead? The Valor Dream Dimension looks great but the one I have seen in the shop seems to circulate a cold draught ! Any ideas gratefully received.

The fire only has one fan unit on it, running at a slow rotation, which supplies the ribbons at the back of the Holographic screen with a breeze, so they flicker. The rest of the air, passes over the heating elements and comes out the top of the fire. Therefore the heater part is silent running, unique for an electric fire ( apart from bar type ones )

The one in the showroom most likely is stuck into a large opening, which will be linked up to a huge void in the back, where no warm air out the showroom would get to. The fires are only on in showrooms a few hours a day, so it will always feel cold in the showroom models.
The fire does not have a fridge unit on it, so it is only recycling the ambient room air, if this is warm then it will be warm, cold would be cold. The perfect setting for this fire is in a room, with the flue blocked up totally and block the back of the chamber in to the depth required for the fire. OR, block the flue up, put the fire against a flat wall and that would solve your problem.

They are a great little fire, looks good, silent running even when on heat and if you buy it in a store who are Valor centres, then you get a free 3 year P&L warranty with it. Internet sales are only 12 months.

Later this year ( I have Heard) they will be launching a new updated version, which will allow you to have the glow, with no flicker and no air coming out at all, until you switch the flicker on or the heat.

My mum has one, loves it and has been fitted as above. No issue with cold air at all. It does state this in the installer guide, but people take no notice of it and then moan later. They have brought a Stove version out, which has the no air setting already, it is lovely. Link below

http://www.valor.co.uk/product_details/0585101.htm?ref=/catalogue/Electric-Collection/index.htm

Video of it in action, when you click movie camera on that page. Is similar price to dream

pjfm

Thank you rustyboy21 for your helpful reply. I have been researching the Celsi XD Decadence in the belief that it might be silent but now I wonder whether I ought to wait out the year to see what Valor turns out. Have you 'heard' about the updated Dream version from a reliable source? Should I hold back and see what happens later in the year (and how much later might that be?) or do you recommend going ahead and ordering the Celsi ? Any thoughts?

Mankysteve

Jonesya wrote: »

Bearing in mind that electric is around 3 times the cost of gas, if you're using it regularly for heat then gas every time.
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gas fires waste a lot of heat stright (not condensing like modern boilers) out though the flu and you've got have extra ventilation too so. This makes electric heating much close in cost to gas.

rustyboy21

pjfm wrote: »

Thank you rustyboy21 for your helpful reply. I have been researching the Celsi XD Decadence in the belief that it might be silent but now I wonder whether I ought to wait out the year to see what Valor turns out. [B]Have you 'heard' about the updated Dream version from a reliable source? Should I hold back and see what happens later in the year (and how much later might that be?) [/B]or do you recommend going ahead and ordering the Celsi ? Any thoughts?

From the Rep himself. The cool air has been an issue and it is easier for them to modify the engine, than to keep getting complaints, although if it is installed correctly and the customer told, there are no issues.

I don't like the Celsi range myself. The quality isn't fantastic and back up awful.

Valor will be phasing in the new versions as they make product, but I would suspect that they may have a lot of stock made already of the original ones, so each model and then colour will come out at different times, through this year. The dimension is a really good seller, soe models sell quicker than others. The problem is, the retailer will not know which one is a new version, as they keep the model no's the same and they won't know which one they get until the fire is fitted.

If you can wait, leave it till sept time and I would think they would have the new ones by then.If not before.

rustyboy21

Mankysteve wrote: »

gas fires waste a lot of heat stright (not condensing like modern boilers) out though the flu and you've got have extra ventilation too so. This makes electric heating much close in cost to gas.

Gas fires will always win hands down on heat output and efficiency/running costs.

Many gas fires now are as efficient as a condensing boiler with small spigots on the back to stop the heat going up the flue. Also I can think of only a couple of gas fires, which still need extra ventialtion installed and they are DECORATIVE gas fires, not normal ones.

Your broad statement is not correct I am afraid. Running costs will be cheaper with gas , than electric. Cheaper than any other form of fuel that can be used for heat. Wood/solid fuel included.

pjfm

Many thanks, rustyboy21, for the info. and advice. I'll put a flower arrangement in the hearth for now and see what new electric fires are introduced in the autumn. Best wishes PJFM

rustyboy21

pjfm wrote: »

Many thanks, rustyboy21, for the info. and advice. I'll put a flower arrangement in the hearth for now and see what new electric fires are introduced in the autumn. Best wishes PJFM

To be Honest with you, The fireplace industry has an annual exhibition in June in Harrogate for the trade. At this show, all the major brands show all their new ranges for the forthcoming season.

This doesn't mean that they will be available straight away, they like to get the initial orders in, see what will be good sellers and then go into production. Most of the time, the new lines are available Sept-Dec.

We are not the fastest at getting new lines out, lol, so your decision may be of benefit to you.

oscarisapc2001

I can report on a 5 year experience with my Valor Dimension electric fire. It was relatively expensive but appears quite simple. One fan blows air up some flame shaped ribbons illuminated by an LED behind a holographic ground glass screen. This gives the realistic flame effect. Another fan (which is effectively just an ordinary fan heater) blows hot air into the room when heat is required. The light on my fire broke within the guarantee period and the call out technician replaced a faulty LED driver - there is no bulb. A year later, the LED driver went again, this time outside the guarantee period. With the part number I was able to purchase and fit an exact replacement (saving about £60 plus the call out fee). All has been well since. The problem now is that the flame effect fan is becoming noisy, and as far as I can see there is no fix for this. I am not impressed with my premium brand fire - lovely in the showroom and when straight out of the box but not trouble (and expense) free - and no longer silent, which was the point of this thread. Is it unreasonable to expect a domestic electric fire to function "as new" for longer than 5 years?