An open fireplace is a hole that sends most of its heat up the flue. A grate heater sits where the fire used to be, blows warm air into the room, and needs no chimney work, no liner and no gas connection.
Fireplace Grate Heater at a Glance
- Fits inside an existing firebox
- Adjustable legs
- Forward-facing fan
- 5,120 BTU
- Thermostat control
- No chimney work
Who it suits: a period fireplace that is never lit, where the room needs warmth and the chimney is capped or unusable.
For the fireplace nobody lights
It spans the firebox opening on adjustable legs, with a fan pushing air through the grate and out into the room rather than straight up the chimney.
At 1,500W it delivers 5,120 BTU, which is the same as any other plug-in heater. The advantage is position: it sits where a fire belongs, so the room feels like it has a fire in it.
It does not seal the chimney and does not need to. This is a heater in a fireplace, not a fireplace conversion.
Heating performance and room coverage
The element is a 1,500W fan-forced unit rated at 5,200 BTU. Outdoors that output does less than it does indoors, because warm air is lost to open space, and any product claiming otherwise at this price is overselling.
In practice a fireplace grate heater holds 400 to 600 square feet comfortably, and helps in a room up to about 1,000 square feet when the doors are shut and the walls are insulated. Placement matters less than most buyers expect, provided the outlet is not blocked, and the thermostat does the rest of the work.
The flame runs independently of the heater. Turn the heat off and the fire becomes lighting, which is how most people use it for eight months of the year.
The most common mistake with a fireplace grate heater is buying it for the whole floor plan rather than the room you sit in. Match the unit to the room and the thermostat will cycle calmly instead of running flat out all evening.
Specifications and delivery
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model | EP-ACC-FORGEBACK |
| Type | Grate heater |
| Sizes | 18 and 21 inch |
| Output | 5,120 BTU / 1,500W |
| Control | Thermostat and switch |
| Power | 120V plug, 72 inch cord |
| Fitting | About 20 minutes |
| Warranty | 12 months |
| Price | From $239 |
| Delivery | 2–5 business days, flat $50 under $1,000, free over $1,000 |
We check the flame, thermostat, cord and plug before dispatch, then ship it tracked.
Where it goes outdoors
Under a roof, facing the seating. That is the rule that decides whether an outdoor fire gets used or gets ruined. A pergola, a porch ceiling, a balcony above or a carport all count. Open sky does not.
Wind matters more than temperature. Place the unit so its outlet runs across the seating rather than into the prevailing breeze, and put a screen, a planter or a wall on the windward side if you can. A 5,200 BTU fire in a breeze loses most of its output.
Keep 20cm above and 30cm below the unit, and keep anything flammable clear. A __KW__ near a stack of cushions or a folded parasol is asking for trouble, and outdoors people store things in exactly those places.
Finally, site it near a weatherproof socket with an RCD or GFCI on the circuit. An extension lead across wet paving is the one genuine hazard in this category, and an outdoor socket costs less than the fire.
Running costs outdoors
Full heat draws 1.5 kWh an hour. At the US average of about 15 cents per kWh, that is roughly 22 to 23 cents an hour.
Compare that with a gas patio heater, where a 15kg cylinder lasts around ten hours and heats a radius whether or not anyone is sitting in it. Running one electric fire over one seating group is cheaper as well as more targeted.
Flame-only mode draws a few watts, so a summer evening of light costs pennies. Most owners run it that way from May to September and use the heat for the shoulder months only.
The Department of Energy explains how resistance heating is priced per kilowatt hour. Ten minutes there will save you guessing at running costs.
Installation without a trade
There is no flue, no gas and no vent, so a standard install needs no qualified fitter and no inspection afterwards.
- Measure both corner returns and check the unit clears every skirting board and window return before you unpack it.
- Move it into position with two people. Corner units are awkward rather than heavy, and one person will inevitably twist the frame trying to lift it alone.
- Level the feet against both walls. A corner out of square is normal; adjustable feet take up 12mm, which covers almost every room.
- Route the cord to the nearest outlet, keeping it behind the base rather than across the floor where it collects dust and gets kicked.
- Run the flame for ten minutes, then heat on low for five, then full output. If anything rattles at full heat, stop and call us.
The whole job takes about thirty minutes. If you are wall-mounting rather than placing a freestanding unit, add twenty minutes for the brackets.
Choosing the right size
We stock this fireplace grate heater in 18 inch, 21 inch. All options share the same body height, so the decision is about width rather than height.
Start from the wall. If the usable span is under 45 inches, choose a smaller body; a wide unit in a short wall crowds the doorway and looks wedged in rather than fitted.
Then look at the room. A 400 square foot room suits any size, while a 600 square foot open-plan space benefits from the wider option, because heat leaves a wider outlet and the flame fills more of the corner.
If you are between sizes, go up. Buyers who regret a corner fireplace almost always regret buying small.
Care and safety
Wipe the glass with a non-ammonia cleaner and a microfibre cloth, only when the unit is cool. Hot glass and cold cleaner is how crazing starts, and no polish fixes it afterwards. It is the only maintenance a __KW__ really needs.
Dust the frame monthly. Matte finishes show dust in side light, and gloss finishes show fingerprints; both are handled by the same dry cloth.
Vacuum the intake grille every few weeks and keep fabric clear of it. The overheat cut-off protects the unit, not your evening. On a __KW__, the intake sits at the top of the body, where a curtain or a shelf can block it without anyone noticing.
Check the plug and cable once a year. A wall fire is often plugged in behind furniture, where a loose plug goes unnoticed for a decade.
What ownership looks like in year three
No fuel, no ash, no flue and no sweeping. The running cost is electricity and the maintenance is glass and dust.
The LED flame is rated for tens of thousands of hours, which is years of daily evening use. If an element fails inside the 12 month warranty we replace the unit rather than sending you a part and a diagram. That applies to every __KW__ we sell, whatever the size.
The finish is what ages. Matte black keeps its colour; pale and gloss finishes show the years. Cleaning with warm soapy water rather than abrasives is the whole secret, and it takes about a minute a month to keep a __KW__ looking new.
Returns run 30 days on unopened units. Keep the carton for a week after delivery and photograph the glass before you recycle the packaging.
Three mistakes to avoid
Buying for the room, not the wall. A __KW__ heats 400 to 600 square feet. Buy it for a bigger space and you will spend the winter disappointed by arithmetic rather than by the product.
Mounting it too high. Forty-eight inches to the centre is the height that works. Anything much above eye level turns a fire into a picture and puts the glow over people’s heads.
Sharing the circuit. At full heat these draw 12.5 amps. A kettle or a second heater on the same circuit will trip the breaker, and the fire will get the blame.
Chimney draught
A capped or blocked flue still draws cold air down on a windy night. A chimney balloon or a draught excluder above the heater makes a real difference to how warm the room feels.
Clearance
Keep 100 mm from anything combustible inside the opening. The heater body is warm, and the surround is often timber.
Where the heat goes
Angle the grate so the fan pushes toward the seating. These units throw forward, and 15 degrees of angle is worth more than a higher setting.
Living with a fireplace grate heater
A fireplace grate heater turns a chimney nobody lights into the warmest seat in the house. A fireplace grate heater sits where the fire used to be, so the room still reads as having a fireplace in it.
Deal with the draught. A fireplace grate heater in front of an open flue fights cold air coming down, and a chimney balloon ends that fight in one evening.
Cleaning around a fireplace grate heater
The ash from old fires stays put unless you remove it. A fireplace grate heater fitted over an uncleaned firebox bakes that dust onto its own grille within a month.
Delivery, returns and the two things people ask about
Everything ships from our own yard, tracked, in 2 to 5 business days. Shipping is a flat $50 under $1,000 and free over $1,000, with a $150 minimum order. We will not promise a delivery window we cannot hold, and if a carrier loses a unit we replace it rather than sending you to a claims form.
Returns run 30 days on unopened units. Keep the carton for a week after delivery, because a transit scuff is far easier to resolve while the packaging still exists. Photograph the glass in daylight before you recycle anything.
Two questions come up on almost every order. The first is whether the heater can run without the flame, and it cannot: the flame is the light source for the fire and it stays on whenever heat is on. The second is whether the flame can run without the heater, and it can, all year, which is how most owners use these units from spring onwards.
How it compares to the rest of the range
If you want the fireplace opening to look like a fire rather than a heater, the ember bed kit finishes it. For a freestanding heater instead, the Standlow stove.
The Ember Peak standard
Every fire we ship is bench-tested before it leaves the yard. We inspect the flame with the heater off, check the thermostat, and test the cord and plug, because a fireplace that arrives with a rattle is one you resent for years.
Delivery arrives tracked within 2 to 5 business days. Shipping is a flat $50 under $1,000 and free over $1,000, with a $150 minimum order. Anything unclear before or after the sale reaches a human on the contact page, and we will tell you when a different model suits your wall better.
Compare the full range on the mantel and TV stand fireplaces page, or read our sizing guide before you commit.
Common questions
Does it need a flue?
No, it is electric and vents nothing.
Can I keep the chimney open?
Yes, but a draught excluder helps.
Is it a fire?
It is a heater designed to sit in a fireplace.
How much heat?
5,120 BTU, around 400 square feet.
Can it be removed?
Yes, it lifts out and unplugs.
What sizes does it come in?
We stock it in 18 inch, 21 inch. All sizes share the same body height, so choosing one is a decision about width.
Does it include a remote and timer?
Yes. The box includes a remote, an adjustable thermostat, a 1–9 hour timer and the fixings.
If you are replacing an open fire or a gas fire that no longer works, this fireplace grate heater is the least disruptive route back to a working hearth. Nothing structural changes, nothing needs sweeping, and the whole job takes under an hour.
Every unit ships from our own yard rather than a third-party warehouse, which is why we can tell you honestly what fits your corner and what does not. We would rather talk you out of the wrong size than sell you one and post you a returns label.
Order the Forgeback Fireplace Grate Heater today. It ships in 2 to 5 business days with tracking, and orders over $1,000 ship free.
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