If you have built an outdoor fireplace opening and never worked out what to put in it, an insert is the answer that does not need a flue. It seals the cavity, gives you a glass front and runs from a socket.
Outdoor Electric Fireplace Insert at a Glance
- 15mm trim covers a ragged masonry edge
- Sealed glass front, no flue
- 5,200 BTU heater with thermostat
- Splash resistant for sheltered locations
- Slides in and secures with four screws
- No gas, no smoke, no cleaning out
Who it suits: a stone garden wall, an outdoor chimney breast or a built brick opening that needs a fire in it.
Fitting an insert into masonry
Measure the opening at the front, the back and the depth, then take the smallest figure of each. An electric fireplace insert has to pass through the tightest measurement, not the widest.
The trim is 15mm and covers a ragged stone or brick edge. That matters outdoors, where mortar joints are rarely neat and a gap shows from three metres away.
A 210mm body depth means most garden walls are thick enough without building a new cavity. If yours is a single skin of brick, build a 250mm return rather than forcing the insert into the wall.
Heating performance and room coverage
The element runs at 1,500W and gives 5,200 BTU, cycling on a thermostat rather than sitting at a fixed output. Outside, expect it to run longer than it would indoors, which is honest rather than faulty.
In practice a outdoor electric fireplace insert 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 outdoor electric fireplace insert 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-OUT-KEYSTONE |
| Type | Insert for outdoor masonry opening |
| Trim | 15mm, matte black |
| Body depth | 210mm |
| Heat output | 5,200 BTU / 1,500W |
| Rating | IPX4 splash resistant |
| Glass | 5mm tempered, sealed |
| Controls | Remote, panel, 1–9h timer |
| Location | Sheltered, under roof or coping |
| Sizes | 28, 32 and 36 inch front width |
| Price | From $699 |
| 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 outdoor electric fireplace insert 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 outdoor electric fireplace insert in 28 inch, 32 inch, 36 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.
Weather, covers and winter
Wipe the glass with a non-ammonia cleaner and a microfibre cloth when the unit is cool. Outdoors, glass picks up pollen and grit, so clean it more often than you would indoors.
Cover the unit with a breathable cover for winter and disconnect the power at the socket. Never wrap it in plastic: condensation under a sealed cover does more damage than rain on a breathable one.
Check the cable and plug once a year for cracks or discolouration. UV degrades rubber, and an outdoor cable that has been in the sun for three summers is worth replacing before it fails.
Bring the remote indoors. It is the first thing to fail and the cheapest thing to look after.
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, dust and a cover in October.
The LED flame is rated for tens of thousands of hours, which is years of summer evenings. If an element fails inside the 12 month warranty we replace the unit rather than posting you a part.
The part that ages fastest outdoors is the finish. Powder coat fades in UV, and a unit left under an open sky will look tired in three years. Under a roof, it looks the same in year five as it did in week one.
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
Believing the rating. IPX4 means splash resistant, not weatherproof. A outdoor electric fireplace insert left in driving rain will fail at the control board, which is the first thing water reaches.
Buying for the whole garden. An outdoor electric fire heats a seating group, not a patio. Buy it for the people, and add a second unit before you buy a bigger one.
Ignoring the socket. One weatherproof outdoor socket with RCD protection removes the only real hazard in this category. A lead across wet paving removes none of it.
Drainage, damp and stone walls
Outdoor masonry holds water. Leave the cavity behind the insert ventilated and make sure water cannot pool on the top of the unit. A sloping coping above it does more than any sealant.
Never seal the cavity completely. Trapped moisture in a stone wall finds its way into the house, and that is a much larger problem than a draught.
Choosing the size for an outdoor opening
Outdoor openings are usually built bigger than indoor ones because they are made from blocks rather than bricks. Do not fill the whole opening: an insert with 40 to 60mm of masonry visible around it looks built in, while one that fills the opening edge to edge looks wedged in.
What to do with the gap behind
Nothing. Leave it empty and ventilated. Packing it with insulation traps moisture and achieves nothing, because an electric insert does not lose heat backwards.
Bring the cable out at the side through a drip loop, so water runs off the cable rather than into the socket.
Why an insert suits outdoor masonry
An outdoor electric fireplace insert solves a problem brick and stone walls have always had: an opening is easy to build and hard to fill. A flue is expensive, a gas line needs a run, and an open fire needs fuel and cleaning.
Dropping an insert into the opening gives you a fire that lights from a switch and never needs sweeping. Outdoor electric fireplace insert installations are also reversible, which matters if you ever sell the house to someone who wants a real fire.
The one thing it cannot do is cope with water pooling on top of it. Build a small overhang or a coping stone, and the outdoor electric fireplace insert will last as long as the wall it sits in.
One more measurement worth taking: the distance from the insert to the nearest socket. An outdoor electric fireplace insert that needs a six-metre extension is a fire that gets used twice a year.
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 there is no opening to fill, a freestanding outdoor electric fireplace is the simpler route. On a terrace wall, the wall mounted version takes no floor at all.
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 terrace better.
Compare the full range on the outdoor electric fireplaces page, or read our sizing guide before you commit.
Common questions
Can it go in an open garden wall?
Only if the wall has a roof or coping above the unit and the insert is sheltered.
Does it need a flue?
No.
Will it fit my opening?
Measure front, back and depth, use the smallest of each, and send us the numbers.
Can I leave it out in winter?
Under cover, yes. Otherwise remove it.
Does it produce smoke?
No. It is electric.
What sizes does it come in?
We stock it in 28 inch, 32 inch, 36 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 outdoor electric fireplace insert 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 Keystone Outdoor Electric Fireplace Insert today. It ships in 2 to 5 business days with tracking, and orders over $1,000 ship free.
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