No one is surprised to visit a friends' new country house and see a beautiful electric fireplace in the living room. Each homeowner chooses the ideal solution for himself from the proposed budget, compact or powerful electric fires with simulated flames. A novelty on sale is a fireplace with a steam generator, which has won its place in the sun among other models.
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Features of the
Electric fireplaces lose to fireplaces with a steam generator in one parameter. The novelties look aesthetically pleasing and heat rooms like their predecessors, but there is something that distinguishes them from them: they can humidify the air in the cottage. The fulfillment of three fundamental functions has a beneficial effect on the house: it turns into a castle. There are models on sale that look so realistic that people who are ignorant of the fireplace will take them for real and only when examined closely will realize that they were wrong. The main thing that is important for homeowners is that they can be installed both in a completed building and in a cottage under construction.
A fireplace with a steam generator is chosen by people interested in creating ideal conditions for living in a cottage. Electric and wood-fired models work like heaters, i.e. remove air from the premises. Because of this, the household has a headache, they suffer from colds and ailments. With the new unit, the state of health improves, and besides, you do not have to take care of it like a wood-burning model, removing ash from the ash pan and putting firewood in the firebox.
Main advantages
- Installation in any room in the house;
- Model selection based on the area of the room;
- Simple assembly / disassembly;
- Air humidification and heating;
- No soot and ash;
- Work from a 220 V network;
- Refueling with tap water.
Although a fireplace with a steam generator works immediately after connecting to a 220 V power supply, a professional is invited for installation or everything is done according to the instructions. They never act imprudently, setting as they want, and forgetting about the instructions, since this is fraught with serious consequences: wiring malfunction, short circuit, fire
Principle of operation
A fireplace with a steam generator, as a decorative hearth, artificially repeats the burning of the fire. To achieve this effect, halogen lamps are installed in the camera. By combining them, they create an imitation of a flame on the logs, which are highlighted by them. The built-in ultrasonic steam generator is involved in the process of splitting water into droplets. The generated steam is illuminated with lamps, achieving the creation of original 3D effects. Due to the presence of heating elements, the fireplace copes with heating the room. But how the heating takes place - qualitatively or poorly, depends on the power of the unit and its location. Sellers in stores recall the fundamental rule that is important to observe when choosing: to heat a room with an area of 10 sq. meters, 1 kilowatt of electricity is needed.
Internal organization
- Fake firewood, halogen lamps, steam generator - creating the effect of "live" fire;
- Mounting plate;
- Plastic reservoir - creating a flame;
- Fastening of individual elements using pivot mechanisms;
- Pallet;
- Water tank with valve;
- Fan.
Assembly
- An ultrasonic steam generator is installed in a special socket;
- Lamps are mounted to illuminate firewood and illuminate steam;
- Fasten the fan to which the water tank is connected with latches;
- They put a dummy of firewood so that the work of the fireplace looks realistic.
The main reason for refusing to buy a fireplace with a steam generator is not the high price, but the fear of burns that little family members can get. Fortunately, the steam is not hot. It is formed as a result of the splitting of water, and it is heated only by lamps that cannot be incandescent.
How to do it yourself?
When assembling such a hearth with your own hands, it should be remembered that it works on the principle of generating cold steam and, thanks to special illumination, imitates a real fire. When assembling a steam generating installation, 5, not 3 lamps are used. To make your old dream come true, you will need a steam generator, halogen bulbs and a dummy of firewood.
The portal is made of metal. For the bath, take the case from a broken gas meter. A cooler from a video card is mounted inside. To screw in the lamps, a special aluminum platform is assembled. By itself, aluminum removes heat well and does not corrode when it comes into contact with water. The curved lid is placed between the lamp platform and the tray. It will act as a tunnel for steam to escape through the lamps onto a dummy firewood.
Having assembled the portal from profiles with guides 60x27 and 27x28 cm, they do not fasten it to the wall. So it is more convenient to carry out sheathing with gypsum fiber sheets inside and gypsum plasterboard outside. To imitate brickwork, they buy gypsum bricks, for example, from Monte Alba, which are attached to the walls with “liquid” nails. The seams between the bricks are sealed with an acrylic-based sealant in order to paint the assembled structure after drying.
The exterior decoration of a homemade fireplace depends on the imagination of the master. Some install black wrought iron grates in front of the fireplace insert, while others do not.
Dimplex Opti-Myst®
Not all Russians follow the path of self-installation, assembly and installation of a fireplace with a steam generator. Everything that they do with their own hands is done conscientiously in order to exclude dangerous moments that entailed accidents. If there is no talent and experience in such events, it is easier to buy a ready-made model. Excellent choice - Dimplex Opti-Myst®… This model went on sale in 2009. Its appearance on the market was greeted with caution, since none of the manufacturers had previously used a steam generator in the assembly. Very soon, the model was appreciated, recognizing its right to be called the most realistic in terms of creating effects of flame, living fire and burning wood.
To make the citizens' long-standing dream come true, the company's specialists installed an ultrasonic steam generator in the model to create cold steam. After heating, it passes through special light filters and becomes visible thanks to the backlighting with halogen lamps. Steam is moving and the fire is illuminated by orange or yellow LEDs. From the side it seems that a fire is burning brightly in the portal and real clouds of smoke go up from the logs.
The owner himself sets the parameters of the height and intensity of the flame output. To create the desired temperature regime, he twists the thermostat wheel, and to quickly spread heat around the room, he turns on the fan heater.
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According to reviews, the Dimplex Opti-Myst model® does not create hassle during operation, but everyone who purchased it follows the unspoken rules. Once every 14 days, they remove limestone deposits and other deposits from the surfaces of the steam generator. Regularly inspect for the presence / absence of water leakage to prevent short circuit and fire in the house.
There are people among Russians who, when buying a unit, emphasize that they are afraid of overheating. They are recommended a model with overheating protection. With it, when a critical temperature is reached, one or both sensors are triggered, as a result of which the operation of the fireplace is suspended. Even halogen bulbs scare them because they can overheat. What, then, do they get a fireplace, for the illumination of the portal of which they use LED lamps, and the steam heats up a special heating element.