Electric fireplace technical support

 

Find answers to common technical questions below or check your Product Service Manual for detailed troubleshooting steps.

General

No! Dimplex fireplaces operate for pennies a day. The flame uses slightly under 300 Watts of power. With an average electricity rate, the unit operates for a remarkable 3¢ per hour providing all the warmth, ambiance and romance of a fireplace. When you choose to activate the heat feature along with the flame, the unit uses approximately 1500 Watts. The total cost to operate the flame and heater is approximately 8 ¢ per hour (gas fireplace manufacturers regularly advertise running costs of 17¢ per hour)! Electricity rates vary. 8 ¢ per hour based on heater cycling at 50%.

Yes! Unlike gas fireplaces, which require venting fuel pipelines, a Dimplex fireplace just needs to be unplugged! When you need a change you can move it to a different room and when you move to a new home you can take your investment with you.

Dimplex fireplaces distribute a warm, gentle, even heat over a wide area by means of a silent fan-forced heater. It will produce about 5115 BTU of total heat.* So, working in conjuction with the home's primary heating system, Dimplex fireplaces are capable of taking the chill off just about any size room when required. *Most gas fireplaces produce over 20,000 BTU of heat in a single room while the average size home requires only 90,000 BTU to heat the entire house.

Dimplex has developed a patented technology which provides a realistic, wood-burning flame.

Yes! The Dimplex flame and heater operate independently of each other. This means you can enjoy the ambiance of of a realistic flame all year round! In many gas units, the flame cycles off as the room temperature rises and you lose the flame effect until the room cools down again. In smaller rooms, gas fireplaces can be off a lot of the time and in the warmer climates they may not come on at all unless the thermostat is set higher than the room temperature.

Yes. Dimplex fireplaces have controls that allow you to adjust the background light and speed of the flame to create an ambiance to suit any mood.

Many of our electric fireplace models simply plug into standard 120-volt outlets, but other units require more complicated installation that include hard-wiring. Dimplex fireplaces do not require any venting pipelines for fuel, but your installation plans may include building out a mantel for your firebox. Keep your skill level in mind when purchasing an electric fireplace, consider working with a local installer to get the focal point of your dreams – done correctly!

You can put a Dimplex fireplace in just about any indoor area as long as it is clean and dry. Whether you want to add ambiance to your living room, family room, bedroom, kitchen, foyer or dining room, as long as there's an outlet, there's no problem! Dimplex fireplaces are perfect for single family homes, condominiums, apartments, mobile homes or cottages.

Dimplex fireplaces have full electrical certification throughout North America for complete peace of mind. To ensure the safety of your family members, no combustible energy sources are used to produce the flame. This means that you never need to worry about oxygen depletion or carbon monoxide poisoning in your home. The glass remains cool to the touch to ensure children don't burn their hands on the glass. It also does not contribute to indoor moisture or mold concerns. Other features include impact resistant safety glass and safety cut out with reset controls.

Mantels

Your owner’s manual is referring to the firebox portion only. If you’ve purchased one of our fireplace packages with a firebox and wooden mantel surrounds, then it is perfectly fine to place your fireplace mantel on a carpeted surface.

It is always recommended that you check with the television manufacturer for any restrictions prior to installing your Dimplex fireplace to ensure all restrictions are met. Please ensure you are also maintaining the minimum clearances allowed for all Dimplex fireplaces, which can be found in the owner’s manual.

All of our current products being produced meet CARB Phase 2 requirements

We do not recommend painting your mantel as it will void the warranty on the unit.

Yes. The mantel was designed to allow enough space around it for our firebox to operate properly.

We recommend using a clean damp cloth to wipe away any dust or dirt. Furniture polish is not recommended.

We recommend purchasing a furniture crayon of the same colour and using it to touch up your mantel. They can be found at most home improvement stores.

TV Stands

The Dimplex TV stands are tested to support up to 150lbs. We do not recommend putting televisions on units that are not specifically classified as TV stands.

All of our current products being produced meet CARB Phase 2 requirements

Your owner’s manual is referring to the firebox portion only. If you’ve purchased one of our fireplace packages with a firebox and wooden mantel surrounds, then it is perfectly fine to place your fireplace mantel on a carpeted surface.

It is always recommended that you check with the television manufacturer for any restrictions prior to installing your Dimplex fireplace to ensure all restrictions are met.

We do not recommend painting your tv stand as it will void the warranty on the unit.

Yes. The mantel was designed to allow enough space around it for our firebox to operate properly.

We recommend using a clean damp cloth to wipe away any dust or dirt. Furniture polish is not recommended.

We recommend purchasing a furniture crayon of the same colour and using it to touch up your tv stand. They can be found at most home improvement stores.

Linear and Wall Mounted Fireplaces

If the wall mounted fireplace you purchased has loose media such as glass pieces, stones or river rock, you can choose to replace this media with something else of your choosing. In order to ensure proper operation of the unit, please make sure the alternative media you choose is the same weight as the original media provided and that you are not using anything fine (such as sand) or liquid as it could get into the inner components and render the unit inoperable.

It is always recommended that you check with the television manufacturer for any restrictions prior to installing your Dimplex fireplace to ensure all restrictions are met.

Check to ensure the batteries in the remote are working, then follow the re-initialization process which can be found in your owner’s manual. If you need a copy of your manual click here and enter your model number:

Due to the variances in our wall mounted fireplaces we recommend checking the troubleshooting guide in the service manual or contact customer support at 888-DIMPLEX (346-7539)

Fireboxes

The flame should be a constant smooth flowing flicker. The problem may be:

The flame motor needs to be changed.
The flicker rod may not be connected to the shaft on the flicker motor
The rubber grommet may have been inserted backwards.
 

Light should not be visible around the perimeter of the log set. It could be that the log set is not positioned properly in the firebox. Remove and replace as outlined in the maintenance section of your Owner’s Manual.

Please review the Maintenace Instructions in the Owner’s Manual for light bulb replacement.

If your problem continues here are a few trouble shooting points:

It is common to not notice the bulbs are burnt out until the last one goes.
The LED log sets do not have replaceable bulbs in them. If your log set does not light up any more than the log set must be replaced.
Check the wire connections to the log set and the LED driver board as the may have come loose.
If the log set has been replaced and there is still no change, the LED Driver board for the log set may need to be replaced.

Please review the Operating Instructions in the Owner’s Manual

If your problem continues here are a few trouble shooting points:

If you are using a Wall Thermostat control, check the operation guide.
You may have a defective heater switch. If pushing the heater switch on/off does not change the situation then you will need to replace it.
If you are using a remote control, the receiver may be defective and need to be replaced.

lease review the Operating Instructions in the Owner’s Manual for clearances surrounding the fireplace.

If your problem continues here are a few trouble shooting points:

The heat will not come back on without being reset. It can be reset by switching the Main Power switch to OFF and waiting 5 minutes before switching it to ON.
The overheat cutout will be triggered if the ventilation slot at the bottom of the fireplace has been covered or blocked. Ensure method of installation does NOT obstruct the air intake slots on bottom front of unit in any manner.
Purifier models, the air filter may be dirty and need to be cleaned or replaced.
If the fan rotates freely but the problem persists, the fan motor may need to be replaced.

The heater may emit a slight, harmless odour when first used. This odour is a normal condition caused by initial heating of internal heater parts and will not occur again. If the heater has not been in use for some time, the heater may be burning off any dust that may have accumulated while not in operation. If the odour continues while the heat is on you may need to replace the heater assembly.

Please review the Operating Instructions in the Owner’s Manual.

If your problem continues here are a few trouble shooting points:

There may be radio frequency disturbance from an outside source.
It could be that the batteries in your remote control are dead and need replacing.
The remote control may need to be initialized with the fireplace.
The remote may need to be changed or the remote receiver may need to be changed.

There could possibly be a loose wire or the flame motor needs to be replaced.
The flicker rod may not be connected to the shaft on the flicker motor.
The rubber grommet may have been inserted backwards.

There are three moving parts in the fireplace that could create a noise during operation.

The flame motor, flicker rod and the blower motor.

If there is no noise when the heat/fan is off, the noise is coming from the blower assembly and it may need to be replaced.
If the noise continues with the fan off, check to see if the flicker rod is not rubbing against internal components when turning. Make sure that it is properly connected to the flicker motor. This noise would be a rubbing or sweeping noise.
If the flicker rod is not rubbing against anything and you still hear a noise, then the flame motor must be changed

There could be other appliances on the same circuit as your unit. This could cause too much draw of amperage that is too close or over the maximum breaker amperage.

Try plugging unit into another outlet or install a dedicated 15 amp breaker for the unit alone.

Inserts

The Dimplex fireplace insert is designed to fit just about any fireplace opening with ease.

Find more detailed troubleshooting steps

Dimplex products come with their own troubleshooting guides, or a troubleshooting section at the back of the Product Service Manual. You can find the right guide on our Product Downloads page.

Can’t solve your problem?

Get in touch with our expert team via phone or email.