Is It Dangerous To Install An Electric Fireplace Yourself?
We recently had a customer email us asking if it was safe to install one of our marble fireplace surrounds with an electric fire without the use of a fireplace fitter. The customer was particularly concerned about the health and safety considerations (the customer is a risk assessor by profession) of installing an electric fireplace without a fitter.
Can you fit your own electric fireplace?
1. Electric fireplaces simply plug into a standard 13amp socket like any other appliance. Hence there is no real need to have the appliance fitted by a fireplace installer if you are reasonably DIY inclined.
2. However, every trade has its specific skillets and the wealth of knowledge that fireplace fitters have should not be overlooked or undermined. For this reason we would always suggest you have your fireplace installed by an expert if you have the budget to do so. A properly fitted fireplace will unquestionably look better than a fireplace that is installed by someone without the experience. An experience fireplace fitter will typically bed your hearth on a sand and cement base and all the joints will be properly grouted and sealed. If you are installing a fireplace yourself for the first time, you may not be able to consider all these small aspects.
3. The typical fireplace fitter charges £300 for an installation and most homeowners will have to weigh up the advantage of this verses the expense.