Modern Flames Spectrum Slimline Electric Fireplace

The Modern Flames Spectrum Slimline is the recessed or wall-mounted linear electric fireplace you can install yourself: 4-3/4 inches deep, a 5/8-inch trim instead of the wide black glass frame, and a plug. It fits a 2x4 wall, so hardwood or tile can run right up to the opening, or it hangs on the wall on the included bracket.

Who it's for

Right buyer. You want a linear fireplace you can install yourself into a 2x4 wall or hang on the wall, plug in, and forget: 12 inches of flame in ten colors, a thermostat, a remote, and a price from $1,599.

Wrong buyer. You want the flame to fill the wall or to be seen from more than one side, or you want an outdoor rating, WiFi control or 240-volt heat. Any of those moves you to the Landscape Pro or the Orion.

How it performs

The Spectrum does the job most people want from a linear electric fireplace: a wide band of flame in the color you choose, an ember bed to match, driftwood logs on glacier glass, and heat with a thermostat, in a unit you can plug in and hang on a Saturday.

Good to know

• Ten flame colors, but no app, no schedules and no fine control of the ember bed against the flame.
• Indoors only.
• 12 inches of flame height; on a 100-inch wall it is a ribbon of fire, not a wall of it.

Dimensions

For a recessed install, cut or frame the finished opening below in a 2x4 wall; the fireplace's 5/8-inch trim covers the edge. Put the outlet inside the opening. For a wall mount, screw the bracket to the studs; no opening is needed, and the fireplace stands 4-3/4 inches off the wall.

Clearances

Documents

• Modern Flames linear catalog with Spectrum dimensions (PDF)

Details

Warranty

Heat

Plug it into a 120-volt outlet on a dedicated 20-amp circuit. The heater gives up to 5,000 BTU, enough to take the chill off a room of about 400 square feet, with variable output and a thermostat with a digital readout on the touch panel. The flames run with or without heat.

Choices and prices

Controls

Six touch buttons on the top right of the fireplace: power, ember bed color, flame color, heater, timer, and temperature. The remote does the same from the sofa, with separate on/off, variable heat and variable flame. Ten flame colors and ten ember bed colors, chosen separately, plus an auto-cycle.

What arrives

• The fireplace with front glass, wall bracket, driftwood log set, glacier glass media, remote and hardware, with a 120-volt plug.

Installation

A do-it-yourself install. It plugs into a 120-volt outlet on its own 20-amp circuit.

• Recessed in a 2x4 wall: cut the finished opening from the table above, put the outlet inside it, slide the fireplace in; the 5/8-inch trim covers the edge.
• Wall mount: screw the bracket to the studs and hang the fireplace; it stands 4-3/4 inches off the wall.

Planning the install

• Indoor use only. Not for bathrooms, laundry rooms or anywhere it can get wet.
• It needs its own dedicated 20-amp circuit. Nothing else on the breaker, and never an extension cord or power strip.
• Keep curtains, furniture and bedding at least 3 feet from the front. The heater blows out of the top front.
• It is a supplemental heater for one room, not a home's main heat.
• The front is glass. Large sizes take two people to lift and to remove the glass.
• Built-in installs: frame the opening from the table above, run the electrical to the top right of the framing, and double-check the fireplace against the opening before cutting stone, tile or veneer.