Modern Flames Orion V2 Traditional Electric Fireplace

The Modern Flames Orion V2 Traditional is a virtual electric fireplace that draws its flames on a high-resolution LCD screen behind a real-wood log set, in the proportions of a classic wood-burning fireplace. It goes into a new wall as a built-in, slides into a finished opening, or replaces the firebox of an existing fireplace with a surround to cover the old opening.

Who it's for

Right buyer. You want a fireplace that looks like a real one from across the room, in an existing masonry opening or a new wall, with no gas line and no chimney.

Wrong buyer. Your goal is heating a large space; 5,000 BTU on 120 V takes the chill off a room, no more.

How it performs

The Orion draws its fire on a screen, and the difference from an LED flame shows within a minute of switching it on: the flames have depth and shadow, they move differently every time, and they hold their realism at close range.

Good to know

• The screen is the whole point, so the fireplace is at its best in a room where you sit facing it.
• It is an appliance with a computer in it: firmware updates and app pairing are part of ownership, which some people like and some do not.
• The retrofit sizes stop at 36 inches; a 42 or 54 inch needs a framed opening.

Dimensions

There are three ways to install it, and each has its own numbers. Measure the inside of the opening you have, or the opening you will frame, in width, height and depth from the finished face of the wall.

Built-in (new framing) and self-trimming (finished opening)

For a built-in clean-face install, frame the rough opening below and finish the wall to the fireplace's edge. For a self-trimming install, the finished opening is the same width and height, and the fireplace's own trim covers the edge; it needs half an inch less depth.

Into an existing fireplace

The fireplace slides into the firebox of a masonry or factory-built wood fireplace. The firebox must be at least as large as the rough opening above, and the gas or wood must be decommissioned. The surround kits below cover the gap between the fireplace and the old opening; each covers a range of opening sizes, and the small and large versions cover different ranges.

The 42 and 54 inch are built-in and self-trimming only; there is no surround for them. A 7-inch top piece (OTKP-OR36-7, $75) raises the small 36-inch surround to 30-1/2 inches high; ask us if you need it.

The fireplace itself

Clearances

Documents

• Orion V2 catalog with framing drawings (PDF)
• Modern Flames Orion V2 product pages, spec sheets and installation manuals

Details

Warranty

Heat

Every size arrives with a 120-volt plug and gives 5,000 BTU on 120 volts, enough for a room of about 400 square feet. The 36, 42 and 54 inch have a second, 240-volt option: an electrician hardwires them to a dedicated 240-volt circuit with a neutral, and the heater output rises to as much as 8,500 BTU for rooms up to 700 square feet. Either way the fireplace needs its own 20-amp breaker.

Choices and prices

Options

Surround

Only for a retrofit into an existing fireplace opening, and only on the 26, 30 and 36 inch. Choose None for a built-in or self-trimming install. The coverage table above tells you which size closes your opening.

Log set

Standard. The real-wood, internally lit log set that comes with every V2.

TruWood Premium Timber. Modern Flames' upgrade log set: larger pieces of real split wood, hand-charred, that drop in with no tools in place of the standard logs. It is the same kit sold on our TruWood page, matched here to your size.

What arrives

• The fireplace with its front glass, real-wood log set, glowing ember media, remote control and mounting hardware, with a 120-volt plug fitted.
• The surround kit and the TruWood log set ship as their own cartons when you add them.

Installation

Three ways in, all by a carpenter or a handy owner, with an electrician for a hardwire or a 240-volt circuit.

• Built-in clean face: frame the rough opening from the table above, run a dedicated 120-volt circuit to a box at the top of the opening (or 240 volts, four wires with a neutral, on the 36, 42 and 54 inch), slide the fireplace in, fasten through the nailing flanges, and finish the wall to the edge of the glass.
• Self-trimming: cut the finished opening, plug the fireplace into an outlet inside it, slide it in; its own trim covers the edge.
• Retrofit into an old fireplace: have the gas capped and the damper sealed, slide the fireplace into the firebox, plug it in, and fit the surround over the old opening.

The fireplace weighs enough that the 42 and 54 inch are a two-person lift, and the glass comes off for the carry.

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.
• Retrofits: the old fireplace must be shut down properly, gas capped and the damper closed or sealed. A chimney sweep or gas fitter does this in an hour.
• 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.