Electric fire noise

Business Man · 22 Aug 2016 at 16:14

I have just purchased an electric fire from B&Q, make and model is a Dimplex Chesil

So I have just tried it out and the fan noise is really loud. Whether you use the 1kw or 2kw it's still the same level of noise, now I have not owned an electronic fire before so Im not sure what noise levels they operate at usually

I have just taken a noise level reading using an app on my phone, it reads 67db right near the fire with 52db sat 8ft away from the fire.

Is this normal for an electric fire? I'm finding it difficult to watch TV with the level of noise it's making

Business Man · 23 Aug 2016 at 10:48

Can anyone offer advice? Or check to see if your electric fire is noisy

manic_man · 23 Aug 2016 at 13:02

The one that was in my last house was very noisy, they are basically glorified electric fan heaters after all.

I'm guessing if you spend many hundreds then they may be better designed with quieter/better located fans but there is no getting away from the fact they work by blowing air over a hot element.

Personally I think if your only choice is an electric fire then make better use of the space on the wall and install an extra radiator in the room...

Stanners · 23 Aug 2016 at 13:05

I would expect the heater to be near silent as it is designed to be used in living spaces. Maybe worth taking it back for a replacement or give the dimplex technical helpline a call and have a chat to them. something seems wrong.

Passenger car at 65 mph at 25 ft (77 dB); freeway at 50 ft from pavement edge 10 a.m. (76 dB). Living room music (76 dB); radio or TV-audio, vacuum cleaner (70 dB). (pinched from some american site)

General sound levels for comparison

manic_man · 23 Aug 2016 at 13:12

I haven't seen an electric fire that was "near silent" yet...

It is notable that any fireplace showroom you go to will have the electric fires on "flame effect" only.

If hooking up a proper gas mains isn't an option but you want a feature what about a bio-ethanol fireplace? They are a little niche but don't need a chimney or flue, no idea about running costs but tbh 2kw electric fire is hardly going to be cheap given the cost per watt of electricity compared to gas...

Just to say that 52dB sat 8ft away seems about right, I believe this is a bit quieter than the background "hum" of a busy place like a restaurant, this would certainly be inline with my experience of my last electric fire (believe it was also a Dimplex). I used to turn it on for an hour, heat up the room and then turn it off and rely on the radiators to keep the room warm. Don't forget that the dB system is not linear, it is logarithmic, therefore 53 dB is significantly louder than 52 and 51 significantly quieter, so comparing 52 to 77 is a very significant difference.

New house has a balanced flue gas fire (no chimney or flue-lined wall as its a new build) which is an absolute dream, if anything its overpowered (4.7Kw output), it heats up the 18ft x 14ft lounge in 10 minutes or so on its lowest setting, original install cost to the previous owner was £450 all in, only requirement was it was mounted on an external wall so the flue could be knocked through and of course that it had a gas supply.

Stanners · 23 Aug 2016 at 14:22

manic_man said:
I haven't seen an electric fire that was "near silent" yet...

It is notable that any fireplace showroom you go to will have the electric fires on "flame effect" only.

If hooking up a proper gas mains isn't an option but you want a feature what about a bio-ethanol fireplace? They are a little niche but don't need a chimney or flue, no idea about running costs but tbh 2kw electric fire is hardly going to be cheap given the cost per watt of electricity compared to gas...

Just to say that 52dB sat 8ft away seems about right, I believe this is a bit quieter than the background "hum" of a busy place like a restaurant, this would certainly be inline with my experience of my last electric fire (believe it was also a Dimplex). I used to turn it on for an hour, heat up the room and then turn it off and rely on the radiators to keep the room warm. Don't forget that the dB system is not linear, it is logarithmic, therefore 53 dB is significantly louder than 52 and 51 significantly quieter, so comparing 52 to 77 is a very significant difference.

New house has a balanced flue gas fire (no chimney or flue-lined wall as its a new build) which is an absolute dream, if anything its overpowered (4.7Kw output), it heats up the 18ft x 14ft lounge in 10 minutes or so on its lowest setting, original install cost to the previous owner was £450 all in, only requirement was it was mounted on an external wall so the flue could be knocked through and of course that it had a gas supply.

As we all know noise is very subjective, Having read a few reviews this lunchtime it appears that there are quite a few options that just give a gentle whir from the fans and are "near silent". Just takes a bit of research.

Oh and I remember very well sound pressure levels from my services science lectures, fun that was.(in fact I am telling porkies, I do not remember it that well the more I think!)

The old power of 10 logarithm, 10 times the intensity to be twice as loud, inverse square law blah etc.

manic_man · 24 Aug 2016 at 13:33

Stanners said:
As we all know noise is very subjective, Having read a few reviews this lunchtime it appears that there are quite a few options that just give a gentle whir from the fans and are "near silent". Just takes a bit of research.

Oh and I remember very well sound pressure levels from my services science lectures, fun that was.(in fact I am telling porkies, I do not remember it that well the more I think!)

The old power of 10 logarithm, 10 times the intensity to be twice as loud, inverse square law blah etc.

Not saying a "near silent" model doesn't exist, just that in my own research I have never found one. As you say noise levels are incredibly subjective, who is to say that an online reviewer wasn't partially deaf and to them 50 odd dB is barely audible! Of course it isn't just the amplitude of the sound waves that produce a noise but also their frequency that affects how tolerable something is, typically high-pitched noise at the same amplitude as low-frequency is "more annoying", though again, it's subjective!

The only real way is to go to a shop and to turn them all on and listen, ultimately though I stand by my comment that all electric fires will be noisy, it's the nature of the beast, find a design with a fan and you have noise to contend with.

OP: Is there no chance of using gas?

Stanners · 24 Aug 2016 at 15:54

manic_man said:
Not saying a "near silent" model doesn't exist, just that in my own research I have never found one. As you say noise levels are incredibly subjective, who is to say that an online reviewer wasn't partially deaf and to them 50 odd dB is barely audible! Of course it isn't just the amplitude of the sound waves that produce a noise but also their frequency that affects how tolerable something is, typically high-pitched noise at the same amplitude as low-frequency is "more annoying", though again, it's subjective!

The only real way is to go to a shop and to turn them all on and listen, ultimately though I stand by my comment that all electric fires will be noisy, it's the nature of the beast, find a design with a fan and you have noise to contend with.

OP: Is there no chance of using gas?

Yup, as you say the best way is to actual see(hear) one working before buying