Gel Fuel

• Gel-fueled fireplaces may stand or hang nearly anywhere in the room. They consist of a housing into which you place small cans of fuel. Many have an aperture over the area that holds the gel. This controls the flame's shape, spreading it out along a line to mimic the breadth of a log fire. Gel fireplaces often hang on walls like pictures, as they are primarily for visual appeal. Heat generated from the flames is minimal.
  
  

Modern Electric Fireplaces

• Electric fireplaces come in many varieties, but all use electric-powered light to create the illusion of flame. This is often paired with a heater that functions the same way as a portable space heater to mimic the heat of a real fire. The light comes from typical household light bulbs, such as the type you might find in decorative lamps. These may be tinted or covered with a filter to produce the orange and yellow tones of fire. The lights pass through cut glass, which refracts the beams into random, flame-like shapes. The glass pieces move slowly to create the illusion of movement in the faux flame. Some units allow you to adjust the "flames" by changing the angle at which the light passes through the glass.
  
  

Early Electric Fireplaces

• Before the refracting units, electric faux fireplaces often used steady lights or lights that flickered behind a shield of fake logs, creating a less realistic look. Early moving flames were created by shining colored lights onto silk cut in jagged, flame-like shapes and blown with a fan so it moved randomly. These fireplaces looked realistic from a distance but were easily identifiable as fake from nearby. Many units used a small blue light, often an LED, at the base of the faux flame to simulate the blue-white base that indicates the hottest part of natural flames.
  
  

Gas Fireplaces

• Gas faux fireplaces work similarly to gel-fueled fireplaces, but are capable of producing more flame and some heat. Depending on the configuration, they may come close to the heat and light of small wood fires. These units may run on a household natural gas line or on gas canisters. The gas is released within or behind a cluster of fireproof fake logs. Much like a gas stove, igniting the gas in this area produces an instant flame, adding heat and light to your room. Because gas faux fireplaces use larger flames than gel-fueled units, they require similar ventilation to true fireplaces. Gas units may not be considered "faux" by some, because although the logs are false, the flames are quite real.