Modern Flames Redstone 42-Inch Built-In Electric Fireplace Insert

A Wider Redstone for Larger Hearths and Feature Walls

The Modern Flames Redstone 42-Inch is a traditional electric fireplace insert for a wider opening. Slide it into an existing wood-burning fireplace and plug it in, or build it into a framed wall and hardwire it. It has the same glowing log set, crystal ember bed and color controls as the rest of the Redstone line, with a taller viewing window that fills a bigger hearth.

It Installs as a Plug-In Insert or a Hardwired Built-In

Modern Flames' manual covers both. As an insert, it plugs into an outlet installed inside the existing firebox and stays put by its own weight and friction, with no screws. As a built-in, it goes into a framed opening 38 3/4 inches wide, 26 3/4 inches tall and 10 inches deep, and an electrician hardwires it. Either way it needs its own 15-amp circuit.

It ships with a slim 5/8-inch trim fitted and a wider 1 5/8-inch trim in the box. Modern Flames makes no surround kit for the 42, so the wider trim is the most coverage you can add around an oversized opening.

Flame, Embers and Downlight Each Change Color on Their Own

Modern Flames calls it Hybrid-FX. LEDs light the flame, and a separate downlight shines onto the logs. The flame, the ember bed and the downlight each have ten colors plus a fade mode. You set each one separately, so an orange flame can sit over red embers, or the whole fire can go blue. Flame speed has four settings and brightness has five. The flame runs without the heater, so it works in July too.

Heats a Room Up to About 500 Square Feet

The heater has two settings, 733 and 1,465 watts, about 5,000 BTU on high. Modern Flames rates that as supplemental heat for up to 500 square feet. A thermostat holds the room anywhere from 68 to 88°F, and a timer turns everything off after 30 minutes to 8 hours. Think of it as heat for the room you are sitting in, not a replacement for your furnace.

Best for a Large Fireplace or a Living Room Feature Wall

The 42 suits a wider hearth that would make a 36 look lost, or a framed feature wall in an open living room. The trade-off: Modern Flames sells surround kits only for the 26, 30 and 36. Measure carefully, because the trims in the box are all the finishing you get. There is no app control.

Measure the Opening and Plan the Outlet First

Measure your fireplace's width, height and depth at the narrowest point, front and back, and compare them with the opening sizes above. For an insert, you need an outlet at the back or side of the firebox. If there is none, have an electrician add one, because Modern Flames says never to use an extension cord or power strip. Keep a mantel at least 11.8 inches above the glass, and use heat-resistant paint on it. For a more realistic log look, the Modern Flames TruWood Timber Kit swaps in for the standard logs.

Optional Accessories: TruWood Premium Timber Kit, and fireplace mantels to finish the wall.