Built-In, Recessed and Wall Mounted Electric Fireplaces: Manual Specs

A built-in or recessed electric fireplace sits inside an opening framed into the wall or an existing fireplace opening and is often hard-wired, while a wall mounted electric fireplace hangs on the face of a finished wall from a bracket and needs no framed opening. Seven electric fireplace families sold by American Hearth Supply cover these methods: the Napoleon Astound FlexMount, the Napoleon Astound Built-In, the SimpliFire Allusion Platinum in 50, 60 and 72 inch, the SimpliFire Scion 55, the SimpliFire 36" Built-In, the Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim and the Modern Flames Redstone. Every figure below comes from the installation or owner's manual for that exact model, and a figure a manual does not publish is marked as not published.

What is the difference between a built-in and a recessed electric fireplace?

The manuals use "built-in" for a fireplace that goes into a custom-framed opening or an existing fireplace opening, and "recessed" for a fireplace set into the wall so the front sits at or near the wall surface, and none of the manuals defines the two words against each other. Several models are both: the SimpliFire 36" Built-In "can be built into new construction or an existing factory-built fireplace" (SimpliFire 2040-980 Rev. P, p. 9), and the Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim is fully recessed in a 2x6 framed wall (Modern Flames 07-00012 REV C).

The Modern Flames Redstone owner's manual names two methods: "Built-In Mounted (mounted in a wall that has been custom framed for this fireplace)" with electrical power hardwired, and "Insert Mounted (inserted into an existing fireplace)" with power plugged in to a receptacle through the supplied power cord (Modern Flames Redstone owner's manual, REV 2023.05.04, p. 8). The SimpliFire Allusion Platinum is "Recessed into a 2 x 6 in. wall" (SimpliFire 2044-980 Rev. L, Section 4.B), and the Napoleon Astound FlexMount can be wall mounted, partially recessed or fully recessed (Napoleon W415-4173, Sections 2.3 to 2.5).

The Napoleon Astound Built-In (NEFB50AB, NEFB62AB, NEFB74AB and NEFB96AB) goes into non-load-bearing rough framing with a hard-wired supply, and the Napoleon Astound Built-In manual prints the rough framing in Section 2.2 (Napoleon W415-4170, Sections 2.2 and 3.0). The SimpliFire Scion 55 "is designed to be built into the wall before finishing of the wall is completed," and standard framing is required (SimpliFire SF-SCN-MAN Rev D, Section 4).

What is a wall mounted electric fireplace?

A wall mounted electric fireplace is an electric fireplace that hangs on the surface of the wall from a bracket, so the wall is not opened and no framing is built. The Napoleon Astound FlexMount (NEFL50AB, NEFL62AB and NEFL74AB) is the model in this guide whose manual describes a wall mounted installation in full: the manual's wall mounted description reads "Appliance is mounted on the wall with a bracket" and "Plugged into a 120V electrical source" (Napoleon W415-4173, Section 2.3, p. 15).

The SimpliFire Allusion Platinum (SF-ALLP50-BK, SF-ALLP60-BK and SF-ALLP72-BK) manual lists two installation options: recessed into a 2 x 6 wall, or "Mounted directly on the wall" with an optional wall mount kit that comes with separate kit instructions (SimpliFire 2044-980 Rev. L, installation options). The SimpliFire Allusion Platinum wall mount dimensions are therefore not published in 2044-980 Rev. L, and this guide lists no wall mount dimensions for the SimpliFire Allusion Platinum.

The SimpliFire 36" Built-In (SF-BI36-EB), the Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim (LPS-4414V2 through LPS-9614V2) and the Modern Flames Redstone are described in the manuals as built-in installations, and none of the SimpliFire 36" Built-In manual (2040-980 Rev. P), the Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim manual (07-00012 REV C) or the Modern Flames Redstone owner's manual gives wall mount instructions.

What is a recessed electric fireplace?

A recessed electric fireplace sits in an opening framed into the wall so the front of the fireplace is at or near the wall surface, and the electrical supply is often hard-wired inside the wall. The Napoleon Astound FlexMount can be partially recessed, described as "mounted into a narrow depth wall" where the appliance "will protrude outward" and "can be hard-wired to either 120 V or 240 V" (Napoleon W415-4173, Section 2.4, p. 18). The Napoleon Astound FlexMount can also be fully recessed with the front visible only, with one side open, or with both sides open (W415-4173, Section 2.5).

The SimpliFire Allusion Platinum is "Recessed into a 2 x 6 in. wall" (SimpliFire 2044-980 Rev. L, Section 4.B). The SimpliFire 36" Built-In "can be built into new construction or an existing factory-built fireplace" (SimpliFire 2040-980 Rev. P, p. 9). The Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim manual describes a fully recessed single-sided installation "optimized for a 2x6 framed wall" and a partially recessed installation "optimized for a 2x4 framed wall" (Modern Flames 07-00012 REV C).

Which electric fireplaces are wall mounted, built-in or recessed?

Of the seven electric fireplace families in this guide, the Napoleon Astound FlexMount is the model with a documented wall mounted installation, and the Napoleon Astound Built-In, SimpliFire Allusion Platinum, SimpliFire Scion 55, SimpliFire 36" Built-In, Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim and Modern Flames Redstone are documented as recessed or built-in. The table lists the installation methods and electrical figures each manual prints, with each wattage paired with the voltage printed beside the wattage.

What size wall opening does a built-in or recessed electric fireplace need?

Each built-in or recessed electric fireplace needs a framed opening cut to the width, height and depth printed in the manual for that model, and the models do not share one opening size. The table lists the framing figures from each manual; the Napoleon Astound FlexMount rows cover the partially recessed and fully recessed installations only, because the Napoleon Astound FlexMount wall mounted installation uses a bracket and no opening.

The Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim manual lists one framing depth, 6", for both the 2x6 fully recessed and the 2x4 partially recessed installation (Modern Flames 07-00012 REV C, p. 4). The Napoleon Astound FlexMount manual states the Napoleon Astound FlexMount framing is non-load-bearing wall framing (W415-4173, Section 2.5.2), and the Napoleon Astound Built-In manual states the Napoleon Astound Built-In is not load-bearing and that power supply service must be completed prior to finishing (Napoleon W415-4170, Sections 2.2 and 4.0).

The SimpliFire 36" Built-In manual also prints a corner installation with W2 55", D2 38-29/32" and D3 27-1/2" (2040-980 Rev. P, Figure 4.1). The SimpliFire Scion 55 manual notes that the framing dimensions need to be adjusted for the thickness of any chase interior wall sheathing (SimpliFire SF-SCN-MAN Rev D, Figure 4.1). The Modern Flames Redstone owner's manual prints A and B as the width and height in its framing example drawing and prints C in the table without labelling what C measures, so this guide gives C as printed.

What size does the Modern Flames Redstone come in, and what does each fit?

The Modern Flames Redstone is sold by American Hearth Supply in four sizes, 26" (RS-2621), 36" (RS-3626), 42" (RS-4229) and 54" (RS-5435), and the Modern Flames Redstone owner's manual prints a framing opening for each size in the table above (p. 8). The Modern Flames Redstone is built into a custom-framed wall and hardwired, or inserted into an existing fireplace and plugged in with the supplied power cord (p. 8).

The Modern Flames Redstone manual lists the minimum clearance to combustibles, measured from the glass front, as 0" at the bottom, sides and back and 11.8" (300mm) at the top to a mantel and to a ceiling (p. 7). The Modern Flames Redstone manual also calls for a location at least 36" (914mm) from combustible materials such as curtain drapes, furniture, bedding and paper (p. 8). The Modern Flames Redstone electrical rating on the manual cover is AC 120V 60Hz, 1,465 W. Insert opening sizes for an existing fireplace are not covered in this guide.

How much clearance does a built-in electric fireplace need?

Clearance figures differ by model, and the Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim manual publishes fewer clearance figures than the other manuals. The table lists what each manual prints and marks the rest as not published.

Does a built-in electric fireplace need an electrician?

Yes, each manual for the models in this guide directs electrical connection to a qualified electrician, and the Napoleon Astound FlexMount and Napoleon Astound Built-In manuals attach that requirement to the hard-wired recessed installation. The exact lines are below.

• Napoleon Astound FlexMount: "It is necessary to hard-wire this appliance when recessed into the wall. A qualified electrician must wire the appliance directly to the household wiring." (Napoleon W415-4173, Section 3.0, p. 24). The manual describes the wall mounted Napoleon Astound FlexMount as plugged into a 120V electrical source (Section 2.3).
• Napoleon Astound Built-In: "It is necessary to hard-wire this appliance." and "A qualified electrician must wire the appliance directly to the household wiring." (Napoleon W415-4170, Section 3.0). The Napoleon Astound Built-In manual adds: "Power supply service must be completed prior to finishing to avoid reconstruction." (Section 4.0).
• SimpliFire Allusion Platinum: "All electrical connections shall be performed by a qualified electrician." (SimpliFire 2044-980 Rev. L, Section 4.C, p. 13).
• SimpliFire Scion 55: "All electrical connections shall be performed by a qualified electrician." (SimpliFire SF-SCN-MAN Rev D, Section 4.C).
• SimpliFire 36" Built-In: "All electrical connections shall be performed by a qualified electrician" (SimpliFire 2040-980 Rev. P, p. 11).
• Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim: "A qualified electrician must wire this fireplace to a dedicated 110-120 volt, 20 amp circuit." (Modern Flames 07-00012 REV C, p. 13).
• Modern Flames Redstone: "A qualified electrician must remove the supplied plug and cable and wire the fireplace directly to the household wiring." (Modern Flames Redstone owner's manual, p. 9). For an Insert Mounted installation the manual states: "Have a qualified electrician wire an electrical outlet to the rear or side of the existing fireplace." (p. 13).

American Hearth Supply supplies equipment only and does not install electric fireplaces. Labor prices for framing, finishing and wiring are not published in any of the manuals, so this guide quotes no labor prices.

What comes in the box with an electric fireplace?

The parts list in each manual names what comes in the box for that model, and none of the parts lists reviewed for this guide names building wire, a wall receptacle, framing lumber or wall-finishing materials. The lists below follow each manual.

• Napoleon Astound FlexMount: front glass, side finish panel and trim, top and bottom finish trim, smokey gem glass, rusty iron glass, logs (quantities vary by size), charcoal, rocks, a pair of gloves, remote, hardware kit and manual (W415-4173, Section 1.4, p. 8). The hardware list names drywall anchors, wood screws, metal screws, a junction box cover plate, strain relief, brackets, cord corners, cord cover connectors and cord covers (Section 1.5, p. 9).
• Napoleon Astound Built-In: logs and media (quantities vary by appliance size), the manual, a hardware kit and remote, and a suction cup (Napoleon W415-4170, Section 1.4). The hardware list names wood screws, ST4x12 metal screws, a strain relief, mounting brackets and adjustable pin screws (Section 1.5).
• SimpliFire Allusion Platinum 60: appliance, glass panel, instruction manual, remote with 2 AAA batteries, trim shipped attached to the appliance, 2 side panels, 4 ST4X40 screws for the appliance to framing, 2 ST4X8 screws for the glass, 1 bag each of small crystal stones, large crystal stones and white ceramic stones, 2 glass screw vanity covers and a power cord (2044-980 Rev. L, Section 3.A). The wall mount kit and logs are optional items, not in the box. The same manual covers SF-ALLP50-BK and SF-ALLP72-BK.
• SimpliFire Scion 55: appliance, instruction manual, remote control, 2 AAA batteries, 3 bags of black glass ember, 2 bags of small clear crystal media, 2 bags of large clear crystal media, a 14-log set, a suction cup and 4 ST4x40 screws for the appliance to framing (SimpliFire SF-SCN-MAN Rev D, Section 3.A).
• SimpliFire 36" Built-In: fireplace, instruction manual, remote with 2 AAA batteries, 4 mounting brackets, 2 rear leveling brackets, 8 ST4x8 screws, 4 ST4x12 screws and a power cord assembly for 120V only (2040-980 Rev. P, Section 3.A, p. 7).
• Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim: fireplace, front glass, L-metal mounting bracket set, remote with CR2025 battery, battery tool, suction cup, trim, Canyon Driftwood log set, smoke clear acrylic crystals, clear acrylic stones and owner's manual. The wall-mount touch control is sold separately, and the manual's tool list (Phillips screwdriver, stud finder, level, tape measure, electric drill, 1/4" wood drill bit and hammer) is not supplied (07-00012 REV C, p. 5).
• Modern Flames Redstone: fireplace, instruction manual, screws, remote control, driftwood logs, small glacier crystals, screw covers, a 1 5/8" (41mm) trim kit and a hardware kit (Modern Flames Redstone owner's manual, p. 4). The manual's tool list (Phillips screwdriver, stud finder, level and others) is marked not included (p. 3).

What warranty does each electric fireplace carry?

Each warranty is named below exactly as the manual prints the title, and the Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim installation manual and the Modern Flames Redstone owner's manual do not print a warranty title. The Napoleon Astound FlexMount manual prints "NAPOLEON ELECTRIC APPLIANCE 3 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY" (W415-4173, Section 11.0, p. 50), and the Napoleon Astound Built-In manual prints "NAPOLEON ELECTRIC APPLIANCE 5 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY" (W415-4170, Section 11.0). The SimpliFire Allusion Platinum manual prints "Hearth & Home Technologies LLC LIMITED WARRANTY" (2044-980 Rev. L, p. 4), and the SimpliFire 36" Built-In manual prints the same Hearth & Home Technologies LLC LIMITED WARRANTY heading (2040-980 Rev. P, p. 4). The SimpliFire Scion 55 warranty title is not quoted in this guide.

Should I choose a wall mounted, built-in or recessed electric fireplace?

A wall mounted electric fireplace suits a finished room where no construction is wanted, and a built-in or recessed electric fireplace suits new framing or a renovation where the wall is already open. Among the models in this guide, the Napoleon Astound FlexMount is the model that hangs on a bracket and plugs into a 120V source (W415-4173, Section 2.3), so the Napoleon Astound FlexMount matches a room that is already finished.

For new framing or a renovation, the built-in and recessed models each need an opening cut to the dimensions in the manual for that model: the SimpliFire Allusion Platinum 60 needs a 61" × 19-5/8" opening in a wall built 5-3/4" to 6-1/2" thick, the SimpliFire Scion 55 needs 57" × 24-1/4" by 7-5/8" deep, the SimpliFire 36" Built-In needs 37-3/4" wide by 31-1/2" high at 120V by 11-5/8" deep, the Napoleon Astound Built-In needs a 26 1/4" high opening 13" deep at all four widths, the Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim needs 6" of framing depth at all five widths, the Modern Flames Redstone needs the A, B and C figures printed on p. 8 of its owner's manual, and the Napoleon Astound FlexMount fully recessed needs 7 1/2" of framing depth. Each of the built-in and recessed installations that is hard-wired is wired by a qualified electrician, per the manual lines quoted earlier in this guide.

For a shallow wall, the Napoleon Astound FlexMount partially recessed installation uses 3 1/2" of framing depth with the appliance protruding from the wall face (W415-4173, Section 2.4). The Napoleon Astound FlexMount manual covers wall mounted, partially recessed and fully recessed installation of the same NEFL50AB, NEFL62AB and NEFL74AB appliances. The Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim manual optimizes the partially recessed installation for a 2x4 framed wall (07-00012 REV C). The width and wattage-to-voltage figures for the Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim and Landscape Pro Multi are in the linear electric fireplace size guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a wall mounted electric fireplace plug into a regular outlet?

The Napoleon Astound FlexMount plugs into a 120V electrical source when wall mounted, and the Napoleon Astound FlexMount must be hard-wired when recessed (W415-4173, Sections 2.3 and 3.0). The Napoleon Astound Built-In manual states it is necessary to hard-wire the Napoleon Astound Built-In (W415-4170, Section 3.0), and the SimpliFire Scion 55 is installed hard wired for either 120V or 240V (SF-SCN-MAN Rev D, Section 4.C). The SimpliFire Allusion Platinum is designed to be hard-wired for 120VAC with a supplied plug-in kit available for a grounded receptacle (2044-980 Rev. L, Section 4.C). The Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim manual describes hard wiring only (07-00012 REV C, p. 13), and the Modern Flames Redstone plugs into a dedicated 110~120 Volt 15 Amp grounded outlet when inserted into an existing fireplace (Redstone owner's manual, pp. 7 and 8).

Does a wall mounted electric fireplace need a framed opening?

The Napoleon Astound FlexMount wall mounted installation uses a bracket and needs no framed opening, and the framing dimensions in W415-4173 Sections 2.4 and 2.5 apply to the Napoleon Astound FlexMount partially and fully recessed installations. The SimpliFire Allusion Platinum wall mount kit carries separate kit instructions, which 2044-980 Rev. L does not reproduce.

What wall depth does a built-in or recessed electric fireplace need?

The framing depth is 6" for the Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim (07-00012 REV C, p. 4), 7-5/8" for the SimpliFire Scion 55 (SF-SCN-MAN Rev D, Figure 4.1), 11-5/8" for the SimpliFire 36" Built-In (2040-980 Rev. P, Figure 4.1), 13" for the Napoleon Astound Built-In (W415-4170, Section 2.2), and 3 1/2" partially recessed or 7 1/2" fully recessed for the Napoleon Astound FlexMount (W415-4173, Sections 2.4.1 and 2.5.2). The SimpliFire Allusion Platinum manual specifies a wall build 5-3/4" to 6-1/2" thick at the 50", 60" and 72" sizes (2044-980 Rev. L, Figure 4.1), and the Modern Flames Redstone owner's manual prints a C figure of 10" for the 26", 36" and 42" sizes and 12" for the 54" size without labelling what C measures (p. 8).

How wide is the framing opening for a Napoleon Astound Built-In?

The Napoleon Astound Built-In framing opening is 50 3/4" wide for the NEFB50AB, 62 3/4" for the NEFB62AB, 74 3/4" for the NEFB74AB and 96 3/4" for the NEFB96AB, each 26 1/4" high and 13" deep (Napoleon W415-4170, Section 2.2). The Napoleon Astound Built-In manual states the Napoleon Astound Built-In is not load-bearing, so the finishing materials around the opening are carried by the rough framing.

Does a built-in electric fireplace need a dedicated circuit?

The Napoleon Astound FlexMount lists a dedicated 15 amp grounded circuit (W415-4173, Section 1.3), and the Napoleon Astound Built-In lists the same dedicated 15 amp grounded circuit at 1,500 W at 120V AC or 3,000 W at 240V AC (W415-4170, Section 1.3). The Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim requires a dedicated 20 amp circuit (07-00012 REV C, p. 13), and the Modern Flames Redstone requires a dedicated 15 Amp (or higher) breaker for hard-wiring (Redstone owner's manual, p. 9). The SimpliFire Allusion Platinum requires a 15 amp, 120VAC/60Hz circuit and states that a dedicated circuit is not required but is strongly recommended (2044-980 Rev. L, Section 4.C), and the SimpliFire 36" Built-In requires a 15 amp circuit and recommends a dedicated circuit (2040-980 Rev. P). The SimpliFire Scion 55 rating plate prints 11.6 A at 1,400 W at 120V AC or 2,800 W at 240V AC (SF-SCN-MAN Rev D, Section 2.C).

Does American Hearth Supply install electric fireplaces?

American Hearth Supply supplies equipment only and does not install electric fireplaces. The manuals for the Napoleon Astound FlexMount, Napoleon Astound Built-In, SimpliFire Allusion Platinum, SimpliFire Scion 55, SimpliFire 36" Built-In, Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim and Modern Flames Redstone each direct electrical connection to a qualified electrician, as quoted above.

Manuals and Sources

• Napoleon Astound FlexMount installation and operation manual W415-4173, rev. G-0 (Jun.05.2026): Sections 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1 to 2.5, 3.0 and 11.0
• Napoleon Astound Built-in installation and operation manual W415-4170, K-0 (Jun.05.2026): Sections 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 3.0, 4.0 and 11.0
• SimpliFire Allusion Platinum installation and operation manual 2044-980 Rev. L (6/25): installation options, Sections 3.A, 4.B and 4.C, Figures 3.2 and 4.1, and the warranty on p. 4
• SimpliFire Scion installation manual SF-SCN-MAN Rev D (9/25): Sections 2.C, 3.A, 3.F, 4 and 4.C, and Figure 4.1
• SimpliFire SF-BI30-EB and SF-BI36-EB owner's manual 2040-980 Rev. P (9/24): pp. 4, 7, 8, 9 and 11, Figures 3.1 and 4.1
• Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim installation manual V2, 07-00012 REV C: pp. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 13
• Modern Flames Redstone Built-in (or Insert) Electric Fireplace owner's manual, models RS-2621, RS-3021, RS-3626, RS-4229 and RS-5435, REV 2023.05.04: pp. 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 13

Related Buying Guides

• Electric fireplace installation guide
• What size linear electric fireplace do I need?
• Modern Flames Landscape Pro Multi vs. Slim
• Do you need a mantel with an electric fireplace?
• Fireplaces & Hearth collection