Dimplex: Vital Spark 26

A real fire look, 365 nights a year—heat optional.

Quick Facts

• Heating Capacity: 0–500 sq ft
• Viewing Area: 26″
• Fuel: Electric.
• Controls: Remote, hidden touch controls, or the Glen Dimplex Connect app; built-in timer up to 8 hours.
• Fan: Included

Who It’s For

A gas line or a chimney decides where most fireplaces can go, and plenty of rooms have neither—so the bedroom, the den, or the basement wall stays a wall. You need a fire that runs on the wiring the house already has. If you want flames you can enjoy on a July evening as easily as a January one, with heat when you ask for it and none when you don’t, the Dimplex Vital Spark 26 is that fire. Choose a heat-only unit instead and the fireplace sits dark for most of the year.

What Makes It Special

The flame runs with or without heat, so it earns its wall space every month of the year. And it adjusts: 13 flame colors, a five-color ember bed, three brightness levels, and three flame speeds—a low amber glow for a movie night, something cooler and brighter for a summer evening. Press the speaker button on the remote and a crackling-fire soundtrack plays along with it.

When you do want warmth, Dimplex rates the fan-forced heater to warm up to 1,000 square feet; in most rooms, expect up to 500 sq ft, depending on climate and layout. The built-in timer shuts it down after as long as eight hours. Because it needs no chimney and no gas line, it goes in rooms other fireplaces can’t—a 120-volt plug kit comes in the box, and it can be hardwired instead.

Possible Downsides

• Heat is fan-forced only—there is no radiant option, so warmth depends on the blower running.
• The molded logset is the only media style; there is no glass or crystal alternative.
• One-year limited warranty on electrical components.

If you want a fire in a room that was never getting a chimney or a gas line, the Vital Spark 26 is the right decision. The room it’s in becomes the room the house lives in—summer evenings included.

The Vital Spark comes in five sizes, and every part of the look—flame color, ember bed, media theme, brightness, and speed—adjusts from the remote, the hidden touch controls, or the Glen Dimplex Connect app.