Everything you need to know about fireplaces, grills, hot tubs, and outdoor furniture. Five Puget Sound locations in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Southcenter, Tacoma, and Silverdale.
Rich’s announces the Northwest’s largest fireplace sale ever!
Prices slashed up to 1/3 off. 700 Rich’s inserts and stoves, featuring Lopi and Avalon.
Five-day installation; payments from $29. Sale ends Monday, January 30, 2012.
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My office is located in the lower level of our tri-level home, so it’s perennially chilly – sometimes downright cold – in my little room. I stopped by Rich’s to see what they offer in the way of space heaters, and was introduced to a funky little red electric fireplace called the Mini Cube.
The sales literature calls the Mini Cube a “unique and charming electric stove.” But I call it “cute” and my husband calls it “cool.”
Other than its compact size (13-inch width x 14 ½-inch height x 8-inch depth), the feature that instantly sold my husband and me is that the Mini Cube looks like a real fireplace. There’s a glowing coal bed with dancing flames, generated by a hidden clear 60-watt chandelier or candelabra bulb.
Despite the appeal of the fireplace-esque flames, our bottom line when it comes to purchasing a space heater is: Does it crank out the heat?
Turns out this little guy (I’ve decided this fireplace is of the male gender) heats quite efficiently. It heats up to 400 square feet. The low heat setting provides 600 watts of heat output, while the high setting cranks out 1200 watts, comparable to the large, ugly space heater in my kitchen.
The Mini Cube plugs into a standard 110/120 V household outlet, and has a quiet fan. I read several reviews of the Mini Cube online, and buyers highly recommend it for use in the following types of rooms:
Office
Apartment
Bedroom
Rec room
Dorm room (as long as college rules allow for space heaters)
Kitchen
Hobby Room
RV
The Mini Cube comes in a gloss-red finish. If you’re looking something a bit larger or in a white chrome finish, consider the Mini Cube’s big brother, aptly named The Cube.
Reminding me of my Apple computer from the early 90s, The Cube is 18 ½ inches wide x 18 ½ inches tall x 10 ¼ inches deep and provides 1,480 watts of heat output (650 watts on the low setting and 1300 watts on high).
The Cube and Mini Cube are manufactured by Dimplex, the industry leader in electric fireplaces. Dimplex products are produced by our neighbors to the north in Ontario, Canada.
And here’s the best news: For a limited time, Rich’s is offering the Mini Cube for $99 (it retails for $149). That’s a great price for an electric fireplace that’s not only efficient, but provides a lot more ambiance than a run-of-the-mill space heater.
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When I stopped by Rich’s on Saturday to purchase a new bubble cover for my Clearwater Spa, I joked with the sales associate that they build these spas too well. We’ve owned our Clearwater Spa for 16 years. My family of four (which includes two teenage boys) uses it heavily, but all the jets still work and it cranks out the heat.
I live with chronic back pain, and I can’t tell you how many times a dose of hydrotherapy has helped me rest better at night.
While I was buying my bubble cover – officially known as a “floating thermal blanket” (which, incidentally, is the best spa accessory we’ve ever purchased because it traps the heat beneath the hard cover and significantly decreases our electric bill) – I picked up some literature on Clearwater Spas.
There are three levels of Clearwater Spas:
XS Series – I call these “entry level” spas. Although they’re engineered the same as the luxury models and they’re extremely energy efficient, the XS Series models come with fewer bells and whistles and are quite affordable.
Beachcraft Series – These “middle of the road” spas are a bit roomier and include features such as multi-level steps, cool-down seats and ergonomically designed seating configurations.
Resort Series – “Elegant” and “decadent” are words I’d use to describe these luxury spas. Lots of jets. Multiple pumps. Custom lighting. Custom waterfalls. Everything you could ever want in a spa.
Being a budget-minded person, I eyeballed the XS Series spas, which currently include eight models (new models for 2012 are now available for ordering). I asked the sales associate, “Which of these models would you recommend for folks who are buying their first spa?”
“It depends on the size of your family, and on the size of the people who will be using the spa,” he replied.
For a couple, he recommended the XS76NL - Signature (pictured, right). This model seats 6 adults in an open seating arrangement, has 40 jets, and holds 300 gallons of water.
For a couple with young kids, he recommended the XS84NL. It also seats 6 adults and has a kid-friendly cool-off bench so young ones can get their little bodies mostly out of the spa for a few minutes while still dangling their feet in.
For a family with teens (or several adult-sized people), he recommended the XS93NL - Signature (pictured, top right), which seats 8 adults. The largest of the XL Series line, this spa holds 450 gallons of water and has 40 jets.
All Clearwater Spas come in a variety of shell colors and cabinet styles colors, and Rich’s carries a full line of spa accessories and chemicals.
I can’t recommend Clearwater Spas highly enough. If and when my hardy Clearwater Spa ever dies, I’ll replace it with another Clearwater Spa.
All this writing about spas is making my back ache; I’ll give you one guess where I’m heading next.
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You know it's going to happen. We're going to have one of our famous Pacific Northwest wind storms and the power is going to go out. Depending on what neck of the woods you live in, your power may stay out for days.
When the inevitable happens, you don't have to bundle up in wool blankets or heat up cans of baked beans over your camp stove. If you own a Lopi or Avalon wood stove with a cooktop, you can simultaneously stay toasty and cook dinner.
A stove with a direct cooktop will run at about 600 degrees, so you'll want to put your saucepan or frying pan on a cast iron trivet to keep the heat flowing evenly.
A stove with a cooktop will also have a warming surface, which has air circulating around it so it's not as hot as the direct cooktop. The warming surface is is ideal for mulling cider or heating hot cocoa or soup.
In this video from our friends at Travis Industries in Mukilteo (manufacturer of Avalon and Lopi hearth products), you'll learn some good tips for cooking on your wood stove.
The video also includes some excellent tips for operating and maintaining your wood stove:
Cleaning: Don’t ever clean all of the ashes out of the firebox. Always leave 1- 1 ½ inches of ash bed inside the bed of the firebox. This makes it easier to start a fire because it builds up the temperature more quickly, and will establish a coal bed faster.
Door Gasket Once a year check the door gasket -- that’s the figerglass weave rope that goes around the inside of the stove's door. If the door gasket compacts too much, you’ll bring air in around the door feeding the fire and you won’t have as much control on your air control. Depending on how often you open and close the door, you'll want to replace the door gasket annually to semi-annually.
Chimney Have a chimney sweep inspect and clean your chimney at least once a season. (Call your local Rich's store to arrange for a chimney cleaning.)
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Visit Rich's
For more details about our products and for directions to our five Puget Sound showrooms, visit Rich's website, richshome.com
