Fireplace and the feeling of home

Since the dawn of mankind, the fireplace has meant home, company, and rest – at least this is the picture the fireplace manufacturers like Uunisepät want to give to us. But one has to agree, that the moments in front of the fireplace symbolize relaxation and peace for us. In our imagination – and in movies - we rest, read, talk about things that happened during the day, take a nap, and spend quality time alone or with other family members around the fireplace.

There might be something truly primitive in our love for fireplaces. At ancient times, the fire had a straight connection with food and safety. Fire was used for cooking food, and it kept the wild animals away. It was the fireplace where people gathered, ate their food and got their shelter. The fire provided the essential needs for humans, food, warmth and safety. The same words are linked closely to our idea of home – so the image of the fireplace that is related to home, company and rest might not be so imaginary after all.

Today we live in elementary houses heated with electricity and oil, and we have all the electrical equipments needed for preparing the food. Still almost all ready-made, electrically heated new houses in Finland have a fireplace in it. A romantic person would tend to think that it is because of the atmosphere – for what it might as well serve – but there are practical reasons for putting the fireplace in new home. It is, once again, for the safety and warmth.

Even though the fireplace is not used as the only source of heating, it provides excellent secondary and a substitute source of heat. Although rarely in the industrial countries, electricity breaks do happen, and during the cold winter time those kinds of accidents can be fatal in Northern countries. And of course the electricity breaks up North are most likely to happen during the winter, when the electricity system is heavily used. The possibility of electricity breaks caused by overload is likely to happen, when the usage of the system increases dramatically, usually because of sudden temperature drops. For emergency moments like this, the manufacturers of new houses have decided to add the fireplace to their houses – and in addition, we get the atmosphere the fireplace can give.

Burn wood correctly

Wood is an excellent and ecological source of heat. However, burning wood should be done the right way in order to avoid the release of harmful emissions into the air. Here are some tips to burn wood correctly, originally published by Finnish fireplace manufacturer Uunisepät.

Burn only dry wood that has been cut down more than a year ago. The wood that is meant to be burned should be brought indoors 1-2 days earlier, so that the surface moisture evaporates. This helps the lighting process significantly.

Set the fire always from the top. Put the smallest items on the top of the pile, and light them up with the help of tinder. The reason for this is based on the fact that when catching the fire the wood produces gas, and when the fire is set from the top all this gas will burn and no harmful releases will get into the air. Do not add more wood until there is only embers from the previous wood pile left.

Burn only wood. Small amounts of newspaper or cardboard can be burned together with wood, but plastic coated cardboards, such as milk and juice cartons should not be burned. Most of the problems with the fireplaces are followed by burning something other than pure wood in the fireplace. For example building boards burn at higher temperatures than real wood, which can damage the fireplace materials and structures.

Check out the fireplace ignition and burning instructions. There are differences on how the wood should be piled, depending on how the furnace has been designed. Reserving fireplaces should be heated up slowly in order to avoid cracks, where as stove type fireplaces need to be heated constantly in order to keep warmth. Using a new fireplace should be started slowly, and too high temperatures should be avoided. There are also differences on the heat resistance of the chimney – too much heating may add the probability of fire outbreaks in the constructions.

Instructions should be followed in order to keep the fireplace functional and working in an optimal way. The fireplace is an expensive purchase that is made to last long. Using it correctly is safe, economical and ecological action.

Fast and long lasting heat for summer cottages

It is getting more common in Finland and other Nordic countries to spend some time at the summer cottage during the winter time also. However, heating the summer cottage on cold winter days has been problematic. The cottage owner has had a possibility to choose either a reserving fireplace, which keeps the heat for long but is slow to warm up, or a stove style fireplace, which is fast to warm up but the fire must be kept burning all the time in order to preserve the heat.

The fireplace manufacturers like Uunisepät have realized this need; the new half heat reserving fireplaces are well suited for cottage warming. These new fireplace models warm up quickly but they retain the heat also. The idea is that there is an iron furnace in the fireplace, from where the flue gas is discharged directly into the chimney. Flue gases are not stored to the fireplace like in the traditional heat reserving fireplaces, which allows rapid heating without the danger of cracking the fireplace. 

 

The rapid heating of the cottage space is made by releasing the heat directly to the room air. This has been made in slightly different ways from manufacturer to manufacturer, but the principle is the same. In addition, half of the radiant heat is reserved for fireplaces rock mass, which gives the heat as the traditional heat reserving fireplace.

As opposed to traditional reserving fireplaces, this new kind of fireplace makes it possible to burn wood in a row, so the fireplace is a fast and efficient for warming up a cold cottage. The rock mass around the fireplace gives the heat differently than stove style fireplace, so the heat feels more comfortable and gives the warmth more smoothly around. 

Installing the half reserving fireplace is easy. When the fireplace is ordered from the manufacturer like Uunisepät, all necessary elements are included in the delivery. Modern fireplaces are build up from elements, which are attached by the bricklayer in the location. The installation takes less than one working day. The material can be soapstone or olivine stone; the last one needs to be coated with other material, for example with tiles.

The half reserved fireplace can be used almost immediately after the installation. Of course, the heating of the new fireplace must be always start gently. Check out the fireplace ignition and burning instructions first. For example, the recommended way of stacking wood will vary depending on how the furnace has been designed. Instructions should be followed in order to make the fireplace function in an optimal way.

Warmth and atmosphere in a cottage with the fireplace

Wood is an excellent and ecological source of heat in the cottage. In addition to sauna, wood burns well in the fireplace. The new half heat reserved fireplaces are well suited for use in the cottage, as they warm up quickly, retain the heat and look stylish (see, for example, the collections of Uunisepät).

Finns love their cottages. The cottage is the summer home and the place for spending long holidays. It is the place for escape and relax, getaway from the city and place to be without restrictions from the social pressure. Nowadays is getting more common to visit the cottage at winter times also; however, most cottages have been furnished only to be summer homes, and the vital elements like heating are missing from the cottages.

Choosing the right fireplace to the cottage has not been easy. Options have been mainly restricted to two possibilities: either stove type of fireplace or heat reserved fireplace. Both options have their pros and cons. The stove type of fireplace provides the heat almost instantly and cold cottage warms up quickly. Heat maintaining is however poor, unless the fire is kept all the times in the fireplace. Reserved fireplace maintain the heat, but a big mass of the fireplace must be heated slowly and carefully in order to avoid cracking, so for the fast and short-term heating the reserved fireplace is not suitable.

There is a need for fireplaces suitable for the demands of cottage heating and this has been noticed by fireplace manufacturers. New half reserved fireplaces have been introduced to market lately. They give heat quickly, such as light stove type fireplaces, but also reserve the warmth of the fireplace like true reserved fireplaces. This type of fireplace is suitable for cottage heating, which typically is during autumn to spring times and only on weekends.

A fireplace makes the real home

Snowy cold winters have got builders to think about heating solutions for their houses. The price of electricity is still on the rise and the share of the heating of the house energy bill is substantial. Cheaper and more energy and environment friendly options are in high demand currently.

Traditionally, the fireplace is purchased by the private renovator of the house. In this case, the heating methods of the house are carefully considered and planned. Most renovators use the products from reliable manufacturers like Uunisepät; few people choose to make the fireplace from the scratch, because it takes longer, and arket is flooded with affordable choices.

In the delivery of brand new homes, a fireplace is usually included. House manufacturers choose their partners carefully, since the completion of the house is on a tight schedule and changes often confuse the entire construction schedule and cause further delays. It is also important that the subcontractor is able to deliver finished materials, where the parts fit and functionality is secured.

Uunisepät has been the preferred partner for many house manufacturers for long. The delivery includes the fireplace chimney and pipe together with the actual fireplace. For every house the most suitable fireplace has been chosen carefully. The buyer can naturally change the fireplace in the limits of the heated surface area and chimney regulations. An fireplace expert is involved in the whole construction process, and making sure that all the steps related to the fireplace in the house building process are proceed smoothly.

The fireplace safety should be tested according to the local regulations and most commonly used materials. In Finland, the 600 millimeters thick intermediate base is typical roof structure, so the fireplace chimney should be suitable with this material. The compatibility of the fireplace and the chimney is of utmost importance. The T600 standardized chimney takes the hottest temperature, so that should be used in saunas and fireplaces providing hot temperatures. For smaller fireplaces used occasionally this chimney might be too heavy a choice: then for example T400 marked chimneys can be used.

Regulations for fireplaces

In Finland, all factory-made fireplaces manufactured must be CE marked according to EN-standards. This regulation will be legal from the beginning of 2012. These fireplace standards are product standards, which mean that they can be affixed to equipment on the basis of the CE mark. These standards must be followed all the big European manufacturers like Uunisepät.

All fireplaces must pass standardization tests in future. In the test, concentration of carbon monoxide or carbon monoxide emissions is being measured. The level of carbon monoxide emissions must be under 0.3% and the efficiency of the fireplace must be over 70%. The fireplace according to the CE standards cannot cool down too quickly from the surface. In Finland, this threshold is set at 6 hours, ie the surface of the fireplace must not be less than 6 hours, which means that the fireplace cannot cool to 50% of the surface temperature at this peak.

Factory-made chimneys have their own EN standards and CE marking, depending on the type of chimney. Chimneys have been divided according to the categories of heat, from which T600 is the highest. Safety distances are changing longer when the temperature class grows. For example for fireplaces from Uunisepät the T400-class chimney is recommended for at least. Sauna fireplaces are prescribed T600-class chimney. It is the task of the fireplace manufacturer to determine which temperature and size the chimney is compatible with the fireplace.

The chimney is designed and dimensioned being suitable for the fireplace and so that it will achieve a sufficient traction, fire safety (safety distances), life and strength. Chimney sizing information and selection criteria will be based on the chimney CE marking. Chimney and fireplace from the same manufacturer is usually the best option, as they are tested and working together flawlessly. Uunisepät gives their fireplaces 3-year warranty, and for the fireplaces’ frame the warranty of 10 years.

As demand grows, and the customer requirements and preferences change, it is important that the manufacturer of the fireplace is closely involved in the product development. Safety, functionality and suitability must be kept at the days’ level. Product design and full service are important factors in choosing the fireplace, but CE markings and extensive testing should be valued the most. Reliable testing is, above all, necessity for the environment, and also became a place in the user's interests.