Process of ordering a fireplace

We're in the process of ordering a fireplace to our holiday apartment. We've just started to build the apartment, so thought it might be a good idea to get the fireplace in at already in the building stage. The builders said it is better and often cheaper, but they asked where I'd be getting it. I have been contemplating Uunisepät, as I would get a guy to fix it in for us as well so I don't need to hire anyone separately. They have some ok fireplaces, but does anyone have any experiences with them?

I was reading on some forum that people had been complaining about their service, but I could find similar threads on other suppliers as well. At least Uunisepät has a relatively wide selection of the fireplaces, and they fill the CE standards as well. This is important to me, if we get the fireplace in the building stage I don't want to have the regulations changing on us and us needing to replace the fireplace with something else. As this is the first thing we build from the scratch I'll rather be overly cautious than having to spend a lot of money later.

So anyone have any experiences with Uunisepät? Also I'd like to hear if you know how the other fireplace suppliers are, my mind is not yet set on Uunisepät to be honest. I just haven't come across the perfect fireplace for me. Yeah sure, there is some quite decent ones, but none of them is like the really perfect one so far. But I'll have to keep on looking! Any tips and experiences you have I'd love to hear about them. I am sure I am not paying attention to the right things anyway.

Oh one more thing, Uunisepät is saying they use olivine stone. How does this differer from other stones in look and use? I mean they write on the webpage that the fireplaces are more durable and easier to clean etc because of the material they're made of, but if you'd have any personal experiences let me know! You know, companies would speak only good of their products anyway, heh. Thanks!

Questions and Confusions Related Uunisepät Fireplaces

I was thinking about getting a nice fireplace, but I am confused by the information on several sites. Uunisepät fireplaces have the CE mark (what does it really mean anyway?), and others I have checked don't have it. So what's the big difference? Based on Uunisepät who want to promote their fireplaces of course the CE mark makes the fireplaces less toxic (huh?) and more safe. I don't get the less toxic part, are they talking about smoke getting in or something? More safe sure, but would any of the suppliers sell unsafe fireplaces really? If anyone can answer these questions I'd be grateful!

Also what I've been thinking about is that I'll have the fireplace in the summer cottage. Is there anything I need to specifically take into account? The cottage is not on an island, but the road there is not really that good. Also the cottage is already there, can I get just any kind of a fireplace to a already build building?

I thought it would be nice to have a Uunisepät fireplace on even in the summer, like for grilling and maybe even cooking, but will it make the cottage too hot? Of course I'd not have it on if it was really nice and sunny, but on a cold and rainy day the fireplace would be really nice.

Uunisepät web page said that the fireplaces need a chimney sweeper quite often, was it like once a year. But if we're not using the fireplace that much, do you know if we need to get the chimney cleaned less often or (gulp!) more often? Where I like the chimney sweepers cost a lot, so I really hope it does not need to be cleaned that often.

We have a fireplace at our winter home, but it is not from Uunisepät. The fireplaces they have on the site look really nice, but I think they are a bit more expansive than the rest. But they do have the CE mark, so if that makes a huge difference then we will need to cough up the money I suppose.

Anyway, if you have any information or answers please reply here! Thanks in advance!

Uunisepät fireplace for summer cottages

The fireplaces of Uunisepät are built according to the newest standards. This means that they are safe to use even on the summer cottages. In summer cottages the fireplaces have usually quite different needs to those on houses lived in all year round. Our ideology at Uunisepät is that every summer cottage needs a fireplace! Nothing beats sitting down by the fire in a cold and rainy summer day, just listening to the drops of water drumming on the roof. Natural wood fire soothes and entertains besides of just offering warmth and comfort.

Some practicalities should be taken in to account when choosing a fireplace to the summer cottage. The summer cottage is usuallsy situated in some hard to access area, away from the roads, or on an island. This needs to be taken in to account when choosing the fireplace to the summer cottage. The fireplace should be lightweight and easily transportable. The fireplace at the summer cottage needs to warm up quickly. If the fireplace you fancy is not one of the models that heat up quickly then you might want to consider buying a separate piece to heat up the fireplace quickly. Convection fireplaces heat up quickly, but the box from Uunisepät will allow any fireplace to imitate the convenience of a convection fireplace.

If you are buying a fireplace for a summer cottage you should take into consideration the differences in outside temperature and moisture in the yearly cycle. In the winter the summer cottage will be cold. Uunisepät uses olivine stone which does not “cry” like many other stones used in the fireplaces thus it heats up quicker and the fireplace endures even the big changes in the temperature. If you get a CE marked fireplace it means that the fireplace burns the wood without too much side-products and it stays warm until the next morning. They are also safe even after years of use.

At the summer cottages you can also use the fireplace as a grill. You can grill the after sauna sausages, or make your favourite casserole in it while you enjoy the outdoors life! So easy and fun!

Chineys from Uunisepät

The fire safety of chimneys has been on the news again due to recent fires started by unprofessionally installed chimneys. These problems often arise in the houses where the chimney has been fitted in after the initial construction. The best protection against potential future problems is to make sure that both the fireplace and the chimney have CE mark. Even the older models of Uunisepät fireplaces and chimneys fill the criteria for CE mark, and the professional installers will make sure the fireplace and chimney will be fitted correctly.

T600 marked CE approved chimneys fit all Uunisepät fireplaces. At the start of year 2012 CE marking of fireplaces will become mandatory in Finland. You can use either a chimney made of metal or tiles. Metal chimney is light and small, and they come in multiple different colours. Tile chimney is a reliable and long-lasting choice and you can attach the fireplace to the chimney from the back, bottom or behind. The fire safety distance of metal chimney is 50 mm. Tile chimney safety distance depends on its classification; it can be as short as 20 mm or the same 50 mm as on metal chimneys. Uunisepät supplies the fireplace, a suitable chimney and the fitting by professionals that take utmost care about the fire safety of the house.

Other reason for many fires originating from the owners using the fireplace against the instructions. The instructions of use need to be followed to the letter. The chimneys need to be cleaned once a year if it is used regularly. In holiday cottages and other houses where the fireplace would not see as much use the chimneys need to be swept at least once every third year. The chimney sweeper will also check the condition and fire safety of the chimney and alert the owners to potential problems.

All Uunisepät fireplaces come with clear instructions and user guides. Before using the fireplace the owner should read carefully these instructions. Remember to burn only clean and dry wood in the fireplace and do not exceed the maximum capacity of wood as stated in the instructions. The fireplace is not meant to burn trash.

Economical and Ecological Uunisepät

A well-build fireplace from Uunisepät can ensure a warm home even at the middle of the winter. Many new homes will have fireplaces fitted already at the building stage to provide more economical and ecological method of heating the house.

At the start of year 2012 CE marking of fireplaces will become mandatory in Finland. Originally fireplaces could be CE tested since the start of 2008, and Uunisepät fireplaces have had the mark since. To pass the CE certificate the fireplace needs to emit less than 0,3 % carbon monoxide from 13 % oxygen. Also the fireplace needs to retain at least 50 % of its top heat for over 6 hours. The better the figures are the more ecological and economical the fireplace is. Even the older Uunisepät fireplaces fill the requirements with a good margin. The new testing laboratory and co-operation with VTT ensures that the development of the fireplaces will continue in the future.

Uunisepät fireplaces are, besides of being beautiful decoration pieces, excellent as a reserve heating system. A good fireplace raises the value of the property significantly. It can provide safety in case of an electric shortage to provide additional warmth as the modern house heating is often based solely on the electricity. Besides of additional heat the fireplaces can be used for cooking. Even without an emergency electric shortage the fireplace evens out the electric consumption and lowers the spikes in the overall electric usage. The goal of Uunisepät is to have every home fitted with a fireplace to work as a reserve heating system.

Most fireplaces are fitted to new homes, but it is possible to install a fireplace to your old house. All you need to do is to pick a fireplace you like the most from Uunisepät selection of fireplaces, the model designs raging from traditional to trendy. All the chimneys on the selection fit any Uunisepät fireplace. As a customer you do not need to worry about fitting the fireplace and the chimney. The experts of Uunisepät will do the necessary adjustments taking fire safety and energy efficiency into account.

Uunisepät CE mark

Uunisepät is a Finnish fireplace manufacturer. In Finland fireplaces got their own EN-standard at 2007 and this enabled them to be CE certified since the start of 2008. From the start of 2012 it is mandatory for all fireplaces to have the CE mark in Finland. Biggest hurdle in gaining the CE mark approval is to lower the carbon monoxide residue when using the fireplace. Even the older models of Uunisepät fireplaces will easily fill the requirements.

The standard measures also how quickly the fireplaces cool down. In Finland the limit of gaining the CE-certification requires that the fireplace retains 50 % of the maximum surface heat after 6 hours. Uunisepät uses olivine stone which is known for its excellent heat storing capabilities. That is the reason why Uunisepät fireplaces stay warm even up to two days after the initial heating. Thus the fireplaces also surpass the criteria for the CE mark without any trouble, the Uunisepät fireplaces stay over 50 % of maximum surface heat for over 12 hours.

Uunisepät also has its own testing laboratory. It is kitted with the most modern equipment to sample and analyze smoke from the fireplaces. With the specialized laboratory equipment Uunisepät is able to analyze the factors that affect clean burning in the long-term tests on their fireplaces. Continuous testing will help to lower the carbon monoxide emissions and increase the eco-friendliness of the fireplaces in now and in the future. Low emissions help the eco friendliness and provide cleaner indoor air for the fireplace owners.

Uunisepät fireplaces with the CE mark are tested to have low emissions, they store and distribute evenly the warmth after the fire has burned out, and they are overall a good solution for heating your home without increased risk in fire safety. But the users themselves can dramatically change the emissions based on the substance they burn in the fireplaces. Most important is that the wood used in the fireplace is dry and they are placed correctly to the fireplace without overfilling the oven. The fuel needs to be added in small doses so that the wood will burn evenly. You can easily find more information about the Uunisepät fireplaces at www.uunisepat.com