The European Commission’s new directive for fireplaces emission levels will be enforced in Europe in 2012. At the same time, the CE symbol will become compulsory for all new manufactured fireplaces. In order to get the CE marking, the fireplace manufacturer needs to accomplish pretests for their fireplace products that prove that all the given standards are fulfilled. A lot of pressure is set on fireplace safety and environmental issues.

 

Most of the manufacturers are ready for this. For example Finnish manufacturer of storing fireplaces Uunisepät have had their own testing laboratory since 2010. The laboratory is equipped with all the modern testing devices, and it gives the possibility to run long term testing related to the fireplace safety and wood burning.

 

But it is not only the fireplace that needs to be taken care of. Followed by a cold winter in Northern Europe, it turned out that chimneys are more risky for the safety that the fireplaces in the case of fire. The fire outbreaks are caused many times by the imperfect installation of the chimney: wrongly installed chimney may cause fire hazard easily. The second most common reason is overheating: when the fireplace is heated more often during the cold winters, it may raise the risk of outbreak of fire in the chimney, if the chimney is not capable of handling that high temperature. The third reason for fire hazard starting from chimney is that storing fireplace is connected to the chimney that is not made for that kind of fireplaces.

 

According to the fireplace and chimney association of Finland, TSY, all the chimneys in market having already the CE symbol are comprehensively tested, reliable and fireproof. As long as the fireplace is heated at the right way and enough distance is kept between the fireplace and any flammable material, the risk of fire outbreak is minimal.

 

For example IKI chimney, manufactured by Uunisepät, is a chimney that is manufacturer followed T600 standard and has CE symbol on it. T600 standardized chimney will undergo even the highest temperature. This chimney is suitable for all models of fireplaces manufactured by Uunisepät. It is safe choice to purchase the chimney and the fireplace from the same manufacturer: then one can be sure that the combination is tested thoroughly.