Frequently asked questions

Answers to frequently asked questions

We have compiled a list of questions that we often encounter in our work. We hope you find them helpful in answering your question. If you can’t find the answer to your question, please contact us. Our chatbot will also assist you around the clock with the most common questions.

Choosing and buying a fireplace

Check out the latest Tulikivi catalogues on our website. They are there for you to download to your email for you to read.

Find your nearest dealer on our website.

Replacing your old fireplace with a new, modern heat-retaining fireplace is good for the environment. Invite an expert for a home visit. This way, you can survey the situation together and discuss what needs to be done and find the right fireplace for your home. Find your nearest dealer on our website.

As soon as you start planning to buy a fireplace or wood-burning stove, it is a good idea to take into account the necessary safety distances to combustible materials. Regarding the flue connection, you also need to know the dimensions and location of the flue connection opening in the fireplace. For product specific information on Tulikivi fireplaces, please see the our webpage.

Fireplace installation and warranty

This must be established on a case-by-case basis. In new apartment buildings, it is usually only possible to build a fireplace on the top floors.

Tulikivi grants a five-year (5) limited warranty to Soapstone fireplaces products sold under the Tulikivi brand provided, provided that the customer fills in the electronic warranty card on the Tulikivi website at www.tulikivi.com/owner. Without registration the warranty period is two (2) years. Read the terms and conditions of warranty in full here. After filling in the warranty card, the customer will always receive a message to the email address provided on the warranty card, containing the contact and installation details and warranty conditions provided by the customer.

You can register your fireplace on our website warm.tulikivi.fi/owner Fill in the mandatory information (*). At the bottom of the page, please tick the box next to ‘I have read and agreed with the terms and conditions’. You can then save the data using the ‘Accept and save’ button. A message will always be sent to the notified email within 24 hours of the guarantee registration. If you do not receive a message, we recommend that you check your spam mailbox. You can register your warranty again if you can’t find the message there either. You can print a paper copy of the guarantee registration to go with the other documents related to your home using the ‘Print page’ button.

The UL-label must be kept, for example, where you keep the other documents related to your home. The UL-label shows the serial number of your Tulikivi fireplace, if necessary for warranty or maintenance repairs.

Using my fireplace

Yes you can. Always refer to the user manual that comes with the product. User manuals for the fireplaces can be found on our website https://warm.tulikivi.fi/en-us/soapstone-fireplaces-soapstone-tiles.

The maximum amounts of firewood and the sizes of additional loads recommended for different models are given in the table at the back of the user manual.

Use dry wood only (moisture 15–20%). Bring the firewood indoors the day before and store it at room temperature so that the wood has time to warm up and dry out on the surface. Use firewood with a diameter of 2-6 in. The recommended firewood length is 13 in for a fireplace and 13-20 in for a fireplace with a bakeoven.

The fireplace is not designed for burning rubbish or other waste.

No, you can’t. Never use liquid fuels, even when lighting your fireplace.

The firewood is wet. You should always use dry wood in your fireplace. Flue gases and room air contain water, which condenses on a cold stone surface. The drier the firewood and the more efficiently it ignites to heat the stone, the faster the sweating will stop. Most moisture is produced at the start of combustion.

Wet/moist firewood does not burn well. Always use dry wood. Bring the firewood indoors the day before and store at room temperature so that the wood warms up and dries on the surface. The flue has a cold plug. Scrunch up a few pages of newspaper, open the sweeping hatch, light the papers and put them in the lower channel of the fireplace to burn, or heat the lower channel with a fan heater or hair dryer, for example. The air inside the flue is colder than outside, so when the dampers are opened, the air flow in the flue goes downwards (cold plug). Proceed as above. Keep the by-pass damper (top damper) open during ignition. Note! The by-pass damper can be kept open for just 5–10 minutes during ignition. The flue can be damaged and cause a fire hazard if the by-pass damper is kept open for prolonged periods. You can also open a door or window. Lack of replacement air. If necessary, open a door or window for 5–10 minutes at the start of heating.

  • Mechanical ventilation can cause air flow problems if the settings are incorrect, especially in the case of mechanical extractors.
  • Running a central vacuum cleaner at the same time can also cause problems with draught.
  • A powerful cooker hood can create localised low pressure, which will weaken the draught through the fireplace.
  • If you use several fireplaces at the same time, make sure that there is enough air flow.
  • Low pressure, moisture or a strong wind can create unusual air flow conditions in the flue, hampering use of the fireplace.
  • The draught is always weaker in low pressure conditions than in good weather or sub-zero temperatures. Condensation can easily collect in the flue when the fireplace has not been used for some time. In the summer, this problem can be overcome by keeping the damper slightly open if your home is empty for long while. This prevents the moisture from condensing.
  • The reason for a poor flue draft in the fireplace can sometimes be found close at hand. If the flue draught is poor when the wind blows from a certain direction, the fault is not in the flue or the fireplace. It may instead be caused by a nearby tree, dense forest, a large hill or slope, or even the shape of the roof. You might be able to solve the problem by cutting down trees, increasing the height of the chimney or simply not using the fireplace during certain wind conditions.

  • Switch off any ventilation systems, cooker hood or central vacuum cleaner.
  • Check that the flue damper is open.
  • Open an external door or a window.
  • Open the firebox door very slightly.
  • Check that the air gaps between the panels are not blocked and that the air intakes in front of the firewood/pellet guide are open.
  • Check that the combustion air intakes are not blocked on the exterior of the building if the combustion air is taken from outside.
  • If none of the above helps, contact your chimney cleaner or an authorised Tulikivi dealer.

  • Switch off any ventilation systems, cooker hood or central vacuum cleaner.
  • Check that the flue damper is open.
  • Open an external door or a window.
  • Open the firebox door very slightly.
  • Check that the air gaps between the panels are not blocked and that the air intakes in front of the firewood/pellet guide are open.
  • Check that the combustion air intakes are not blocked on the exterior of the building if the combustion air is taken from outside.
  • If none of the above helps, contact your chimney cleaner or an authorised Tulikivi dealer.

The dampers can only be closed when the embers have completely burnt to ash.

According to the user manual, during heating, the surface temperature of a ceramic fireplace is 45–47°C and the surface temperature of a soapstone fireplace is 80–120°C. The hottest places are by the side channels. The metal parts and the glass of the door will naturally heat up more.

In order for a fireplace to work it needs sufficient replacement air to ensure clean combustion. Mechanical ventilation should always be adjusted so that the negative pressure in the room is not too high. To ensure good combustion, the ventilation should be equipped with a fireplace switch or adequate replacement air should be ensured in another way. For more detailed instructions, see the Combustion air instructions leaflet on the User Manuals section of our website.

Yes, you can. This is possible especially in new buildings, when replacement air provision is taken into account in the design. Ask your nearest Tulikivi dealer for instructions.

The user manuals for Tulikivi products can be found on our website https://warm.tulikivi.fi/en-us/soapstone-fireplaces-soapstone-tiles.

Tulikivi’s Classic collections are designed so that they can be used for cooking. Tulikivi Cooking products have been developed for just this purpose. When it comes to fireplace cooking recipes, your imagination is the only limit! You can find cooking tips in the recipe bank or on Tulikivi’s Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/TulikiviOyj.

No. To begin with, a cold fireplace should be heated with a smaller amount of wood. When the surfaces of the fireplace start to warm up you can start to add wood as normal.

Spare parts for Tulikivi products can be found in our dealers. If you are not sure which spare part is suitable for your product, please ask for assistance from our dealers: https://tulikivi.com/us_en/fireplaces/support/maintenance-spare-parts/

Our maintenance service can often repair and carry out maintenance on an old fireplace to make it good as new at a reasonable cost. If your old fireplace needs spare parts, new doors, its firebox needs repairing or you want to update the look of your fireplace, fill in and send our neatest dealer the fireplace maintenance form https://tulikivi.com/us_en/fireplaces/support/maintenance-spare-parts/.

Fireplace maintenance instructions

Remove any ash build-up from the firebox each time before lighting the fire. Check whether the ash box needs emptying. When emptying the ash box, also clean the area underneath to prevent loose ash accumulating there. Clean the lower edge of the door, too. If you use a vacuum cleaner, you must make sure you use an attachment for cleaning ash. For safety reasons, only carry out any maintenance on your fireplace when the fireplace and ashes have cooled properly. Please take into consideration any product-specific instructions stated in the user manual. Always follow the relevant national and local regulations when installing and using your fireplace, when removing soot and when selecting fuel. More detailed cleaning, maintenance and care instructions for soapstone fireplaces can be found here on our website, and cleaning, maintenance and care instructions for ceramic fireplaces can be found here.

The fireplace must be cleaned regularly, at least once a year, to remove the build-up of soot. The relevant national, regional and local regulations must always be complied with when cleaning soot from the fireplace. Open the clean-outs carefully to avoid damaging the seals. After soot removal, make sure that the clean-outs and ash box are properly in place. Close the maintenance door. The fireplace must be cold when you clean it. We recommend that you ask a chimney cleaning service to clean the firebox at the same time as they sweep the chimney. Please refer to the user manual supplied with the fireplace.

Spare parts for Tulikivi products can be found in our dealers. If you are not sure which spare part is suitable for your product, please ask for assistance from our dealers: https://tulikivi.com/us_en/fireplaces/support/maintenance-spare-parts/

Our maintenance service can often repair and carry out maintenance on an old fireplace to make it good as new at a reasonable cost. If your old fireplace needs spare parts, new doors, its firebox needs repairing or you want to update the look of your fireplace, fill in and send our neatest dealer the fireplace maintenance form https://tulikivi.com/us_en/fireplaces/support/maintenance-spare-parts/.

Cleaning the fireplace

We have compiled cleaning, maintenance and care instructions for soapstone fireplaces on our website https://tulikivi.com/us_en/fireplaces/fireplace-accessories/cleaning-products/.

The user manuals for Tulikivi fireplaces can be found on our website: https://warm.tulikivi.fi/en-us/soapstone-fireplaces-soapstone-tiles. If you cannot find the user manual for your fireplace on the website, please contact our technical service at export@tulikivi.fi.  

Clean the fireplace only when it has cooled down. As part of your regular cleaning, wipe the fireplace surface with a weak concentration of washing-up liquid. Stains can be rubbed off using washing-up liquid. Let the liquid take effect for a short while then rinse and dry the stone surface carefully. Stubborn grease stains and candle wax can be removed with Tulikivi Care Cleaning Agent 4 soapstone cleaner. Follow the instructions on the package. Grease and candle wax can also be removed using brake/clutch cleaner spray that is available from car parts and accessories stores and from service stations. The most stubborn stains can be removed with a sanding sponge (500-grit). Do not sand any ribbed surfaces with the sponge. The sanding sponge will also help remove any small scratches from smooth stone surfaces. Carefully sand the soapstone surface. Sand all the way to the next seam so as not to leave an obvious border around the area you have sanded. Clean the surface of the stone afterwards with lukewarm water and dry carefully. A grooved surface is best cleaned with a soft wire brush.

Clean the fireplace only when it has cooled down. You can carry out regular cleaning with a vacuum cleaner using its brush nozzle. A better option for cleaning the Nobile surface is a hot steam cleaner or a hot air blower. Use the hot air blower carefully so as not to chip the surface of the stone. You can remove tough grease and soot stains and candle wax from these specially treated soapstone surfaces using brake/clutch cleaning spray available from car parts and accessories stores and from service stations. Never sand a specially treated soapstone surface. Tulikivi Care Cleaning Agent 4 must not be used for cleaning specially treated surfaces.

Clean the fireplace only when it has cooled down. As part of your regular cleaning routine, vacuum the fireplace surfaces and remove dust with a damp cloth. If needed, wipe the fireplace surface with water and a little washing-up liquid. Do not rub the coating too hard. Remove fresh grease stains from light-coloured Tulikivi Color surfaces with Tulikivi Care Cleaning Agent 4 soapstone cleaner. Follow the instructions on the agent packaging. Stubborn stains will need to be removed and the area patched up. You will find instructions for Tulikivi Color coating inside the Tulikivi Color kit.

The doors of Tulikivi fireplaces have been designed so that the air flow will keep the glass clean on the inside. However, if any soot sticks to the glass, due to poor flue draught, it is a good idea to clean it as soon as the fireplace has cooled down. You can do this with ash, which is an ecological cleaner and always available. Use moistened paper towel to pick up some fine ash from the ash box and gently rub the sooty part of the glass. Then clean the glass with a damp paper towel and then carefully dry the glass. Household cleaners with a pH of 12 or more are also quite good. Hardware stores sell products for this purpose. Wear protective gloves and rinse the glass with clean water after cleaning.

You can. You can also use the Tulikivi Care Cleaning Agent 4 soapstone cleaning agent for cleaning the door frame. Do not use a solvent-based cleaner.

You can scrub it with cooking oil, salt-free pork fat or wire wool.