Tulikivi Installation Complete

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
We are a couple of months away from the finish work being complete on our new construction, but last week the finishing touches were put on the Tulikivi (Finnish Soapstone Fireplace).

It's 10,000 lbs, wood burning and 90+% efficient. It also has a bake oven. A local winery has the same model though a little larger (12,000 lbs) and it is warm to the touch for 3 days after a fire.

To be sure this is investment grade, but I think it makes a nice focal point as well.

You can see pictures of it here:

http://halfbarnranch.photosite.com

in photo album Half Barn Part 4

You can see other models here:

http://www.oregonfiresides.com

Note: My only affiliation with Oregon Firesides is as a customer
 
Simply beautiful. Drool.
 
WOW!! Very nice. Can you put up some pictures of the installation while in progress? I'd really like to see that heater being built.... again... very nice job
 
To be sure, I'll post more pics of the construction of the Tulikivi - I've just about max'ed out my free space on the photosite, so I'll need to pic and choose. The craftsman who constructed it gave me a photo CD of the project. I'll look at it at home tonight.

Cheers,

Jake
 
Craig is certainly interested in people posting pics. Use Picasa to adjust the size if needed it works pretty well.

My personal opinion about heaters like yours is that they are seriously under represented here, and more homes should be built with these plus much better insulation. I applaud you for making this part of your new home. I'd be really interested in your experience this winter as you use it, and how much wood it uses, how well it heats etc...

Care to divulge the total cost?
 
We have a few splurges in the house and the Tulikivi is one of them. Inclusive of everything except the heat shield, engineered concrete support and said engineering we are into it for about $24K. Options opted for include the bench, oven and green accents. We were sold on the efficiency, appearance and functionality.

One of our other splurges is ground source heating/cooling (ClimateMaster Tranquility 2700) though we opted for forced air delivery instead of the much desired radiant. My local utility guy said that he believes a trend in heating/cooling will be ductwork inside the insulation envelope as ducts are notoriously inefficient.

Jake
 
Hey Jake,
Thanks for sharing the pics and costs. I looked through the pictures. Looks like a lot of pine around there. I guess with the heat of the fire in a Tulikivi, pine is o.k.? (have fun splitting that stuff!!!! I'm almost convinced pine is more evil than elm.)

I really hope you remember to post some pics of that thing in action this winter.
 
My local utility guy said that he believes a trend in heating/cooling will be ductwork inside the insulation envelope as ducts are notoriously inefficient.

I guess he has not read up on Energy star green homes? It is recomended that the entire heating system and duct work be within the insulation envelope. Proven, systems outside the envelope loose up to 35% heat generated in transmission. Leaks inadequate insulation. That same duct work loosing heat inside the envelope it the exact place one wants to loose it. One does not have to be a scientist to figure it out. Did you know codes do govern insulation and duct sealing? There is no penalty for exceeding the miniumal insulation requirements. Most of the country uses R4.2. In Ma., we require R 5.0 all flexible ducts are stamped R6.0. We are adopting new codes and discussion is requiring R8.0 on ducts located outside the conditioned spaces. The key here is sealing, even the flexible elbows leak like sieves. The trunk lines joints leak and so on
 
Status
Not open for further replies.