Lighter fluid ?

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sbk12rs

sbk12rs

Member
Dec 29, 2009
29
Smithfield , RI
My son woke up to a cold house and decided to start a stove for himself ........

I came home got out of the truck to the smell of lighter fluid . He had just started the fire .
I gave him a quick lesson on how I start the stove and told him it wasn't a good idea to start with that stuff .

I'm sure its not smart to do this , but why ?
 
I'd worry about fumes building up in the box (think about a charcoal grill with the cover on when you light it) or igniting in the flue. Could be exciting I guess, or it could blow fire out at you. That's exciting too.
 
If there were any hot coals the lighter fluid could flare up. My thought is that is the most dangerous consequence and therefore the #1 reason to not use lighter fluid.

However, even with a stone cold stove I wouldn't use lighter fluid. It could seep into the firebrick which could be detrimental to the stove. Or a spill could have drastic consequence.

IMHO no flammable liquids belong near a stove.....
 
The fumes from the lighter fluid will collect in the box and the gas will ignite. Teen in the area used gasoline to help start the green wood in a stove. It resulted in him having serious burns on his face when the gas ignited and exploded into his face. I'd be more concerned about the injury to my child than damage to the stove.
 
Seriously? Common sense man.
And stating that " You smelled it when you exited your truck".............. from that far away, do you really need to ask this question?
 
Some one would have gotten their ass fanned around here (depnding upon age/size, etc).

Amongst other things.
 
Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:
Some one would have gotten their ass fanned around here (depnding upon age/size, etc).

Amongst other things.
Click to expand...

Remind me to bring my lighter fluid if I ever visit. ;)
 
sbk12rs said:
My son woke up to a cold house and decided to start a stove for himself ........

I came home got out of the truck to the smell of lighter fluid . He had just started the fire .
I gave him a quick lesson on how I start the stove and told him it wasn't a good idea to start with that stuff .

I'm sure its not smart to do this , but why ?
Click to expand...


A young boy died (another child injured) here in Maine a few years ago - he tossed some kerosene in the stove to get it going.
 
Yesterday I threw an alcohol soaked rag into the open stove top door while it was raging away. Exciting. Pretty blue flames as well.

FWIW, I don't recommend starting a fire in a stove that way, even with a low flash point fluid like lighter fluid. What if the kid decides gasoline will also work? Buy those SuperCedar starters. Finally tried a 1/4 chunk from one of my samples and it worked real well.
 
When the fire department came over to inspect my stove (for my home owners insurance) they asked me how I start the fire. After I explained my modified top down method they said, "So you never use anything like lighter fluid?" Of course I said no and they said you'd be suprised to know how many calls they get from people who start a house fire or get burned by using flamable liquids to get their stoves going. On the inspection form there is a checkbox to verify that no liquid flamables are being used in the stove.
 
Back in college.....

I once had a flame follow some white gas back toward the container. I was pouring it on a campfire that wasn't doing so well in the rain. I saw what was happening and realized that I needed to quickly increase the distance between the advancing flame and can of white gas I was holding. What is the quickest way to move the container? Turn in a circle. I was making headway when I realized I was throwing burning white gas in a circle around me. My fellow campers, who were trying to sit around the fire, were not amused. I ended up throwing the container.

Imagine this scenario in your living room vs a very wet section of West Virginia.

BTW, it turned out to be a kick adz white water rafting trip!

Matt who didn't always have common sense in his younger years.
 
albertj03 said:
When the fire department came over to inspect my stove (for my home owners insurance) they asked me how I start the fire. After I explained my modified top down method they said, "So you never use anything like lighter fluid?" Of course I said no and they said you'd be suprised to know how many calls they get from people who start a house fire or get burned by using flamable liquids to get their stoves going. On the inspection form there is a checkbox to verify that no liquid flamables are being used in the stove.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be surprised . . . it seems like I hear of someone being injured each year by attempting to start a fire this way. As others have mentioned there is a double danger here: flammable fuel hitting a hot coal and the danger of the vapors building up in a contained area and when lit following the path of least resistance which is typically out the open firebox door.
 
Hogwildz said:
Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:
Some one would have gotten their ass fanned around here (depnding upon age/size, etc).

Amongst other things.
Click to expand...

Remind me to bring my lighter fluid if I ever visit. ;)
Click to expand...

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!
 
maybe get a propane plumbers torch for starting fires.
kindling + propane torch makes for a fast fire in no time.
 
Dry kindling, liberal (quantity, not the editorial bias) newspaper, a match, a good draft and some patience; that's the recipe.
 
To pre-heat my flue, and to start my fire, I use a couple ounces of kerosene or diesel fuel splashed onto the tender. I don't know about lighter fluid but diesel fuel is not volatile, like gas. But it does start the tenders without any paper or fuss. Nobody else does this ?? This will stomp a top down start to the point of setting and forgetting. IN A COLD STOVE ONLY.
 
I know a guy who has a large wood furnace in his shop. He stores a bucket of saw dust mixed with kerosene outside and will throw a scoop in the furnace in the morning to get it going.
 
Y'all do whatever you want in your stoves. In our stoves, my wife and I use 1/4 of a SuperCedar and wood (small, medium & large), lit with a BBQ lighter. Period. No newspaper, cardboard, torches, sawdust, or any sort of accelerant. Works first time every time, no muss, no fuss, no danger whatsoever. I don't know how it could be any easier, cleaner, less smelly, trouble-free or safer. But, hey...whatever trips your trigger. Rick
 
A splash of black powder and I'm all set.
 
The long and short of it is that lighter fluid releases vapors and has a flash point way to low to be putting it in a wood stove. The possibility of an explosion is just to great to risk it. Period.
 
BrotherBart said:
The long and short of it is that lighter fluid releases vapors and has a flash point way to low to be putting it in a wood stove. The possibility of an explosion is just to great to risk it. Period.
Click to expand...
+ 1
 
fossil said:
Y'all do whatever you want in your stoves. In our stoves, my wife and I use 1/4 of a SuperCedar and wood (small, medium & large), lit with a BBQ lighter. Period. No newspaper, cardboard, torches, sawdust, or any sort of accelerant. Works first time every time, no muss, no fuss, no danger whatsoever. I don't know how it could be any easier, cleaner, less smelly, trouble-free or safer. But, hey...whatever trips your trigger. Rick
Click to expand...

I'm with you 100%. One of the best things I find for starting the fire is the scraps from the wood pile. This could be small pieces of wood, bark, wood chips and any other small pieces of dry organic matter that will catch fire quickly. I usually take my stove shovel and scoop up a shovel full from around my small wood pile in the basement and dump it on the coals just before setting some wood and a few small pieces of fatwood to get things going in the morning.
 
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