chimney fire

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dulcierae

dulcierae

New Member
Dec 12, 2010
20
Big Timber, MT
My husband and I just bought a house with a wood stove. niether one of us has ever had one before. A couple of times when we've had fires going there's been a very quiet crackling in the stovepipe. It worried us at first but I talked to the previous owner who said she had cleaned the chimney 3 times last season. Since most sites I've seen said clean at least once a year and ours was done 3 times we thought we were in the clear. UNTIL, I read on the FAQ here that chimney fires can sometimes sound like cornflakes being poured down the chimney! Oh Dear! that means we've had a couple. Does this mean that there will have to be any repairs made? the fires never escalated to flames out the chimney or the roaring sound that is often described. I'm home alone and it happened to me again so I just shut down the thermostat and am not touching it until someone cleans it out. I just hope no serious damage has been done!
 
If the noise you heard was creosote flakes being burned off in the pipe, it may not be serious. This could just be an indication that you are starting to build up creosote. A full blown chimney fire is quite different and you will probably have no doubt about it if it does happen.

It could be that you are burning the fire too cool or the wood is not fully seasoned, or both. Do you have a thermometer on the stove or stove pipe? What's the make and model of the stove?

Have a sweep come out and check the chimney and give you a report. It's a good idea for a new burner to do this a few times a season until they get to know how the stove and wood burn. And welcome. Feel free to ask questions about the stove, pipe, wood or burning in general. We're here to help you have a safe and satisfying experience.
 
Aw BeGreen, where's you manners? :)

Welcome to hearth.com nervous wood burner!
 
metal does expand and can make odd sounds. if in doubt clean the pipe do it yourself or hire a good chimney sweep plus he can go over your whole set up. might be worth the $100. also as be green said make sure u have good wood.
 
Thank you for the quick reply BeGreen. You calmed my nerves a little bit for today. I do have a thermometer on the stove a couple inches above the box so I have an idea where abouts it should be burning to avoid creosote however we are burning unseasoned wood since we just moved in. It's not brand new and green wood. It was odds and ends from a friend who builds sheds and log cabins. So it should be pretty dried out, or so I thought. I'm not sure on the make and model of the stove, I can't find a name on anything but the thermostat on the front and I assume thats something that is added to the stove later. I will definitly try to find a chimney sweep around to have a look at it. In my area trained professionals are few and far between! Big Timber, MT is very small and the sweep that has been recomended to me lives in a town 40 miles away. He likes to come to town only once or twice a season and he had already made his rounds the first time. We do however have the tools in the garage to clean a chimney. The previous owner left them behind. We could probably give 'er a sweep just in case. Better safe than sorry.
 
sorry,
burn nothing but seasoned hardwood (cut fall 5 months earlier out in rain -sun completely dried in open rainless sheds for 4 months summer),inspect chimney yearly ,brush flue pipes monthly as needed, place a alum can (cans are thin now adays, some hand full salt and borax small amount of water in the can monthly. throw potato's skins (not wet)on night coals. start fires hot rushing with door open to about 400f . close door and with the flue still open run a little longer, close flue and the burner should continue to burn with flame. a fire in the flue sounds like a whooshing sound keep have salt near by to throw in burner to smother flame.


thank you



better?
 
As far as stove ID, can you post a picture of the stove and install? We have members who have been here a long time, and burned stoves even longer, some a lot longer and may be able to tell you about your stove and maybe even point you to a manual...

And welcome to the hearth.
 
Dakota's dad, I can post pictures of the stove. or at least I think I can ;). The previous owner left lots of different manuals and things for all of the houses apliances when she moved but not the stove. perhaps it has been here for longer than the rest. TommyTF, you're post is a bit confusing to me. You don't have to remind me that fire kills, trust me. Also, I am aware of the fact that wood should be dried etc. However, under the circumstances we were unable to prepare a year in advance.
Here are a couple of pictures. Hopefully someone can tell me something :) thanks a bunch!
 

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tommytwofingerss said:
sorry ,but the worst thing you can do is treading where you have no research, fire kills.
burn nothing but seasoned (cut fall 5 months earlier out in rain -sun complety dryed in open rainless sheds for 4 months summer),inspect chimney yearly ,brush flue pipes monthly as needed, after you place a alum can (can are thin burn easyer) some hand full salt and borax smalll amount of water( teaspoon )monthly. thro tater skins (not wet)on night coals. start fires hot rushing with door open to about 400f close door and with the flue still open run a little longer, close flue and the burner should contiue to burn with flame. when or if you hear a wosshing sound loud, have lots off salt near by to thro in burner to smother burner flame, pipe and hope to God or others that your house dont burn.


good luck
Click to expand...

What the ???????????
 
argus66 said:
metal does expand and can make odd sounds.
Click to expand...

Yes, and there is a very distinct sound that creosote makes when burning in the pipe. I sounds bright, like broken glass or coins being poured down the pipe. You usually hear it after you shut down the air and the stuff begins to contract after being dried out in a hot fire. Normal pipe rattles sound duller and have a "clicking" or "clacking" sound rather than a bright "tinkling" sound. If you put a gloved hand on the pipe, the normal sounds of contracting metal will usually quiet down, while the tinkling sound of burning creosote will continue.

IMO it's better to get the stuff dried out/burnt off every day like you are experiencing than to have is continue to build up and get touched off during a really hot fire.
 
nervous wood - sorry , i tend to be very rude( doctor house MD like) There is a lot of burners out there you may never no witch one you were blessed with, check for cracks if its coalburner which it could be.
 
hay batten killer , when i was in the army we had a imersion heater for water, (long pipe) the sound was a hard wooosh , no glass or pocket change or any other strange things your talking about and hickory ant the only wood .

ps hope you dont have any tinking sounds, because you car valves are bad!
 
Welcome NWB! If you can't get a sweep there to check out your flue in the near future, you should probably take a look yourself if possible. That's an older stove and probably generates a lot of creosote. You'll want to check the build up and clean if necessary.
 
What temps are you burning at nervous?
 
tommytwofingerss said:
nervous wood - sorry , i tend to be very rude( doctor house MD like) There is a lot of burners out there you may never no witch one you were blessed with, check for cracks if its coalburner which it could be.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum (I see you're new here). This is probably the most polite and considerate forum I've seen on the internet, bar none. You'll find that choosing your words carefully and giving everyone the benefit of the doubt will stand you in good stead! (Please and thank you are helpful, too).
 
dear dan corcaran,

my family saw first hand, a fire that was cause from stupid behavior and if i can save one person that wants to save money and have little knowlage about fire , than i will stand were i stand. No Games
 
tommytwofingerss said:
dear dan corcaran,

my family saw first hand, a fire that was cause from stupid behavior and if i can save one person that wants to save money and have little knowlage about fire , than i will stand were i stand. No Games
Click to expand...

Incredibly, everyone on this board want's to do the same. His point was, no need to be rude or short, or as I took it condescending. But maybe that's just me.

Because we are working long distance and remotely to try to help people, one of the things that is difficult to deal with is poor syntax, run on sentences and random thoughts type postings.. It may sound perfect at your end, but when someone who is already confused/worried/scared has to then try to GUESS at a posters meaning, it doesn't help them one bit.

Oh, and welcome to the hearth.
 
Well, the first thing that sticks out at me is how close that stove is to the wall. Seriously, get a pro out there to check this out before you burn even one more fire.

Shari
 
tommytwofingerss said:
shari there is stone face wall ,please look at the heavy door this could tell us that this is a coal burner , which is heavy.
Click to expand...

"stone face wall" means nothing. If that is just a stone veneer, which is how it looks, and actually what you imply, then if it is framed with standard construction that is no way safe/code.

I have seen many stoves that burned coal and/or wood, living, well, in coal country, and the doors generally are not much of an indicator.
 
Tommy tulips has gotta go, this is not the place for internet trolls. People are here to get serious info on a very serious subject.

Looks like you have a older model stove which you should not be overly concerned with providing you treat it right. Looks like you or someone else washed it down with something as it looks a little smeared. What temps are you burning at? Are you heating your home well with it? Sorry for all the questions but can you tell if that is single wall pipe or double wall? I have a double wall and it often clicks and cracks randomly when coming up to temp or cooling down.
 
What about the name calling , 6- 8 inches code for wood and veneer is 1 1/4 inches thick . The wall is prepared with plastic, then tar paper,screen mesh is screwed on with parging of mortar,then stones are applied with more mortar and its all tucked with more mortar. done it for years.


the door has a vent or flue , not the pipe


boot this guy off the wood stack. please
 
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