Ashes from a pellet stove cause fire in Springfied home (Hot ashes in plastic vac melt thru enclosed

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Don2222

Minister of Fire
Feb 1, 2010
9,117
Salem NH
Hello

He must have been vacuuming some very firey ashes there!

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/ashes_from_a_pellet_stove_caus.html

SPRINGFIELD – Ashes from a pellet stove caused a minor fire Sunday morning after a plastic vacuum was used to clean the ashes up.

Firefighters responded to 174 Belvidere St., at 10:23 a.m. Sunday after an old-fashioned vacuum cleaner containing the ashes melted through the floor of an enclosed porch, said fire department spokesman Dennis G. Leger.

Leger said the fire caused $3,000 in damage, but could have been much worse.

“Thankfully this happened during the day and the people in the house noticed the smoke. If it had happened at night after they were sleeping and no one noticed it, there could have been more damage,†he said.

Leger said citizens should remember never to collect pellet ashes in a plastic container.

“Always use a metal shovel and a metal bucket to avoid fires and put the ashes outside,†he said. “Pellet stoves are perfectly safe if you dispose of the ashes properly.â€
 
I LOVE my Loveless!!!! :lol: Remember someone swearing they could put their hand in their ashes no problem.................
 
Don2222 said:
Hello

He must have been vacuuming some very firey ashes there!

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/ashes_from_a_pellet_stove_caus.html

SPRINGFIELD – Ashes from a pellet stove caused a minor fire Sunday morning after a plastic vacuum was used to clean the ashes up.

Firefighters responded to 174 Belvidere St., at 10:23 a.m. Sunday after an old-fashioned vacuum cleaner containing the ashes melted through the floor of an enclosed porch, said fire department spokesman Dennis G. Leger.

Leger said the fire caused $3,000 in damage, but could have been much worse.

“Thankfully this happened during the day and the people in the house noticed the smoke. If it had happened at night after they were sleeping and no one noticed it, there could have been more damage,†he said.

Leger said citizens should remember never to collect pellet ashes in a plastic container.

“Always use a metal shovel and a metal bucket to avoid fires and put the ashes outside,†he said. “Pellet stoves are perfectly safe if you dispose of the ashes properly.â€



In this case........." You cant fix stupid!!!!"
 
What's next? Testing/licensing for stove owners? (Only partially tongue-in-cheek.) Big Brother is watching...
 
heat seeker said:
What's next? Testing/licensing for stove owners? (Only partially tongue-in-cheek.) Big Brother is watching...

How about a stove I.Q. test. 10 simple questions would work just fine. If they dont pass, you give them the boot out the door. It is so rediculous the stupid stuff people do. He must of been cleaning out the stove then went......" ouch thats hot, let me just get my PLASTIC vacuum, cause if its hot enough to burn my hands then this plastic vacuum will do just fine."
This may be a little mean, but if you are stupid enough to do something like that, then you should not own anything that makes fire. Thats just my opinion.
 
heat seeker said:
What's next? Testing/licensing for stove owners? (Only partially tongue-in-cheek.) Big Brother is watching...

Dealers' fault for not telling the homeowner that ashes can be hot?
 
Simple solution if they read the manual and fail a simple safety test based upon the manual they can't buy a stove.
 
tjnamtiw said:
I LOVE my Loveless!!!! :lol: Remember someone swearing they could put their hand in their ashes no problem.................
i love my loveless too best investment for the stove yet .....but you should still let the stove cool down before you vac
 
heat seeker said:
What's next? Testing/licensing for stove owners? (Only partially tongue-in-cheek.) Big Brother is watching...

No but i bet the insurance companies are paying attention.
 
urkiddin said:
heat seeker said:
What's next? Testing/licensing for stove owners? (Only partially tongue-in-cheek.) Big Brother is watching...

No but i bet the insurance companies are paying attention.

I am betting there are more fires cause by kids playing with matches, burning candles unattended, and reckless handling of cigarettes then there are from improper handling of pellet stoves. I am also betting the insurance companies have stats on that. How do you insure hollow head syndrome? you spred the cost out on everyone.
 
urkiddin said:
heat seeker said:
What's next? Testing/licensing for stove owners? (Only partially tongue-in-cheek.) Big Brother is watching...

No but i bet the insurance companies are paying attention.
License the user? Well, the firearm users have to be licensed in many places now........what about the folks who drive around with a regular Class C driver's license, but they are driving a motor home which is every bit as long as one of my 62,000lb delivery trucks which require a Class B license? Dontcha think these folks should be licensed as well for something of that size?

not a bad idea, but I think we are a long way from seeing stove licenses.......
 
Lousyweather said:
urkiddin said:
heat seeker said:
What's next? Testing/licensing for stove owners? (Only partially tongue-in-cheek.) Big Brother is watching...

No but i bet the insurance companies are paying attention.
License the user? Well, the firearm users have to be licensed in many places now........what about the folks who drive around with a regular Class C driver's license, but they are driving a motor home which is every bit as long as one of my 62,000lb delivery trucks which require a Class B license? Dontcha think these folks should be licensed as well for something of that size?

not a bad idea, but I think we are a long way from seeing stove licenses.......

I don't know about other towns here in Massachusetts but where i am you are suppose to get a permit to install a pellet stove and have it checked after the installation.I know this won't prevent someone from doing something stupid like this but it's almost like getting a license when you need a permit.
 
urkiddin said:
Lousyweather said:
urkiddin said:
heat seeker said:
What's next? Testing/licensing for stove owners? (Only partially tongue-in-cheek.) Big Brother is watching...

No but i bet the insurance companies are paying attention.
License the user? Well, the firearm users have to be licensed in many places now........what about the folks who drive around with a regular Class C driver's license, but they are driving a motor home which is every bit as long as one of my 62,000lb delivery trucks which require a Class B license? Dontcha think these folks should be licensed as well for something of that size?

not a bad idea, but I think we are a long way from seeing stove licenses.......

I don't know about other towns here in Massachusetts but where i am you are suppose to get a permit to install a pellet stove and have it checked after the installation.I know this won't prevent someone from doing something stupid like this but it's almost like getting a license when you need a permit.

not really...all the inspector does is check the viability of the install. The owner of the stove has to know nothing more than where in his home the stove is located so they can point it out to the inspector....not exactly proving how much they know about the unit.
 
Stories like this just seem to defy the law of thermodynamics. I find it hard to believe there are sufficient BTU's in pellet ash to cause a fire. What heat the ash does retain dissipates quickly.
 
You are assuming that the person involved waited for the fans to shut down. On my stove, by the time the fans shut down I could put my hand in the ashes. If I open the door without waiting I'm sure they would be fairly hot.
 
TboneMan said:
Stories like this just seem to defy the law of thermodynamics. I find it hard to believe there are sufficient BTU's in pellet ash to cause a fire. What heat the ash does retain dissipates quickly.

Here you go assuming it is just ash in that mess you clean out of the stove.

There can be and frequently is nice glowing very hot pellet pieces that can take a very long time to finish turning to ash or cool off as the ash that they frequently get buried in is an excellent insulator.

There is very good reason for the "unwanted, slows me down, incorrect, and unnecessary" warnings in the manual so I'll just ignore them and be just fine NOT.

No laws of thermodynamics are violated.
 
urkiddin said:
Lousyweather said:
urkiddin said:
heat seeker said:
What's next? Testing/licensing for stove owners? (Only partially tongue-in-cheek.) Big Brother is watching...

No but i bet the insurance companies are paying attention.
License the user? Well, the firearm users have to be licensed in many places now........what about the folks who drive around with a regular Class C driver's license, but they are driving a motor home which is every bit as long as one of my 62,000lb delivery trucks which require a Class B license? Dontcha think these folks should be licensed as well for something of that size?

not a bad idea, but I think we are a long way from seeing stove licenses.......

I don't know about other towns here in Massachusetts but where i am you are suppose to get a permit to install a pellet stove and have it checked after the installation.I know this won't prevent someone from doing something stupid like this but it's almost like getting a license when you need a permit.

I am in Massachusetts as well....
After running my pellet stove without a permit for 5 years I decieded to become legal and get the permit.
Paid my vig to the town and out comes the buliding inspector to my humble abode.
Guy had never seen a pellet stove before...this was 2006...
I live a suburb of Boston...I was the first person in my town with a pellet stove??? I think not.
 
SmokeyTheBear said:
TboneMan said:
Stories like this just seem to defy the law of thermodynamics. I find it hard to believe there are sufficient BTU's in pellet ash to cause a fire. What heat the ash does retain dissipates quickly.

Here you go assuming it is just ash in that mess you clean out of the stove.

There can be and frequently is nice glowing very hot pellet pieces that can take a very long time to finish turning to ash or cool off as the ash that they frequently get buried in is an excellent insulator.

There is very good reason for the "unwanted, slows me down, incorrect, and unnecessary" warnings in the manual so I'll just ignore them and be just fine NOT.

No laws of thermodynamics are violated.

The ash from my stove would not light anything. From what I have read on this site the last 3 years, there are some poor burning stoves out there, and some lousy pellets.
 
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