Chimney Fire stopper

[DoubleClutch]

What about opening the doors of the stove just enough to get the nozzle of a dry-chemical extinguisher in there and empty it and then immediately close everything up again?

Doesn't dry chemical produce CO2 when heated and thereby extinguish the chimney fire when the stack is filled with CO2?

 

[DoubleClutch]

I live in a 120-year-old balloon-framed 2-story farmhouse.

A previous owner installed fire blocking in the stud bays along the mud sill, and somebody did the blown-in cellulose insulation thing in the walls, but as you firefighters know, balloon-framed houses light off like Saturn rocket engines when they catch fire, so I'm concerned about what to do in the case of a chimney fire.

My stack is original salmon brick with sand-lime mortar, but whoever installed the woodstove (VC Intrepid II Cat circa 1983) also installed a stainless chimney liner. It's single-walled where it exits the stack, but I suspect it's double-walled within the stack, and/or insulated with vermiculite or some such. The stack goes up perhaps 30 feet from where there's a 90° elbow in back of the stove (and it's typically windy around here, a mile from Chesapeake Bay) so the draft is almost always good.

What would you firefighters suggest if I ever get a chimney fire, beyond calling 911 before doing anything else? My plan has always been to empty one or two dry chemical extinguishers into it and immediately close everything up, and if that doesn't work, then uncoil the garden hose from beneath the kitchen sink, lie down on the floor, open the stove, and judiciously squirt water up into the flue.

I would love to hear any comments/critiques from the firefighters here about my "plan."

Thanks in advance.

DC

 

[tfdchief]

I live in a 120-year-old balloon-framed 2-story farmhouse.

A previous owner installed fire blocking in the stud bays along the mud sill, and somebody did the blown-in cellulose insulation thing in the walls, but as you firefighters know, balloon-framed houses light off like Saturn rocket engines when they catch fire, so I'm concerned about what to do in the case of a chimney fire.

My stack is original salmon brick with sand-lime mortar, but whoever installed the woodstove (VC Intrepid II Cat circa 1983) also installed a stainless chimney liner. It's single-walled where it exits the stack, but I suspect it's double-walled within the stack, and/or insulated with vermiculite or some such. The stack goes up perhaps 30 feet from where there's a 90° elbow in back of the stove (and it's typically windy around here, a mile from Chesapeake Bay) so the draft is almost always good.

What would you firefighters suggest if I ever get a chimney fire, beyond calling 911 before doing anything else? My plan has always been to empty one or two dry chemical extinguishers into it and immediately close everything up, and if that doesn't work, then uncoil the garden hose from beneath the kitchen sink, lie down on the floor, open the stove, and judiciously squirt water up into the flue.

I would love to hear any comments/critiques from the firefighters here about my "plan."

Thanks in advance.

DC

DC. You are right, balloon frame houses, when they catch fire, are sometimes hard to stop. Same principle as your stove flue. Again, the best thing is to do everything you can to NOT have a chimney fire. Investigate as much as possible the install of the stove and the existing masonry chimney and its clearance from combustibles. Make sure you have working smoke detectors and CO detectors. Those things being as they should be, will be your best chance of you and your house surviving a chimney fire. Is your FD close? If it is, they will get there in time to do the things that need to be done. Just close everything up as tight as you can and leave the house. If they are not close, and you feel capable, then there are things you can do, as you have no doubt already read in this post. Just realize that EVERY fire, whether a chimney fire or otherwise, is different. You must deal with what you have at hand. Be very careful and alert to what you have in front of you. Be very careful if you open the stove door (don't do it in your "jammies")

 

[colebrookman]

Unless you have your fireproof jammies on. lol. Prevention is the key, become proactive and make sure everything is correct. Dry wood and clean chimneys rarely are a problem as we have been saying. Common sense still works well. Last chimney fire I was at the stove front door opened right over the carpet, the stove pipe was too near the ceiling and the kids escape route from their rooms to the outside was blocked. So there's more to fire safety than just chimney fires. Electrical cords running under carpets, candles unattended, space heaters too near drapes and on.. Please don't get tunnel vision regarding fire safety. Be safe.
Ed

 

[tfdchief]

Sorry Ed, I couldn't resist the "jammies" but then I hadn't thought of fire proof jammies. I gotta get me some of those :exclaim: Think its to late to ask for them for christmas?

 

[colebrookman]

Santa already knows what you need but were you good this year? I'm asking for warmer long-johns, it's only 5 degrees and going lower. Thank god for electric mattress pads.
Ed :lol:

 

[gibson]

[quote author="colebrookman" date="1260945641"]There are some great BLEVE examples on YouTube. Big Big Boom!! :bug: Be safe.
Ed



You better BLEVE it!

sorry, couldn't resist...

 

[colebrookman]

There are some great BLEVE examples on YouTube. Big Big Boom!! :bug: Be safe.
Ed



You better BLEVE it!

sorry, couldn't resist...

And my wife thinks I'm corny!!lol Good one!
Ed

 

[Gooserider]

What about opening the doors of the stove just enough to get the nozzle of a dry-chemical extinguisher in there and empty it and then immediately close everything up again?

Doesn't dry chemical produce CO2 when heated and thereby extinguish the chimney fire when the stack is filled with CO2?

No personal experience - clean chimneys don't catch... However the problem I've always heard with using dry-chem extinguishers is that they put out a lot of gas volume, far more than what the flue can handle that quickly, so they have a tendency to blow a lot of the chemical powder back into the room, along with any light weight flammable and burning embers, sparks, etc... For all intents and purposes, you are shooting that extinguisher into a closed box, which is going to just shoot all the crap in it back at you...

What I have heard / seen recommended instead is to get a couple ziplock bags or other easily ruptured containers full of the dry chemical - you should be able to get this either from a place that refills extinguishers, or if you have an extinguisher that's lost it's pressure, or is past it's "use by" date, unscrew the valve (After venting ALL the pressure) and dumping the powder out - and keeping them stashed near the stove - in case of fire open the door just long enough to toss the bags in... That way you don't have any pressure to blow the powder and fire back out of the stove. The bag will melt and the powder will coat the stuff in the firebox putting out the fire there, and between the gases the powder puts out, and whatever draft there is carrying the powder up the flue, do a good job of suppressing any fire in the chimney itself...

Gooserider

 

[sandie]

thanks, useful infor for sure.
Sandie