- Nov 27, 2012
- 0
Question:
Craig- I'm building a recreational cabin in Oklahoma and plan to rely upon an old free standing fireplace for a significant amount of our heat. I'm a naive woodstove guy and have a major concern about starting a grass fire or a fire in the leaf mast around our cabin. How great of a risk is this and how can I mitigate this concern- can I install a special screen on top of the stove pipe or are their other methods to protect against this risk?
Answer:
I've not heard much about this type of fire- but it's surely possible. especially if you were to have a chimney fire. This is when all the creosote and tar in the chimney catches on fire. It can propel larger flaming pieces out the top of the chimney ! You're correct about the best solution. Install a chimney cap with 1/2 screening around the top of the pipe. You may have to clean the screen once in awhile- but the added safety will be worth the work.
Craig- I'm building a recreational cabin in Oklahoma and plan to rely upon an old free standing fireplace for a significant amount of our heat. I'm a naive woodstove guy and have a major concern about starting a grass fire or a fire in the leaf mast around our cabin. How great of a risk is this and how can I mitigate this concern- can I install a special screen on top of the stove pipe or are their other methods to protect against this risk?
Answer:
I've not heard much about this type of fire- but it's surely possible. especially if you were to have a chimney fire. This is when all the creosote and tar in the chimney catches on fire. It can propel larger flaming pieces out the top of the chimney ! You're correct about the best solution. Install a chimney cap with 1/2 screening around the top of the pipe. You may have to clean the screen once in awhile- but the added safety will be worth the work.
