had a scare last night

So this is my first year with a stove and had my first scare,I was loading the stove for an overnight burn and let the fire get a bit too hot.The stove was only at 600 but the flue temp was almost 1400 and the double wall interior pipe was smoking(paint)...Scared the snot out of me..I couldnt get the fire to slow down so I used the aluminum foil trick on the intakes...Thank You everyone for having these discussions in the past...May have saved my house.It wasn't for a long time but was scary none the less...So I was wondering if I ever did have a chimney fire,what was the product that you can throw in the stove to help extinguish it? I read something awhile back on the subject but can't recall...Thanks again!

Chimfex

thank you!

If the stove is running out of control throw a couple scoops of ash on it from your ash bucket this will smother the fire, it will do nothing for a chimney fire but its an ace in the hole when your getting that nervous feeling and need options. Im glad things didnt get too out of hand for you. I had a scare a few weeks ago as well with the insert so i know how you feel.

I keep a gallon size bucket of sand next to the stove to suffocate a runaway fire.

hey Brian - not sure what the aluminum foil trick is?

Sheet or balled up aluminum foil placed over the secondary air tube inlet will quickly suffocate the fire . . . the key is finding this before you have a problem so you know where it is before you have an emergency . . . and for a real thrill (not that I am advocating this) once the fire is roiling put the foil over the inlet so that it is partially blocking the secondary air -- I thought I had intense secondaries before, but when I did this one time (and it was for a very short "one time") the secondaries were incredibly intense with bright blue and purple flames.

These are the kind of stories that make me wonder if stoves and inserts are worth the stress. It's hard to convince my family to give up their familiar, trouble free stone fireplace for a finicky piece of metal that requires perfect wood, frequent monitoring of thermometers and numerous mechanical adjustments or it may go "Nuclear". What stoves are safest?

Also have an olso. I see my inlets are three ports just inside the door at the bottom. I haven't yet figured out how the air flow travels. When my lever is to the right, I guess the air is suck in, from where I don't know, and into the stove via the three ports. As I move the lever to the left air the is diverted to the secondary tubes. Am I close?

Thanks FFJake. I think on my stove (air feeds up via the pedestal) I would have a difficult time trying to access the secondary inlet...? I would probably have to cut all air (either block off the intake opening on the back of the pedestal, or, once I get the OAK connected, block the OAK supply.

And like Kenster pointed out, sand will do the same....or better. It is just a bit scary opening that firebox door when that thing is already running out of control. Wait then until the fire dies down and then go change your shorts.

Most stoves are not "finicky" at all. The stoves work just fine and will do as designed, but just like when you drive your car or truck; that vehicle is designed to operate safely but there is nothing to stop you from pushing that accelerator to the floor! So it is not the stove but the operator.

One just needs to begin using safe practices and be sure everyone knows and follows the rule. If that means you have to set a timer, then by all means, get a loud one and use it every time you put wood in the stove. Don't be like the fella we read about who put wood in the stove and left the firebox door open a crack (common practice) for added draft to get the fire going. Then he drove down to the corner grocery to pick up a couple items. When he got back his stove was hot, hot, hot! Or the other one who started a fire then went upstairs and took a shower. His stove was hot too. It is dumb stuff like this that gets folks in trouble. For sure one has to realize that a wood stove needs more input than just setting a thermostat.

There are many other things folks can do and they include burning only good dry wood, checking and cleaning the chimney on a regular schedule, keeping something on hand just in case a fire starts to get out of hand , going over the safe operation of the stove with the entire family, etc, etc.

A case can be made for most stoves that they are safe. There are only a very few out there that are not so good. I also do not like buying used. For sure sometimes one can get a real deal but a new wood burner I do not think should go used. There is too much of a chance something is wrong with the stove. Buy new and get a warranty. Buy from Woodstock and not only do you get a good warranty but you get a 6 month guarantee! Use it up to 6 months and if not happy, sell it back to them for full price. On top of that, their customer service is second to none.

My first $3000 heating oil bill would convince me pretty fast!

Maybe even take a shower lol

Or 2 weeks with no power. I know we are happy we can keep warm and cook.

My over fire was totally my fault and I should have known better. What did I do? I left the air open on purpose for way to long, being new to the stove I wanted to push it alittle. This incident has made a better burner and a more cautious one for sure. Open fire places can be just as bad, you still have to clean the chimney, they still need care and they suck all the hot air out of your house, my insurance company has no sure charge for anyone who puts an insert into their house, they must think a fire in a steel box thats locked is a safer option.

I think I would scare my self more by opening the door that is the last thing i would do in a run away unless i see that my house is in danger.

It's called RESPONSIBILITY. If you got it, you'll never have major problems burning in a stove. Bottom line is if you want efficient heat from wood, you aren't going to get any real heat out of an open fireplace. A stove is the only real way to get it. I haven't had a heat bill in 5 years, that money has gone into home renovations and a couple of very nice family vacations instead. All thanks to some hard work, some responsibility, and my woodstove.

Right On Mr. Overkill

gonna get me some sand - great solution to quickly snuff a fire

I found out when I got my insert that they (insurance companies) don't charge you more for having an insert installed, because if you have a wood burning fireplace to begin with, they are already charging you for that.
I think everyone will or have had a "runaway" fire at one time or another, I know I've had my fair share! Thanks to everyone on here, I now keep my ash container at least half full at all times and have a piece of aluminum foil folded up and sitting close by.

Granted you just don't just toss down some wood and light it on fire and then let it go . . . well I mean you do have to remember to open/close the damper so you don't lose the little bit of heat you've generated from the fire that didn't go right up the flue.

Actually, they're pretty easy to learn to use . . . while they need good wood the end result is more heat and less wood consumed. As for the frequent monitoring . . . once you're up and cruising there isn't a whole lot of monitoring . . . I mean I use my thermos to keep a check on things when I am first reloading/starting the fire and I may check them occasionally during the burn cycle (akin to checking your gas gauge or speedometer from time to time while driving just to make sure you're where you want to be.)

About the only time I have seen my stove have too high a temp is when I did something foolish . . . I left the air control wide open while showering and the flue was pretty darned hot. Unfortunately I am a bit numb . . . did the same thing a few weeks later . . . I have not had an issue since then.

I think the air control feeds the secondary air . . . the air inlet is in the rear back of the stove.

Why was the flu temp so much higher than the stove temp? I keep an eye on my stove temp, but don't have a way to view the flu with my insert.

honorable mention also goes to "lighting fire then going to make coffee" . 1000 deg. In no time flat. My bad.