I'm glad stoves (and glass) are built tough.

[Hass]

This morning, I got up and I noticed there wasn't enough wood left in the stove to last throughout the day while I'm at work. I didn't have any wood inside and I was wearing my night pajamas (nothing), so I didn't want to go outside and get some. I did have some oak 4x4s laying around that I'd been saving for when it gets very cold. So I filled half the side of the stove with the oak. Then do the usual char it then turn it down procedure and go to work.

When I get home today, I see a little smoke coming out of the chimney. Usually there's nothing, but I figure some smoke once and a while can happen. So I wonder what's left in the stove and since the glass is pretty dark from the last few nights I can't see anything. So I turn it up to 3 to get the coals going and some light in the box so I can see what's in there. The cat at this time I notice is glowing orange, a very very bright orange. Cat temp is about 4/5ths of the way over which is pretty unusual for when the stove is on 1 all day. So as I'm waiting for the stove to heat up I check my phone to see if I got any messages. As I'm kneeling next to the stove, the stove made a loud noise, hard to describe. It was almost like a wooooshhhhhhPOOOFF

It wasn't like an explosion or anything, sounded more like a bunch of air getting sucked in and then a fireball. It looked exactly the way it sounded. The whole firebox lit up in this giant blaze. What I'm going to imagine happened is with the increase in air, the coals were heated... creating more heat, creating more smoke... Then the smoke built up in the stove and eventually ignited causing the giant burst of flames. The flames only lasted for a few seconds, then the remaining wood (a lot of it) caught on fire. It was pretty amazing to see, it makes me wonder how much pressure is exerted on the walls and ceramic glass during something like that.

Would this cause any harm to the stove? I imagine if the fire were big enough it could travel up the chimney and start a chimney fire if there were a significant creosote build up. Perhaps I should turn the stove up gradually when there's the possibility of wood remaining in the stove, as opposed to when I know it's time for a reload.

P.S. I ramble a lot, so I'll just bold my questions from now on to save people from reading the rambles!

 

[dafattkidd]

Hass you rambling fool who sleeps in the nude. Way to fill us in on a bunch of details about you. We appreciate that stuff.

Anyway I don't know if the "whoosh" that you describe is harmful at all to your cat (I can't imagine it is), but that happens pretty often to me. I'll shut it down a little too early and see that I have no flame in the fire box, so I'll open up the draft a bit and "whoosh." Then it returns to burning as it should, and I shut it down slower as needed. I don't think it's an issue. Maybe some other members will have a bit more insight for you.

ps
It's been mentioned often on this forum, beware of reloading the stove in the nude. It's a hazard to your giblets, man. A real hazard.

 

[Pallet Pete]

I have had this happen before usually it is a gas pocket in the wood that ignites suddenly poooooooof and jump I go lol ! Because of this I always move the air in stages and that seems to never happen now it does not damage the stove as long as it doesn't happen all the time.

Good luck rambling man ;-)
Pete

 

[BrotherBart]

Tell your neighbor that you want your chimney cap back. :lol:

 

[ohlongarm]

What you described means one thing is for certain your wood is nice and dry.That cannot happen with not properly seasoned wood.

 

[Hass]

It's been mentioned often on this forum, beware of reloading the stove in the nude. It's a hazard to your giblets, man. A real hazard.

Haha, has it really?

Tell your neighbor that you want your chimney cap back. :lol:

Geeze, I never even thought about that lol. The cap on the Class A I used just sets in there. It's pretty snug, but it doesn't twist lock or anything like the chimney pipe does. So if I get some police out here saying that they had some reports of a UFO, I guess I'll know my chimney cap isn't attached anymore


Except for one backpuff when I was breaking in the stove, I've never had any issues with turning it down. Even when the stove is chugging along at 4-500+, I can turn it right down and there will be smoke only for about a minute or so, then be perfectly clear and no backpuffing or such. I found it weird that I had a boom when I turned UP the stove instead I wasn't expected that at all.

 

[HotCoals]

Pretty wild spontaneous combustion eh?
I had it happen once on a smaller scale.

 

[Fredo]

BrotherBart,

I loved your comment! lol :lol:



Fredo

 

[Hogwildz]

Ive had it happen with not so dry wood, and very dry wood. It is merely a mass of gases igniting and it will harmlessly blow up the stack before it hurts the stove or glass.
Mine usually happens in the rear where the flames make their way last and kaboom.
Gases are gases, and when they build up or pocket somewhere, once the flame reaches close enough, poof.
Of course that is the experience I have had. So speaking for what happens here.

I remember reading how a few top loaders had the tops lift up when this happens.