It happened again - first time this year

[Swedishchef]

Howdy!

So today my father in law watched my youngest this morning. My wife (who stays at home right now) had errands to run so he came over for a couple of hours. I knew he was going to come over so I had made a fire in my stove in order to keep the basement toasty for he and my son while they played with toys, etc.

I get home at lunch and my wife says "Dad went downstairs while he washere, he even added wood in the stove!". My heart started pounding. Why? It's simple: my father in law has a smoke dragon and he has been burning wood for 30 years. He'll toss in 1 piece, turn it down and let the fire simmer/smoulder. He has to clean his chimney 3-4 times a year and he gets about 1+ gallons of creosote at a time. I have tried to explain the concept of EPA stoves, tell him about the dangers of creosote, tell him not to use his furnace blower to circulate heat from the wood stove around the house, etc etc. Last year his chimney cap was dripping creosote so badly that he was coming down the shingles/facia and stained the siding black!

While I appreciate everything he does (he is an awesome FIL), I learned that you simply can't always teach an old dog new tricks.

Does this happen to anyone else? I almost feel as though my stove is sacred to me and only me. I understand the kindness of the gesture but...

End of rant

Andrew

 

[Knots]

I had an old stove with the chimney pipe on the outside of the stove outlet. Remember this for later understanding.

One year I went on a long drive for some craigslist oak. Well, it wasn't oak, it was cottonwood. I figured I may as well take it since it was already cut to length. Remember this for later understanding.

I come home one day and the smell of creosote is heavy in the house. I look at the stove and there is a LAVA FLOW of gooey creosote flowing across the top of the stove and onto the floor.

Turns out my Dad stopped by one day and saw my stove with just some coals in it and he filled it with wood and shut the air down. Good intentions - bad execution.

 

[DougA]

I had my sister in law look after our house for a week while on holidays. She has a wood stove at home and said it would be no problem. When we got back, my year's supply of kindling was gone and none of the good splits had been touched.

Andrew, I would lock the basement door when your FIL is baby sitting. Trying to teach an old timer about new stoves will never work. He'll just think you are more stupid.

 

[Simonkenton]

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Remove that "modern" stove and go retro with the Sotz double drum stove. Father in Law will be right at home.

 

[tarzan]

Lol- my Dad loaded my stove once. I came around the curve and for a split second my stomach sunk. First thought was, chimney fire! No, that can't be? Ok, got it figured out. Yelp, Dad loaded the stove and yes he is a lifetime smoke dragon user.

I gave up on trying to get him to change his ways years ago. His ways work for him.

 

[Swedishchef]

I had my sister in law look after our house for a week while on holidays. She has a wood stove at home and said it would be no problem. When we got back, my year's supply of kindling was gone and none of the good splits had been touched.

Andrew, I would lock the basement door when your FIL is baby sitting. Trying to teach an old timer about new stoves will never work. He'll just think you are more stupid.

LOL> Burned all your kindling?! OUch.

I can't lock the darn thing....Maybe I'll change the door knobs

 

[Swedishchef]

Lol- my Dad loaded my stove once. I came around the curve and for a split second my stomach sunk. First thought was, chimney fire! No, that can't be? Ok, got it figured out. Yelp, Dad loaded the stove and yes he is a lifetime smoke dragon user.

I gave up on trying to get him to change his ways years ago. His ways work for him.

I agree, you can't change them. Their ways work for THEM. Just leave MY STOVE out of the equation

Andrew

 

[stephiedoll]

I have a roommate who is an expert on everything. Need I say more.......

 

[NYCPrincess]

Honestly, this thread is hilarious. I want more. It's like knock knock jokes.

 

[Swedishchef]

As long as they (the stories) don't come from me..I hope to not have anymore! Lol
Andrew

 

[Beer Belly]

No worries with my FIL....he is retired and well off financially...he keeps telling me to "stop with all this wood, your killing yourself....either turn up the Thermostat, or buy the wood"......and when I'm mowing the lawn, or doing leaves...."go down town and grab a couple guys from the corner with your truck....they'll do anything for a few dollars". The man has never touched a Lawn Mower, Shovel, or any manual labor....so no worries about him messing with the stove. Now, I can relate to Swedishchef, as my Wife goes thru Kindling pretty fast.

 

[Swedishchef]

Now I am worried: my wife and I are going out of town for a daytrip tomorrow. My FIL and MIL will be watching the kids. At our house. I need to breathe. *paper bag*. So I am going to light a fire, cork the stove as full as I ever have and cook him out of wanting to add more wood.

Pray for me


Andrew

 

[eclecticcottage]

If my FIL lived near by, this would scare me also. He had a cone fireplace. NOTHING like a stove. With dry wood, secondary stoves need a little more "care"....

 

[BrotherBart]

My annual cut and paste of my FIL story.

"There should be a Federal law against father-in-laws touching wood stoves. Twenty years ago my in-laws were visiting and I came home from work to be told that my FIL had discovered that if you put rain soaked logs in our wood stove the burn lasted a really long time. I gave them a few bucks and sent them out to dinner and headed for the roof. The 21 foot chimney with 8X11 flue tiles was packed from bottom to top solidly closed with fly ash and creosote. Completely plugged. In one days time.

Out came the ropes and brushes. Not what I had planned to do in the dead of night. "

 

[DougA]

You win. Nothing can beat that one.

 

[nvanhar]

My annual cut and paste of my FIL story.

"There should be a Federal law against father-in-laws touching wood stoves. Twenty years ago my in-laws were visiting and I came home from work to be told that my FIL had discovered that if you put rain soaked logs in our wood stove the burn lasted a really long time. I gave them a few bucks and sent them out to dinner and headed for the roof. The 21 foot chimney with 8X11 flue tiles was packed from bottom to top solidly closed with fly ash and creosote. Completely plugged. In one days time.

Out came the ropes and brushes. Not what I had planned to do in the dead of night. "

Seriously, can this happen?!?! In ONE day? That's a little scary....

 

[BrotherBart]

Happened. Scary. He had been putting wet wood in the stove and somehow making it kinda burn. There may have been some accumulation from whatever he had been doing for a day or two before he discovered the "magic" for long burns.

 

[BrotherBart]

I am going to quit telling that story after this time. Bill died this year and he was a hell of a nice gentleman. And retired law enforcement officer.

 

[Byrond]

Not a FIL story but... Power went out the other night. No big deal. The kid stayed at grandmas and it was pretty warm during the day. My wife decided that a candle in a dish would be great on top of the stove since we didn't have a fire. She call me the next day in a panic because she decided to build a fire because it was cold out. Never thought to remove the candle. Also, still no power for the blower. I have explained about how important it is to regulate the air control especially with no blower. Well, the dish exploded and there was wax every where. She prob won't do that again

 

[Swedishchef]

I am going to quit telling that story after this time. Bill died this year and he was a hell of a nice gentleman. And retired law enforcement officer.

Then he and I have something in common! Sounds like a nice guy.

At least he was getting better money for his burn times......????

Andrew

 

[Swedishchef]

Not a FIL story but... Power went out the other night. No big deal. The kid stayed at grandmas and it was pretty warm during the day. My wife decided that a candle in a dish would be great on top of the stove since we didn't have a fire. She call me the next day in a panic because she decided to build a fire because it was cold out. Never thought to remove the candle. Also, still no power for the blower. I have explained about how important it is to regulate the air control especially with no blower. Well, the dish exploded and there was wax every where. She prob won't do that again

Personally, all of my family members stay away from the stove like as if it had the plague.



Except my FIL!

The best time last winter: he was using my bypass damper (it's a lever) to control the fire and not the primary air intake rod which is in the front!!

Andrew

 

[Knots]

After reading this thread, I am tempted to put a pad lock on my stove door.

 

[kennyp2339]

Not a fil, but my father and his stove, every year I go over to the house and split about 5 cord of wood for him, I love working with him because he's a ton of fun (not very handy) so every April / May when we split wood we make a mixture of medium and large pieces, and every year he says " I need larger pieces to get longer burn times" but something happens with that thought process usually right around this time of year. We he gets his fire going he'll go out in the garage and take a 5" piece and re-split it , my mom calls it "making sticks" and then reloads the stove. It drives me crazy and he does this all winter. The other funny one was once he was sitting on the hearth telling us (mom, sister and myself) a story (around x-mas) and we all started laughing at him, he thought his story was funny, but actually the back of his shirt was smoking from the heat...it was hilarious until my mom started yelling and he felt the heat.

 

[lml999]

I have a roommate who is an expert on everything. Need I say more.......

So does my wife.

 

[Swedishchef]

So does my wife.

I just sent her the link to this thread. Have a good weekend !!

Andrew