Mercury220 said:
Merc, shouldn't take two hours to get to this temp. I'm guessing it's the wood, or your smaller low/slow burns, or most likely a combo of both.
Just had a chimney fire.
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Merc, shouldn't take two hours to get to this temp. I'm guessing it's the wood, or your smaller low/slow burns, or most likely a combo of both.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Random thoughts . . .
+1 to Pen's thoughts . . . he's a pretty smart guy.
I personally suspect that this was a chimney fire due to creosote build up . . . now it could be due to the wood not being seasoned enough (the oak may not be ready and even the other wood species mentioned may not truly be seasoned -- depends on when it was cut, split and stacked or what the moisture content is) or the stove isn't being run properly (i.e. not getting the stack hot enough before shutting down the air control.) Putting on the "occasional damp" piece of wood certainly doesn't help.
My own advice echoes others . . . get a sweep to check things out. I would also check your wood . . . make sure it is truly seasoned . . . buying a cheap moisture meter might be a worthwhile investment. I would also consider thermometers for both the flue and woodstove . . . and if your flue is double wall pipe this means getting a probe style thermometer.
Finally . . . as others have said . . . it is highly unusual to have to spend two hours to get a stove up to temp . . . an hour should be more than enough time in most cases to get a woodstove up and running and cruising. I don't think the problem was your kindling . . . it may have been the cause that caused the creosote to ignite, but I suspect it wasn't the cause of the creosote. The reason that you were having a problem getting the fire going most likely was due to a partial blockage in the chimney . . . most likely from creosote, although as mentioned you will want to check to make sure there isn't something else blocking the chimney like an animal or bird.
Knowing how you start up your fire may help us give you some guidance in the near future . . . for example do you do top down fires . . . when do you start closing the air control, etc.
Hang in there . . . we're here to help you get back up and burning . . . safely.
+1 to Pen's thoughts . . . he's a pretty smart guy.
I personally suspect that this was a chimney fire due to creosote build up . . . now it could be due to the wood not being seasoned enough (the oak may not be ready and even the other wood species mentioned may not truly be seasoned -- depends on when it was cut, split and stacked or what the moisture content is) or the stove isn't being run properly (i.e. not getting the stack hot enough before shutting down the air control.) Putting on the "occasional damp" piece of wood certainly doesn't help.
My own advice echoes others . . . get a sweep to check things out. I would also check your wood . . . make sure it is truly seasoned . . . buying a cheap moisture meter might be a worthwhile investment. I would also consider thermometers for both the flue and woodstove . . . and if your flue is double wall pipe this means getting a probe style thermometer.
Finally . . . as others have said . . . it is highly unusual to have to spend two hours to get a stove up to temp . . . an hour should be more than enough time in most cases to get a woodstove up and running and cruising. I don't think the problem was your kindling . . . it may have been the cause that caused the creosote to ignite, but I suspect it wasn't the cause of the creosote. The reason that you were having a problem getting the fire going most likely was due to a partial blockage in the chimney . . . most likely from creosote, although as mentioned you will want to check to make sure there isn't something else blocking the chimney like an animal or bird.
Knowing how you start up your fire may help us give you some guidance in the near future . . . for example do you do top down fires . . . when do you start closing the air control, etc.
Hang in there . . . we're here to help you get back up and burning . . . safely.
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