We had a Lopi Revere insert installed in November, 2005 in a Heatilator EC42 prefab firebox. The flu is double wall 8" steel with a 24' insulated 6" liner running the length to the top. I clean the stainless liner each year with fiberglass rods and a 6" round brush. We've always used only dry firewood, but this year I used some less than perfectly dry ash to start the season. Early this morning, my wife tried to restart the fire and put some cardboard in the firebox to help it get started. Within 15 or 20 minutes, she woke me up telling me we had a chimney fire. I opened the door, opened the smoke bypass and saw a flickering yellow flame coming from up inside the liner, then immediately shut the door, closed the damper to shut off any air.
After the subtle roaring went down, I pulled the surround off and inspected where the liner attaches to the stove. There was a pile of black granular chunks piled up around the back of the stove on the floor of the fireplace, maybe a couple inches high around the back of the stove. I felt the liner and it was pretty hot, but I could touch it, so the fire must have been three or four feet up in the liner. My only guess is that this stuff came from between the liner and the old 8" pipe, but I didn't seen any piled up on the top of the stove, where I would think if it was coming down from the 8" pipe it would pile up first.
Looking at the specs for the liner, I see that it's rated for 2100 degrees. I want to have the chimney inspected now by a licensed sweep with a camera.
My question: Has anyone had this happen out there? If so, what did you do to resolve? Could that fire have damaged the liner?
After the subtle roaring went down, I pulled the surround off and inspected where the liner attaches to the stove. There was a pile of black granular chunks piled up around the back of the stove on the floor of the fireplace, maybe a couple inches high around the back of the stove. I felt the liner and it was pretty hot, but I could touch it, so the fire must have been three or four feet up in the liner. My only guess is that this stuff came from between the liner and the old 8" pipe, but I didn't seen any piled up on the top of the stove, where I would think if it was coming down from the 8" pipe it would pile up first.
Looking at the specs for the liner, I see that it's rated for 2100 degrees. I want to have the chimney inspected now by a licensed sweep with a camera.
My question: Has anyone had this happen out there? If so, what did you do to resolve? Could that fire have damaged the liner?