daveswoodhauler
Minister of Fire
We'll leave the house with the stove burning, but I usually like to make sure that the temps have stabled or decreasing a bit before heading out the door.
Wood stove burning when not home?
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Mrs. Krabappel
Minister of Fire
certified106
Minister of Fire
I have never been concerned with leaving my woodstove going while I'm away. I always make sure that it is settled down air adjusted before walking ou the door. If I don't have the time to mkake sure it's settled before leaving I will just let it go out and restart when I get back.
HotCoals
Minister of Fire
My wife is the same way.Cowboy Billy said:
Won't leave the house with the dryer running..but she has no problem with the stove going 24/7.
PapaDave
Minister of Fire
When we first moved here, it took some time to learn the stove (still learning), and I worried about the stove exploding or melting, or some other such nonsense. I also kept thinking I'd left the house without turning down the air, or closing the door completely. OOHHH, maybe I put in too much wood, and it'll overfire, and my house will catch fire and the dogs will all die a terrible death.
Yeah, not so much. Never happened. Well, not yet.
I got the house nice and warmed up a couple mornings ago, and reloaded the stove, before going on a job. Came home about 8.5 hours later, the house was down to about 63, and my wife was happily talking on the phone to our eldest daughter. She was still there, dogs too. Stove still had enough embers to get the fire restarted.
This will only be my 5th year doing this, but I have very few qualms about it, although I STILL think I left that damn door just a little ajar. I actually turned around and went back home once because I could not remember closing the door. I worry more about ME than I do the stove.
Gain some experience with your stove, burn dry wood, be happy.
Yeah, not so much. Never happened. Well, not yet.
I got the house nice and warmed up a couple mornings ago, and reloaded the stove, before going on a job. Came home about 8.5 hours later, the house was down to about 63, and my wife was happily talking on the phone to our eldest daughter. She was still there, dogs too. Stove still had enough embers to get the fire restarted.
This will only be my 5th year doing this, but I have very few qualms about it, although I STILL think I left that damn door just a little ajar. I actually turned around and went back home once because I could not remember closing the door. I worry more about ME than I do the stove.
Gain some experience with your stove, burn dry wood, be happy.
wood-fan-atic
Minister of Fire
Wow. You guys are freakin me out. I NEVER worried about leaving my stove burning......that what it DOES....it BURNS. It is the source of heat for my home. If I cant leave my house with my 'heat' on, I had better find another source of heat. I run my stove the same all the time- whether Im home or not - full load,burning well,lower air control twice until fully closed, burn down to coals (6-9 hours, depending on conditions). This is how it runs, and SHOULD run. There are too many things in this world that scare the bejesis out of me.....I cant let my trusted stove be one of them.
shawneyboy
Minister of Fire
I never leave with a fresh load, but leave after its set and burning. As was said prior, if I can sleep with the stove burning, I certainly can leave the house with it burning.
It is funny how people think that leaving a stove burning is a bad idea, when you have control of it, but think nothing of leaving the home that burns NG or LP, with the furnace turned on, which if something were to go wrong could have a much larger negative impact.
Now I have a stove. I have friends who still have an open fireplace, they were leaving it unattended, which I told them and we all know is NOT A GOOD IDEA
!
With a stove or an insert with the "control" of the fire and the inability of embers coming out (as long as all doors are properly closed and locked) leaving the stove burning and leaving the house is a normal thing.
It is funny how people think that leaving a stove burning is a bad idea, when you have control of it, but think nothing of leaving the home that burns NG or LP, with the furnace turned on, which if something were to go wrong could have a much larger negative impact.
Now I have a stove. I have friends who still have an open fireplace, they were leaving it unattended, which I told them and we all know is NOT A GOOD IDEA
!With a stove or an insert with the "control" of the fire and the inability of embers coming out (as long as all doors are properly closed and locked) leaving the stove burning and leaving the house is a normal thing.
I am a 24/7 burner and don't hesitate to leave with the stove burning. I think RAMSAY hit it on the nose with the common sense thing. Ever think about a gas furnace being a fire hazard? How many thousands of gas furnaces are left unmaintained and unattended for months or even years at a time, with no concern for dust build up or any other combustibles that may make their way into the burn chambers. I really think that any heating source is hazardous but in some cases you just have to use your head and not be a complete numbskull about how you treat it.
NH_Wood
Minister of Fire
I always make sure the stove is going well BEFORE leaving for the day! It's my heat source for the house! But, seriously, I agree with other - safe install, good burning practices, should be able to leave the stove running. I do make sure that the stove is cruising and not likely to run away - I wouldn't feel good leaving the stove under one hour from loading. I need some time to make sure the stove is going to level off. Cheers!
savageactor7
Minister of Fire
We've burned our unattended wood stoves since the bi-continental no problems, thank God.
Started with a Franklin stove then the 2 Shenandoah's R65 an R77 now this QF4300. After you do it a doz times or so you'll feel better about it. Hey an unseen mouse in the ceiling biting through an electrical wire can just as easily start a catastrophic event.
If all your ducks are lined up correctly...fear God and dread naught.
Started with a Franklin stove then the 2 Shenandoah's R65 an R77 now this QF4300. After you do it a doz times or so you'll feel better about it. Hey an unseen mouse in the ceiling biting through an electrical wire can just as easily start a catastrophic event.
If all your ducks are lined up correctly...fear God and dread naught.
FyreBug
Minister of Fire
Do you feel comfortable with a gas / oil furnace functionning while u are away? They also have a naked flame inside a combustion chamber. Same difference with a wood stove. They are safety tested & certified by UL & other bodies. As long as your installation is to code, your chimney is clean & you are familiar with the behavior of your appliance
it should pose no concern.
it should pose no concern.
gizmos
Member
All the time.
People leave their gas furnace on ? So why not a wood stove? I trust it every night when we go to sleep. I trust it in the morning,when I load it and leave for work while the family is still sleeping for a couple more hours.
Actually, if we are going to leave for a long time, we give it a big load, so the house stays warm and we have coals when we return.
I installed this stove, it's safe, no worries.
People leave their gas furnace on ? So why not a wood stove? I trust it every night when we go to sleep. I trust it in the morning,when I load it and leave for work while the family is still sleeping for a couple more hours.
Actually, if we are going to leave for a long time, we give it a big load, so the house stays warm and we have coals when we return.
I installed this stove, it's safe, no worries.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
I find this thread simply amazing! I also have to ask a question: What do you suppose people did 70-80 or more years ago? Most people then burned wood or coal or a combination. As for me, my chores with the stove began back in the 1940's. First it was taking care of ashes and then as I grew the chores did too. It went to bringing wood in (we stored some in our enclosed back porch) and then to stacking wood and then to both splitting and stacking. Somewhere along in that time I also began to load the stoves. So I learned much in my youth.....but still have not stopped learning.
What do you suppose we do? After all, our wood stove is our only source of heat! Therefore, we burn 24/7 during the cold months. Of course that means a fire is going when we are sleeping or outdoors working or even like yesterday when we had to be in they city for most of the day. We got along just fine and when we returned home and opened the door, that wood heat felt terrific! No, we do not hesitate to keep the stove going while we are gone.
Here's one other example: One time we decided to visit our eldest son and his family during Christmas. We simply hired a neighbor boy to tend the stove while we were gone. All worked out well too but we were very happy to return home when we did because that night the temperature dropped to -22.
In our opinion, there is no good reason to not have the stove heating even when you are not there. Stoves get hot; that is what they are for. As someone else stated, a furnace also gets hot and has a big fire contained in a firepot just like a wood heating stove. As for me, I am more nervous with gas and oil than I am with wood.
In the end it is the same as in the beginning. It is the duty of the people burning wood to insure they have the proper wood to burn and that means good dry wood. Sadly wood burning and suppliers are lacking a lot when it comes to knowledge of what good fuel really is and the proper handling of this wood. If you are buying wood you can count on that wood seller to tell you the wood is seasoned. However, what is seasoned wood? It is sort of like that same wood seller telling you it is mixed hardwood. Well, we need good hardwood for the fires so that must be the right stuff! Well, maybe.
First, wood is not seasoned at all nor starts to season until it is cut to length and split. Then it needs to be stacked out in the open air where wind will hit the sides of the wood pile. Then it needs time. How much time? That depends upon what type of wood you have. Some wood needs only a year. Some needs 2 years and some needs 3. If people would follow these guidelines with their wood they will have some happy times. If not, they have fires that don't want to burn (and blame the stove or chimney) and then also have creosote problems.
On to the hardwoods. Technically any tree that drops its leaves is a hardwood. Therefore, poplar, cottonwood and willow are all hardwoods as is soft maple. But so is oak and hickory and locust. But the difference in these types of wood is like the difference between a Cadillac and a second-hand Ford. The burning characteristics are also a world apart.
I guess I've rambled long enough here. I do not wish to scare anyone away from burning wood because it can be rather satisfying to do so. There are safe ways to do it but there are some bad things you can do too. You need to learn the difference. There is much knowledge here on hearth.com and I urge all new wood burners to come on with their questions. Ask a question and when that has been answered, ask more. Keep asking and we'll keep trying to help.
Good luck to all.
Merry Christmas to all.
What do you suppose we do? After all, our wood stove is our only source of heat! Therefore, we burn 24/7 during the cold months. Of course that means a fire is going when we are sleeping or outdoors working or even like yesterday when we had to be in they city for most of the day. We got along just fine and when we returned home and opened the door, that wood heat felt terrific! No, we do not hesitate to keep the stove going while we are gone.
Here's one other example: One time we decided to visit our eldest son and his family during Christmas. We simply hired a neighbor boy to tend the stove while we were gone. All worked out well too but we were very happy to return home when we did because that night the temperature dropped to -22.
In our opinion, there is no good reason to not have the stove heating even when you are not there. Stoves get hot; that is what they are for. As someone else stated, a furnace also gets hot and has a big fire contained in a firepot just like a wood heating stove. As for me, I am more nervous with gas and oil than I am with wood.
In the end it is the same as in the beginning. It is the duty of the people burning wood to insure they have the proper wood to burn and that means good dry wood. Sadly wood burning and suppliers are lacking a lot when it comes to knowledge of what good fuel really is and the proper handling of this wood. If you are buying wood you can count on that wood seller to tell you the wood is seasoned. However, what is seasoned wood? It is sort of like that same wood seller telling you it is mixed hardwood. Well, we need good hardwood for the fires so that must be the right stuff! Well, maybe.
First, wood is not seasoned at all nor starts to season until it is cut to length and split. Then it needs to be stacked out in the open air where wind will hit the sides of the wood pile. Then it needs time. How much time? That depends upon what type of wood you have. Some wood needs only a year. Some needs 2 years and some needs 3. If people would follow these guidelines with their wood they will have some happy times. If not, they have fires that don't want to burn (and blame the stove or chimney) and then also have creosote problems.
On to the hardwoods. Technically any tree that drops its leaves is a hardwood. Therefore, poplar, cottonwood and willow are all hardwoods as is soft maple. But so is oak and hickory and locust. But the difference in these types of wood is like the difference between a Cadillac and a second-hand Ford. The burning characteristics are also a world apart.
I guess I've rambled long enough here. I do not wish to scare anyone away from burning wood because it can be rather satisfying to do so. There are safe ways to do it but there are some bad things you can do too. You need to learn the difference. There is much knowledge here on hearth.com and I urge all new wood burners to come on with their questions. Ask a question and when that has been answered, ask more. Keep asking and we'll keep trying to help.
Good luck to all.
Merry Christmas to all.
northwinds
Minister of Fire
We burn 24/7. We think nothing of leaving the house once the stove has been stabilized. I won't start
a new fire if I don't have an hour to dedicate to stabilization. My daughter learned that the hard way this
week. We got home from school yesterday, and I started up a mostly full firebox. Five minutes later, she
informed me that she forgot her musical instrument at school and needed it. There's no good way to put
a fire on "hold" or turn it off once it's been started.
She waited for an hour until the stove was ready to leave. We got into the school but needed to find a
custodian to get us into the locker area. She whined a little about how you don't have to wait an hour
with a gas furnace. I reminded her that the money we save on wood heat pays for her musical instrument
rental.
a new fire if I don't have an hour to dedicate to stabilization. My daughter learned that the hard way this
week. We got home from school yesterday, and I started up a mostly full firebox. Five minutes later, she
informed me that she forgot her musical instrument at school and needed it. There's no good way to put
a fire on "hold" or turn it off once it's been started.
She waited for an hour until the stove was ready to leave. We got into the school but needed to find a
custodian to get us into the locker area. She whined a little about how you don't have to wait an hour
with a gas furnace. I reminded her that the money we save on wood heat pays for her musical instrument
rental.
Wow, Ex - looks like ya struck a chord here. There are lots of folks here with lots of time and experience burning and many who rely on their stoves as their only source of heat.
You mentioned in your original post that you loaded the fire, let it catch for 5 or 10 minutes, then choked it down to a smoulder. This is a bad thing. It will build creosote (our sworn enemy) in your chimney, plug your cap, expel tons of smoke, and could lead to a dangerous situation.
Burn your stove efficiently while you are home. Learn it and understand it to the point where you ~know~ what your stove will do 1 hour, 4 hours, and 8 hours from the time you load and start it. Once you know it, you'll be confident in it and the question of "leaving it burning while not at home" won't even be of the slightest concern to you.
You mentioned in your original post that you loaded the fire, let it catch for 5 or 10 minutes, then choked it down to a smoulder. This is a bad thing. It will build creosote (our sworn enemy) in your chimney, plug your cap, expel tons of smoke, and could lead to a dangerous situation.
Burn your stove efficiently while you are home. Learn it and understand it to the point where you ~know~ what your stove will do 1 hour, 4 hours, and 8 hours from the time you load and start it. Once you know it, you'll be confident in it and the question of "leaving it burning while not at home" won't even be of the slightest concern to you.
Not so much with the group that enjoys and participates on this site, but I wanted to mention to Dennis that there are a lot of basic skills that have been lost or (at the very least) passed over in the past 50-60 yrs.. A few spring instantly to mind:
Knowledge about heating with wood in general. Firewood, proper lighting technique (see Tragic Fire)
Sewing/knitting
Canning/drying/freezing
Raising/slaughtering poulty
How to properly maintain an oil lamp; trimming wicks/installing new ones
It's only natural that one would be uncertain or cautious when heading into what beginners/newbies view as uncharted waters. And I think that's what's such fun about this site; questions are answered and anecdotes shared all with the hope that the shared knowledge will bolster confidence in the uncertain.
(When I headed out to Orange the Classic was happily combusting at just over 400 °F (stove top) and I didn't give it a second thought until I returned home and this thread caught my eye again.)
Knowledge about heating with wood in general. Firewood, proper lighting technique (see Tragic Fire)
Sewing/knitting
Canning/drying/freezing
Raising/slaughtering poulty
How to properly maintain an oil lamp; trimming wicks/installing new ones
It's only natural that one would be uncertain or cautious when heading into what beginners/newbies view as uncharted waters. And I think that's what's such fun about this site; questions are answered and anecdotes shared all with the hope that the shared knowledge will bolster confidence in the uncertain.
(When I headed out to Orange the Classic was happily combusting at just over 400 °F (stove top) and I didn't give it a second thought until I returned home and this thread caught my eye again.)
raybonz
Minister of Fire
Green Energy
Feeling the Heat
It sounds like just about everyone is comfortable with letting a stove that is in cruising mode go unattended, whether out of the house or overnight while sleeping. Same here, only problem is when I do a reload with too much coals, then I just need to make sure that the stove settles down. I not too comfortable when the stove top temp is hitting 650 and continuing to rise. But most of the time, I plan my reload to provide an hour before bedtime or leaving for work.
This is where having a quality installation makes all the difference in peace of mind.
This is where having a quality installation makes all the difference in peace of mind.
raybonz
Minister of Fire
We burn 24/7 here when it's cold like now and don't think twice about it.. We leave the house and check the locks and turn the lights on and don't worry about the stove..Maybe when the stove was brand new and so were we that I thought about it.. With 23 years or so we pretty much know what to expect.. Heck Dennis (Sav) used to rub 2 sticks together (he predates dinosaurs) to get his stove going and now he has moved onto fire sticks aka matches.. As Dennis pointed out people have heated with wood since the dawn of time, light years longer than oil, gas or coal..Bottom line is wood fire = $, oil fire = $$$$$...
:lol:
Ray
:lol:
Ray
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
Bobbin said:
You are right Bobbin and it is a shame some of those skills have been lost. As stated, wood burning is only one. How many sew or knit today? There are still many who can and freeze but not so many who dry their food. We don't put up as many vegetables as we once did but we still can all of our venison, We take care of the meat ourselves and my wife has even taken to doing the skinning of the animal!
Raising ans slaughtering of not only poultry but other types too is something very few do any more and that is sad, but a sign of the times, I guess. Oil lamps, well there are a few but not many. Still, all these skills can be learned if one wants to do the learning.
It is good the one is a bit cautious when starting a new thing like wood burning but I am surprised by just how cautious and afraid some are. But with the help of many on this forum, they will soon relax and start to really enjoy wood heat.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
raybonz said:
Hey Ray, take it easy. lol I suppose you think I used to have a dinosaur for a pet rather than a dog?! :lol:
On one happy side, I have always wondered just how many dollars we've saved over the years by burning wood. I'm betting it is a bunch!
Flatbedford
Minister of Fire
Our Fireview burns 24/7. I just about always pack it to the gills when we leave the house. I want it warm when I get back. As long as there is a good bed of coals, the stove is ready to be left alone in 10 or 15 minutes after reload.
raybonz
Minister of Fire
Backwoods Savage said:
Yes indeed my friend but it's much more than that as you know.. It's about the independence of providing for your family (you more so than me as I rely on most of my firewood from others but I do some amount of my own wood),it's about how warm and cozy it is when I walk in the door, it's about the terrific people I have met in here (so far only here but hopefully someday in person), also as you've been saying just getting back to basics.. I have read Mother Earth News for quite a long time as it based on this premise.. The person I admire most in modern times is Dick Proeneke (One Man's Wilderness). Even though I do not live the simple life as much as I'd like to I live it in spirit and appreciate those have figured it out.. It's ironic that I do very high tech work yet I love the most simple things in life best..
Take Care,
Ray
With my old Buck 27000 I wouldn't hardly leave the room, much less the house. Sparks flying out were the norm. I have full reasonable confidence in my Lopi Freedom and will stoke up the fire really hot then choke it down right before leaving. The burns are so predictable I don't worry at all about being out of the house with a hot fire in the box.
I, too, installed mine myself and know it was done right with quality materials.
I say it depends on your stove/setup. If everything isn't tight you might have reasonable caution about leaving it unattended.
I, too, installed mine myself and know it was done right with quality materials.
I say it depends on your stove/setup. If everything isn't tight you might have reasonable caution about leaving it unattended.
Snag
New Member
We burn 24/7. We keep the stove maintained, clean the chimney, use seasoned wood and a big dose of common sense. I don't push the envelope in regard to overloading the stove even if I'm staying in the house and 8-hour overnight burns aren't a priority ever since hubby developed insomnia. That said, we live out in the country and my house pets don't have the means to escape by themselves. Still, I trust the wood stove (Isle Royale) to contain any fire I put in it regardless if I'm home or not... I figure if you can't trust it while you're not at home, why are you trusting it when you are?
Carolyn
Carolyn
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