Wood stove carbon monoxide
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Grisu
Minister of Fire
No. With proper installation (e. g. full, insulated liner of at least minimum length) and operation the risk is really small. A working CO detector not too far from the stove is certainly highly recommended.
jatoxico
Minister of Fire
You should be worried in so far as you should educate yourself about the necessary elements of a proper install and how to run the stove correctly.
If you do that you'll have nothing to worry about.
If you do that you'll have nothing to worry about.
bobdog2o02
Minister of Fire
Install CO detectors in your house close enough to all sleeping areas to wake people up. This is now the law in Ontario if your house has any fuel burning appliance or an attached garage.
I have personally seen two people loose consciousness with CO, one was using a propane heater in a closed space and another was using an electric air compressor that overheated. The only good thing about CO is you never know what killed you.
I have personally seen two people loose consciousness with CO, one was using a propane heater in a closed space and another was using an electric air compressor that overheated. The only good thing about CO is you never know what killed you.
No need to worry. As said educate youself. I came home yesterday to my stove door ajar the flue closed and a smell of smoke in the house. I said to my wife, I don't think I did that. My step daughter, looked in to the stove, without opening the flue, got smoke in her face, tried to close the door but couldn't. Had to clean some ash away. She left the house knowing we would be home soon, but didn't tell us. We had to ask.
BobUrban
Minister of Fire
I think the more important risk to be aware of regarding CO is what comes off what you take out of the stove - not what you put into it. Make sure to take all the necessary precautions when dealing with ash and coal removal and get them outside in a safe place or in a sealed container AWAY from the house ie. NOT in the garage or on the deck!!
Not much gas coming out of the stove and into your house - LOTS of CO coming off the ash and coals that come out of the stove no matter how cool you THINK they may be.
There was a member storing ash in a metal can with lid on their hearth recently and could not figure out why the CO detectors were going off because the stove was working perfectly. Be safe - more fires and CO issues come from pour ash disposal than proper wood stove use I would imagine.
We have some fire fighters on here that likely will be along to confirm or debunk my above theory but in either case that ash bucket needs to be treated with a ton of respect.
Not much gas coming out of the stove and into your house - LOTS of CO coming off the ash and coals that come out of the stove no matter how cool you THINK they may be.
There was a member storing ash in a metal can with lid on their hearth recently and could not figure out why the CO detectors were going off because the stove was working perfectly. Be safe - more fires and CO issues come from pour ash disposal than proper wood stove use I would imagine.
We have some fire fighters on here that likely will be along to confirm or debunk my above theory but in either case that ash bucket needs to be treated with a ton of respect.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Worry . . . no . . . concern . . . sure.
I always tell folks who tell me that they're paranoid and worry constantly about fire or carbon monoxide that there is a difference between excessive worrying and someone who simply is concerned and has a healthy respect of things that can be dangerous in the home.
Normally . . . CO will not be an issue if the stove is drafting properly. Where folks could get into trouble is with a marginally drafting stove that becomes partially blocked from creosote and during the coaling stage the draft could be reversed. Could this happen . . . yes. Does it happen often? I can only say I've never seen it happen in the 24 years I've been a firefighter and 19 years I've been doing public fire safety education. Still . . . it never hurts to be prepared for the worse.
As Bob mentioned . . . bad burning practices such as leaving hot coals inside the home (even inside a covered metal pail) can also lead to possible CO issues. Again, is it common? I've heard of just a couple of times where this has happened . . . but again . . . best safety practices would dictate to bring the coals outside . . . and have a CO detector.
As others have mentioned . . . CO poisoning seems to be more prevalent when folks are dealing with a power outage -- many times from a storm when they're using the old kerosene heater inside (that hasn't been used since 1987), firing up a gas-powered generator too close to the home (or inside the garage or even basement) or even doing something just crazy like heating their home with the propane BBQ grill inside (believe it or not . . . it has happened.) I've also seen CO issues arise from folks bringing alternative heating units or generators inside a home under construction . . . and of course with a furnace malfunction.
My own belief -- based on personal experience and statistics -- the chance of CO poisoning from a woodstove is less than CO poisoning from other causes -- especially with the use of a generator . . . but CO detectors are pretty darned cheap these days and there is still a chance of a problem so it's always a good idea to install one or two in the home.
As mentioned . . . smoke detectors are also very important . . . but that's a whole other diatribe on my part.
I always tell folks who tell me that they're paranoid and worry constantly about fire or carbon monoxide that there is a difference between excessive worrying and someone who simply is concerned and has a healthy respect of things that can be dangerous in the home.
Normally . . . CO will not be an issue if the stove is drafting properly. Where folks could get into trouble is with a marginally drafting stove that becomes partially blocked from creosote and during the coaling stage the draft could be reversed. Could this happen . . . yes. Does it happen often? I can only say I've never seen it happen in the 24 years I've been a firefighter and 19 years I've been doing public fire safety education. Still . . . it never hurts to be prepared for the worse.
As Bob mentioned . . . bad burning practices such as leaving hot coals inside the home (even inside a covered metal pail) can also lead to possible CO issues. Again, is it common? I've heard of just a couple of times where this has happened . . . but again . . . best safety practices would dictate to bring the coals outside . . . and have a CO detector.
As others have mentioned . . . CO poisoning seems to be more prevalent when folks are dealing with a power outage -- many times from a storm when they're using the old kerosene heater inside (that hasn't been used since 1987), firing up a gas-powered generator too close to the home (or inside the garage or even basement) or even doing something just crazy like heating their home with the propane BBQ grill inside (believe it or not . . . it has happened.) I've also seen CO issues arise from folks bringing alternative heating units or generators inside a home under construction . . . and of course with a furnace malfunction.
My own belief -- based on personal experience and statistics -- the chance of CO poisoning from a woodstove is less than CO poisoning from other causes -- especially with the use of a generator . . . but CO detectors are pretty darned cheap these days and there is still a chance of a problem so it's always a good idea to install one or two in the home.
As mentioned . . . smoke detectors are also very important . . . but that's a whole other diatribe on my part.
Bluerubi
Burning Hunk
I never worried while burning wood until I had to evacuate my house, and the fire department came and aired the place out a few years ago.
I have always been very careful, with detectors on all floors, professional cleaning, new gaskets, the works. Then one year the company that cleaned my chimney didn't bother to get on the roof to clean the little slots in the cap of my stainless liner. Draft was really bad, and the detectors went nuts on both my first and second floor of my 3000+sqft house one night. I had a new appreciation for CO after that, but the detectors did their job and that chimney sweep will never see my business again......
Once the cap was wire brush cleaned it never repeated.
I have always been very careful, with detectors on all floors, professional cleaning, new gaskets, the works. Then one year the company that cleaned my chimney didn't bother to get on the roof to clean the little slots in the cap of my stainless liner. Draft was really bad, and the detectors went nuts on both my first and second floor of my 3000+sqft house one night. I had a new appreciation for CO after that, but the detectors did their job and that chimney sweep will never see my business again......
Once the cap was wire brush cleaned it never repeated.
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