Affraid To Leave The House?

[ckdeuce]

Who of you are affraid to leave the house / sleep when the stove is kicking? I changed stoves from a steel Century to a Hearthstone Mansfield. Took about a week for me to feel 100% in control and comfortable leaving the house once she is crusing. No I load her up, get her going and I am off to work. Can't wait to get home to a toasty home!

 

[westkywood]

First winter with my new stove. Second winter using this flu. I have to admit. I got my stove hotter than I ever have before I left the house. I was a little concerned leaving the house. I dont worry about it. It was just the first time I left with second thoughts.

 

[Ratherbfishin]

I have no fear leaving with the stove going. If you do not have a hole in the stove nothing is going to get out. If your chimney is clean you do not have to worry about a chimney fire. If you have the proper clearance and or hearth than your walls are safe. If you close the primary air down and set the stove to cruising speed than all is well with no over firing and you will come home to a nice toasty warm home.

 

[Northern NH Mike]

First year burning I was more nervous about going to bed with it running rather than go out of the house. Now, second year, I'm pretty much comfortable doing both. I haven't set it up to run while we are at work though. I figured it was easier to just let the furnace kick on a few times during the day.

 

[Nic36]

I was kinda like Mike in that I was more paranoid when I went to bed than leaving the house. From my bedroom, I cannot see the stove but the light from the flickering flames and shadows they cast on the wall. If I load the stove before I go to bed, the lights can be quite unsettling at times.

I really have no fear leaving the house. I know I have everything installed correctly and running like it should.

 

[BrotherBart]

If something goes wrong I have always felt I would rather be at work than sleeping upstairs. That said I understand. Back in the mid 80's when I started loading the big boy, showering and shaving and then heading out I had more than a few days when I wondered if that new house would be there when I got home. It is still here.

 

[lexybird]

i think thats normal for everyone to have in the back of thier mind(especially when your a mile or two from home and you see smoke signals off in the distance ) ,thats why its so important to burn correctly ,clean your flue and safely maintain the clearances

 

[Battenkiller]

I've been heating with wood almost exclusively for over 20 years. No matter... every time I come home, some part of me is amazed that the house is still standing.

Just changed stoves and the level of anxiety soared again to newbie fears. Had a couple of sleepless nights (check some of my posting times), especially after going down to check it and the heat is pounding off the thing (700ºF) just before hitting the hay. Never had a stove that cranks for me like this one does. It's been over two weeks of regular burning. Today is the first day I rushed out of the house and only gave it a quick once over. House was there when I got back (stove still an OK 250ºF).

 

[par0thead151]

i think thats normal for everyone to have in the back of thier mind(especially when your a mile or two from home and you see smoke signals off in the distance ) ,thats why its so important to burn correctly ,clean your flue and safely maintain the clearances

good to hear im not the only one who thought this the first few weeks of owning my stove...

the second day i had my stove, i came home to see smoke in the area where my house was, and fire trucks racing there.
it was a car fire outside of my neighborhood...

i still wake up about an hour after going to bed to check on it, make sure the temp is ok. then i go to sleep for the night.
no alarm to wake me up, i just wake up. i cant explain it.
this coming from a guy who can routinely sleep through his alarm, so as to need 2 alarms set to insure waking up on time for work.

 

[Corriewf]

I've been heating with wood almost exclusively for over 20 years. No matter... every time I come home, some part of me is amazed that the house is still standing.

Just changed stoves and the level of anxiety soared again to newbie fears. Had a couple of sleepless nights (check some of my posting times), especially after going down to check it and the heat is pounding off the thing (700ºF) just before hitting the hay. Never had a stove that cranks for me like this one does. It's been over two weeks of regular burning. Today is the first day I rushed out of the house and only gave it a quick once over. House was there when I got back (stove still an OK 250ºF).

I worry like Battenkiller, I mean it is fire in a box. Something could always go wrong. I worry more about my pets if something were to happen than the stuff that I would lose. Although now that I am comfortable with my stove, I feel totally safe. I don't think I would like to leave after a fresh load up though.

On another note, I would be more worried if we used gas, even on standby. Something about falling asleep and not waking up bothers me.

 

[begreen]

I stopped worrying as soon as I installed things properly with an EPA stove using dry wood. Clean flues have put my mind to rest. Heck, most people forget that there is a fire raging in their oil or gas furnaces too. And believe me, I know. When I was a teenager, I saved our house from burning down by pulling the breaker on a leaky oil furnace. Long story, but trust me, it can happen.

 

[snowtime]

As one who put in a new stove and chimney I can tell you the new systems and regs are so much safer than what we had before that it takes most of the worry away.
If I was nervous I would start by leaving a small fire and gradually work up to stoking then leaving. You will get your confidence. It's also good to never be cocky and always be aware of changes in how your stove is operating.

 

[gibson]

++ to Be Green. I knew for mine and my wife's sanity, that a first class installation, with liner and inspection would do. Smoke and CO2 detectors in the stove room, smokes in the downstairs and up stairs halls. CO2 in the kids rooms. Then the fire extinguishers, two downstairs, one up, along with a rescue ladder upstairs. My 9 yr old put together the evac plan and the meeting place.

I feel very safe with my preparation and my burning setup.
Cheers.

 

[par0thead151]

++ to Be Green. I knew for mine and my wife's sanity, that a first class installation, with liner and inspection would do. Smoke and CO2 detectors in the stove room, smokes in the downstairs and up stairs halls. CO2 in the kids rooms. Then the fire extinguishers, two downstairs, one up, along with a rescue ladder upstairs. My 9 yr old put together the evac plan and the meeting place.

I feel very safe with my preparation and my burning setup.
Cheers.

are all C02 sensors created equal?
i need to buy one for my bedroom, and by the stove still. i only have one by my washer and drier, and downstairs by the furnace.
i assume these things have a serviceable lifespan?

 

[grommal]

First season burning, winter of 86-87, I only burned evening fires for a little while until I was sure I knew how to control the old VC cat stove. But after a couple of weeks of that, we started burning at night, and then during the day with nobody home. As it turns out, even after over 20 years experience with that stove, we really never could "control" it anyway.

With the new Oslo, after the break-in fires, it was time for overnight burns, and increasing fuel loads, just to get a feel for the operational differences. After only a few fires I was comfortable that I knew how to run it, and have not worried about it since.

 

[ashpanannie]

I have to admit that the new stove with glass took some confidence building after many years of a stove with no glass. Somehow, I couldn't quite be sure glass was totally safe with such high heat and what if a log rolls against it, etc.

Our stove without glass could be left unattended while gone or asleep and I can't ever remember worrying, even when the children were growing up.

This is my second year with glass. I still feel a bit wary but I do go out with the stove cranking and I sleep pretty well, overall.

 

[argus66]

i too was a little leery for a while going out and sleeping but then i think im burning good seasoned wood i try to burn hot and i clean pipe regularly. what do u guys do with dampening? i put it all the way down and then back it off slightly. is this what others are doing.?

 

[buffygirl]

Thank you for this post -- If you have read any of my posts you know I have had tremendous burn anxiety - don't like the feeling of not being able to manipulate those secondary flames when the stove is closed up -- Hate leaving my dog(Buffy) at home with this raging inferno - I even put a note on the door with her picture asking the firefighters to save her -- hey, what does it hurt? If they don't have to come, they won't know. Anyway, you have all been very informative and encouraging over the last couple of months. If this is a bell shaped learning curve, my bell has turned over and I'm stuck in the bottom -- everything I know from past stove burning is irrelevant.
Keep up the great posts!

Buffygirl
New Jotul Oslo burner-Fall of 09

 

[quads]

I've been heating with wood for 40 years, and I grew up with it, Mom and Dad heated with wood too, and their parents before them, and on and on. I still think about it every time I leave, and check and double check the stove before going out the door. I think about it during the night and get up once or twice to check on things.

But, I am a worrywart about everything. It's not only the woodstove, but the water heater, the kitchen range, I think about the wiring in the walls, I wonder if someone is going to throw a cigarette out the window of their car and burn the woods/house down, I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night worrying if a tornado is coming, I cringe when I walk by the air compressor in the garage with all that compressed air in the tank, I dread always having to argue with my ISP to keep this stupid Internet connection working,..................................

I guess I could say that, in the back of my mind at least, I am afraid of everything!

 

[gzecc]

Quads, Thats funny, everytime I go to pick up the compressor I picture it blowing up in my face.

 

[Later]

Quads, now you have ruined my love for my compressor. What's next?

 

[firefighterjake]

++ to Be Green. I knew for mine and my wife's sanity, that a first class installation, with liner and inspection would do. Smoke and CO2 detectors in the stove room, smokes in the downstairs and up stairs halls. CO2 in the kids rooms. Then the fire extinguishers, two downstairs, one up, along with a rescue ladder upstairs. My 9 yr old put together the evac plan and the meeting place.

I feel very safe with my preparation and my burning setup.
Cheers.

HehHeh . . . CO2 detectors, huh? Good for detecting fizzy soda?

Sorry, just busting on ya . . . I know you meant CO detectors.

And for the record I agree with you 100% . . . safe install, inspection and getting the safety equipment and then coming up with a plan. Kudos to your kid . . . and to you as parents for listening to his/her advice.

 

[firefighterjake]

++ to Be Green. I knew for mine and my wife's sanity, that a first class installation, with liner and inspection would do. Smoke and CO2 detectors in the stove room, smokes in the downstairs and up stairs halls. CO2 in the kids rooms. Then the fire extinguishers, two downstairs, one up, along with a rescue ladder upstairs. My 9 yr old put together the evac plan and the meeting place.

I feel very safe with my preparation and my burning setup.
Cheers.

are all C02 sensors created equal?
i need to buy one for my bedroom, and by the stove still. i only have one by my washer and drier, and downstairs by the furnace.
i assume these things have a serviceable lifespan?

There was a thread on this topic just recently.

Long and short . . . all CO detectors have to pass muster with the UL (of course faulty detectors can slip through the QA/QI controls, but as a rule if they have been approved by the UL they're good.

With most CO detectors it boils down to whether you want the extra features like digital read outs . . . my own take . . . the digital read outs are handy, but my own take on this is the more important feature is whether it has batery back-up and a longer life span (different companies recommend changing them out at different intervals ranging from 3-7 years.)

 

[firefighterjake]

I have to admit that the new stove with glass took some confidence building after many years of a stove with no glass. Somehow, I couldn't quite be sure glass was totally safe with such high heat and what if a log rolls against it, etc.

Our stove without glass could be left unattended while gone or asleep and I can't ever remember worrying, even when the children were growing up.

This is my second year with glass. I still feel a bit wary but I do go out with the stove cranking and I sleep pretty well, overall.

It is different isn't it . . . when you can actually see the flames vs. when you shut up the door . . . and even though the "glass" is incredibly tough and strong, there is always that little voice in the back of your head that says "There is no way we should trust our safety to that large piece of glass." At least that's what my little voice was telling me . . . the other little voice however that was saying "Aw, go ahead get the fire going and leave . . . things will be OK . . . besides you're saving lots of money on heating oil" eventually won out . . . fortunately the other little voice shouting "Redrum! Redrum! Redrum!" wasn't heard . . . at least since I checked out of that hotel.

 

[firefighterjake]

i too was a little leery for a while going out and sleeping but then i think im burning good seasoned wood i try to burn hot and i clean pipe regularly. what do u guys do with dampening? i put it all the way down and then back it off slightly. is this what others are doing.?

I think it depends on a large part to the quality of your draft and how well seasoned your wood is . . . last year I always had to have the air control open a dite . . . about a quarter past the "all shut" mark . . . this year once I get the stove hot enough I can and routinely shut the air control down "all the way" for longer, overnight burns . . . it's amazing what having well seasoned wood will do for you when it comes to heating.