Be careful about pushing your stoves too hard in this weather

[Fred61]

I've been standing in front of the window for the last 2 hours watching my neighbor's house burn to the ground.
I didn't go down for a close look because it is quite a hike in this weather but I've been predicting this. He's new to the area and I've observed him bucking up logs that had been skidded out summer before last, splitting them and stacking them in the shed attached to the house without giving it any drying time. I'm just speculating here but I'll bet that pushing his stove temperatures up ignited his flue or chimney.

I don't know the guy but I was saddened to see this happen.

 

[BrotherBart]

No two ways about it. Sad when that happens. Hope they got out of the house and that they have some place warm for the night. Whether it was the stove, chimney, space heater or electric short etc. Lots of chit burns down houses.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

Yes, this is the season for the chimney fires!

If he rebuilds and a chimney fire is the cause. He will want an OWB to heat the house after that experience.

Another cause this time of year- improper disposal of ashes. its cold outside with slippers the ash can always gets closer to the house this time of year.

 

[heaterman]

Our department has been out on two wood burning related fires since New Years day. One was a typical chimney fire in a block chimney with a clay liner. The other was a fireplace with a steel "heatform" ...at least that's what they are called around here. Basically a steel firebox around which the stone or brick exterior is laid up. The guy got it so hot it ignited the wood header behind the brick about 3 feet above the door opening.

We saved both places without a lot of damage. The block chimney was shot but we found the hot spots in the wall with the thermal imaging camera, got the wall opened up and put it down. On the fireplace incident, we had to take the wall down to the studs for about 5' either side of it but that was about it. Both homeowners were very lucky.

 

[Fred61]

I'll find out the cause of the blaze tomorrow.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

Tonight is the night they will need help. I always make the trek to offer assistance. Remember they have lost everything! a couch, a phone, ride to hotel, clothes etc. will make a neighbor very appreciative. IMHO

 

[Fred61]

There must be 25 trucks and other vehicles down there. I doubt they are alone out in the cold. I'm sure there are several other fire truck chasers gumming up the works down there. It's like daylight with all the blinking red lights and floodlights. I suspect there are 3 or 4 fire companies down there.

 

[TimfromPittsburgh]

A house fire is so devastating to a family. I think it pays to be a bit paranoid about the possibility of a fire and act accordingly.

We learned our lesson many years ago when my wife hung a length of clothes line above the flue pipe and was drying clothes there. An article of clothing contacted the flue and was smoldering when our son just returning home from school walked in, spotted the burning article and removed it. I was weak in the knees when he told me about it that evening but ever so thankful that he came by when he did and for the action he took.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

you can get the tone on your iphone 5-0 radio is the app. way cool.

Growing up we had several families lose it all. had many children around the pot belly stove eating chicken noodle soup cooked on the pot belly.

 

[jebatty]

Our department has been out on two wood burning related fires since New Years day.... The other was a fireplace with a steel "heatform" ...at least that's what they are called around here. Basically a steel firebox around which the stone or brick exterior is laid up. The guy got it so hot it ignited the wood header behind the brick about 3 feet above the door opening.

That's what we have, and we do not use it for heating, only for casual "ambience" fires, although it has heat vents on both sides of the steel heatform. In 2006 we remodeled the bathroom with a stud wall that backs up to the masonry on the backside of the fireplace. I was shocked. Several of the studs plus the header were charred. Clearly a fire could have started. I rebuilt the stud wall with an sheet metal backed air space between the wall and the masonry, and then left open a 1/2" crack where the wall ends into open space to allow venting of the air space. No more hot fires in the fireplace either.

Our long term goal when our wood stove needs replacement, if ever (it has been is use for 23 years), is to install a fireplace insert stove with greater capacity than our wood stove that heats the house. The fireplace opening is very large and will accept a large insert. With that will come a Class A chimney as well.

 

[MarkW]

I've a great respect for fire. While I've not been responsible for the fires, I've had direct involvement with a couple structure fires. Fortunately, no significant losses where a home and the commercial losses were unoccupied at the time of the fire.
It takes a surprizingly small amount of ignition source to get good tender going. And, we often don't recognize that tender until after it burns.
At the moment, my 60's located in a shed 90' from the house and there is real comfort in that. However, I hope to build this year and it will be relocated into an attached garage. While I consider the risk of this type of system better than others I've used, I'm experiencing a strong urge to install a fires suppression system. I don't know but it might make me sleep better on nights like we're having now when I leave it going to assist storage.

 

[Fred61]

One of the culprets I've seen in countless fires is flue pipe clearance to combustables. Everything is fine until they get a night with extremely low temperatures or if they happen to forget to close the damper and poof they're homeless. I've been in houses where there is only about 2 inches clearance between the pipe and wood paneling where the flue pipe enters the thimble.

 

[MarkW]

True. Even with good spacing, I've got rock wool on the combustables near my flue because I had extra on hand. I like to call it cautious rather than paranoid.

 

[91LMS]

i absolutely hate hearing stuff like this. watching the news in the morning and seeing house fires flips my stomach upside down, shakey knees, and then i have to shove off to work looking at the fire in the wood stove. not the best feeling. with my paranoia of fire i tend to be my worst enemy and not burn my stove as hot as i should. that can be a catch 22 as well.

hence why i moved my boiler outside, now just to make some tweaks so it doesnt need "help" on these -10 deg mornings.

 

[Fred61]

Although I'm confident that my boiler is installed safely I still celebrate the ability to heat my home by batch burning and not have the boiler running when we're sleeping. or away for any period of time. When I ran a stove I would check and re-check the settings before leaving for work and sometimes get a half mile down the road, question myself and go back to check it again. The thought entered my mind several times when returning home about coming down the road and seeing a pile of ashes where my home used to be.

 

[MarkW]

When I ran a stove I would check and re-check the settings before leaving for work and sometimes get a half mile down the road, question myself and go back to check it again. The thought entered my mind several times when returning home about coming down the road and seeing a pile of ashes where my home used to be.

You too, huh?

 

[Fred61]

I was finally able to free myself from the heart monitor I've been attached to so I'm better able to maneuver myself around. I'm on my way to the UPS drop to send it back to the hospital and I'll be driving by the fire scene so I'll assess the damage.

 

[91LMS]

i get myself so worked up somedays, i wait till the fire would be just about out in the stove then call home to see if the answering machine still works to make sure its not a melted piece of plastic. at that point i can usually go on with my day.

 

[muncybob]

You too, huh?

....and I thought I was the only one that did that!

 

[Fred61]

Neighbor's house is pretty much destroyed. Two far walls are standing which I couldn't see from my house last night. One completely burned Volkswagen Jetta and one charred 50s vintage John Deere.

I noticed they spent the night with a neighbor just to the north of their place with whom they share a property boundary. Wasn't able to find out the cause.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Its more about burning green wood than pushing the stove as in your neighbors burning house.
Woods stoves reputation will always suffer for the many hardheaded burners who dont have a clue about moisture content and drying wood and refuse to educate themselves.
If your flue is filled with creosote sooner or later you will light it off.

 

[peakbagger]

I would speculate that it probably is inadequate clearances. Given the description of the type of wood the neighbor was burning, I expect the creosote had already built up and generally if the build up is there it would have lit off during the first cold stretch. Most of the US has already had a couple of cold stretches so I expect he would have had the chimney fire earlier in the season. Inadequate clearance is far more insidious. The flash point of the wood slowly cycles downwards every time the stove is operated hard until it reaches the point where its flash point is less than the current surface temperature. and up it goes.

I guess the only good thing that comes out of a fire like this is everyone escaped, stuff can be replaced but family cant.

 

[ihookem]

I had a house fire 5 years ago. it didn't burn the house down but it was so smoked up that American Family agreed we would never get the smoke smell out. We tore a 4 yr old brick ranch down. Ah, carpet needed cleaning anyway. It was a fireplace insert, Quadrafire 7100. Fire gurru said it was a chimney fire, then said clearances were too close. I say it was an electric fire going to the fans. The fans were shot and noisy. We went to bed 11pm and by 1am I woke up and could smell smoke. Think it was very odd I looked at the fireplace but I had very little fire , just some coals at 11pm. I had a bit of mortar break off along the edge of the bottom that meets the stove. I could see orange light in there and knew it was a fire. -6F Christmas day, 12 days after I made the last payment on the house. We rebult better, more insulated and the EKO 25 is outside. I wish I would have gotten another wood stove in the house just for fires once in a while but we were so paranoid about it we put gas in. We still have not even had a gas fire. Oh well.

 

[MarkW]

Ah, carpet needed cleaning anyway

That's what I call looking at the bright side!

 

[Karl_northwind]

uggghhh. My mother in law's place burned last Thanksgiving. Sheet metal airtight fireplace thing, with a stone surround. I don't think it was chimney fire, neither does the fire inspector. but cleaning out that place was a mess. she's just finished the new house. It's nothing that anyone should ever have to go thru, but like anything else, things happen. luckily no-one was hurt.