Bit of a scary moment this evening...

[Samcanadian]

We had been burning wood all day long in our our Osburn Inspire 2000 wood stove before leaving for a family function at around 4:30. We returned back home to a hot, but dark coal bed at around 8:30. I wanted to get a fire stoked back up for the rest of the evening, so I loaded in another batch as if I was starting from scratch along with newspaper, etc. (Three large logs at bottom, three intersecting medium logs on top of those and then kindling at the top) including leaving the door open a crack as directed. Well, maybe I hadn't accounted for the stove already being warm with residual heat from the day's burning, leading to better/faster draw, but before I realized it there was smoke peeling off the 90* elbow and with a quick shot with my IR reader I read 569* F. I shut the intake valve to zero and opened a few windows, and in about a minute or two the elbow had cooled back down to 350 or so, and is now rolling along at a typical 160.

I'm still new to this but I'm guessing that I just got my fire a little too hot and cooked off some of the factory paint that never got burned off in my original break-in burn? I've heard horror stories about chimney fires etc, and that's all I could think of...but I've been burning this for about a month now, and it's been nothing but clean, hot fires with very dry jackpine, so I don't think it was any creosote igniting. Needless to say I never let my fires go that hard that quickly, but the combination of more wood than I usually put in with an already warm stove/chimney plus leaving the door open longer may have combined for a perfect storm?

 

[Ludlow]

That will happen if you leave the door open too long. Just paint burning off. Dont be obsessing.

 

[Samcanadian]

That will happen if you leave the door open too long. Just paint burning off. Dont be obsessing.

Thanks. I was hoping someone would say something like that.

 

[Indiana wood]

Something similar happened to me. I forgot to close bypass on my blaze king and cured the paint on the double wall black pipe. Of course at 2am. The smell woke us up. Scary experience but no real risk

 

[Ludlow]

Thanks. I was hoping someone would say something like that.

Class A is proven safe at 1000 degrees continuous. Your connector may have had flue gas over 1100 degrees but it cools drastically every inch it rises. You were real close. It's fine. You learned a lesson. Youll be a better burner from now on.

 

[Samcanadian]

Class A is proven safe at 1000 degrees continuous. Your connector may have had flue gas over 1100 degrees but it cools drastically every inch it rises. You were real close. It's fine. You learned a lesson. Youll be a better burner from now on.

Out of curiosity, what would've happened had I not been in the room monitoring the burn? Say if I had let it run for another 5-10 minutes.

 

[jatoxico]

Loading on a hot coal bed is a lot different than firing up from a cold start as you found out. Draft is well established and things take off quick. I usually don't need to even open air full never mind leave the door open like on a cold start. Good you caught it, stove can take it but not something you wanna do often that's for sure.

 

[Ludlow]

Out of curiosity, what would've happened had I not been in the room monitoring the burn? Say if I had let it run for another 5-10 minutes.

You like to torture yourself dont you? Haha. If you burned as clean as you claim, and there was no ignitable creosote in the lower chimney, its probable that nothing would have happened. Then again you were pushing the envelope and maybe your ceiling would have begun to smolder or the wall where the thimble is would begin to ignite. Hard to say. Are you curious enough to try it again? Its like asking if driving down the highway at 100 MPH is bad. Most times nothing will happen. Sometimes its catastrophic. Id stop with the what-ifs and never walk away from a stove with an open door again.

 

[Indiana wood]

You like to torture yourself dont you? Haha. If you burned as clean as you claim, and there was no ignitable creosote in the lower chimney, its probable that nothing would have happened. Then again you were pushing the envelope and maybe your ceiling would have begun to smolder or the wall where the thimble is would begin to ignite. Hard to say. Are you curious enough to try it again? Its like asking if driving down the highway at 100 MPH is bad. Most times nothing will happen. Sometimes its catastrophic. Id stop with the what-ifs and never walk away from a stove with an open door again.

I agree. On my bk king I never open the door. I don’t want to get into that habit. I simply open bypass and air control all the way. I know this way when i have a “squirrel “ moment my stove doesn’t go nuclear. I’d break that habit. I regularly have, oh hey look over there, squirrel moments. It my ADHD

 

[Sawset]

a quick shot with my IR reader I read 569* F. I shut the intake valve

A probe type flue thermometer would have given you a heads up in real time. It's always handy to know the flue temps. Very important at startup. It may have indicated that you needed no door open, no damper open. Or maybe all open for half an hour with wet wood - you need to know these things as they happen.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The average squirrel moment isn't too bad. When the squirrel is shiny and wearing blinking Christmas lights... hoo boy!

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

The average squirrel moment isn't too bad. When the squirrel is shiny and wearing blinking Christmas lights... hoo boy!

I don't think I know what you mean, but you sure got my imagination going....

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Now picture the squirrel wearing Christmas lights that blink!

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Now picture the squirrel wearing Christmas lights that blink!

I've been trying to get my squirrels to wear their Christmas lights for years, but they just won't keep them on. How'd you do it?

Have you been been in SpaceBus's mushrooms stash again???

Home made fire starter

Looking to make my own in the next few weeks. I have a bunch of wood chips from my planer and lint from the dryer. Just wondering how and what to use that is safe for the stove. I looked at multiple videos on YouTube and browsed Google. The stove is an enviro insert.

www.hearth.com

 

[EbS-P]

I don’t leave the door open cold start or reload. If I feel like i need to crack the door I don’t take my hand off the handle. If I want to kick it off faster I use some kindling.

I highly recommend the Auber AT200 thermometer alarm. It has reminded me a couple of times this season to shut down the air and turn up the blower.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I've been trying to get my squirrels to wear their Christmas lights for years, but they just won't keep them on. How'd you do it?

Have you been been in SpaceBus's mushrooms stash again???

Home made fire starter

Looking to make my own in the next few weeks. I have a bunch of wood chips from my planer and lint from the dryer. Just wondering how and what to use that is safe for the stove. I looked at multiple videos on YouTube and browsed Google. The stove is an enviro insert.

www.hearth.com

 

[begreen]

Out of curiosity, what would've happened had I not been in the room monitoring the burn? Say if I had let it run for another 5-10 minutes.

An extended period of high temp could weaken the stovepipe metal. And might cause some unexpected anomalies in the room.

 

[Ludlow]

Just for future reference, I dont leave the door open on a reload. Only when starting a stone cold stove.

 

[Chas0218]

I'm guessing you have a Cat stove because of the cooler flue temps my EPA non-cat stove will barely even run with a 160* pipe temp. My Stove temp is regularly around 500*-600* with outside flue temps on the single wall is in the 350*-400*. You were fine and I don't believe much more time would have made a difference. If my stove has a good coal bed I won't reload with the door open just open the air all the way.