Chimney fire false alarm-phew!

[Badfish740]

Last night I got a small fire going in the furnace just to take the chill off in the house before we went to bed. It was in the low 50s outside and the house was at about 67 and dropping, so I figured a quick fire with some pallet wood would do the trick. After I got it going my wife called me upstairs and I committed the cardinal sin of wood burning-walking away from the stove with the door open. About 15 minutes later we were about to sit down to dinner when I heard a noise coming from downstairs like a vacuum cleaner running. It then hit me that I had left the door on the furnace open and I took off like a shot down the steps. When I got down stairs the firebox was raging and the noise sounded more like a small jet ready to take off. I closed the door on the furnace along with the air control and then looked at the adapter where the double wall stove pipe transitions to the Class A-it was just beginning to turn a dull red. At this point I figured that there was a fire raging inside the chimney (which still didn't seem right considering I cleaned inside and out a month ago and have burned extremely dry wood ever since) and that the best course of action would be to hit the firebox with dry chemical while my wife called the fire department. After cursing loudly I bolted went for the extinguisher sitting between the wood furnace and the oil furnace. It was then I realized that the noise was not coming from the wood furnace but rather the ductwork. I looked at the fire which had nearly gone out as a result of my closing off the air and then at the stove pipe which had returned to black again, took a breath, and walked around to the rear of the furnace plenum where the wood furnace ties in. The damper in the wood furnace ductwork (in the summer it keeps cold air from the AC unit from being pumped into the wood furnace) had come loose and closed. The noise I was hearing was the wood furnace blower struggling against the closed damper and the air escaping from any tiny opening in the duct. I opened the damper, re-secured it, and just to be safe went outside, looked up at the chimney outlet and saw no sparks or flames, and felt the outside of the pipe about 6' up from the tee-very warm to the touch, but not unusually hot. At that point I went inside and explained to the wife why I was running around like a maniac for the past 10 minutes

 

[thewoodlands]

Badfish740 I'm glad that you and your family are safe, lesson learned. Have a happy Thanksgiving.


zap

 

[Troutchaser]

Sounds like a good pipe cleaning to me. Ha.
Seriously, this seems to happen way too much around here. I've done it too.
Thank goodness this equipment is made for some of our mistakes.
Be careful!

 

[Badfish740]

Sounds like a good pipe cleaning to me.

Seriously-not that the stove pipe should have been that bad to begin with-it sure is clean now Come to think of it, has anyone actually witnessed a chimney fire and heard what it sounds like? Again, I heard rushing air and assumed that I was hearing air being sucked through the air control at a high rate of speed which is why I sprang into action in the first place.

 

[corey21]

I have done that last year with my old stove burning coal and hickory. Big mistake i had made had more fire in the pipe then the stove.

 

[Shari]

...and to think people consider splitting your own wood the only 'cardio exercise' associated with wood burning!

Glad everything is okay and everyone is safe.

Shari

 

[Flatbedford]

At that point I went inside and explained to the wife why I was running around like a maniac for the past 10 minutes

I'd have made up some other excuse. I wouldn't want the Mrs. to think that things may have been under control. I don't need my mistake making her nervous about keeping the stove going while I am away from the house for 18 or so hours/day.

 

[firefighterjake]

Sounds like a good pipe cleaning to me.

Seriously-not that the stove pipe should have been that bad to begin with-it sure is clean now Come to think of it, has anyone actually witnessed a chimney fire and heard what it sounds like? Again, I heard rushing air and assumed that I was hearing air being sucked through the air control at a high rate of speed which is why I sprang into action in the first place.

Yup . . . seen a few chimney fires . . . just not in my own home. Sound varies . . . sometimes sounds like a great whooshing noise, sometimes there is a rumbling like a jet or locomotive . . . sometimes you'll hear what sounds like cornflakes being poured down your flue.

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

Yup . . . leaving the area with the side door open ajar is a cardinal sin . . . you need to say Three Hail Barts, Two Hail Jags and One Hail BeGreen. Seriously . . . as you know this is not a good practice or habit to develop.

Chaulk this one up to a good learning experience. Glad things worked out.

 

[Badfish740]

Yup . . . leaving the area with the side door open ajar is a cardinal sin . . . you need to say Three Hail Barts, Two Hail Jags and One Hail BeGreen. Seriously . . . as you know this is not a good practice or habit to develop.

Brother Bart, I am sorry for my negligence.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to stay near the stove with the door open,
I have sinned against you and hearth.com whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with the help of you and Jags, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.

How's that? :lol:

 

[firefighterjake]

Yup . . . leaving the area with the side door open ajar is a cardinal sin . . . you need to say Three Hail Barts, Two Hail Jags and One Hail BeGreen. Seriously . . . as you know this is not a good practice or habit to develop.

Brother Bart, I am sorry for my negligence.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to stay near the stove with the door open,
I have sinned against you and hearth.com whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with the help of you and Jags, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.

How's that? :lol:

Perfect . . . you just have to repeat it two more times.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Badfish, for sure that had to concentrate the attention a lot! Too bad you weren't hooked up right or you could have had a good stress test on your heart. I do hope it has now slowed a bit.

And I hope the lesson is learned.....forever!


EDIT: I should add that one evening I was driving down the highway when suddenly it appears someone was shooting some big time fireworks. Yup. A chimney fire. Lights were on in the house and I stopped. The guy came to the door all relaxed and I told him he had a chimney fire. Totally unconcerned, he said okay. I did notice the next time I drove that road that his house was still standing but that was really weird.

 

[Lighting Up]

After cursing loudly I bolted went for the extinguisher sitting between the wood furnace and the oil furnace.

Your story reminded me of the movie "The Christmas Story" at least this part gave me the visual..glad all is well.
md

 

[HotCoals]

Ok I was like 22 years old..working but not much money.
Lived in a farm house on the fruit farm i was working at.
Wife and two kids at home.

Had a old Franklin trying to heat the place.
One of those old drip type kerosene heaters upstairs.
Combo wood gas stove in kitchen.
House had 5 chimneys...the 4th one had my antenna pole coming down it so I could tune in the 3 channels we used to get..lol.

Anyways we had these big metal cherry tanks with a double door.
I bought one of those kits to make a stove out of a 55 gallon drum.
Put the stove in the cherry tank.
Hooked up a blower with a thermostat...hooked into heat runs.
Piped the wood stove contraption to a outside chimney with my oil burner..big mistake btw.

Worked pretty good the first season.
Never did clean the chimney...big mistake.
About 3 months into the second season I loaded a big load of wood..I'm talking around 200lbs.

Somehow in my hurry I forgot to close the stove door but closed the outer door.

We were all eating also when it sounded like a train was in our basement.
I was now seeing embers hitting the snow and the noise got very loud.
I ran down and opened the door and seen what I figured hell must look like.
Wife called fire dept while I was down there.
The stove was ok ..it settled down but the chimney sound like a fighter jet with full after burners kicking.
By the time the FD arrived it was burned out..I was way in the country.
House never got touched..thank God.
That ended that deal.