Fire Extinguisher? Poker broke the glass

[Lucille 716]

Blaze King- King woodstove glass broke when hubby didn't open the door wide enough. He was adding more wood to the already heated stove when somehow the poker struck the door and it cracked the glass. Luckily the glass remained intact until the next morning. When we removed the door to have a new piece of ceramic glass installed it cracked right off.

My question is this:. Would a fire extinguisher put out a very hot woodstove fire in the event the glass broke right off during the burn? I'm looking at investing in 2 good extinguishers.

Any thoughts on what the best type of extinguisher to use if this ever happens again and we're not so lucky? Thank you.

 

[showrguy]

I seriously doubt this will ever happen again..
If it does….. Time to get a new husband !! Lol

 

[stoveliker]

A fire extinguisher for wood is a type A. (B for oil, grease and liquids, C for electrical).
Regardless of whether this will happen again, yes buy fire extinguishers. One on each floor (or two, preferably near the exit points on that floor). For your home, a general type ABC is good.

You could also dump sand in the stove to decrease the fire intensity when the air can't be controlled anymore.

 

[EbS-P]

I wouldn’t want to use a fire extinguisher if I could help it. The pressure at which they spray would likely send embers out of the firebox creating a bigger problem.

Both my stoves are able to burn with the door open. So I don’t think i would work to much. For a Blaze king if I was worried about damaging it I’d dump my metal ash bucket and get my welding gloves on and take out as many big pieces as I could outside.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I would just monitor the stove before ever using a extinguisher. A small crack would only suck air into the stove not out. If the glass completely fell out of the stove door, that may be a different thing.

 

[stoveliker]

I agree with the above. However, the OP suggested that no extinguisher was in the home yet. For a home with a fire in a metal box, and regardless of how that fire *in the box* is best treated when things go wrong, acquiring an extinguisher is important.

 

[velvetfoot]

In addition to ABC extinguishers, I also have a nice shiny one that contains water and is pressurized with air. Hopefully nothing catches fire, because where I am there are no hydrants and no real close source of water for the FD.

 

[Trevor Tahclep]

I have in my home 3 x ABC fire extinguishers all with spray hoses , have never needed to use any one of them and hope I never do. However you do need to get them refilled every 6 - 7 years or so as I was told the powder eventually clumps together and they will not work when too old. $20.00 to get one dumped and refilled. Had a Elmira stove way back when that loaded East to West and broke the glass when a freshly loaded log fell back in to the glass, I understand how the OP felt.

 

[bigealta]

Blaze King- King woodstove glass broke when hubby didn't open the door wide enough. He was adding more wood to the already heated stove when somehow the poker struck the door and it cracked the glass. Luckily the glass remained intact until the next morning. When we removed the door to have a new piece of ceramic glass installed it cracked right off.

My question is this:. Would a fire extinguisher put out a very hot woodstove fire in the event the glass broke right off during the burn? I'm looking at investing in 2 good extinguishers.

Any thoughts on what the best type of extinguisher to use if this ever happens again and we're not so lucky? Thank you.

View attachment 289191

Ha yup my wife did the same thing years ago when i was away. She ordered a replacement which arrived before i got back. She doesn't use the poker anymore. The old jotul 3 could burn with the door open so no need to do anything with the fire.

But a few years later, when the rear collar broke and the single wall pipe collapsed to the ground, with a fresh fire inside the stove, i did have to take out the burning logs one at a time and throw them onto the front lawn.

 

[kennyp2339]

I can tell you this much, as a firefighter when we get calls for chimney fires (which can be over fires w/ nervous people) we typically check the chimney first, then go through with our thermal camera, as that is going on a separate crew (1 or 2 people) is setting up a canvas tarp and prepping our metal bucket, with then take the burning wood out of the stove, bring outside and extinguish it, house gets a little smokey, but its almost a guarantee when we are called for anything fireplace / woodstove / pellet stove related that when we leave there will be no fire going.

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts (on a subject I am intimately familiar with) . . .

This is not likely to happen again with your husband. A life lesson learned is best learned when it costs money.

Avoid the use of a poker. When I need to move some wood around I tend to either use a small fireplace shovel or better yet a pair of welding/hearth gloves.

Yes. A fire extinguisher could be used in this case . . . specifically any fire extinguisher with an A-rating (ordinary combustibles, i.e. paper, wood, plastic, etc.) Most folks go with a combination ABC-rated extinguisher since this is pretty much good for every type of fire you would most likely find in the home (B = flammable fuels and gases and C = energized electrical). Incidentally there are two other ratings -- D and K (yes, yes . . . I know I skipped a few letters . . . we're firefighters and things like the alphabet continue to baffle us . . . in either case you should not worry about D or K fires as D-rated fires are combustible metals such as sodium, titanium, unobtanium and adamantium (see what I did there fellow geeks?) and K-fires are commercial cooking fires such as one would find in a restaurant, food truck, etc.) Now . . . all that said . . . I would personally avoid the use of a fire extinguisher in attempting to kill a fire unless absolutely necessary as there is a chance one could blow embers around and out of the fire box when used.

In my own home I would use an extinguisher only after attempting to use ash from the ash pail or sand (not that I have any kicking around) to slow down or extinguish the fire by placing it on the fire in an attempt to remove the oxygen. In the case cited I may even be inclined to simply let things run the course, but knowing me . . . I would keep a close eye on things and not simply go to bed or leave the home.

I would not attempt to remove burning logs and hot coals from the woodstove unless I was . . . well me . . . on a call . . . simply because I suspect in my jazzed up state of mind I would be rushing about and knowing me I could easily see myself . . . and others . . . rushing hither and thither and end up making things worse by filling the house with smoke or having errant coals spill out of the fire-proof fire box and up against something which could catch on fire.

I would avoid the use of water on a fire . . . or even coals. If I for some reason really, really, really needed to use water on an active fire I would do so very sparingly as when water is rapidly heated (such as being put on a fire) it converts to steam. Steam expands. In a closed area this can result in bad things happening . . . and while I would not be too worried about say a steam explosion, I would be concerned about possible damage to the stove and chimney.

Fire extinguishers in home use can easily last 10, 15 or longer. Workplaces are different as there are specific rules and regulations regarding how often they are inspected, tested, etc. I have some extinguishers in my own home that are close to 20 or 25 years old. The only two recommendations for home extinguishers is a) check the gauge to make sure the needle is in the green and b) much like baking soda which hardens up when left sitting in its box on a shelf, the powder in the extinguishers can also clump or harden up. You can use the extinguisher, but it may not expel as much powder as it could if the powder has clumped up. You can largely avoid this by periodically taking the extinguisher, tipping it upside down to let the powder fall from the bottom to the top of the extinguisher and then perhaps give it a good smack or two with the palm of your hand on the side as if you were giving that first whack to a new-born . . . just enough to loosen up any powder tenaciously gripping the bottom or sides of the extinguisher.

 

[Trevor Tahclep]

Fire extinguishers in home use can easily last 10, 15 or longer. Workplaces are different as there are specific rules and regulations regarding how often they are inspected, tested, etc. I have some extinguishers in my own home that are close to 20 or 25 years old. The only two recommendations for home extinguishers is a) check the gauge to make sure the needle is in the green and b) much like baking soda which hardens up when left sitting in its box on a shelf, the powder in the extinguishers can also clump or harden up. You can use the extinguisher, but it may not expel as much powder as it could if the powder has clumped up. You can largely avoid this by periodically taking the extinguisher, tipping it upside down to let the powder fall from the bottom to the top of the extinguisher and then perhaps give it a good smack or two with the palm of your hand on the side as if you were giving that first whack to a new-born . . . just enough to loosen up any powder tenaciously gripping the bottom or sides of the extinguisher.

So if I understand you correctly contrary to what the fire extinguisher business has been telling me, I can use these past their recommended 6-7-8 year powder life period even is there is slight clumping.

 

[bigealta]

So I watched a chimney fire training video for firefighters, and what they seemed to prefer is ice cubes. They said it both cools the fire and the steam chokes the oxygen supply. Does not sound like you guys would agree with this?

 

[stoveliker]

I prefer no water in my stove.
And I am not going up the roof to dump ice in my chimney if there is a fire.

Sand (or ash) right after 911 for me.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

id get a piece of sheet metal big enough to cover the door just to keep sparks from flying out while it dies down if its a major worry. Certainly wouldnt use a fire extinguisher or water on it unless there was eminent threat of fire. Sand and ash are good ideas if you want the fire out asap. Id go with the sheet metal tho.

 

[bigealta]

I prefer no water in my stove.
And I am not going up the roof to dump ice in my chimney if there is a fire.

Sand (or ash) right after 911 for me.

Ice right on the fire, Not from above. Cool the fire and choke the flames with the steam rising up the flue.

 

[electrathon]

So if I understand you correctly contrary to what the fire extinguisher business has been telling me, I can use these past their recommended 6-7-8 year powder life period even is there is slight clumping.

Backing up this statement. They will last many, many years past the mandatory 6 year service, almost every time. It is a good idea to have it done, but it only causes an issue in very rare cases if not. We are talking like one in a thousand or less. An old extinguisher that is annually turned upside down and thumped with a rubber mallet is far better than nothing, and disposing of old ones is not always cost effective for people that are struggling, especially if you have a half dozen of then around your house. In some areas of California they are required to be dumped and recharged every year, the laws say that they do not last as long there.

 

[electrathon]

Another comment about extinguishers and stoves. If the fire is in the chimney, an extinguisher aimed up into the chimney will carry the powder up and can often knock out a chimney fire very fast and safely. Much of this post is about stove fires getting out of control, but a chimney fire is different, it will still be burning after you carry the entire contents of the firebox out into the yard. An extinguisher dumped up the chimney can stop a beginning chimney fire early is far safer than letting it burn hot and out of control.

 

[Trevor Tahclep]

Another comment about extinguishers and stoves. If the fire is in the chimney, an extinguisher aimed up into the chimney will carry the powder up and can often knock out a chimney fire very fast and safely. Much of this post is about stove fires getting out of control, but a chimney fire is different, it will still be burning after you carry the entire contents of the firebox out into the yard. An extinguisher dumped up the chimney can stop a beginning chimney fire early is far safer than letting it burn hot and out of control.

So if you aim the ABC extinguisher hose up into the slot above the door where the smoke and gases exit and work their way in to the stove pipe and chimney after this should possibly extinguish a chimney fire. I assume you could possibly do the same via the chimney clean out as well.

 

[electrathon]

So if you aim the ABC extinguisher hose up into the slot above the door where the smoke and gases exit and work their way in to the stove pipe and chimney after this should possibly extinguish a chimney fire. I assume you could possibly do the same via the chimney clean out as well.

Yes, aim it into the opening so that the draft will draw the powder in/up. It may work from a clean out too if the draft is adequate to draw it up, during a chimney fire you usually have a ton of draft.

 

[firefighterjake]

So if I understand you correctly contrary to what the fire extinguisher business has been telling me, I can use these past their recommended 6-7-8 year powder life period even is there is slight clumping.

Yes . . . I have no vested interest in selling you a fire extinguisher . . . the fire extinguisher company however does.

As I said . . . the biggest thing in home use is to periodically check the gauge and tip it upside down once in a blue moon to help avoid clumping.

 

[firefighterjake]

So I watched a chimney fire training video for firefighters, and what they seemed to prefer is ice cubes. They said it both cools the fire and the steam chokes the oxygen supply. Does not sound like you guys would agree with this?

Never used ice cubes.

Only time we used water we literally would take a small cup and splash about a tablespoon or two of water on to the hot coals/creosote that had fallen down the chimney near the clean out (we saw . . . and still see . . . a lot of woodstoves which are vented to masonry chimneys vs. having a liner or going with a Class A chimney. )

 

[kennyp2339]

If you choose the fire extinguisher route, and there's no problem with that (just be aware that in homes that have even small fires it gets very smokey real fast) choose a suitable mounting location, I've gone to some many homes and seen fire extinguishers tucked near by the most likely source that would cause a fire, thats no good, you should have the extinguisher near an exit door, that way if you ever have to use it, by the time you grab it you can make the decision to leave the structure to safety which in my opinion is much better then trying to stay and fight a fire.
Also if you have a chimney fire, the chimney can reach temps of 2100 deg f, if the chimney is on fire, the choice extinguisher is an abc powder, either shoot it up the baffle of the stove, or open a clean out if you have one and shoot it up, the draft from the chimney burning will suck the powder up and either buy time for the fd to get there or extinguish the chimney fire.

 

[Trevor Tahclep]

What would the recommended amount of ABC powder to be used to extinguish or slow down a chimney fire, 5lbs, 10lbs or more ?

 

[kennyp2339]

I think 5lbs have the hose attached, the smaller ones just have a stubbed nozzle which is much harder to use when trying to direct the discharge in a specific area like a stove's baffle.
My experience with this was (making sure the stoves air control is turned down) initially open the stove door, hit the fire in the stove, close the door, wait a few seconds, reopen the door and shove the hose into the upper chamber and fire away for a few seconds, close the stove door and leave it close.