Sure........Had the stove loaded and aired dialed to low flue temp about 450 and should have been going down. Headed out to the garage to do some work and in about 15 minutes my son yells out the door. DAAAAAAAAAAAD mom turned the stove down but it is getting really hot. So I come bustin (waddlin, whatever) in from the garage and find the Flue at 600 and the firebox looking like the sun. Well I learned a lesson that if you ask someone to watch the stove, you should probably let them know how to operate it. The air was on high and things were really cookin. Turned the air down to half the to low in about a min and things came right back into check. Stovetop temp cruised at 500 with the fan on high for about an hour. I have been having trouble getting good temps out of the stove and now I think my wife taught me how in one 15 minute lesson for both of us. Totally my mistake and I learned how to get some real heat out of the stove.
Honey will you please Keep an eye on the stove?
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You said, ".........and the firebox looking like the sun." Made me laugh out loud!
I've been very patient with my wife, and less patient with myself. We're more or less on the same page. Sometimes each of us makes a blunder now and then.
Last night, I woke up at 2 AM (fire had been allowed to go out around 8 PM), and it was COLD. So I went downstairs, got the fire crankin, and slept (on and off) on the couch. Woke up every hour or so, seemingly just in time to add another log, or stoke the fire a bit.
Gettin cold here lately.
-Soupy1957
I've been very patient with my wife, and less patient with myself. We're more or less on the same page. Sometimes each of us makes a blunder now and then.
Last night, I woke up at 2 AM (fire had been allowed to go out around 8 PM), and it was COLD. So I went downstairs, got the fire crankin, and slept (on and off) on the couch. Woke up every hour or so, seemingly just in time to add another log, or stoke the fire a bit.
Gettin cold here lately.
-Soupy1957
I usually load the stove then hear something like, "Can you go to the store to pick up some milk?" I say, "Ok, but watch the stove because I just loaded it.." She agrees and I go to the store. I come back to a strange metallic smell in the air...
Matt
Matt
My wife has to run the stove when I am gone for work, she runs it like the old one, not very efficient but so far she has stayed warm.
If only I had that problem... mine's just the opposite. My stove has two air controls, one for zipper air and the other for secondary. The secondary has a bi-metal thermostat so it self-regulates. How hard can it be? (rhetorical question, do not answer)
It's not cold enough yet to fill the firebox, so we burn two, maybe three at a time. A runaway fire isn't the problem. Quite the opposite... she loses the draft and flings the door open to ressurect it, then complains about the smoke. Of course she has an upstairs window open too. Never opens a downstairs window to relieve the negative pressure.
It's not cold enough yet to fill the firebox, so we burn two, maybe three at a time. A runaway fire isn't the problem. Quite the opposite... she loses the draft and flings the door open to ressurect it, then complains about the smoke. Of course she has an upstairs window open too. Never opens a downstairs window to relieve the negative pressure.
I have to give credit to my wife. She gets home from work before me and always has the stoves crankin' along fine. She will even scoop out the ash if I ask her to or bring in wood from the back porch. I do all the cutting and hauling but that is the fun part!
We learned that when one person puts wood in the stove it is best that they watch the stove rather than designating someone else. The reason is that the other person was probably doing something else and can get their mind on what they are doing and easily forget the stove. The one who fills the stove has that in their mind and if they stay at the stove or at least in the same room it is more likely that things will get taken care of properly. After all, it is only a few minutes to watch the thing and then you are sure.
Generally we follow Dennis' good advice. You start it, the "follow through" is your's, too! But when that's not possible or we're doing "something else" we set the cooking timer! and take it with us. When it goes off, we are reminded that we've gone "off trail".
It's quick, easy, and basically fool-proof IF you set it immediately after you start the stove.
It's quick, easy, and basically fool-proof IF you set it immediately after you start the stove.
Dennis, you said, "and can get their mind on what they are doing and easily forget the stove. The one who fills the stove has that in their mind and if they stay at the stove or at least in the same room it is more likely that things will get taken care of properly. After all, it is only a few minutes to watch the thing and then you are sure."
You are SO right, my friend!! The "fire" needs to be observed and balanced, and others around don't always "take ownership" as much as the person who lit the fire.
The wife has lit a few of her own "fires" and yet the maintenance seems to fall by the wayside. It's not that she doesn't care of course........but rather that she is quite busy in her normal day.
I'll get up at 3:30 or 4 AM (as is typical for me) and if the furnace has started up, ok........so be it. But I quickly get the fire going, and start the day process of heating with the wood. Once I leave for work, if she WANTS to keep it going (we're not really at the "need" stage yet), she will. If other things (doctor's appointments, caring for grandchildren, etc...) keep her distracted, then I can't expect the kind of attention to the fire that I can give.
Speaking of young ones............I wonder how many of you who have teenagers, have had THEIR help, in keeping the "fire" alive and well?????? I've never ONCE heard my two grown daughters OR their husbands, offer to add some wood, or whatever. (To be fair, ......I sent an e-mail to ONE of my SIL's on Thursday, asking if he might be able to give me a hand moving some splits from the smaller outside pile, to the garage, and he (to his credit) said, "sure Dad........just lemme know when!!)
-Soupy1957
You are SO right, my friend!! The "fire" needs to be observed and balanced, and others around don't always "take ownership" as much as the person who lit the fire.
The wife has lit a few of her own "fires" and yet the maintenance seems to fall by the wayside. It's not that she doesn't care of course........but rather that she is quite busy in her normal day.
I'll get up at 3:30 or 4 AM (as is typical for me) and if the furnace has started up, ok........so be it. But I quickly get the fire going, and start the day process of heating with the wood. Once I leave for work, if she WANTS to keep it going (we're not really at the "need" stage yet), she will. If other things (doctor's appointments, caring for grandchildren, etc...) keep her distracted, then I can't expect the kind of attention to the fire that I can give.
Speaking of young ones............I wonder how many of you who have teenagers, have had THEIR help, in keeping the "fire" alive and well?????? I've never ONCE heard my two grown daughters OR their husbands, offer to add some wood, or whatever. (To be fair, ......I sent an e-mail to ONE of my SIL's on Thursday, asking if he might be able to give me a hand moving some splits from the smaller outside pile, to the garage, and he (to his credit) said, "sure Dad........just lemme know when!!)
-Soupy1957
Our little ones are a big help from stacking to bringing wood in. They are allowed to adjust the tstat on the stove but are not allowed to touch the door handle. My wife is a pro but doesn't like to let the burn cycle finish before she is throwing a log on.
Guess my wife and I are all wrong . . . if one of us needs to leave the room to go to the bathroom, run an errand, etc. we just ask the other if they could watch the stove . . . and we do so . . . without issues . . . without drama . . . then again my wife runs the stove as good, if not better, than myself.
I just had back surgery my 11 year old ran the fire, getting it going keeping it going etc ( he has some probs getting it going but... )
The day I come home from the hospital on the way my wife is telling me how she got the fire going so it will be so nice for me blah blah blah.
We walk in the door and I smell a faint burning plastic smell and I say thats funny smell that, walk into the living room look at the door on the stove and the handle is up in front of the glass..... I had to tell her get a pot holder and push the handle down it's not locked....
My son was smart and did not say as word when he asked what happened to the handle
The day I come home from the hospital on the way my wife is telling me how she got the fire going so it will be so nice for me blah blah blah.
We walk in the door and I smell a faint burning plastic smell and I say thats funny smell that, walk into the living room look at the door on the stove and the handle is up in front of the glass..... I had to tell her get a pot holder and push the handle down it's not locked....
My son was smart and did not say as word when he asked what happened to the handle
soupy1957 said:
My 8yo is "in training" this year. She very much wants to do it (as most of her age do I'm sure) but another function of her age is a lack of ability to see a relationship - or ability to project one - between actions/inactions and consequences. Thus her attitude is "the stove is dangerous because if you touch it you can get burned" and that is about it. She started up on Saturday and then walked away from it - this lead to a discussion on what could happen. Problem is of course that in truth the house really won't burn down, and the startup load she put in there really probably wouldn't have done any real damage to the stove so it is more of a habit thing. She of course had to point out that she couldn't understand how it really could get all that dangerous since the fire could only get so big even if we just let it burn wide open. Ug. Parenting is so much fun.
So yes - I do have help. I think. Don't I?
My wife won't touch the stove because she says i'm too anal about it - I should have married the stove . . . but last year we had some friends over had a good fire going, turn down all the way. I got volunteered to make a trip to the grocery store. Came back to billowing smoke from the chimney. Ran inside without the stuff looked at the stove and my friend said "the wood was almost gone so I reloaded it", I course I ran over muddering and opened the air control. I yelled "thanks but next time keep your hands of my frigg'ing stove".
Where does the wife get that i'm too anal about the stove?
Where does the wife get that i'm too anal about the stove?
n3pro said:
LOL! I can see myself doing that.... I have this (irrational?) fear of other people feeding the stove and turning it into the neighborhood smoke hazard. On one hand I'd like to believe all my "it's really easy to operate this stove" but on the other I know there are plenty of folks who "grew up with stoves" that likely can very quickly screw things up too.
Well...went to the grocery store...Wegmans to get dinner, if you ever been to one you can never just get in and out of this store. Anyway told DW to watch the fire if it gets low add some wood and raise the lever for air...3 times I said that.
Come home to the glass so black you would think it was a solid door with no glass...3 times...raise the air lever, 3 times.
Oh well we all have to learn sometime...
md
Come home to the glass so black you would think it was a solid door with no glass...3 times...raise the air lever, 3 times.
Oh well we all have to learn sometime...
md
Classic: "My wife won’t touch the stove because she says i’m too anal about it - I should have married the stove."
Too funny!!
-Soupy1957
Too funny!!
-Soupy1957
Got to come home last night to dirty glass, blower on full, and charred unburnt splits in the box....wife hasnt graduated stove school quite yet.
30 years ago I put a flue temp sensor on the old wood burner for the wife (and me) to help keep the flue temps in a safe zone, not too hot and not too cold, when I am gone she runs the new summit by keeping an eye on the flue temps, not sure how efficient it is but the glass stays clean at least.
Well, my husband can't be bothered to remember the first thing about it- he gets distracted and forgets.
Either that or wasn't paying close attention to the rules the 300th time I explained it.
He's all about the wood, but once it comes through the door it is my domain- all of it.
He is happy enough to do something specific, i.e. "move the lever all the way to the right, please" but beyond that I have given up all hope.
I am very proud to have not used our furnace much since we got the stove, at least not until the temps get down to about 10ºF.
But I am going to be out of town for a week in December and have already resigned myself to the furnace running the entire time.
I haven't the will to go over it for the 301th time and do practice rounds and be disappointed yet again.
At this point I'll be happy if he remembers to feed the dogs.
And I say this with love- he can do a lot of things really well, but for whatever reason running a stove isn't one of them.
Either that or wasn't paying close attention to the rules the 300th time I explained it.
He's all about the wood, but once it comes through the door it is my domain- all of it.
He is happy enough to do something specific, i.e. "move the lever all the way to the right, please" but beyond that I have given up all hope.
I am very proud to have not used our furnace much since we got the stove, at least not until the temps get down to about 10ºF.
But I am going to be out of town for a week in December and have already resigned myself to the furnace running the entire time.
I haven't the will to go over it for the 301th time and do practice rounds and be disappointed yet again.
At this point I'll be happy if he remembers to feed the dogs.
And I say this with love- he can do a lot of things really well, but for whatever reason running a stove isn't one of them.
Hi, Toni. I just happened to notice your signature. I have no idea where I got the idea (but it must have been in a book) but as a kid, I always wanted to get an Irish Wolfhound. To this day (which is a lot of years later), I've never seen one in person but those sure are some pretty dogs.
Just the other night I loaded up the stove got a fire started and was waiting for the temp to come up before dampering it down. I have been sick with a nasty cold and just wanted to take a nice hot shower and steam my aching sinuses. I ask my wife if she can push the air control in when the thermometer hits 450-500. I told her she did not even need to check unless it looked like hell inside the firebox. She agrees and off to the bathroom I go.
15 minuets later I come out of the shower and the house has that hot metal smell to it so strong that I could even smell it. I run into the living room and see a raging inferno in the stove. I asked her very calmly "what is the tempature of the stove honey?" She gets that oh crap look and says "oops I forgot to check on it." By that time it was running over 625 and after I dampered it down on that cold and very windy night it just kept climbing higher. I put the blower on high and after a couple hours of sweating it settled at 500. The one thing I liked about my old stove was when you shut down the air control completely it would suffocate the fire.
15 minuets later I come out of the shower and the house has that hot metal smell to it so strong that I could even smell it. I run into the living room and see a raging inferno in the stove. I asked her very calmly "what is the tempature of the stove honey?" She gets that oh crap look and says "oops I forgot to check on it." By that time it was running over 625 and after I dampered it down on that cold and very windy night it just kept climbing higher. I put the blower on high and after a couple hours of sweating it settled at 500. The one thing I liked about my old stove was when you shut down the air control completely it would suffocate the fire.
It was decided here last winter that my husband could no longer build fires and have a peaceful marriage with me...
I have explained operating procedures every way imaginable - including writing it all down. I have explained why things are done the way they are done until I am blue in the face.
His method remains the same:
Put some kindling in and a few splits. Good so far.
Light it up. Yes, that is reasonable too.
Leave door open a crack. Still on track.
Shave, take a shower and get dressed for work.
The insert is not in the same room with the shower and I am generally asleep when he gets up.
I had gotten up early one too many times with stove temps climbing to 800* and decided a change was in order.
He is now the happy owner of one portable oil filled radiator and I no longer have nightmares of fire engulfing us all in our sleep or a glowing stove top or warping metal innards and popped seams.
The hearth is my domain and I am not willing to share it with anyone who doesn't play safe.
:coolgrin:
I have explained operating procedures every way imaginable - including writing it all down. I have explained why things are done the way they are done until I am blue in the face.
His method remains the same:
Put some kindling in and a few splits. Good so far.
Light it up. Yes, that is reasonable too.
Leave door open a crack. Still on track.
Shave, take a shower and get dressed for work.
The insert is not in the same room with the shower and I am generally asleep when he gets up.
I had gotten up early one too many times with stove temps climbing to 800* and decided a change was in order.
He is now the happy owner of one portable oil filled radiator and I no longer have nightmares of fire engulfing us all in our sleep or a glowing stove top or warping metal innards and popped seams.
The hearth is my domain and I am not willing to share it with anyone who doesn't play safe.
:coolgrin:
The more I read these stories the more convinced I am that there walk among us some people (male and female) who simply are not meant to operate stoves.
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