How Safe Are Pellet Stoves Really??

[terryjd98]

In the last week in my area of Ontario there have been 2 house fires that have been blamed on pellet stoves. Have no idea of what brand of stoves they were. These are the first fires I have heard of being blamed on pellet stoves. The last fire there was nobody at home at the time of the fire. One thing is they don't say what happened with the stoves to cause a fire. I wonder if they really were to blame or if just an easy answer to how the fire started. Since there have probably been a few tons at least of pellets burned in these stoves by now if stove cleaning might have been a factor.
Have there been any or many fires that were blamed on pellet stoves in your area? Just curious how many fires a year are really caused by pellet stoves.
Terry

 

[Scoop]

I'm in Ontario as well. The only fire I know about around here was caused by untrained teenagers operating a pellet stove in a cottage that wasn't properly installed and hadn't been cleaned for some time. The stove somehow overheated causing a fire in the outside wall of the home.

I believe if a pellet stove is properly installed and maintained they are very safe.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

I have a Harman PC-45 burning in the store with a vent that is 4" and runs straight up 10'. I have a magnetic temp. gauge on the Simpson Dura Vent and it reads 110 to 115 degrees. Even if I put tissue paper on it I do not think it will cause a fire. Now if I have a clogged single wall 30 gauge steel pipe there might be issues there. Pellet stoves are very safe if installed correctly and you do your maintenance.


Eric

 

[tinkabranc]

Not saying it cannot happen...but

Last winter I heard of two big house fires in my area where pellet stoves
were originally blamed, but after further investigation the chief stated the
cause of both fires was actually due to inproper storage of the ash, not the
stoves.

One owner cleaned out the stove, put the ash in a bag on their deck,
the backside of their house burnt down overnite.

The other owner cleaned the stove with a regular house vacuum and it
caught on fire some time later.

 

[krooser]

Very safe...

 

[GVA]

there about as safe as guns......
It depends on the owner, and how they handle it :-/

Maintenance is a big issue, though I would suspect a component (or rather multiple component) failures could happen and cause a fire.....

 

[CygnusX1]

How safe is your car if you don't maintain it?

A properly installed and maintained stove is pretty safe.

 

[crausch]

My thought is they are very safe.
You will hear about more stove fires because there are more pellets stoves in use now.
Most of the hopper fires seem to be related to older model stoves.

I do agree that maintenance must be maintained. Component failure could happen but to cause a fire is probably rare.
Just as much of a chance as a kitchen appliance component failing and catching fire.
I have much less hot embers getting out of my pellet stove than when I burned my wood stove.
Not mention that chimney fires would be extremely rare compared to a wood stove.
I hear of chimney fires all the time around this area. Again, those fires could have been
prevented with correct user maintenance.

 

[packerfan]

A while back, I put out a fire that was started by a pellet stove. The stove was direct vented and ignited the homeowners deck, and wall. The owner was lucky I drove by and stopped when I did, I got most of the fire out with his garden hose, but the firemen sure did a fine job tearing apart the wall of his house to put out what was burning inside the walls.

 

[Czech]

Take a big breath and light some more candles! Candles cause more house fires than anything, have a cig or two, fire up the NG furnace, leave a pot holder on the cook stove. I mean really, come on....

 

[caseyr77]

It's all in how the stove is used and taken care of. You can have Hopper fires but 9 times out of 10 that's caused by a dirty neglected unit. Another thing is how they are vented. I see alot of vents being installed on side walls with a wood deck directly below the vent.

 

[South of Boston]

It's all in how the stove is used and taken care of. You can have Hopper fires but 9 times out of 10 that's caused by a dirty neglected unit. Another thing is how they are vented. I see alot of vents being installed on side walls with a wood deck directly below the vent.

Here's one way to have a fire.
If you have not been trained to understand the air flow and how important the flame leval should be. You can have a creasote fire a slow wavy flame is all I got the first month of use. I thought this was normal. Yes I did install myself including a the liner. I think only about twenty or so bags of burning was all it took. I had creasote buildup in the combust fan housing and it ignited set off my smoke alarm and when I pulled th einsert out I saw about 4 feet of the liner and the housing were bright glowing red there were flames coming from the comb fan. Was this enough to start ignite the house I doubt it becuse really nothing in the chimney that would burn I did put out the flame with an extingusher but thinking now about it probably could have let it burn out by itsself. But the panic in me was to end the fire ASAP.
THis event got me to learn more about the stove how it runs and proper air flow. Since replacing the fan I have had no issues.

 

[begreen]

If the owner has it correctly installed, uses good fuel, and cleans the stove per manufacturer's guidelines, then it's a very safe way to heat. The issue of fire caused by a pellet stove is present because they can be poorly installed, poorly run and poorly maintained.

 

[AmandaSkye]

Another thing is how they are vented. I see alot of vents being installed on side walls with a wood deck directly below the vent.

Really? who would that that is a good idea??