I Made a BIG Mistake?

[Lost highway]

I am renting a home in which a Jotul model wood burning stove is the only source of heat. The house was built circa 1982.

To my knowledge the owner of the home has not had the chimney cleaned in several years, and when I was given the run down on how to use the stove the only information I was given was that, if after lighting a fire, if I heard a roaring noise, I was to shut the air vent on the door ofthe stove.

Last night, I started a larger than normal fire and heard what I considered to be a roaring noise. I opened the door and saw a great deal of flames, and a piece of burning wood actually fell out of the stove onto the tile floor. I quickly shut the door and vent as told and tended to the burning chunk of wood.

Now, here's where I am pretty sure I screwed up. The owner never told me how long to keep the grate closed and every time I re-opened it, the flames shot up again, so I left it closed.

I was afraid of a chimney fire, so I frequently checked outside and noticed that while there seemed to be more smoke , it wasn't dark and there was no cresote noted. Inside, although there was a distinct burnt smell, none of my smoke detectors went off, the flue pipe and connectors seemed ok, and I felt the walls around the chimney and they were not overly warm. So after an hour or so, I went to bed.

When I awoke, I checked the fireplace and there were still hot embers. I finally thought to Google the issue, and extinguished them.

This evening the burnt smell remains, despite having removed all of the ashes from the fireplace, leaving the windows open for several hours and trying to vent the area (difficult as is in the basement).

My landlord is out of the country on vacation and is easily angered. So I am looking for opinions - is it possible that the burnt smell is due to my mismanagement of the situation and NOT a chimney fire?

I do plan on having a chimney sweep come to inspect it before using the fireplace again, but need to wait till next pay period to do so.

Also, how do I dispel the burnt smell? It's 20° outside and already only 54° in the house!

 

[claydogg84]

Do you know what model Jotul it is? Pictures would help. As far as the burning smell, it could just be from the log falling out of the stove and consequently smoking inside the home. A few candles and some time should remedy that.

 

[jatoxico]

It really should be inspected and cleaned but it sounds like you need some heat. Post which model and if possible some pictures of the stove inside and out and the flue pipe.

Do you know if the stove professionally installed?

 

[Lost highway]

I'm sorry, I don't know the model, but after looking at some things online, I am not sure it's even properly installed. I could not get to the flue, but here are some pictures. Note, the roof discoloration was there when I moved in.

 

[begreen]

That is a Jotul F118 which is a fine heater. The chimney installation looks like it is due for a rebuild. The stove pipe also should be replaced. They used galvanized warm air pipe which is not appropriate for wood stove use. Not sure your landlord will want to hear this.

I can't tell the interior burn plate and baffle condition from the photo. Take a bright flashlight and look for cracks or warping in the side plates and the baffle. If it's ok, then it sounds like you just need more practice. This stove feeds air at the base of the fire. Once the fire is going it needs very little air to keep running. Close the air off all the way, then just crack the spin wheel air control open slightly (maybe only 1/8"). Larger pieces of wood will burn more slowly and less dramatically. Don't stuff the stove with lots of kindling pieces (2-3" thick).

 

[begreen]

FWIW it doesn't sound like a chimney fire. The smoke smell might just be from a poor start or from opening the stove door too quickly. Hard to tell remotely.

 

[Lcback]

I'm no expert. But I don't think you need to panic about sounds. If you can't afford an inspection. Get a chimney brush and rods. Clean it yourself. Get a chimney pipe thermometer. They aren't the most accurate thing. But if there is a chimney fire they should go way up in temp.

No one likes to bother the landlord. But this is all his responsibility. Single heat source and he doesn't even make sure it's safe?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[begreen]

Having a pro's outside eyes inspect is not a bad idea. The installation is old and there may be leaks developing.

 

[maple1]

If burning wood fell out onto the floor, that would leave a smell behind.

If you can get up there & look down the chimney, you should be able to tell if there was a flu fire or not - usually a flu fire will leave behind a flu that is super clean looking, because all the dirties got burned away. If you didn't see flames or a LOT of sparks coming out the chimney at the time, I doubt a flu fire.

But this does not sound like a very good situation to be living in, over all. The stove as the only source of heat is quite dubious and not a situation I would live with - then coupled with fuzzy operational instructions and an install that needs attention/correcting and a landlord who angers easily? Think I would maybe look around for other living possibilities...

 

[tpenny67]

Hey, that stove looks familiar! It will make a bit of a roaring noise if there's some flame on the end of the log where the air comes in. That's perfectly normal. Just slowly close the air intake until the roaring slows down. Like begreen said, you only need the air open a tiny bit once the stove gets warm. But, don't close it completely or you'll snuff out the fire.

When you look in the door, you should see a heat shield on either side and a horizontal baffle above them running to the back of the stove. If the baffle is not there you'll be sending a lot of heat up the chimney and starting a chimney fire is a bigger concern. Also overheating that galvanized pipe is a bigger concern. With the baffle in place, most of the fire's heat is lost before it reaches the flue. Mine was missing the baffle when I first started burning it (I later found it buried in the ashes, how strange), and putting it back in place dropped the flue temperatures dramatically.

From what I've heard, chimney fires aren't just a roaring sound, they're more like a freight train.

 

[VirginiaIron]

IMO The chimney and the stove condition is all the landlords responsibility. It doesn't look like any signs of an over fire that might indicate operator responsibility. The burning smell me last several days before it all dissipates. As a side benefit, you might want to consider getting a quote on renters insurance.

 

[maple1]

That's the main thing a sole wood heat source is bad for. It's an uninsurable situation most of the time.

 

[mike van]

I do hope you have smoke detectors with good batteries -

 

[Lost highway]

I caved and called the landlord, who surprisingly sent out a Chimney sweep company. The repairman said it appeared that much of the creosote had burned off, basically clearing the flue. He was surprised that there was no structural damage - and while the chimney does need some repair and updates , he will be contacting the owner for me!

Very thankful for all of your advice! And, I now have renters insurance!

 

[defiant3]

I've never seen a top venting 118, anybody else? Isn't that weird?

 

[fibels]

I caved and called the landlord, who surprisingly sent out a Chimney sweep company. The repairman said it appeared that much of the creosote had burned off, basically clearing the flue. He was surprised that there was no structural damage - and while the chimney does need some repair and updates , he will be contacting the owner for me!

Very thankful for all of your advice! And, I now have renters insurance!

After looking at the picture of the roof I don't like the burn stains at the shingles underneath the chimney.Maybe that cap needs a spark arrester for safety sake.

 

[begreen]

I've never seen a top venting 118, anybody else? Isn't that weird?

Looks like it is left-side vented, through the side port.

 

[moresnow]

Can only imagine a couple little electric heaters would go a long ways until everything is resolved. FWIW. Best of luck!

 

[Handsonautotech]

I am curious how a house built in the 80's has no furnace.