I think I saved some lives today

[elkimmeg]

I think I saved some lives today. I received a call this morning at the office. The lady on the other end of the phone, ask if I can come out and look at her stove? She tells me it smells funny. I tell her that Most of my inspections require permits and I take her number. I look into the files and find no permit for a wood stove installation. So I call her back and inform here there is no permit and policy requires a permit before inspection. I put her on hold and discuss the situation with my commissioner. He agrees I should look into it. Back on the phone I tell the lady I will be there in a half hour. I called the deputy fire chief and request he meet me at the home. ( I had a feeling I should have another witness) As soon as I opened the door I got that smell (you know when your stove tells you it is over firing) The husband bought a cheap box Volzsang box stove and vented it with single wall pipe through the roof. Since Sunday the husband had been running the stove and the wife tells me it smelled funny. He had loaded it up before he went to work this morning. When I walked into the room, it still had a dull red glow even the pipe was glowing. No hearth pad about a foot from the wall and black charred look at the ceiling where the single wall pipe passed through. The fire chief and I looked at each other in total diss belief. The fire chief calls the station to send a fireman to stand watch, till the stove burned down. This is the 5th condemned stove this fall. I demanded its removal.

Side note: Many Volzsang box stoves are not UL listed. They actually disclose this in there manual. They cannot be installed in habitable spaces. Why, read above. Poor air control, no door gasketing easily over fired. What surprised me, is the wife thanked me and the fire chief.

 

[begreen]

I can appreciate the fear that the poor woman was living with. This is a sad story. You did the right thing for sure Elk. I'm really glad you responded. But I can't help but wonder if someone shouldn't checkup on this woman's well-being in a day or two. Hopefully her husband is just plain ignorant and not violent. It would be great if he thanked you as well.

 

[crow]

Thank goodness she called ...and double thanks that she got someone like yourself on the line when she did.
Unfortunately, not everyone is as knowledgeable, intuitive , or responsive.

It makes me feel better to know that there is someone in a position to be of help to people who has smarts and a conscience, out there in the world.

I don't encounter that often where I live.

You did a really great service today Elk!

 

[Nokoni]

Thank goodness she called ...and double thanks that she got someone like yourself on the line when she did.
Unfortunately, not everyone is as knowledgeable, intuitive , or responsive.

It makes me feel better to know that there is someone in a position to be of help to people who has smarts and a conscience, out there in the world.

I don't encounter that often where I live.

You did a really great service today Elk!

I'm with crow! You helped me so much Elk during my install. I'm sure your response to posts has also saved many other lives, including my own. Good, good, karma for you!

 

[babalu87]

People like that are the reason there is an annual Darwin Awards

Why didnt he just bring his pig smoker inside and fire it up, JEEEZ

Good thing the commissioner was in the office, imagine if he wasnt and you didnt go to the home
May be something you want to get a waiver from him from now on, I cant imagine how you would feel if something like that cropped up again and because of regulations you didnt visit the house
Thumbs up for helping the helpless

THERE ARE INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE MANUFACTURER READ AND FOLLOW THEM

On the other side however, my insurance company sent me a from to fill out on our installation, if I went by that I would need a bigger house they must be using tolerances for a fire barrel not a modern wood stove.