Just had a chimney fire with my BK King!

[wooduser]

If I had a chimney fire in my steel chimney, my bias would be to use my dry chemical fire extinguisher by giving it a shot in the stove. The idea being that the dry chemicals and CO2 that put out the fire would be carried into the venting system and put out the fire with the aid of the usualy and customary draft.

By contrast, the time it would take to get up on the roof with a fire extinguisher would give the fire more time to burn and to get hotter,.And discharging the fire extinguisher from the roof into the chimney cap sounds like it would be difficult to do effectively, and you would be fighting the draft coming up the chimney, which would include a perhaps dramatic fire!

And climbing hastily up onto a roof in an emergency situation sounds like something to avoid doing!


Comments or suggestions are solicited....

 

[Sawset]

As it was taking its time coming into active

How long? I don't have a cat stove. But your cat wasn't engaged yet, so thinking this is a legitimate question - how long do you let the startup linger. Creosote, and lots of it, can condense in a hurry if low temps at startup are allowed to drag out. Just saying.

 

[Jotel me this]

And no more amazon boxes lol!

yes. no boxes. question.. no offence.. did you not know burning boxes isnt recommended? you should only burn wood. maybe a crumple or two of paper to get it going.

 

[Ryan723]

Just to add here...Until I started to monitor flue temps with a probe thermocouple and digital display, I had NO IDEA how fast flue temps can ramp up in my BK with the bypass open on a re-load.

My thermometer updates about every 8 seconds...and I’ve seen it jump 90°F per update when a new load starts to catch. Literally go from 400° to 650°F in 30-45 seconds, especially if the door is open as I’m loading the last piece or cleaning the glass a little. My magnetic external stack thermometer hasn’t barely started to move in that time.

I now close my bypass MUCH sooner than I used to.

Now, that’s exhaust temp mid-stream in the flue, the pipe isn’t that hot yet...but it’s on its way. But you can see how it could get out of hand in a hurry...and maybe before you realize it, depending on how you monitor.

 

[glassmanjpf]

Glad everything turned out ok. As stated prior I wouldn't recommend burning paper or cardboard, not only not recommended but why create more ash in the stove from non wood source. I just use three or four pieces of fat wood to get my top down fire started and works every time.

 

[Revturbo977]

Glad everything is ok. We had a chimney fire our first year run our new stove. Ours was more or less due to not knowing how to run a new epa stove . We don’t use paper or cardboard to start fires still. I make boxes of kindling and store it in my shed. Always lights right up on fresh burns

 

[kennyp2339]

This thread re-affirms my decisions to always run the brush down the chimney around new years, I don't get much out of it, but the peace and mind is worth its weight in gold to me.

 

[Revturbo977]

This thread re-affirms my decisions to always run the brush down the chimney around new years, I don't get much out of it, but the peace and mind is worth its weight in gold to me.

I’m cleaning mine in about 20 minutes ha

 

[Revturbo977]

 

[Sawset]

How long? I don't have a cat stove. But your cat wasn't engaged yet, so thinking this is a legitimate question - how long do you let the startup linger. Creosote, and lots of it, can condense in a hurry if low temps at startup are allowed to drag out. Just saying.

I think some of you guys are missing something here. Hot stack temps and or cardboard don't by themselves start chimney fires. It would also take a fuel source, like creosote, to do that. And since the op isn't responding, then could it be surmised the real cause be cold lengthy startups. And then not bumping the stack temps later to clean it back out again, every time. Brushing relatively dry pipes often isn't quite what he was indicating.

 

[bholler]

I think some of you guys are missing something here. Hot stack temps and or cardboard don't by themselves start chimney fires. It would also take a fuel source, like creosote, to do that. And since the op isn't responding, then could it be surmised the real cause be cold lengthy startups. And then not bumping the stack temps later to clean it back out again, every time. Brushing relatively dry pipes often isn't quite what he was indicating.

I agree it takes creosote to have a fire. But bumping stack temps up later will not do anything to clean out buildup that is already there. The only way to clean creosote out of a chimney is with a brush.

 

[lsucet]

I agree it takes creosote to have a fire. But bumping stack temps up later will not do anything to clean out buildup that is already there. The only way to clean creosote out of a chimney is with a brush.

I do agree with you on your statement. I do have a question. Why manufactures of stoves recommend a hot fire once awhile? Do you think there is no point to it? Is it bologna?
I think that the only way is cleaning. But what is the purpose of that recommendation?

 

[Sawset]

Not sure if I agree with that. Isn't that kind of misleading? I've watched creosote burn back off surfaces, in a controlled way, (door glass, chimney pipes, outdoor fireplace ). If my stack temp is at 950, even for a little while, and often, creosote burns? Pipes stay dry and clean with soot and ash the only buildup? Once a glaze forms then I can see, brush or risk a fire.

 

[jetsam]

Not sure if I agree with that. Isn't that kind of misleading? I've watched creosote burn back off surfaces, in a controlled way, (door glass, chimney pipes, outdoor fireplace ). If my stack temp is at 950, even for a little while, and often, creosote burns? Pipes stay dry and clean with soot and ash the only buildup? Once a glaze forms then I can see, brush or risk a fire.

The stack is never one temperature. It is way cooler up at the top, and is has to get pretty cold (250°F) for creosote to condense. The part of the pipe that gets really hot isn't the part that had much creosote in it in the first place.

 

[bholler]

Not sure if I agree with that. Isn't that kind of misleading? I've watched creosote burn back off surfaces, in a controlled way, (door glass, chimney pipes, outdoor fireplace ). If my stack temp is at 950, even for a little while, and often, creosote burns? Pipes stay dry and clean with soot and ash the only buildup? Once a glaze forms then I can see, brush or risk a fire.

If creosote is burning in the chimney it is a chimney fire whether you think it is controlled or not

 

[bholler]

I do agree with you on your statement. I do have a question. Why manufactures of stoves recommend a hot fire once awhile? Do you think there is no point to it? Is it bologna?
I think that the only way is cleaning. But what is the purpose of that recommendation?

I honestly dont have a good answer to that

 

[Highbeam]

Nobody’s flue is spotless. It might be thin but all of us have fuel in our flues for a chimney fire. After just one fire a white glove inspection will show some “stuff”. So now you need to minimize shooting flames up into the flue right?

 

[Skidooer]

Thanks again guys! Sorry I didnt take any pics as I lost my phone all afternoon.
So once it quit raining I went up and gave the chimney a thorough scrub all the way to the stove. When I pulled the pipe off the stove top I had a pile of creosote, like 2 hand dustpans full! Never seen that before. And not the usual light fluff I get, this was round and larger, crumbled in your hands and coarse. Even my pipes near the stove were filthy!
After a good brushing I inspect the pipes, all looks normal, then inside the stove. Not sure if part of my prob was that the bypass gasket was stuck to the bypass and lifting up, or this happened when I suppressed the heat down with the fire ext. Either way it was toast! Thank god I’m over prepared and have all spare gaskets for the stove on hand. It was baked in the slot so hard I had to scrape it out at the back and sides, front by the Cat was fine. The ext material was right at the back so maybe a reaction with the heat and material I figure.
So she got a fresh gasket, vacuume out and a checkup. Just firing it back up now, split up some nice dry kindling and it lit up perfect. See what happens, I’m the Kind babysitter tonight lol.

 

[Skidooer]

What’s left of the bypass gasket

 

[Skidooer]

If I had a chimney fire in my steel chimney, my bias would be to use my dry chemical fire extinguisher by giving it a shot in the stove. The idea being that the dry chemicals and CO2 that put out the fire would be carried into the venting system and put out the fire with the aid of the usualy and customary draft.

By contrast, the time it would take to get up on the roof with a fire extinguisher would give the fire more time to burn and to get hotter,.And discharging the fire extinguisher from the roof into the chimney cap sounds like it would be difficult to do effectively, and you would be fighting the draft coming up the chimney, which would include a perhaps dramatic fire!

And climbing hastily up onto a roof in an emergency situation sounds like something to avoid doing!

Actually I was calm and ran out to my shop, grabbed my large extinguisher, pulled the cap and gaver hell! It was a dry chemical ext and it worked great, out with 3 blasts and my pipe is 25ft.

 

[Skidooer]

Now she’s looking good!!

 

[jetsam]

I thought the King had a bigger cat.

 

[Skidooer]

He still hasn't moved from that spot haha!
Apparently I’m not the only one happy to have the stove back running again

 

[jetsam]

My cat fears my stove because one time he let his guard down, and it made a scary pinging noise at him.

 

[Jotel me this]

This thread re-affirms my decisions to always run the brush down the chimney around new years, I don't get much out of it, but the peace and mind is worth its weight in gold to me.

my buddy just had his flue cleaned out. we stuck my borescope up it and its now nice and clean.
question... in a few parts you can see where there were probably some sticky residue of creosote (not flaky..the bad stuff). the guy used a spinning brush. it looks like its all removed except for a verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry thin layer of black the size of a baseball card (iphone for the new generation).

theres no thickness to it. just a stain.

can the stain from sticky creosote cause fires as well?