UPDATE: Chimney (Vent) Fire with Vent Pics

[WhatIsChazaq]

I've only had this thing running for a little over a month. Had a good hot fire burning two nights ago, I was just getting ready to button it up for the night time burn. I walked over to the stove and heard crackling/wooshing sound from the venting. I grabbed the infra-red temp gun and started checking the vent temps. It was reading 400+...and up to 500 at the ceiling box (it's never gotten over 200 before). The house was quickly filling with acrid smoke. Smoke alarm went off.

I shut the stove down as much as I could...but I could still hear it roaring in the vent stack like mad. I ran outside and I could see sparks flying out the top of the vent stack. Though the stove was "shut down"...there was still air rushing into the air inlet on the bottom of the stove. I grabbed a sheet of metal (actually the dog door cover) and held it over the air inlet and the roar started to subside. I had to hold the "cover" in place for almost 45 minutes before the roar wouldn't start back up again. I found a piece of pipe that would fit the air inlet and attached a piece of Al flex hose and stuffed a wet rag in the end.

I got up on the roof and kept a close eye on the ceiling box temps. We lived through the night so that's nice.

The dang stove STILL finished burning the full load of wood (it took all night).

The stove is vented with Simpson 6" Duravent. I'm going to inspect it today. What the freak am I looking for? How the heck do I know if I've destroyed the venting?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

The very first thing to do is quit burning that wood you have on hand. Only burning for a month and having a chimney fire says you have green wood and not dry wood.

Your stove is probably okay but the flue definitely needs checking. Good luck.

 

[Diabel]

I've only had this thing running for a little over a month. Had a good hot fire burning two nights ago, I was just getting ready to button it up for the night time burn. I walked over to the stove and heard crackling/wooshing sound from the venting. I grabbed the infra-red temp gun and started checking the vent temps. It was reading 400+...and up to 500 at the ceiling box (it's never gotten over 200 before). The house was quickly filling with acrid smoke. Smoke alarm went off.

I shut the stove down as much as I could...but I could still hear it roaring in the vent stack like mad. I ran outside and I could see sparks flying out the top of the vent stack. Though the stove was "shut down"...there was still air rushing into the air inlet on the bottom of the stove. I grabbed a sheet of metal (actually the dog door cover) and held it over the air inlet and the roar started to subside. I had to hold the "cover" in place for almost 45 minutes before the roar wouldn't start back up again. I found a piece of pipe that would fit the air inlet and attached a piece of Al flex hose and stuffed a wet rag in the end.

I got up on the roof and kept a close eye on the ceiling box temps. We lived through the night so that's nice.

The dang stove STILL finished burning the full load of wood (it took all night).

The stove is vented with Simpson 6" Duravent. I'm going to inspect it today. What the freak am I looking for? How the heck do I know if I've destroyed the venting?

It sure sounds like a small chimney fire...check your wood!

Can you explain this: "(it's never gotten over 200 before)"

Thanks

 

[LLigetfa]

Is this a straight up install or is there a Tee or elbow to trap creosote? Post some pics of how the flue is connected. That's got to be some bad wood to have a chimney fire within a month.

 

[WhatIsChazaq]

Two pics for you to see the setup...it is absolutely straight, no kinks, t's, elbows...I'll take some detailed pics this afternoon.

 

[LLigetfa]

Wow, I would not have expected a chimney fire with a straight-up install like that. Usually, minor creosote buildup will dry, curl, and fall back into the stove. That must be wet stuff you're burning. Is that blackened glass in the first pic?

 

[CowboyAndy]

thats really surprising because my father in law is burning freshly cut beech (cut september) and runs the stove with the damper almost all the way shut so the wood is just barely glowing red... no chimney fires yet, but im sure there is one looming around the corner.

 

[justinemtp22]

I'm not sure what the setup is where you live.....(full time or volunteer) but you should probably call the Fire Department if that ever happens again.....if you wait and something ignites it will be too late.

 

[Wallyworld]

Wet newspaper thrown in the fire box might have helped knock the chimney fire down?

 

[RonB]

A fire extinguisher discharged in the fire box and toward the flue outlet will do wonders in slowing and/or stopping a chimney fire. It makes sense for any one that burns wood to have one handy (for a number of reasons). Perhaps you could give more details on the wood and your burning technique so that you and others can avoid such a quick build up of creosote in the chimney. Even good wood, when burned incorrectly, would accumulate creosote in the cold portion of your chimney(above the roof line). And, I do believe you have had some pretty cold temps in Colorado this winter.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

Wow, I would not have expected a chimney fire with a straight-up install like that. Usually, minor creosote buildup will dry, curl, and fall back into the stove. That must be wet stuff you're burning. Is that blackened glass in the first pic?

any chimney can suffer a chmney fire , remember its a non-cat vc creo would have fell into the secondary chamber or worse gotten caught just above it , not all creo will flake off especially when excesive moisture is present

to the IP have you have trouble getting the everburn to light off , are you hearinga light rumble when you close off the bypass to engage the everburn? have you been engaging it at all?

reason im asking is that moisture is the bane of secondary burn , its hard to manage the temps to get it established. without it you are not burning away the stuff creo is made of , this coats the flue and if the right set of conditions occur afterwards a chimney fire can result. heed the advice of the members on at very least getting the wood checked and have a certified sweep do a level 2 flue inspection (which is the level called for in the NFPA211 standard following a flue fire) premanufactured chimneys are designed to "withstand" a flue fire but withstanding means they protect your house , it doesnt mean they are immune to damage should one occur... that said , was quick thinking on covering the intake which may have saved you some serious problems.

 

[jadm]

You have not responded on what type of wood you were burning and how long it had seasoned.

I am taking a guess that you were burning pine since that is what is most abundant here in CO. If it was freshly cut it has a lot of sap in it which will accumulate quickly - especially if it isn't burned on the hot side.

Glad you knew how to cut the air out of the firebox. I have read here about using a wet newspaper in a plastic bag to nix things without hurting your stove. Haven't tried it so I don't know and hope I never have to try it.

 

[WhatIsChazaq]

Burning pine and cedar...purchased from a "reliable" source claiming it's been seasoned for a year.

I'll take apart the venting and snap some pics.

 

[jtp10181]

Since you don't really know how dry the wood is...

Do you get sizzling or sap / water boiling out of the ends when you throw some new stuff on? If so, go punch your wood vendor in the head.

Another good check is if it seems hard to get a fire going from a cold start and keep it going. If it seems like it dies out when you shut the door, the wood is usually crap.

 

[LLigetfa]

Burning pine and cedar...purchased from a "reliable" source claiming it's been seasoned for a year.

You know, they all say that. Seasoned for a year and split the day they delivered.

Are you having problems keeping the glass clean?

 

[WhatIsChazaq]

CORRECTION: It is Pine and Aspen.

It's pretty easy to get the fire started and to keep it going. Though it HAS been hard keeping the glass clean. It takes a pretty hot fire to clean it and then as soon as I flip the Everburn on it starts to build up again. I have put a few pieces in that started to weep and steam.

Any have a recommendation on a moisture meter? If this wood is wet/damp I'll punch the dude in the head.

 

[WhatIsChazaq]

Can you explain this: "(it's never gotten over 200 before)"

Thanks

Surface temp on the venting inside the house has stayed below 200...surface temp at the ceiling box hit just over 500 the night of the fire.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Hmmmm, 200 degrees going up the stack? I'm thinkin' the old "everburn" system doesn't kick in properly and what we have is a cool, smokey, fire going on day in and day out.

Did you ever go outside and see if smokes pouring out your chimney?

 

[WhatIsChazaq]

I have eyeballed the stack...maybe the creosote build up was from the first couple of fires? The everburn was definitely not kicking in then...I was too worried about ruining the stove and kept burning it WAY too cool. Since then...about three weeks of burning I kept it pretty hot and checked to see there was no smoke. I could hear the everburn at a dull roar at the back of the stove.

 

[firefighterjake]

Wood that is weeping and steaming . . . glass that is often black until the firebox gets hot enough . . . low flue temps . . . and a chimney fire . . . sure sounds like the tell tale signs of someone burning unseasoned wood and/or not getting the temps high enough.

 

[WhatIsChazaq]

I will buy a moisture meter tomorrow...consensus on the right moisture level?

From what I gather...don't burn if the moisture content is above 20%.

That sound right?

 

[cmonSTART]

I want to echo Mike's suggestion you find a good local sweep if possible and have him or her do an NFPA Level 2 inspection. That chimney really needs to be checked out closely for damage. A video scan of all the seams is in order.

Nice job getting the fire out. Glad everyone's OK more or less.

 

[greythorn3]

Very nicely done setup you got there looks really amazing, check that wood and clean yoru flue and inspect it, then you should know where to go from there..

Ray

 

[heffergm]

If you're burning pine and there's any weight to it it's too wet. Dry pine is light as a feather and you can handle it all day long without getting any pitch on your hands. I pull whole dead small trees out of the woods that weigh less than a round of green oak.

On a meter you're looking for 20% or less.

I'm pretty surprised you managed a chimney fire after a month, unless you've been burning really wet pine 24x7.

I burn plenty of pine in my encore. Run a load of kindling through it, add 3 or so splits and let it fire up to 600 surface or so. Close the damper, adjust air to suit. Mine settles in around 500-550 with a load of pine and half air.

 

[WhatIsChazaq]

Thanks for the comments on the setup.

Here are pics of when we moved in...compared to how it looks now. We have learned a ton...tiling, wall building and finishing, trim work...PATIENCE. Man what a process...but it's starting to look pretty decent now.

That is a "floating" wall shield by the way. It has 1.25" of air space between it and the unprotected wall behind it.

...and in case you are wondering...that huge, ancient, drafty behemoth now sits on our back porch as our "fire pit/chimenea":