Just wondering what one should do if you get a chimney fire? I have heard to not open fireplace door to extnguish the fire.
Any ideas?
Any ideas?
what to do if chiminey fire?
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Easy answer: Try doing a search for chimney fire . . . very commonly asked question.
More detailed answer: Call 911. If you have a masonry chimney with a clean out door . . . open it and put a quarter to half a cup of water on any hot, glowing bits of creosote that may have fallen to the bottom of the clean out. Water hits the hot creosote and converts to steam. Natural draft takes the steam (which expands quite a bit) upwards and extinguishes the fire. You can also take an ABC dry chemical extinguisher and fire it up the clean out . . . draft brings upwards and extinguishes. Other alternatives: use plastic baggies full of the ABC dry chemical powder and drop from the top of the chimney.
Best answer: Don't have a chimney fire. Burn well-seasoned wood. Check and clean your chimney frequently.
More detailed answer: Call 911. If you have a masonry chimney with a clean out door . . . open it and put a quarter to half a cup of water on any hot, glowing bits of creosote that may have fallen to the bottom of the clean out. Water hits the hot creosote and converts to steam. Natural draft takes the steam (which expands quite a bit) upwards and extinguishes the fire. You can also take an ABC dry chemical extinguisher and fire it up the clean out . . . draft brings upwards and extinguishes. Other alternatives: use plastic baggies full of the ABC dry chemical powder and drop from the top of the chimney.
Best answer: Don't have a chimney fire. Burn well-seasoned wood. Check and clean your chimney frequently.
For me, it depends on the stove. The old stove could over heat, not be shut down, and melt down, requiring more drastic measures.
My new stove can't over heat and shuts down tight and fast.
1- shut the stove down
2- alert family to situation
3- standby with extinguisher
Around here people often hope the local volunteer firemen don't show up.
My new stove can't over heat and shuts down tight and fast.
1- shut the stove down
2- alert family to situation
3- standby with extinguisher
Around here people often hope the local volunteer firemen don't show up.
Close the air control.
I can shove one of my stove gloves in the intake hole.
Get out and call 911.
Best option is to keep your chimney clean!
I can shove one of my stove gloves in the intake hole.
Get out and call 911.
Best option is to keep your chimney clean!
As someone on this forum has said; some of the advice on the internet including this forum is very good, some not so good and some could get you and your family hurt. Welcome to the internet reallity. Be safe.
Ed
Ed
If poor spelling and grammar were creosote, you'd have had many a chimney post fire by now. :lol:
firefighterjake said:
This sounds like very good advice (all of it, but mainly your more detailed answer). Thank you for sharing!
Please heed Jake's instructions. He is a fire fighter and knows what the proper procedure is. And by all means, also take his advice and don't have one to begin with.
The beginning step with that is to have good dry wood and not the "seasoned" wood that wood sellers sell.
To me it is a crime that people get away with selling what is called seasoned wood when it just is not seasoned at all or barely. I hate government getting involved in anything but perhaps this is one thing we do need regulated. We see too many times when new burners come on this forum and have problems and most of those problems are related to not properly seasoned wood. So for now, it is up to each individual to learn what seasoned wood really is. To me, anyone having less that at least one full summer to dry their wood should not have a wood burner in their home and then it will also depend on the type of wood. Know which wood will be okay to burn in the fall with only one summer. Know which types can take 2 or 3 years to properly season.
Sorry for the rant. Carry on.
The beginning step with that is to have good dry wood and not the "seasoned" wood that wood sellers sell.
To me it is a crime that people get away with selling what is called seasoned wood when it just is not seasoned at all or barely. I hate government getting involved in anything but perhaps this is one thing we do need regulated. We see too many times when new burners come on this forum and have problems and most of those problems are related to not properly seasoned wood. So for now, it is up to each individual to learn what seasoned wood really is. To me, anyone having less that at least one full summer to dry their wood should not have a wood burner in their home and then it will also depend on the type of wood. Know which wood will be okay to burn in the fall with only one summer. Know which types can take 2 or 3 years to properly season.
Sorry for the rant. Carry on.
All the VFW guys told me to open the door a crack and empty a fire extinguisher into the box, and it sucks the chem up the pipe and out the fire goes.
So they tell me, I havent had a chimney fire yet and I have 2 extinguishers on the wall nearby.
I'm not hoping to test the theory so I keep the pipes obsessively clean.
So they tell me, I havent had a chimney fire yet and I have 2 extinguishers on the wall nearby.
I'm not hoping to test the theory so I keep the pipes obsessively clean.
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