Where is the EMERGENCY SHUT-OFF switch on my woodstove?

[woodjack]

What's the best way to shut down the firebox if things get out of control, or for any reason, you need to extinguish the fire immediately? Should closing the damper suffocate the fire? Mine doesn't.

 

[Brian VT]

EPA approved stoves cannot, by design, allow complete closure of all air intake. Some people have devised ways around it that enable them to cut off the air supply and starve the fire of air. The culprit is usually the secondary air intake.
In order to immediately stop the burn you'd need to throw a product such as Chimtex or something in to smother the fire (ashes, baking soda, wet newspaper) but most experts recommend not opening the door of your stove in an emergency situation.
The correct answer is to shut it down the best you can and then call the fire dept.

 

[Shari]

EPA approved stoves cannot, by design, allow complete closure of all air intake. Some people have devised ways around it.
The culprit is usually the secondary air intake.

After reading many posts on this website, I agree your statement seems to be true, however, as a future stove owner I also find this issue to be very disconcerting on so many levels! While EPA stoves are the current trend how in the world did the EPA approve something that can act like a runaway locomotive with no way to stop it??? While I also understand people with a 'runaway' can sometimes cool off their stove by shutting down the air and blowing a fan across the face of their stove to cool it off, to me this is not a good design. I am no rocket scientist but I do want control. I want a stove for all the benefits it can offer but "I" also want to control it - what is the solution????

I realize my fireplace is a hole-in-the-wall heat loss, but at least if I want to shut my fireplace down I can do so just by closing the glass doors and closing off the air intake. Why can't I find a stove that I can shut down if need be?

Shari

 

[bbeals]

What's the best way to shut down the firebox if things get out of control, or for any reason, you need to extinguish the fire immediately? Should closing the damper suffocate the fire? Mine doesn't.

Hello Woodjack, I guess my first question would be why you need to extinguish the fire immediately? I would hope that you called the fire department if that was the case. If not, then I would suggest that you do all you can to limit the amount of air that the fire can get. That ought to do ya. If that doesn't work, then i would certainly call the fire department

 

[Brian VT]

While EPA stoves are the current trend how in the world did the EPA approve something that can act like a runaway locomotive with no way to stop it???

Your gubment at work doing "what's best for everyone". The EPA, and gubment in general, has created many problems while solving problems. There's rarely "free lunch" when "fixing" stuff.
Look at the whole leaded gas to MTBE to ethanol issue. Each additive has a pro and a con. There's problems with every "solution". Gotta choose the least of all evils, I guess.

 

[woodjack]

What's the best way to shut down the firebox if things get out of control, or for any reason, you need to extinguish the fire immediately? Should closing the damper suffocate the fire? Mine doesn't.

Hello Woodjack, I guess my first question would be why you need to extinguish the fire immediately? I would hope that you called the fire department if that was the case. If not, then I would suggest that you do all you can to limit the amount of air that the fire can get. That ought to do ya. If that doesn't work, then i would certainly call the fire department

If my house caught fire, by the time the fire dept. showed up I'd already be trying to decide what style architecture my new house would be.

I'm not the type to watch my house burn and worry or complain that the fire dept. is taking too long. I just want to know how to extinguish a fire in my woodstove or chimney BEFORE my house becomes four cords of expensive firewood.

 

[glenng]

While the results of putting out a wood stove fire with water can be disastrous, I have found a quick way to kill an over fire. Continuously spray a mist of water from a quality spray bottle on to the fire. 30 seconds to 1 minute of spraying will bring a raging fire to idle. I keep a spray bottle handy. I learned the trick from an old timer and it works. I had to use this method once and it worked quickly and safely. This method works for a fire in the stove. This method will not work for a chimney fire.

 

[caber]

In a big emergency? Fire Extinguisher. Bucket of water. Big box of baking powder. Shovelful of dirt.

 

[woodjack]

In a big emergency? Fire Extinguisher. Bucket of water. Big box of baking powder. Shovelful of dirt.

In NYC the NYFD requires either a fire extinguisher, or two buckets of sand to be in all boiler rooms.

 

[skamp]

What's the best way to shut down the firebox if things get out of control, or for any reason, you need to extinguish the fire immediately? Should closing the damper suffocate the fire? Mine doesn't.

Hello Woodjack, I guess my first question would be why you need to extinguish the fire immediately? I would hope that you called the fire department if that was the case. If not, then I would suggest that you do all you can to limit the amount of air that the fire can get. That ought to do ya. If that doesn't work, then i would certainly call the fire department

If my house caught fire, by the time the fire dept. showed up I'd already be trying to decide what style architecture my new house would be.

I'm not the type to watch my house burn and worry or complain that the fire dept. is taking too long. I just want to know how to extinguish a fire in my woodstove or chimney BEFORE my house becomes four cords of expensive firewood.

I just had to comment. I really like the way you think! :lol:

 

[mayhem]

While the results of putting out a wood stove fire with water can be disastrous, I have found a quick way to kill an over fire. Continuously spray a mist of water from a quality spray bottle on to the fire. 30 seconds to 1 minute of spraying will bring a raging fire to idle. I keep a spray bottle handy. I learned the trick from an old timer and it works. I had to use this method once and it worked quickly and safely. This method works for a fire in the stove. This method will not work for a chimney fire.

Do you open the stove and spray directly on the fire or do you spray the water into the air intake?

 

[myzamboni]

EPA approved stoves cannot, by design, allow complete closure of all air intake. Some people have devised ways around it.
The culprit is usually the secondary air intake.

After reading many posts on this website, I agree your statement seems to be true, however, as a future stove owner I also find this issue to be very disconcerting on so many levels! While EPA stoves are the current trend how in the world did the EPA approve something that can act like a runaway locomotive with no way to stop it??? While I also understand people with a 'runaway' can sometimes cool off their stove by shutting down the air and blowing a fan across the face of their stove to cool it off, to me this is not a good design. I am no rocket scientist but I do want control. I want a stove for all the benefits it can offer but "I" also want to control it - what is the solution????

I realize my fireplace is a hole-in-the-wall heat loss, but at least if I want to shut my fireplace down I can do so just by closing the glass doors and closing off the air intake. Why can't I find a stove that I can shut down if need be?

Shari

Knowledge is power. Keep reading here on what not to do and don't put yourself in those circumstances/situations. This is your best defense. Might not be the answer your were hoping for, but just another example that wood heat is not for everyone.

 

[bbeals]

In a big emergency? Fire Extinguisher. Bucket of water. Big box of baking powder. Shovelful of dirt.

Have had many years of fire fighting training in the Navy, although, we didn't burn much wood. It would seem to me that you have had far too much experience with this. 8-/

 

[bbeals]

EPA approved stoves cannot, by design, allow complete closure of all air intake. Some people have devised ways around it.
The culprit is usually the secondary air intake.

After reading many posts on this website, I agree your statement seems to be true, however, as a future stove owner I also find this issue to be very disconcerting on so many levels! While EPA stoves are the current trend how in the world did the EPA approve something that can act like a runaway locomotive with no way to stop it??? While I also understand people with a 'runaway' can sometimes cool off their stove by shutting down the air and blowing a fan across the face of their stove to cool it off, to me this is not a good design. I am no rocket scientist but I do want control. I want a stove for all the benefits it can offer but "I" also want to control it - what is the solution????

I realize my fireplace is a hole-in-the-wall heat loss, but at least if I want to shut my fireplace down I can do so just by closing the glass doors and closing off the air intake. Why can't I find a stove that I can shut down if need be?

Shari

Knowledge is power. Keep reading here on what not to do and don't put yourself in those circumstances/situations. This is your best defense. Might not be the answer your were hoping for, but just another example that wood heat is not for everyone.

I would suggest that you do what it takes to not put yourself in an "over fire" situation. With time you will learn how your particular appliance works and should be able to avoid this. Hopefully, you will not need trial by fire, but if you should, then I like the earlier suggestion "Fire Extinguisher. Bucket of water. Big box of baking powder. Shovelful of dirt." 911, not necessarily in that order.

 

[Shari]

From day one when we bought this house and started burning in our fireplace we have always had a flare type of thing laying on our hearth. This item is meant to depleat the oxygen in the chimney therefore effectively snuffing out a fire. My brother-in-law suggested this item for putting out a chimney fire. While we do have a clay line chimeny and would go to a 6" pipe whenever we get a wood stove, is this flare item suggested for use with a chimney fire for a wood stove?

Shari

 

[caber]

In a big emergency? Fire Extinguisher. Bucket of water. Big box of baking powder. Shovelful of dirt.

Have had many years of fire fighting training in the Navy, although, we didn't burn much wood. It would seem to me that you have had far too much experience with this. 8-/

It pays to be able think on your feet and make do with what is at hand. Never had to extinguish a wood stove fire before, but I was taught how to extinguish other kinds using all of the above.

 

[LLigetfa]

I remember years ago in a trapper's cabin with a redneck barrel stove that would run away, we'd just open the door and throw in about a quart of water.

The solution as others have already said, is to prevent the runaway in the first place.

 

[North of 60]

I had a few of these with my old/ but new stove which made me go shopping. The new/new stove is designed to snuff the fire out to create a slow smoldering fire for the low setting. I can have the stove blazing as you see in my avitar and have it with no visible flames in under a minute. A glowing CAT is all you will see. I have no fears of leaving the house after a jammed packed reload anymore. A CAT stove is the only stove I know that likes a slow smoldering burn once the CAT has been lit.

 

[struggle]

I have heard from repeatedly that a road flare thrown into a stove will starve it of oxygen. I have yet to try it out though myself.

 

[begreen]

I have heard from repeatedly that a road flare thrown into a stove will starve it of oxygen. I have yet to try it out though myself.

I've heard so will a wet ferret...

 

[Kilted]

Instant off should be easy, just use CO2 fire extinguisher directed at the air intake. That should smother the flame very quick. However the draft will pull fresh air back into the box with unperdictable results.

OK other suggestions on further blocking the air intakes?

 

[savageactor7]

For quite awhile folks have kept a bucket of ashes nearby to smother a fire. While not as easy as throwing a switch it still is effective.

 

[Cearbhaill]

Both baking soda and baking powder have been mentioned in this thread.
Once and for all- which is it?
And how much?

I am certain that it has always been baking soda recommended to me in the past, but three times here I have read baking powder.
This needs to be clarified and put in a sticky or FAQ.
IMO

 

[NitroDave]

Both baking soda and baking powder have been mentioned in this thread.
Once and for all- which is it?
And how much?

I am certain that it has always been baking soda recommended to me in the past, but three times here I have read baking powder.
This needs to be clarified and put in a sticky or FAQ.
IMO

The one in the yellow box...Arm & Hammer.....

Also works good for chimney fires.... fill plastic sandwich bags.... drop down burning chimney..bag melts..dispenses extinguishing agent. ;-P

 

[karri0n]

keep a wet newspaper in a sealed plastic bag handy. plastic melts when inserted in firebox. steam released puts out the fire with less damage than dumping water in.

That's a nifty solution! +15 points to you in my book.