Chimney fire!

Bret4207

Well-known Member
Had a nice chimney fire last night. I just cleaned the pipe 3 weeks back. I suppose it was the warm weather we had and leaving the stove dampened down. All I can say is thank God for watching out for us and thank God for insulated stove pipe. It was shooting sparks out the top and you could still hold your hand on the outside of the pipe! Good stuff.

BTW, it's CLEAN now! Nothing like standing out in the wind at 11:30PM cleaning a stove pipe to make for a restless nights sleep!
 
It definitely pays to have a good chimney system with a wood stove. I have triple wall on mine and I have it set to be very easy to clean - usually takes me about 15 minutes and that includes getting out the ladder and wire brush. Having a ranch house also helps. Glad your situation worked out OK.
 
Bret4207,
If it happened once, it can happen again. This may be a good reason to have a metal roof.

Does your insurance company know you have a wood burner?

Years ago a guy's house burnt to the ground and the insurance company had an issue paying because he said he didn't have a wood burner. May want to check with your insurance.
George
 
I'll bet its clean now ! That is a scary event to have happen in ones home. I can imagine just the noise alone knowing its flame is enough to give you the heart pounder, same thing when you're about to shoot a deer way off in the distance, a person can get excited, not sure what you call that, Adrenalin or panic attack LOL ? I'm usually well relaxed when hunting, don't care what size horns or get excited, and if I do, I reset by taking deep breaths etc.

Reason I mention it, as I don't believe I had a chimney fire, but I loaded the stove in the basement one time, with dry elm, from the upper part of the tree, a normal amount both paper and wood to get started, but the stove was almost full of wood. What a mistake, the ensuing roar, and that flame going up the pipe, turns it orange, mine 90's above the stove and goes out the concrete foundation wall about 4 feet, then 90's up to the 8"x12" clay tile flue which is adjacent to a 24"x24" clay flue in the same chimney for one of the fireplaces, those never had creosote in them, just too big. I now have the flexible stainless 6" pipe from the inside 90 above the stove to the base of the clay tile flue and I will say one thing, put too much dry wood in, and at the back of the firebox, the flame will go right up the pipe to the 90 and beyond, turning that pipe orange in no time. The draft it creates is like a blast furnace and it roars just like one. I put another piece of stove pipe over that section, but did not close the seam, its like a heat shield, and protects that section from ever overheating the wood framing which is a safe distance with an air space, but what a huge difference that extra pipe makes, triple wall is most certainly what a person needs if no masonry chimney. I can still turn that pipe orange, but the 2nd "half pipe" heat shield dissipates most of the heat and you can place your hand above it and know you're safe. I think I hot cycle mine enough or it occurs often depending on how I first load the stove, once going I pull back the wood, being a top loader with a door on the front as well access is easy.

I can just remember that heart pounding cold evening, in the teens, full moon, and the steam rising straight up off the chimney, at first I was thinking panic !!! However, I knew better and remained calm, worked that damper to control the flame, cut the oxygen off, then stoked the fire back from where the pipe is.

I inspect this flue regularly, I've not had to clean it, just at the bottom, horizontal run where soot and trace amounts of creosote may settle, it amounts to a handful or so per season. Even when I have burned wood with higher moisture, than say 2 years seasoned, I'll mix dry wood in, or just make sure to keep that flue temp up, still nothing to take for granted, thankfully yours resolved itself, really odd when you take good care to clean and inspect and it still happens, going to check mine again today !
 
We burned wood at home growing up. Never had an issue for first 30 years. My Dad was really respectful of indoor wood heat and had actually built a furnace room into the house full masonary walls and poured concrete ceiling. Cleaned the chimmney 3x a season. Someway,some how conditions changed one night in March and we had a large amount of Creosote, debris ect fall down and block the flue. Major smoke back up and mess in the middle of the night. Cleaned it up, inspected it relit and burned for the rest of the season. Never burned it again after. Went to outdoor wood boiler and never looked back. Good luck with your situation thats always a scarey deal.
 


Seems like something like that always happens in the middle of the night, really messes up a good night's sleep.
 
What you should do... let the fire out some day it"s fit and climb up and remove the cap from the chimney... take a good light and inspect the liner. You get away with a certain number of fires but after a while the liner will corrode. Then you"re really playing with fire...
Our chimneys here are double jacket in that there is one thick layer of insulation between the liner and the outer skin.

Rod
 
My mother has had a couple of chimney fires.I was close both times and was able to get everything shut up before it really got out of hand.That pink flame coming out of the top of the chimney is actually kind of pretty,but you don"t think so at the time.Got her a guage that sticks to the pipe about 18" above the stove.If you watch it and keep the needle in the safe zone the fire is too hot for much creosote to condense in the chimney.
 
That was a common ocurance, would happen about once a year, always during the day as the stove would be filled just before going to bed at night and the fire would be out in about 2 hours. This was in the old brick unlined chimney and it has been 50 years since that stove was used. That was the only way the chimney ever got cleaned. Took out the chimney a couple of years ago during a remodel and for the last 40 years it had just vented LP appliances as space heater and water heater.
 
1st home had a single brick chimney in the middle ,, the rafters next to the chimney were charred and no doubt burned themselves out,as were the ceiling joists on the top floor .. my bride and i bought this house in 1980and remodeled ,we tour out the chimney and replaced the charrerd timber and a modern fireplace with buck stove insert , was a 2 story cross gable farmhouse built in 1870 ,,
 
(quoted from post at 11:16:08 01/19/13) Have never had insurance ask a question like that.

There is a difference in premium depending on how the house is heated,how far to nearest fire plug,distance to nearest fire station as well as several other considerations.
If your agent has never asked you how your house is heated and several other questions he is likly just charging you higher risk premiums so I advise taking a closer look.
 
Leroy,
The first thing my insurance company asks is: What kind of dog I have? Do I have a swimming pool? Do I have a trampoline? Do I have a fire place?

I tell them if my pit bull isn't in front of the fire place he's jumping on the trampoline diving in the pool:)

You may want to check.
George
 

You often hear and read, including here, about people being sure that they are safe because they get their chimney cleaned every year. Well, tests have shown that it is possible to accumulate enough creosote in 48 hours to have a chimney fire. The safe way to burn your stove is to have an intentional fire in the chimney every day to keep the creosote burned out.
 
Different companys over the years and none ever asked any questions as how it was heated. On here is the only place I ever heard of it.
 
Look for a product called "Chimflex" I believe.
It is a fire extinguisher for fireplaces and wood burners.
It looks like a fusee/road flare.
We used them on the fire dept.
It beat pouring water down a chimney into someone's living room!

Take Care.

Steve A W
 
Yes George, they know, they've inspected it too. I really do try to keep up on this stuff. The nearest firs co is 20 minutes away and NYS Law are killing off our fire co's and EMTs, just like everything else. The old days of having an effective volunteer fire co made up of normal, common sense people is long gone. It stinks big time.

I'm hoping to be able to get an outdoor wood boiler soon. Of course NYS Laws cover them now too, so it's going to be even more expensive. In a few years we may be leaving NY forever!
 
I use triple wall: SS inner, alum mid, galv. steel outer. Don't see any problems with corrosion on that.

On the fire, if you can cut the oxygen to it. On my free standing sealed stove, all I have to do is close the damper and the fire will suffocate. Have never had a fire in over 33 years.

I burn a couple of cords a year with a vertical pipe. I don't clean it till fall getting ready for another season. Sometimes I don't need to clean it. All the creosote has dried up, cracked and has fallen into the stove. Inner pipe is 8" and I have an 8" wire chimney cleaning brush that works very well when needed.

Burning a good, non sappy wood that has been properly cured helps. I like to burn oak at least 3 months after cutting, prefer 6 or sometimes buy one year to burn the next if green.

HTH,
Mark
 

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