Dumb..dumb..dumb....

[Kaye]

We got back from vacation Sunday night, and the house was a little chilly. Throw a couple of logs in the fireplace, having a glass of wine, and then....a horrible rumble begins. The chimney's on fire!!!

Good news, it was contained in the chimney. Bad news, it's a pre-fab system, and it's basically condemned, so the whole system has to be replaced. Hello, insurance company...

We've had a disagreement for some time as to when the chimney was last cleaned as we use the fireplace a lot during the winter. Next year, I won't ask. I'll just make the appointment myself. I never want to hear that rumble again!

Just something to think about....

 

[Jeanie]

Did it burn itself out? Or did you have to put it out with an extinguisher?

 

[Geico266]

Glad to hear it was only the fireplace!

 

[Kaye]

Did it burn itself out? Or did you have to put it out with an extinguisher?

Glowing embers were shooting out the top, no flames, looked like a mini-4th of July. Luckily, the weather was misty and wet. We called the fire dept, but it was about out by the time they got here. Didn't know so many big and burly firemen could fit in our rowhouse.

 

[Jeanie]

As Long as they didn't decide to punch axes thru walls just in case! Glad it stayed contained... Now I'm looking for a chimney sweep before we use our fireplace.

 

[Graueradler]

Did it burn itself out? Or did you have to put it out with an extinguisher?

A fire extinguisher doesn't have a chance against a chimney fire!!!. You can close the damper to reduce the air supply and just wait for it to burn out.

 

[flyingron]

A fire extinguisher doesn't have a chance against a chimney fire!!!. You can close the damper to reduce the air supply and just wait for it to burn out.

WRONG! I was a firefighter in the middle of the rural wood stove country. First cold snap of the year we'd get a run of chimney fires. Strategy was simple:

Bring a tarp, metal bucket, and dry chemical extinguisher inside the house.
Spread out the tarp in front of the stove.
Open the firebox and move the burning wood to the bucket.
Stick then end of the extinguisher hose into the fire box and squeeze.
When the powder started out the top of the chimney you could stop.

It's out at that point. Take the chimney cap off, run the sweep down it to make sure all the smouldering stuff is out, advise the owner not to have any more fires until the chimney is cleaned.

On the other hand these can be very dangerous. The one time I personally found a dead body in a fire was as a result of a chimney fire.

 

[Jeanie]

Now I'm really looking for a chimney sweep

 

[nddons]

WRONG! I was a firefighter in the middle of the rural wood stove country. First cold snap of the year we'd get a run of chimney fires. Strategy was simple:

Bring a tarp, metal bucket, and dry chemical extinguisher inside the house.
Spread out the tarp in front of the stove.
Open the firebox and move the burning wood to the bucket.
Stick then end of the extinguisher hose into the fire box and squeeze.
When the powder started out the top of the chimney you could stop.

It's out at that point. Take the chimney cap off, run the sweep down it to make sure all the smouldering stuff is out, advise the owner not to have any more fires until the chimney is cleaned.

On the other hand these can be very dangerous. The one time I personally found a dead body in a fire was as a result of a chimney fire.

Thanks for the advice, Ron! We burn a fair amount - built our house 3 years ago, and had the masonry chimney swept after two seasons. The sweep said it wasn't very dirty, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Are masonry chimneys more or less susceptible to chimney fires than metal flues, or doesn't it matter?

 

[BillTIZ]

Did it burn itself out? Or did you have to put it out with an extinguisher?

Sounds like a fright train when it starts sucking air up the chimney to feed the fire. Mine was in a wood stove and shutting all the dampers down quelled the fire.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

You guys need to run your wood stove LOP on a regular basis, prevents creosote buildup on your combustion chamber!

 

[flyingron]

Thanks for the advice, Ron! We burn a fair amount - built our house 3 years ago, and had the masonry chimney swept after two seasons. The sweep said it wasn't very dirty, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Are masonry chimneys more or less susceptible to chimney fires than metal flues, or doesn't it matter?

Nope masonary or stove pipe it doesn't matter. It's the creosote that builds up that is the problem. The more modern wood stove with the catalytic converters end up putting less stuff up the chimney but it's still going to form. The issue is that the chimney is always a bit colder than the fire box so things condense out of there.

It's pretty easy to avoid...annual professional cleanings NOT those hokie sticks you throw into the firebox.

If your masonary chimney or double walled metal chimney is in good shape, even a chimney fire should be limited to the chimney. However, get one that's in disrepair or just an old style stove pipe, and I guarantee you can set the house on fire.

 

[flyingron]

You guys need to run your wood stove LOP on a regular basis, prevents creosote buildup on your combustion chamber!

That's amusing. It would probably solve the problem but the issue is that in fact, most wood stoves are run way ROP. They're air starved which lets you load up a log or two in there and let it burn all night.

 

[flygirl34q]

YIKES!

I think I'm glad we have a gas log fireplace! Both the fire and the vent/fan start with switches on the wall next to the fireplace.

 

[denverpilot]

You haven't lived until you've been woke up from a nap by your smoke detectors and you can't see across the living room.

You realize you emptied the many days cold wood stove into a Home Depot "Homer" bucket and set it in the garage to keep it out of the wind.

(Never use plastic buckets, mistake number one. Never trust coals are out even after days go by, mistake number two.)

Grab fire extinguisher, run to garage. Can't see through garage. Punch garage door button to let smoke out knowing you're also going to give it oxygen. Fire extinguisher ready.

Find nice glowing smoking embers in a big pile of ashes, smoking in the middle of the concrete floor with little orange strips of melted bucket and the ring around the top and handle lying atop the smoking pile.

House smelled like burnt wood for a week. God that was stupid. Lucky I didn't burn the house down.

 

[wsuffa]

I'm about to have a new wood stove installed in the lower fireplace. I've had one before - no problem with regular cleaning. Code in our area is that a stainless liner is required even if you have a masonry stack.

 

[GMascelli]

YIKES!
I think I'm glad we have a gas log fireplace! Both the fire and the vent/fan start with switches on the wall next to the fireplace.

We also switched, much cleaner and no trips out to uncover and grab wood in the snow. I don't miss the daily clean outs either!

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

You haven't lived until you've been woke up from a nap by your smoke detectors and you can't see across the living room.

You realize you emptied the many days cold wood stove into a Home Depot "Homer" bucket and set it in the garage to keep it out of the wind.

(Never use plastic buckets, mistake number one. Never trust coals are out even after days go by, mistake number two.)

Grab fire extinguisher, run to garage. Can't see through garage. Punch garage door button to let smoke out knowing you're also going to give it oxygen. Fire extinguisher ready.

Find nice glowing smoking embers in a big pile of ashes, smoking in the middle of the concrete floor with little orange strips of melted bucket and the ring around the top and handle lying atop the smoking pile.

House smelled like burnt wood for a week. God that was stupid. Lucky I didn't burn the house down.

Up at camp (camp is Michigan upper peninsula for "someplace outside of town" - does not imply actual "camping"), we would dump ashes in the outhouse to help with the smell. It's best if if there aren't a lot of hot embers in the ashes...