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Chimney Fire

Started by Magicman, February 03, 2011, 08:10:43 PM

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Magicman

Mine usually burns each year.  I have a fireplace insert so I can control the intensity or even extinguish it by shutting off the air.  The roof was sopping wet today so I just dialed the air down and watched closely.

Safe?  No.  Not even a controlled chimney fire is safe, but if there is going to be one, I want to set it so it can be closely watched. fire_smiley


Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

SPIKER

My sister when she was alive had her a green house that had a wood burner in it.   It caught fire 2 times that I remember and once back in the late 70's her house wood stove also burnt pretty good. (ya I cut & split a LOT of wood when I was a little kid by todays standard.)   The green house was no big deal took about 15 min to burn out and got pretty hot.   I ran the damper down to let it cool then opened it up to let it start burning off again..   It had S.S. liner through the roof but had std steel 6" for the most part.   
the scary one was the house stove (had one of those semi open up side down funnel style wood stoves.)  that had flames out the cap 3 or 4 feet!   we JUST loaded it up with some dry wood when it sparked the chimney up.   the soot ran back into the wood and really started it going faster "liquid fire" out of the vertical metal bestos  style pipe.   We tried to cut the damper down but filled the house full of smoke bad as the open style wood burner had no sealed doors.

My sister had all the doors & windows open & had me outside watching the top cap & roof.   while she was inside spraying the stove roof area with a small hose sprayer.   (soaked the carpet)  but saved the house.   it melted all the paint off the stove which was only a year or so old.   It ran all winter long at a low fire & had about 25 feet or so of pipe.   boy that thing made some noise...  :o

Mark
I'm looking for help all the shrinks have given up on me :o

Bill Gaiche

MM, doesnt that give you goose bumps everytime that it happens though? When i was a kid our old 2 story house would have one every once in a while. The first one scared me to death. Sounded like a jet comming. bg

beenthere

MM
What size flue do you have there?

I've heard that a chimney fire can feed air to itself by setting up a downflow of air (oxygen) in the center with an upflow of burning gases on the sides. Creates the heat that will crack and shatter clay tile  (from what I hear). That can make shutting off the air at the stove a mute point. 

So far, haven't had that happen - - yet.  ::)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Magicman

beenthere,  I think that the top cover must prevent that.  If I shut the air off, it will snuff out instantly.  A slow burn probably takes a half hour.  I had the camera ready when it finally reached the top.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

tyb525

There was recently a thread about chimney fires. A minor one every now and then helps keep it cleared out. I just open up the stove and get it going good and hot, that usually takes care of creosote build up (if any)

Also, if you throw an aluminum can in your hot fire every now and then, it (supposedly) helps knock the creosote off the flue wall. It will burn completely if the fire is good and hot, I know this for a fact.

LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

SwampDonkey

Yes a hot fire will melt an aluminum can, they do it all the time at remote campgrounds. The aluminum properties even change and pretty much disintegrates.

You folks be careful with those flu fires. It might seem like nothing. But some day the flu is going to give up the ghost. Never had one here, and don't want none. I have over 40 feet of flu to the outside.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

ely

my buddy has an A frame with a fireplace. he got a scare after the fact once when he went up on his roof. the pine needles collect up there and he went to remove them and there was a large spot(about the size of two wheel barrows) that had no needles,... just charred remains of the pine needles and some brittle asphalt shingles.

its not on the A frame part but on his regular hip  roof where his chiminy comes out. he gets up there real regular now :D

Eljay

I'd like to hear more about this business of putting an aluminum can in a hot fire to knock creosote of the flue walls. Are there any other "safe" tricks? Any down side?

doctorb

A flu fire certainly avoids the need for chimney cleaning, but I agree with SwampDonkey, avoid having one.  I don't envision it as an annual "controlled burn".  I envision it as a high risk situation that is poorly controlable.  I'd rather pay the sweep to risk his neck every year rather than risk my house.

I had my first flu fire in my OWB a week or two ago.  The top of the stack looked like a bushel basket of flames.  While it undoubtedly cleaned the flu, I shut her down quickly.  I don't want to experience my exit pipes glowing red, as some have told me they can.  Metal roof, 6" of snow on the ground, not much chance of a problem.  Has anyone else had a chimney fire in their OWB?
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

ely

i know alittle about the aluminum cans in the fireplace and stoves. the fancy ones with the glass doors on the fronts get all smoked up with creasote, if you get a good fire going with hot coals under it, you can set an aluminum can or two in there and the black stuff will go away as the cans burn up. i have seen it work extremely well, as in right before your eyes type magic stuff,... and i have seen where you have to burn 5 or six cans a day to keep the stuff at bay.

my ex wifes mother has a fancy parlor stove that we used the cans in and it worked great for cleaning it up.

they do have cresote buildup remover in a bag in some places, it is a powder type or even stick type substance, that you place in the fire. the stuff i seen was primarily aluminum in the ingredients label. one type was even magnesium.

i would advise no one to place magnesium in the stove at any time. imo you aint seen chiminey fire until you get that stuff afire.  i have personally caught a pile of those shavings on fire under a benchtop drill press, and while i am no big fan of rodeos i did compete rather well at that one. :o

Eljay

doctorb

I don't know if I have ever had a chimney fire. I certainly have not seen shooting flames or a red hot pipe. However, I often see bits of creosote on the roof of the OWB and on the snow. They range in size of a half dollar to a dime. Once or twice I have seen bits of glowing stuff coming out of the cap.
I imaging this happens when I have a full firebox and a ripping fire.

doctorb

Eljay-

My experience for the most part has been exactly as you describe.  I have not been up on my roof to see any creosote deposits.  I have seen a few sparks fly when I am loading and the fire is rippin'.  I think the fire risk from them is minimal as I have never seen one even close to reaching the ground.  This experience last week was something completely different.  Obvious flames right out the top of my 3-section chimney.
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

Raider Bill

I've responded to several chimney fires in my past life smiley_policeman They sure are impressive.
We used to throw a couple road flares in the stove, damper it down completely and wait for the big red trucks.
They do make a chimney fire putter outer that I was told is what ever is in a dry powder fire extinguisher that the Firemen used. I know they get pretty concerned with the fire ex filtrating out of the flue and into the house  and or sparks on the roof.
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

thecfarm

I had a chimney fire in my other house.Not a good thing.I threw some snow into the chimney and that blocked the oxygen off and put the fire out.This chimney was all on the outside of the house.No one had planned for wood heat in it.Cheaper to put in electric baseboard in that era.I was up on that roof every month from than on to clean it out.
Never had any problems with my OWB and I have 9 feet of chimney too.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

sprucebunny

Some people say that starting a fire with half a cup of diesel fuel a couple times a week will remove creosote or stop it from forming. Also a coal fire will clean a chimney right out .

The coal fire I can atest to as one year I ran out of wood and burned some coal. About the time the coal got going nicely, the residue in the chimney started to fall down it and right into the stove. Filled the stove right up and it started to overheat  :o
MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

bandmiller2

The local fire dept. puts dry chemical extingusher powder [basically bicarb of soda] in baggies and drops it down a chiminey on fire.They also make chiminex chiminey fusees, look like a large road flares.My homemade OWB has a tall stack once or twice a winter I just wack it with a hammer handle everything falls back and burns in the furnace.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

bodagocreek2

Burned wood for 30 years. Had to get on roof and clean chimney twice a season. I have a 9inch clay flue. A friend put me on to easy clean solution - a can of spray oven cleaner each spring. The first year everything (creosote) fell down. Nothing in chimney last two years. Don't know where it goes. I sprayed 1 can in spring again last year. Chimney still clean.

Al_Smith

If you keep the stack temperature up over 300 degrees you usually won't have much problem with creosote .

Now of course if you burn sappy or wet wood or a bunch of pine chances are you will experiance some problems which could cause a flue  fire .

That goes back to how you lay the fire .It might be a grand plan to load the stove up so it will burn 8 hours straight but you are choking down the fire in doing so .

It's a lot better to add a piece every hour of so depending and keep a good bed of coals going which will in turn flash off  majority off the creosote to be consumed as gasses within the fire box rather than condense on the walls of the flue .

I load it up at night but come morning time I open it up and let-er rip for 20 minutes half hour .Come spring there's not much creosote in the flue .Just a tad around the top foot or so and on the screen of the cap .

SwampDonkey

Loading up a firebox with seasoned dry wood will not dampen the fire. What will dampen the fire is a closed damper. With my furnace if it's stuffed full with wood with damper 1/2 or better you'll have all the windows open with the duct pipes mighty hot.  :D What will cause build up is little wood and closed off damper, not hot enough fire to burn that crud up. ;) Green wood is double bad news.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

doctorb

Al_Smith-

Do you have a temp guage on your stack pipe?  If so, how hot do you let it get when you Let her rip in the AM?  Doctorb
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

chet

Our dept  has responded to 14 chimney fires so far this winter. 11 were what you would call routine, duck it out, sweep da chimney, and check for flue damage. 3 had their homes deemed a total loss. All three of the bad ones were last week.  :(
I am a true TREE HUGGER, if I didnt I would fall out!  chet the RETIRED arborist

Al_Smith

No Doc I don't on this one because it's an insert inside a masonary fireplace probabley about like Magic man .Fact is when he posted that picture of the chiminey I had to look twice that it wasn't my own .

I did however have a stack thermostat on a stove in a former life with  former wife .The temp would get up around 450 or so .Stove pipe into triple wall stainless on that one .

On this set up I just guess at it but really have no idea what the exact temp is .I must be doing it at least partially right because as I said I don't have much creosote build up . I suppose it's some where around 12-14 feet of 10 by 10 lined flue more or less .

If it would have caused me any problems I had thought about stuffing a stainless liner in it .After 14 years though with no problems I'll just let well enough alone .It does however get rodded out every spring just  in case with a visual inspection .So far so good .

indiaxman1

Dry wood and plenty of air help prevent, so I have heard, the flue fires..Years ago had one with an older wood stove...pipes glowed red
This winter while going into work, saw neighbors chimney with flames shooting 10 ft high...pounded on door, got him out to shut down stove....should have said something about checking his chimney....all wood produces some creosote, but the soft stuff is the worse offender

Larry

We only burn well dried hardwood and clean the chimney annually.  In our old house we had a chimney fire that went unnoticed.  I guess we were asleep or maybe gone.  I found out in the fall while doing the annual cleaning.  The fire had completely destroyed the clay tile and there was at least five feet of missing tile.  The missing tile had shattered and fell to the bottom of the chimney in the basement.  Our chimney had three flues, one for upstairs, one for the basement, and the third for the gas furnace.  Only the one flue was affected.

Since the chimney was on the interior and tall, the estimate to replace the clay tile was in the thousands.  I hired a company that put in a stainless steel liner.  While it was an approved repair and had a guarantee I didn't think much of it.  I think that was around $1,500.

Fast forward...we had a chimney fire about a month ago in the shop.  My fault I suppose, as the weather had been warm and I was burning the wood stove too slow.  The single wall flue pipe was glowing red but the insulated flue through the attic was just a bit over warm to the touch.  Didn't hurt a thing.

The new house has the stainless steel flue and I followed all the clearance rules.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

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