OT Wood stove chimney fire

Michael Az · Dec 1, 2006

No, I haven't had one but was wondering what you folks think the best way to handle one would be. I have often wondered what I would do if in the middle of the night a freight train noise woke me and found a chimney fire. My chimney is a 6" flue steel pipe.
I think maybe open the door and let the fire extinguisher go, hoping it would snuff it out. I remember reading somewhere to throw some water in the stove and the steam would put it out. One or two of you guys must be firemen, what do you think?
Michael

winchman · Dec 1, 2006

Seems to me that blocking the flow of air into the fireplace (stove, whatever??) would put it out in short order without making much of a mess.

Roger

SND · Dec 1, 2006

In our previous house we had a wood stove (which I miss very much). It was a fairly big slow combustion stove. We never did have a chimney fire as we kept it clean and burnt good wood in it always. There was only 1 time where a bit too much wood had been put in it and the top of the stove was starting to get red. I was quite young back then but I kind of remember my uncle putting a large bucket of ice or snow on top of it.

Most slow combustion stoves barely have any air getting into them to start with. I know ours didn't. So there wouldn't be much way to cut anymore air flow if a chimney fire did start. Opening the door to put anything in it seems like it could make it even worse. But then again I never experience one.

dirty old man · Dec 1, 2006

I have spent some time in years past as a saleman, servicer, and installer of Buck stoves and inserts, and had some factory training seminars.
If you have a stove that has good tight air control doors, then shutting the air off is best. On a fireplace, the best I have seen was a flat piece of maybe 16-18 gauge sheet cut to a size big enough to cover the whole front opening, with 2 handles placed strategically on the front face for handling. If you get a chimney fire, just block the whole front face with the plate.
I know the door closing on a stove/insert works, as I have done so.
I would tell the whole story on that, but DT might object, becase the story also involves a young lady, a pallet(pad) in front of the fire, and I'll let you use your imagination for the rest!

Dave

Michael Az · Dec 1, 2006

Yes, cutting off the air sounds best, but my Yotul stove cannot be completely shut off.
DOM, now I see where you got the name. For shame.
Michael

bluchip · Dec 1, 2006

I would tell the whole story on that, but DT might object, becase the story also involves a young lady, a pallet(pad) in front of the fire, and I'll let you use your imagination for the rest!

and that's why you're a "Dirty Old Man"

Sophiedoc · Dec 1, 2006

My parents home burned when I was in school and my brothers house burned about 15 years ago.My sister in law smelled something and finally checked the insert.When she opened the door all hell broke loose and it was totalled even though fire trucks arrived in less than 15 mins.Best advice is to keep the chimney clean,have a proper chimney,proper clearances and burn good wood.{There is a tale around these parts that if you burn dry sycamore occasionally it will clean the chimney,probably because it burns hot?)Because of house fires and Insurance problems with indoor stoves many here are going to outdoor stoves(Usually a boiler) with a water- air heat echanger in the furnace.

TToolm · Dec 1, 2006

Mike
Your best bet is to shut down the air flow in the stove. Don't open the door, the fire may come out the front doors. Don't try to put water on or in the stove, you may cause a thermal fracture of the metal or if the stove vents into a tile flue, you could crack the tile. Cast iron is good for this. I have seen stoves and pipe almost orange. Real scary. Chimney fires start slow at first and then sound like Casey Jones coming through the house. I keep a dry chemical extigusher handy and a couple of chimney flares plus welders gloves around just in case. You have to catch it right away. Sometimes the chimney starts shooting red/orange flame balls (creasote) out the top, setting things on fire on the roof or near the house. We had one guy who would have a couple of fires a year. I guess he thought we would clean the chimney for him for free everytime. HTH
Tim

JL Sargent · Dec 1, 2006

Well, I burn alot of wood. I have had 3 chimney fires over the years in my fireplace. We burn nothing but hardwoods specifically hickory, red and white oak. Creosote is in these woods too I suspect just in smaller amounts than pine. Either you clean out the chimneys buildup or the fireplace/stove eventually will.

Its certainly best to keep the fire in the fireplace, but if you have a good chimney fire it really does a good job of cleaning out the ole girl. It'll draw alot better afterwards. Best if watched with a large extinquisher nearby.

ed in idaho · Dec 1, 2006

first thing i would advise is take a length of heavy chain let it down chimny swirl in circular motion to break loose all the hardened cresote once you have this mess cleaned up all you need to do is when you restoke fire in the morning open it wide open and let it rip for at least a half hour. this way you will have a small chimny fire every morning that is controlable and will keep your stack clean.

matt_isserstedt · Dec 1, 2006

The advice given to me was: wait for a rainy day to protect the roof, then send the fire out the top of the chimney...with regularity to keep creosote out.

Verne · Dec 1, 2006

I'm with JL Sargent I burn almost all pine, it is free and close. Mine lights off every couple years, I have an insert in a brick chimney. I figure is cleans it out well. No harm no foul

Michael C · Dec 1, 2006

I had a chimney fire once. You knew it instantly , it sounded like Jet engine revving up. I took fire extinguisher that was near by and unloaded it into fireplace flue. Fire was out in seconds. Cost $10 to refill extinguisher.

Michael C

chevy43 · Dec 1, 2006

I always thought that you close the damper for a chimney fire.

I have a big steel shop stove with a 1/4" wall 6" well casing for the chimney pipe out the steel roof. I have never cleaned it and I burn whatever crap wood I can get ( green wet etc.). My pipe is dirty. I have never had a chimney fire and hope I don't. My pipe is about 12' high and the damper doesn't fit so tight that it would stop all the air.

bluegrass · Dec 1, 2006

I am a volunteer firefighter. We are taught to avoid the use of water on a chimney fire except as a last resort. The cooling effect of the water often cracks the chimney, necessitating replacement of the entire chimney. Dry chemical extinguishers are very effective. On several of the chimney fire runs I have made, the homeowner closed all the air intake vents and that put out the fire before we arrived; it also put out the fire in the firebox which made the chimney much easier to inspect!

macona · Dec 1, 2006

I was taught to throw in baking soda into the fire. It decomposes into CO2 can snuffs out the fire.

darryl · Dec 1, 2006

Well, I have some sh--, er stuff called red devil that's supposed to clean out chimneys. I'm not complaining about it, it certainly does work. I put a tablespoon or so into a stove once to clean it out. Had the fire burning well beforehand, but I wasn't seeing any action from the red devil. Thinking it wasn't doing what it was supposed to, I put a second tablespoon in. I wasn't prepared for the result. It did finally start to work, and soon I realized that the first tablespoon was enough. I could have/should have cleaned off the dust from the pipes inside before I lit the stove, but I didn't. Anyway, the pipes got red hot and smoked the dust, filling the place with acrid fumage. There was no way you could be inside. The chimney was roaring and stuff was shooting out and landing everywhere, including on the roof. Best I could do was water the roof with the hose, which I did. I fully expected the inside of the house to catch on fire, but it didn't. A couple hours later I could see again inside, and the paint had darkened around the stove, particularly the ceiling. That was close.

I don't know if red devil is a no-no now, but even if you can still buy and use it, (or similar product) it would pay to clean out the chimney and pipes beforehand anyway, just so there isn't as much combustable in the flue as there could otherwise be.

I have some other woodstove/fireplace stories, but another time.

loggerhogger · Dec 1, 2006

I agree with Bluegrass. i was a vol. firefighter. and we used water as a last resort, and even then, we had aspecial nozzel that put out a very fine spray which helped to minimize the damage to the chimney. If you do have a fire, no matter what method you use to put it out, please have your chimney inspected by a qualified chimney sweep/inspector before you use the fireplace again. In all cases, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Ernie LeFlore · Dec 1, 2006

I have heard that you throw water on the logs and the steam off them will put out the fire in the chimney, but you can't trust every thing you hear. The only time it happened in my house the pipe came loose at the celing and it was sucking air in athe crack. It burned itself out before the fire department got there.

Toolbert · Dec 1, 2006

How thick does the creosote layer need to be to become a hazard? 1"? 1/2"? 1/8"?

Do you need to get off the thin but "well stuck" layer left behind after knocking off the thick loose layer?

OT Wood stove chimney fire

Stainless

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Diamond

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Cast Iron

Aluminum

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Plastic

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Cast Iron

Cast Iron

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Aluminum

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