[Transcend]

So my parents had a chimney fire last night. Good stuff. 5 trucks, lotsa lights and friendly neighborhood firemen.

Luckily it is a woodstove with outer metal chimney, so they just opened the bottom, inserted hose and let loose with the waterworks.

Note to dad: have chimney cleaned more often.
That is all.

 

[Radarr]

Good to hear everything is ok.

At least your dad won't have to clean the chimney for a while - it sounds like the firefighters just gave it a nice, cleansing enema.

 

[dexterq20]

Canadian chimneys must not be as well-engineered as American chimneys.

 

[Dog Welder]

yeah in areas that use the fireplace a lot during the winters...you get that creasote buildup...Considering how cold it is where you are and how often you guys may use the fireplace, you got to clean it once a year.

 

[Transcend]

yeah in areas that use the fireplace a lot during the winters...you get that creasote buildup...Considering how cold it is where you are and how often you guys may use the fireplace, you got to clean it once a year.

We clean it once a year in June or July normally. At least we pay them to...fire inspector said it looked like it hadn't been cleaned recently, but they were here in September and we paid them $40 to clean it.

 

[Changleen]

Some woods/burning temp combinations deposit way more soot than others.

 

[bikenweed]

Scary stuff. Glad everything is ok!

 

[Transcend]

Some woods/burning temp combinations deposit way more soot than others.

Ya, I think the new load of wood we have is a little odd. Some of it is hard as rock and some is super soft and such. None of it is fresh, all at least a year old, but some of it is probably softwood that could have used some more drying time.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

He'd have better luck with a masonry chimney, pref. insulated on the outside. Still needs regular maintenance.

 

[Transcend]

An insulated masonry chimney would be nice, but due to the woodstove's location, local bylaws won't allow it.

As it is, it gets so cold that it's almost impossible to light the stove sometimes, as the hot air can't push it's way past the heavier cold air in the chimney, leading to some seriously smokey basement issues for an hour or 2.

 

[Geoff G.]

I reccomend

and don't burn pine

 

[johnbryanpeters]

An insulated masonry chimney would be nice, but due to the woodstove's location, local bylaws won't allow it.

As it is, it gets so cold that it's almost impossible to light the stove sometimes, as the hot air can't push it's way past the heavier cold air in the chimney, leading to some seriously smokey basement issues for an hour or 2.

Stuff a piece or two of crumpled newspaper up into the flue and light it. That'll jumpstart the draft.

 

[Changleen]

jbp is useful for some stuff... Cheers old guy!

 

[caputo1989]

If you don't mind smely fires, cottonwood burns good and hot.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

jbp is useful for some stuff... Cheers old guy!

Our place here was heated entirely by wood until a few years ago save for when we went on vacation, when I'd switch to oil.

The boiler finally wore out and H didn't want the hassle of solid fuel anymore. Rising fuel prices have gotten me to thinking again - perhaps an auxilliary boiler outside and a big reservoir for hot water... I thin out enough wood in a year to fuel it... Just thinking.

 

[Changleen]

That'd make you 'self reliant' eh? Good stuff. Pity about the high CO2 output... Mind you we have the same deal in NZ - 100,000s of homes still heated by burning wood.

 

[narlus]

Stuff a piece or two of crumpled newspaper up into the flue and light it. That'll jumpstart the draft.

my surefire method, as passed down from my step-dad:

- take a section of newspaper

- tear 2-3" strips downward, across the entire top of the page

- roll it into a tube.

light the 'fringe' part, and stick into the flue. this should create the necessary updraft to get the fire working properly.

 

[Transcend]

Stuff a piece or two of crumpled newspaper up into the flue and light it. That'll jumpstart the draft.

Doesn't work. Been there, tried that.

The best bet right now is burning a can of alcohol for about 15 mins. That usually gets it warm enough that a fire can then be built and light first shot.

 

[bballe336]

I reccomend

and don't burn pine

It has been renamed to :

Creosote Sweeping Log.

I guess chimney isn't scientific enough.

 

[Capt. Jack Sparrow]

So my parents had a chimney fire last night. Good stuff. 5 trucks, lotsa lights and friendly neighborhood firemen.

Luckily it is a woodstove with outer metal chimney, so they just opened the bottom, inserted hose and let loose with the waterworks.

Note to dad: have chimney cleaned more often.
That is all.

Glad to hear it turned out okay. My folks had one when I was a kid... my dad threw some Christmas wrapping paper in the woodstove, and it flew up the chimney and lit the creosote on fire. Flames were shooting out of the chimney and I was running around barefooted in the ice cold with my parakeet and three pet cats. The chimney got so hot it cracked and had to get rebuilt.

 

[splat]

my surefire method, as passed down from my step-dad:

- take a section of newspaper

- tear 2-3" strips downward, across the entire top of the page

- roll it into a tube.

light the 'fringe' part, and stick into the flue. this should create the necessary updraft to get the fire working properly.

Thats the same method my dad taught me.