Got a call from DW at work this morning. She said that she thought she had a chimney fire. I asked her if she was sure, and she said she was. She called the fire department and shut the stove down. I raced home (beat the FD) and found that my son had got my ladder and fire extinguisher and had given a quick shot in the outlet of the pipe. He said there were flames shooting out of the pipe when he first saw it. By the time the FD arrived, I had the end cap off and was looking into the pipe with a flashight. They stood around while I dissassembled the whole pipe and brought it outside. They checked the wall with an infrared camera (Don't know why...the pipe doesn't travel in the wall) and then watched as I took the stove pipe apart. They had never seen this type of pipe before and I gave them a class on how to take it apart. It turns out that there was creasote buildup at the end of the pipe and when DW started the stove this morning, it got hot enough to ignite.
What is weird is I had done a big cleaning a month ago...took the pipes down, vacuumed and cleaned everything. I never thought that there could possibly be a dangerous buildup of creosote in such a short time. Now, we have been running the stove for a few hours a day for the last few weeks. I'm down to a bag a week or less. Why could there be a creasote buildup now? I'm guessing that it's because the stove is running so low. I've been burning Okies and Cubex. Any ideas guys? To say the least, I will be checking the vent daily for any buildup.
The LT from the FD said he had never seen a pellet stove chimney fire before. He also said he loved my installation and the fact that I had a fire extinguisher right there and a son who was able to get a ladder and put out the fire. Not a good way to start my day!
Chan
What is weird is I had done a big cleaning a month ago...took the pipes down, vacuumed and cleaned everything. I never thought that there could possibly be a dangerous buildup of creosote in such a short time. Now, we have been running the stove for a few hours a day for the last few weeks. I'm down to a bag a week or less. Why could there be a creasote buildup now? I'm guessing that it's because the stove is running so low. I've been burning Okies and Cubex. Any ideas guys? To say the least, I will be checking the vent daily for any buildup.
The LT from the FD said he had never seen a pellet stove chimney fire before. He also said he loved my installation and the fact that I had a fire extinguisher right there and a son who was able to get a ladder and put out the fire. Not a good way to start my day!
Chan