I am a Dumbass!

[begreen]

All these comments show just how far we've got from common sense in using wood stoves! DO NOT overload the stove, EVER! Do NOT load for an all-day or all-night burn (unless you live in a cave.) NEVER put pitchy wood in a stove (except tiny pieces of fatwood to start the fire.) NEVER put more than one "presto" or "firelog." type fuel in the stove at a time. Any of these episodes just may have been creosote fires. Did anyone look at the flue after? In my experience, creosote only forms from burning wet wood, pitchy wood, or from overloading a stove, and reducing the combustion air. All these episodes resulted from failures of common sense.

Oh oh Lucy, forgive me cuz I have sinned. I think a whole lot of folks violate these NEVERS every day. I just loaded my T6 to the top with pitchy doug fir and expect it to be an all day fire at a reasonable low burn. I've also burned Home Fire Prest-Logs 3 at a time and found that just about right. But I think we all agree on not burning anything but dry wood. Are you running an older stove Al? With a modern stove, if wood is dry, there's no smoke coming from the chimney and the flue gases are warm enough, creosote accumulation should not be an issue.

 

[westkywood]

All these comments show just how far we've got from common sense in using wood stoves! DO NOT overload the stove, EVER! Do NOT load for an all-day or all-night burn (unless you live in a cave.) NEVER put pitchy wood in a stove (except tiny pieces of fatwood to start the fire.) NEVER put more than one "presto" or "firelog." type fuel in the stove at a time. Any of these episodes just may have been creosote fires. Did anyone look at the flue after? In my experience, creosote only forms from burning wet wood, pitchy wood, or from overloading a stove, and reducing the combustion air. All these episodes resulted from failures of common sense.

Don't load for all day or all night burns? If I'm around the house, I normally put in enough wood to burn for 4 or 5 hours at a time. If I'm working, I load it up before I leave so it'll last all day. At night I load it up as much as possible and even wedge pieces in there to fill the stove. I have a Super 27 so it doesn't have a huge firebox. Doesn't everyone load up the stove for an all night burn? I can agree with everything else you said....

 

[certified106]

All these comments show just how far we've got from common sense in using wood stoves! DO NOT overload the stove, EVER! Do NOT load for an all-day or all-night burn (unless you live in a cave.) NEVER put pitchy wood in a stove (except tiny pieces of fatwood to start the fire.) NEVER put more than one "presto" or "firelog." type fuel in the stove at a time. Any of these episodes just may have been creosote fires. Did anyone look at the flue after? In my experience, creosote only forms from burning wet wood, pitchy wood, or from overloading a stove, and reducing the combustion air. All these episodes resulted from failures of common sense.

This is a joke.....Right?
I routinely pack my stove full, shut it down, and don't refill it for 14-16 hours. I even pack it clear full of pine and follow the same routine and I could realistically go 2 to 3 years and have nothing but some gray powder in my chimney.

 

[PapaDave]

I don't "overload", but I do load the stove quite full. Not sure how I would overload my stove anyway. I can't load above the door opening/firebrick.
I do load the stove with pine, but never a full load. That would result in my stove becoming the next Space-X mission.
I make sure my flue is clean...never had a flue fire. The pipe got hot because I had a brain fart for a couple minutes. As soon as I shut down the air, it cooled down.
My bad for leaving the stove, so ya' got me on that one.
As has been mentioned here many times, if the folks who have nothing but "pitchy" wood to burn didn't, they'd have to use other fuels.
Have a nice day and welcome to the Hearth.
Stick around for a while, maybe we can all benefit from your knowledge base, and you...ours.
ETA: I really need to learn to type faster....this was a response to Al.

 

[begreen]

A lot of folks load their stoves full of pine out west, some several times a day. You split larger and don't space out the controls. It burns fine when you know what you are doing.

 

[Woody Stover]

I routinely pack my stove full

The only time I consider my stove overloaded is when I can't get the door shut. Al must not have enough control over the air on his stove?

 

[danham]

... Have often wondered when you post "going to town", where "town" is. Elgin? Westport? Gananoque? Kingston? "Going to town" for me is most often Smiths Falls ...

OT, but when I saw Gananoque, had to chime in that I stayed there last July on my motorcycle trip up the Bruce and north to Sudbury. Beautiful country.

-dan

 

[loon]

Great first post Al

loon

 

[charly]

I agree owning a Fireview ...you leave the house with the draft and by pass open, you may as well just keep on going..you'd have a chimney melt down for sure! On the other hand,,, I love that you get quick up to temp flue temps as this means a clean chimney for me... Just have to remember the Fireview can be a hot rod when it comes to heating your chimney...it's all good in my book,,,especially when you have those heavy air days...

 

[loon]

Get a timer.

What would a timer do westky?

 

[westkywood]

What would a timer do westky?

Well a timer may not have worked in this case anyway since he left the house. I try to remember to set a timer each time I load the stove with a substantial amount of wood to remind me to cut back the stove. So in this case, I guess you would have had to keep the timer on you. All it takes is a phone call to distract someone long enough for an over fire...

 

[begreen]

A timer is to remind you when you need to close down the air on the stove. Many cell phones have them. If not, get a kitchen timer you can clip on a belt.

 

[mywaynow]

I worry when there is no more numbers to the right of the needle. 600 is just a good starting point.

 

[colin.p]

I must admit, there was (and is for that matter) more than quite a few times, I have stopped and wondered if I closed the stove down after I got to where I was going. However, I am past the "age" where I could have sworn I had done something (only to find I hadn't) or I told myself to remember to do something before I left, only to completely forget.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I call over 600 just getting warmed up.

Right on BB thats a good crusin temp. 600 wont hurt nothin All 3 of my EPS stoves cruise at 600 from time to time . NO where near overheat territory, 800 and up time to worry.

 

[certified106]

The only time I consider my stove overloaded is when I can't get the door shut. Al must not have enough control over the air on his stove?

Lol, I hear you on that one!

 

[loon]

Got ya with the timer But i know i wouldnt use it right..

And i guess i shouldnt knock a new member

http://www.americanloggers.com/

loon

 

[ArsenalDon]

I can relate..last night I loaded the stove from a cold start so the baffle was open...20 minutes later after forgetting to shut the baffle the exterior wall of the interior double wall stove pipe was reading 550 on my IR! Could smell the paint....so dumb

 

[MasterMech]

I've noticed the stove doesn't get as hot with the damper @ 100% compared to leaving it at say, 60-70%. The flue on the other hand....

 

[Motor7]

Get a cheap digital kitchen timer. Leave it near the stove and anytime you walk away with anything "open" start the timer for 5 or 10 min. Anyone can forget, and damage can occur so a $4 timer can save the stove and possibly the house. I use mine all the time...but you then have to remember to SET THE TIMER.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Better yet DONT walk away from a stove with the door open. Takes only a moment to completely forget.

 

[ScotO]

Yeah, I never walk away from my stove with the door ajar, I stay in the room with the stove and wait til its up to temp, then shut it. Gives me an excuse to hop on the laptop at the kitchen table and check out Hearth.com for 10-15 minutes!!

 

[TheBaron]

Seeing as the OP is in Ontario, maybe the 500° is in Celcius...?

Right on BB thats a good crusin temp. 600 wont hurt nothin All 3 of my EPS stoves cruise at 600 from time to time . NO where near overheat territory, 800 and up time to worry.

 

[loon]

I dont start a burn with the door open as it turns into a Rocket way too fast

Was just getting ready for the days burn and got thinking about something else? and totally forgot about it

Mrs loon has mentioned to me that i forget stuff quite abit now Sucks getting old!!

Heading over to another farm right now that has hundreds of nice dead standing Elm Will try and remember the camera

loon

 

[rideau]

No, I'm sure he wasn't talking 500 C.