January 31, 2012 Fire causes $6,000 in damage to home from pellet stove - Vent pipe came apart?? Tha

[Don2222]

Hello

Sometimes renters do not know enough about the pellet stoves. Some towns around here will not give a permit for a pellet stove in a multiple dwelling.

From
http://starbeacon.com/local/x647578194/Fire-causes-6-000-in-damage-to-home

January 31, 2012
Fire causes $6,000 in damage to home

By SHELLEY TERRY - [email protected] Staff Writer

DORSET TOWNSHIP — A faulty pellet stove pipe is being blamed by firefighters for a house fire at 2211 Route 193 Monday.

Firefighters received the call at 2:10 p.m., and arrived on the scene shortly thereafter to find “flames coming from the livingroom, just off the front porch,†said Lt. Lou Dunbar of the Dorset Township Fire Department.

No one was injured.

“The fire originated behind the pellet stove,†he said. “The pipe came unattached.â€

Firefighters from Andover, Pierpont, Jefferson and Wayne townships assisted Dorset in battling the blaze. They stayed on the scene until 3:40 p.m., Dunbar said.

The fire caused about $6,000 worth of damage to the two-story structure, making it uninhabitable, he said.

David A. Burtt owns the property, but he rents the home to Jennifer Moore, Dunbar said, noting he believes she was going to stay with relatives.

Firefighters said pellet stoves require time and attention on a regular basis. Homeowners and/or renters should let the manufacturer’s operating manual serve as a guide to cleaning, maintaining and troubleshooting a stove. And, most of all, keep smoke detectors in the household in working order.

 

[smoke show]

I'd like to hear if it had any type of mechanical fastener holding the pipe to the stove outlet.

 

[md2002]

You guys have been doing this longer than me... I do have a fear of leaving my stove on when I'm not home. Even though I do it, I wonder how many fires are started by Pellet stoves?

 

[VTrider]

You guys have been doing this longer than me... I do have a fear of leaving my stove on when I'm not home. Even though I do it, I wonder how many fires are started by Pellet stoves?

Took me a little while as well when I first started using them, but now I have two - and run one 24/7 in the Winter - Pellet stoves have multiple safety features, I heated soley with a wood stove for 8 seasons, and that ran 24/7 as well - I was ALWAYS paranoid and worried that I would come home to my house on fire for some reason, not the case with the pellet stoves now, no anxiety at all.

The thing is, vent pipes just don't 'fall off' of disassemble themselves - good thing they seem to have caught the fire early. I'm guessing that it was improperlyl installed or damaged somehow prior to the fire? Bad thing is that people who just don't know about pellet stoves will read this and just assume that they are dangerous.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Well we have seen cases on here where the stove adapter was just siliconed to the stove, not good because they are supposed to be mechanically fastened with screws.

And speaking of screws those can also loosen up if the pipe gets hit or is disassembled for cleaning and you don't pay attention when reattaching or checking for damage.

Then we have clean out caps.

Folks who put seams inside the thimble etc ... never to be seen or checked again.

Been some not so safe uses of adjustable venting and even homemade double wall sections show up here as well.

Even a case of someone rapping on the venting while the stove was running.

 

[Weird tolkienish figure]

Hello

Sometimes renters do not know enough about the pellet stoves. Some towns around here will not give a permit for a pellet stove in a multiple dwelling.

From
http://starbeacon.com/local/x647578194/Fire-causes-6-000-in-damage-to-home

January 31, 2012
Fire causes $6,000 in damage to home

By SHELLEY TERRY - [email protected] Staff Writer

DORSET TOWNSHIP — A faulty pellet stove pipe is being blamed by firefighters for a house fire at 2211 Route 193 Monday.

Firefighters received the call at 2:10 p.m., and arrived on the scene shortly thereafter to find “flames coming from the livingroom, just off the front porch,†said Lt. Lou Dunbar of the Dorset Township Fire Department.

No one was injured.

“The fire originated behind the pellet stove,†he said. “The pipe came unattached.â€

Firefighters from Andover, Pierpont, Jefferson and Wayne townships assisted Dorset in battling the blaze. They stayed on the scene until 3:40 p.m., Dunbar said.

The fire caused about $6,000 worth of damage to the two-story structure, making it uninhabitable, he said.

David A. Burtt owns the property, but he rents the home to Jennifer Moore, Dunbar said, noting he believes she was going to stay with relatives.

Firefighters said pellet stoves require time and attention on a regular basis. Homeowners and/or renters should let the manufacturer’s operating manual serve as a guide to cleaning, maintaining and troubleshooting a stove. And, most of all, keep smoke detectors in the household in working order.

Yeah vent pipe coming apart = bad. I'd be almost as worried about the CO risk than the fire risk, personally.

 

[saladdin]

I had wood heat as a kid. The old wood stove with the pipe through the roof. We would pack it full of wood for the night and go to sleep. No detectors of any kind and the ash pan would get so full it took two of us to pull it out and dump. I find it very hard to believe that todays pellet stoves are as dangerous as those.

Where I live people have wood stoves in trailers with no second thoughts. Accidents happen but I have never been afraid of burning my stove while asleep or at work.

I look over my stove and inspect it often. It's the only thing I can do. There are no guarantees.

 

[h2ochild]

You guys have been doing this longer than me... I do have a fear of leaving my stove on when I'm not home. Even though I do it, I wonder how many fires are started by Pellet stoves?

We run ours none stop. If and I do mean if...they are properly maintained and used, they are as safe as any other fire containing heating devices. After all, the fuel oil, propane andnatural gas heaters all contain actual fire. I burned with wood for years, and never had problems. But we maintained the ole smoke dragon, always maintained clearances...I treat my pellet stoves the same way...check the vents, clean the stoves, treat the ashes with respect.