Well, it happened- Chimney fire.

[tfdchief]

OK, now that the dust has settled, lets all take pause. I have been in the fire service for 35 years, burned wood for 40 years. I think I understand your Dad! I don't want anything bad to happen, but give your Dad some measure of respect. He obviously loves burning wood and maybe just needs some education, which he may have just received. Anyway, sounds like things can be worked out and safe burning ahead.

 

[alforit]

I just checked things out again, the wood is gone, but still a pretty good bed of coals. I closed the air down completely, just to cut off any draft if there was something still in the chimney, and checked the upstairs wall in front of the chimney (the next floor above the stove), and there were a few areas that were decently lukewarm. I doubt it is anything to worry about, but still unsettling to say the least.

Hey Dustin............Glad you are all ok ....that's the most important thing right now. Good job on keeping your head and handling the situation.
Im guessing your dad is shaken by this also but doesn't want to admit it.......I don't care how long someone has been burning wood ...that doesn't make them an expert ..and your dad is lucky he has been spared this long by his ignorant burning practices. This was a wake up call for your dad...And his opportunity to change his ways . Lets hope that starts NOW.

Good luck with your chimney situation and hope it gets resolved so safe burning can take place .

 

[Hogwildz]

If that chimney is nothing but brick, with no clay flue in it....DONT use the insert anymore. until it is lined!
Losing the house and all the sentimental items and most importantly anyone's life, is not worth it.
At that point it is beyond arguing with your father. Do what you gotta do, to keep safe.

 

[basswidow]

Wow,

Pay for a chimney cleaning and inspection. Get Dad some dry wood. Get that chimney lined.

Glad everyone is safe.

 

[tcassavaugh]

glad everyone is ok........
general question here.....I thought that pouring water on the steel/cast iron stove wasn't a good idea. wouldn't a CO2 stick be better or I think long ago, our local volunteer fire departments used a paper bag with baking soda and salt mixture to pour down the chimney to help put out a fire.

 

[Dustin92]

I think maybe Dad was scared straight- When I got up this morning, he had already been on the roof twice cleaning. I did find out more about the chimney though- While the chimney itself is probably 2' by 4' or so, the flue to the fireplace is 10-12" square. At least two layers of brick with possible air space between. The chimney was seriously gunked up, and my Dad said the worst of the fire was at the top, where there are two decorative terra cotta tubes. I would guess we probably pulled 5-6 gallons worth of crud out of the chimney, mostly just crusty flaky creosote that was easily knocked down. There was a lot of build up behind the fireplace damper, which was not even fully open. We opened it completely and vacuumed out lots of crusty creosote and ash (possibly from the fire?). There was also lots of build up behind the insert, what looked like burned paper and soot. To me, the lower part of the chimney didn't look like there had even been a fire, but lots of ashy creosote fell from the top. With the amountvof creosote we cleaned out, we are lucky it hadn't all lit off. I'm still a little hesitant to start a fire, but am sure all is fine now.

 

[Excavator]

think about a liner

 

[bag of hammers]

HogWildz' question about a clay flue - is there one or is it all brick all the way down?

 

[tcassavaugh]

often, the top gets the worst because that's where the moisture condenses and forms the creosote, or at least that has been my experience. glad dad got up on the roof and cleaned it. until you direct connect with a liner, i'd probably continue to ream that thing regularly and try to burn seasoned dry wood when you can.

 

[peakbagger]

Be glad, most firemen want to poke holes in the walls to make sure that the chase isn't smouldering

 

[Dustin92]

think about a liner

I would love to put in a full liner and even a new stove, but we just don't have the extra money right now.

 

[Dustin92]

often, the top gets the worst because that's where the moisture condenses and forms the creosote, or at least that has been my experience. glad dad got up on the roof and cleaned it. until you direct connect with a liner, i'd probably continue to ream that thing regularly and try to burn seasoned dry wood when you can.

I will try to find what dry wood we do have , and hopefully supplement that with dry pallets. I plan on keeping on him about cleaning the chimney, but I have a bad feeling it won't get cleaned until the next chimney fire. We are planning on getting a new cat for the stove next week or so, so that should help things stay cleaner.

 

[Dustin92]

HogWildz' question about a clay flue - is there one or is it all brick all the way down?

It is a brick chimney within another brick chimney- basically a brick chimney with a brick liner.

 

[Dustin92]

Be glad, most firemen want to poke holes in the walls to make sure that the chase isn't smouldering

They were able to take temp readings of the entire chimmey and walls top to bottom, and nothing was unusually warm. No area was over 86 degrees, which is pretty normal.

 

[bag of hammers]

Glad you guys are ok and you got it cleaned out. Can you do the next cleaning(s) yourself - safely? You mentioned you're terrified of ladders - any way to get at it from below eg via a cleanout? $50 for a simple roofers' harness is a nice investment, for any work on a (steep) roof. Since you guys already de-gunked it, maybe the next round will be easier? A camera peek at the insides would be sweet, top to bottom, I know I'd sleep a bit better having that done in a masonry chimney. In any case, I agree with tcassavaugh - please keep on top of it.

 

[Dustin92]

Glad you guys are ok and you got it cleaned out. Can you do the next cleaning(s) yourself - safely? You mentioned you're terrified of ladders - any way to get at it from below eg via a cleanout? $50 for a simple roofers' harness is a nice investment, for any work on a (steep) roof. Since you guys already de-gunked it, maybe the next round will be easier? A camera peek at the insides would be sweet, top to bottom, I know I'd sleep a bit better having that done in a masonry chimney. In any case, I agree with tcassavaugh - please keep on top of it.

Our roof isn't overly steep, and my Dad flies up ladders like nothing, so no problem there. The only way to clean from inside would be removing the insert, there is a cleanout under the fireplace, but the stove sits over it. The next cleaning should be much easier, I plan on buying him a brush and poles for his birthday (Jan. 24th), we used a ball of wire mesh tied to a thin chain, and knocked it around inside. I did take a few pictures from the inside, I never went on the roof (Thank God!)

 

[Excavator]

Make it a early birthday present

 

[bag of hammers]

I'm not fond of heights either. Luckily my roof (at the chimney) is a 4/12 pitch, single story. Dismantling the old stove and chimney (much steeper roof) was my motivation for some safety gear. Getting older and falling down a lot. Good luck with everything....

 

[Dustin92]

Here is a picture of some of the creosote we were removing looked like:

 

[Dustin92]

And a picture of the damper area (about halfway through cleaning, the orange thing is a work light)

 

[DanCorcoran]

Not to change the subject, but how are you fixed for smoke detectors? They save lives...

 

[Dustin92]

All set on smoke detectors- 3 downstairs and 1 upstairs just outside the bedrooms. All have good batteries and are working properly. Also a CO alarm downstairs.

 

[bag of hammers]

To follow up on the smoke detector question, what about fire extinguishers?

 

[Dustin92]

Unfortunately no fire extinguishers in the house- I guess I never thought about them. I think we do have one in the garage, maybe I should bring it inside?

 

[bag of hammers]

I keep a couple of the 4 lb units around - 1 in the stove room by the wood rack, 1 in the kitchen / dining area. Also a smaller unit sits in the back storage / tool room. Hope I never have to use them. Maybe keep an eye on the box stores and elsewhere, as I recall they seem to put certain units on sale at times, so if you can grab a couple up when they're fairly inexpensive, and keep them close by.