Structure fires seems common.... (Bangor, Eastport: homes, disposal, costs)

[WhoFanMe]

From my experience attending numerous home inspections, many fireplaces are not built to the state's fire code and are hazardous. In addition, many homeowners with fireplaces or woodstoves don't realize that they are a maintenance item and not just for ambience. I have a house closing in 2 weeks where the seller is installing a chimney cap, repairing the damper and firebox, in addition to cleaning prior to closing. Fireplaces and woodstoves are great, but must be looked after!

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I would recommend that everyone take the time to conduct proper planning in their projects.

YES, YES, YES! Best advice anybody will read ever if they are planning on doing ANYTHING themselves. Proper planning will save your bacon the vast majority of the time.

[Elcarim]

Here's the news link:

Fire guts home in Searsport - Maine Coast NOW - A Courier Publications Information Source

Not knowing at all how they work, I can't figure out just how it would have happened, but I do think I'd have sense enough NOT to leave home for any length of time with a live fire going.

[dramamama6685]

Wow I always learn so much from you guys. Looks like all those years spent in electrical engineering courses by DH will come in handy when we move up!!!

[mainebrokerman]

and i was under the impression, there were less fires than years ago (less folks falling asleep with cigarettes lit, and less frying in oil (crisco), for some reason, i remember much more "stove" fires than today,
like car accidents,,,,most fires could or should have been avoided...(human negligence)

also keep in mind,,house fires get reported as front page news,,because of the infrequency... or high destruction, or worse, loss of life,

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by Elcarim

Here's the news link:

Fire guts home in Searsport - Maine Coast NOW - A Courier Publications Information Source

Not knowing at all how they work, I can't figure out just how it would have happened, but I do think I'd have sense enough NOT to leave home for any length of time with a live fire going.

Interim Fire Chief Jim Dittmeier said he believes the blaze started by a wood stove under a stairway and burned down through the floor.

Just a guess, but he seems to be the "do it yourself" type, I would suspect improper installation and maintainence.

Good safety practices call for particular clearances from combustibles for both the stove and the pipe, an alcove under a stairway could make it difficult to meet the requirements.

Hip problems might mean that he wasn't cleaning the pipes as often as he should.

Leave the stove unattended without damping it down and you have a recipe for disaster*. It's a good thing that it didn't happen at night while they were sleeping. From the description of the amount of smoke and heat it would have been much more tragic.

*I've turned around and gone back home more than once when, while running through my mental checklist, I found I couldn't remember if I had closed the dampers or not. Mostly I find that I have through force of habit and just don't remember consciously doing it, but a couple of times I have been distracted going out the door and NOT done it. The last thing I want is to come home and find a smoking pile of rubble.

I usually plan in advance and don't feed the stove for a while before going out, so that there are only coals and no large chunks of unburned wood. The inside temp isn't going to drop *that* much while I'm out and so what if it's a little cool when I get back. A little cool is a lot more easily rectified than rebuilding the house.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

I became a volunteer fireman in September, 1957 so it's over 50 years now. Every year we lose people to fires. They generally die from smoke inhalation. They die because their exit is blocked by fire and they don't think to throw a chair or something through a window. There is nice cool clean air out there. It just isn't in most people's makeup to break a window. Throw a chair through it! Smash out the frame! Live!

Think about that first. Then have a plan. Have a backup plan. Make sure everybody in the house knows what to do. Have a gathering place outside where you can count heads. Do the drills.

As to wood stoves, cut a piece of carpet and lay bricks over it for a base. They hold heat and help to warm the room. You can use patio blocks and stain them any color you want. All the prior advice is good also. I would add that you should get some of the commercial chimney cleaner material. It burns out any creosote buildup before it becomes dangerous. Just put it directly into a fully developed fire from time to time.

[Elcarim]

Since we are going to be leasing the first year in Maine, everything will already be set up. Who would we call to have the stove/fireplace checked for safety? You know, we're really going to be shooting into the dark since we've never used anything but central heating, so we will definitly need someone who can instruct us properly on how to use wood or oil heating systems. I'm sitting here trying to figure out what "damper" is - would that be a bucket of water?

All the tips and advice is great. Thank you all so much! I'm sure it will make much more sense when we actually see the components in person.

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by Elcarim

Since we are going to be leasing the first year in Maine, everything will already be set up. Who would we call to have the stove/fireplace checked for safety? You know, we're really going to be shooting into the dark since we've never used anything but central heating, so we will definitly need someone who can instruct us properly on how to use wood or oil heating systems. I'm sitting here trying to figure out what "damper" is - would that be a bucket of water?

All the tips and advice is great. Thank you all so much! I'm sure it will make much more sense when we actually see the components in person.

If the place you rent has a woodstove or fireplace, you should ask the owner. A chimneysweep outfit will probably have qualified people to clean and inspect.

A "damper" is the air intake on the stove, and sometimes a metal plate in the pipe or chimney where the smoke exits. A fire is an oxidation reaction (like rust, except much faster) and needs a sufficient air flow to continue. If you cut off the air to the fire it smothers, and slows or stops the reaction. A fire cannot burn if there is no air.

Pouring water on/in a hot stove is not something I would recommend (not as a first resort, anyway). I keep a bucket of ashes on hand to dump into the firebox if I need to smother the flames in a hurry, and a fire extinguisher as well. I like Halon because it leaves no mess behind but I have chemical extinguishers as well. If those aren't enough to solve a problem I have a hose hook-up in the bathroom, and 50 feet of hose will reach anywhere in the house.

As has already been said "Proper Planning Prevents P*ss Poor Performance". If you are going to operate a stove or fireplace (even an ordinary kitchen cooking range- electric, gas or other) you should always be prepared in advance and know what you are going to do if something goes wrong.

In many cases, having a well thought out plan will help to overcome panic. Never panic. Taking a moment to assess the problem and evaluate the best course of action is far better than giving in to a panic attack and doing nothing, or making the problem worse, even if the problem has got so bad that the best course of action is just getting your family out safely.

This may sound more frightening/dangerous than it is. If you are conscientious, and have a plan, odds are that in the relatively rare event you have a problem you will be able to rectify it before it gets too bad.

Even if you don't use a woodstove you should be prepared for, and have a plan, for what you will do in the event of a fire. I have personally experienced a fire that started because of electrical wiring, and that fire did far more damage than either of the two woodstove related events I've had. Even wiring that was done correctly can have problems when it ages.

Everything we do has some level of risk associated with it- walking down a flight of stairs, going for a swim, crossing the street, going for a drive, taking out a mortgage, using credit cards, *everything*. That's life. Knowing what the risks are, and planning for what you will do if they happen is the best thing you can do.

[Submariner]

Our stove has an intake damper, but it is very leaky, so even when it is closed all the way, a fire can still burn. [poor design - I may have to kick the designer, ouch, darn I do hate it when I kick myself]

It also has an exhaust damper which seals off the stove pipe exhaust, which makes it hard for smoke to leave.

Most of the heat that I have seen this stove put out, is in the 'secondary combustion chamber' and not in the firebox at all. Now that component gets red hot routinely. I have no intention of ever trying to cool it's fire. I think that whenever the firebox output drops below 450, then the secondary should normally shutdown by itself.

If for some reason we need to shut down a fire in the firebox, I usually stir things with a iron poker while spraying it down with water. We have a couple garden sprayers around here, and one of them I keep with potable water just for putting out fires.

I am not a 'fireman'. I have served on a few hoseteams, combating mostly hydraulic fires [heated hydraulic oil spraying at 4500psi makes a nasty fire] underwater. In terms of household stove fires, I figure that stirring the fuel while wetting it down should work well enough.