Tell me it's ok to leave the wood stove burning...

[SecondMonkey]

I just moved into a new shop with a wood stove. It will be GREAT once I get the exhaust vent fixed, freakin' electric heater isn't keeping up.

I've never had a wood stove before. I've burned a lot of fires, and always have a burn barrel in the backyard...but I just don't do it in the house.

I'm totally paranoid about leaving this stove burning when I leave in my shop. Shop is made of concrete, but there's also some flammable liquids - paint, oil, solvent, normal garage stuff. (nowhere near the stove of course!) I even plan on stacking cinder blocks around the stove within a foot or so to keep some of the heat contained and reduce the clearance needed around it.

Tell me it's ok to fill this thing full of wood and then drive home for the night. I mean, people do this in their house, everywhere, all the time, right? The stove uses only single wall 6" pipe, but like I said, it's in a concrete shop and exits through a hole in a brick. I have smoke and CO alarams, and lots of fire extinguishers.

I can hardly leave the electric heater on without worrying about something bad happening...*sigh*

 

[Audi Junkie]

No pets.

 

[SecondMonkey]

I don't think the goldfish will mind.

 

[kaboom10]

That was my grandfather's only means of heating his farm house. He got that thing up to a cherry red each cold night but never added wood during the night.

 

[salesrep]

It'll be fine. You are obviously safety conscious and are taking the correct precautions. No need to throw on a fresh log the last hour or so.

 

[msparks]

Since it's a wood burner really the only 2 ways for a fire to start would be something that could combust that is near it or for the chimney to catch on fire.

The chimney should be kept clean. Have it cleaned before the season starts, and only use hardwoods (no pine or other soft woods) You can also get it very hot once a week and then open the flu to burn any residue in the pipe. (I think they make something you can put in the stove to clean it to, but never used one of those)

I think Chimney fires are the most common. It usually takes years for the buildup to be enough to catch. Also burn a lot of [censored] wood, one pine log won't do it.

I especially love burning Black Locust. We used to get it so hot in the house would have to open the front door--It was below zero out.

 

[eljefino]

I'm not thrilled about the solvents. I'd try to find a metal storage cabinet with closing doors.

I have a wood stove in my 1st floor room under my bedroom, jumped out of bed once to find it going ape (floor was nice and warm), sometimes they get a little carried away. A prelude to a chimney fire is when the creosote in the stove pipe elbow decides to melt down and drip on your fire. This happens on and off, a self cleaning feature that you need to get good and hot to engage.

If I were you I'd leave it with the dampers mostly closed, the wood will burn up either way and release the same amount of heat into your shop. When there, burn it hot to keep creosote down. Also read http://www.hearth.com for good stove info.

 

[tig1]

As long as your installation is safe you will be fine. I burned wood solely in my house for about 10 years in the 70s and early 80s with no real problems when I lived in Maine.

 

[doitmyself]

Having a real chimney outside of the building instead of just a sheet metal vent would be safer, IMO.

Is the roof material combustible?

 

[rjundi]

It all depends on how modern of a stove.

Also do you have a lined chimney or a stainless steel double walled pipe for chimney? That is critical for a comfy feeling of leaving of a fire. The pipe leaving my recent wood stove fire approved installation is also single walled into a stone hearth/wall.

I believe most fires are a result of chimney problems.

 

[ksJoe]

A wood burning furnace burned down our home in '95. About 2 am Jan. 2. IIRC.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
Tell me it's ok to leave the wood stove burning...


Well, unless you're going to freeze until it's extinguished on it's own, I think you'll have to. I don't think you can air dampen it enough to stop combustion, only reduce it.

Quote:
freakin' electric heater isn't keeping up.


Get more and turn them on upon arrival. Fire up the stove with enough wood for your typical day (or figure out when to stop adding wood) with it burning out before you leave. Leave the electrics on set to some temp that has them shut off when the stove has fully warmed the shop. Allow it to burn out in comfort. Turn off electrics upon leaving.

 

[ksJoe]

Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Turn off electrics upon leaving.


But ONLY if its burned way down. If something comes up and you have to leave while its loaded with wood leave it plugged in and fully powered on.

Ours caught on fire because it was unplugged. Dad loaded it up before heading to bed, and somehow it came unplugged during the night (cat, gravity, ?). We know this because it plugged in up high, but after the fire we found it unplugged with the end of the cord unburnt. Had it been plugged in during the fire, the cord would have been burnt.

Our guess is, it got a roaring fire in there, then came unplugged. At that point, it couldn't cool itself and caught the ceiling above it on fire. It had a fan to blow in extra combustion air, but apparently once it got going it could suck enough for a hot fire without that.

 

[eljefino]

I think OP is talking about a "simple" woodstove, Gary about electric space heaters, and KsJoe about a fancy stove with catalytic and crazy fans, thermostats, and other controls.

 

[expat]

It's OK our stove burns 24/7 during the winter. Just don't let creosote build-up in the chimney.

 

[ls1mike]

We heat our house with a wood stove insert. We have a stainless steel chimney inside a brick one. We get it cleaned every season. We let it burn all the time unattened. No fancy controls and no electronics.

 

[SecondMonkey]

Well, my stove pipe is going to be all new once I get all the parts I need. It was just reinstalled by my "expert" landlord, using galvanized HVAC pipe.

Ever hear of zinc fume poisoning?! Not to mention it's not rated for flames...

Aside from that it's single wall that exits through the brick, with about 6' of clearance all around. From there it goes into my "barn", and I hope to heat it up a little that way, and then it goes straight up and out the metal roof. The pipe becomes double wall a few inches below the roof/ceiling.

The stove is actually homemade, but I think it's built better than some cheap commercial models. I believe the main building where I'm at used to do major metal manufacturing. I think I want to install some kind of seal around the door though...

 

[salesrep]

Originally Posted By: expat
It's OK our stove burns 24/7 during the winter. Just don't let creosote build-up in the chimney.


Best and easiest creosote remover???????????????????

 

[doitmyself]

Exiting the roof....double wall B VENT, or double wall stainless, insulated CHIMNEY???

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: salesrep
Originally Posted By: expat
It's OK our stove burns 24/7 during the winter. Just don't let creosote build-up in the chimney.


Best and easiest creosote remover???????????????????


A good hot fire and burn it out before it builds too much!