Woodstove Safety - Never Had One and Have Some Questions!

[mamalatte]

For those of you with woodstoves, have you ever had any safety problems? I would love to have one and think that I could save a ton on oil and be far more "sustainable" by just heating my main living area with wood (possibly also biobricks or the like), but I'm concerned about safety. I remember reading about someone having a scary chimney fire a while ago, but can't remember if it was in connection with a woodstove . . .

My main concern is a fire, especially at night or while away from the house (by the way, around here, people do not "put out" the fire in their woodstove upon leaving the house, is that the norm, is that safe?) Most of the house and the part where the stove would most likely be, is made of wood and has wood floors and wood "beadboard" walls. I know you put a "fireguard" panel over the floor and walls under/behind the stove but I'm still concerned it would catch fire from the heat transfer.

Smoke/carbon dioxide - My house leaks like a sieve in terms of airflow and I also have a full hard-wired smoke and CO2 alarm system. So, danger of some sort of middle-of-the-night smoke/CO2 problem very low, right?

Chimney fire - When we moved in, previous person had a gas stove (not a cooking stove, but a heating-type) that shared a chimney and flue with the oil heater. Heard this is dangerous and don't plan to put stove in the same location anyway, so would likely have one of those metal chimneys just for the wood stove. Any issues there? How often do you have to clean it and is there something about what type of wood you use that makes a difference in whether you are prone to a chimney fire?

Kiddos/pets - My main concern about the kids had been when they were still more in a toddler stage, that they might touch it or fall on it. Any other concerns to think about re: kids or pets?

How do you right size it to your space?

Any thoughts much appreciated.

[herbgeek]

We've had 2 wood stoves- first in our condo where it was a primary heat source (voluminous high ceilings with electric heat, so we primarily used the stove), and in our house now, where it is used mostly for atmosphere (weekends with a fire going) or as backup heat if power goes out.

We had a chimney fire in the condo, none that I know of in this house. A big part of that chimney fire was poor design- the stovepipe went up 2 stories /inside/ the building so the effluent would cool before it vented to the outside. We'd get a lot of creosote as a result. We tried to burn the fire hot for 20-30 minutes at least once a day, which normally burned things off. In our house the pipe goes right outside within a couple of feet of the stove.

We use only seasoned hardwood, no pine. Have the chimney cleaned once per year under heavy use and every 2nd or 3rd year with occasional use. Have not had issues with kids or pets (outside of really small ones where I'd just watch them closely when they are at the age where they get into everything). Didn't allow any play near the stove.

When we had the one in the condo, we'd routinely keep it running for weeks at a time- just turned down rather low at night and when we were away. The one we have now we let go out, because its not our primary heat source.

[CathyA]

We used to have a wood stove. We really liked it, but the insurance company said it was bad that it had a slightly inclined section of pipe from the stove to the inside of the fireplace. They wanted that piece taken out and the stove moved closer to the fireplace. But that would have put it closer to some wood paneling.....which I thought was even more dangerous, so we took it out.
It's important to keep your flue very clean so that creosote doesn't build up and cause fires.
We had a little round magnetic gauge on the side of the pipe, so we could see how hot it was.
You have to be very careful with children around it.
Once, when we had to leave for a couple hours, we turned it down low, but it was so cold out that it back puffed and filled the entire house with smoke. The smoke alarms were going off when we got home. It was a bummer. I think that's the only time we ever left it burning.

[Miss Cellane]

Like any system that produces heat, a wood stove needs regular maintenance. If it is properly installed and used and maintained, there shouldn't be any problem.

As PPs have pointed out, the chimney has to be properly installed. And it does need to be cleaned regularly. The type of fuel you burn will affect how often cleaning is needed.

There are various types of wood stoves. Some are better at being left "on" when you are out of the house.

Pets seem to adapt quite quickly to a wood stove, often sleeping under or right next to it. A cat might need to be introduced to the stove when it is hot, so that the cat does not jump on to it unsuspectingly and burn its feet.

There are gates that can be purchased to create a protective barrier around the stove if small children will be playing near it. Or I have seen stoves installed where the floor and walls under and around the stove are bricked over, and the kids simply learn they can't play anywhere near the brick.

[Gardenarian]

About 30 years ago I fell and caught myself by grabbing onto the hot wood stove and ended up with a large third degree burn. Luckily it was my left hand. I've never felt comfortable around them since then. (This was a very old stove - maybe they make them safer these days?)

[awakenedsoul]

I had one when I rented an adobe guest house in Santa Fe, NM. I absolutely loved it! It kept the house so warm and cozy....I used to sit in a rocking chair near it and watch the flames. Mine had a door that I kept shut most of the time. I let the fire die at night, and the house was still warm the next morning. I didn't maintain it. My landlady was very good about that stuff. It was new. I'd love to have one again.

[cindycindy]

We had a wood stove installed 5 years ago when oil prices spiked. Had it professionally installed and the metal chimney cleaned on an annual basis. We figured it paid for itself in 1 1/2 years. Yes, we leave it burning (on low) when we leave the house. That took a little getting used to. DH works from home so he's able to keep adding wood, so it is now our primary source of heat with oil as a back up. We used to use 1100 gallons of oil per year (2600 sq foot house); now we use around 100 gallons. No more kids in house and no pets. We were told our unit would heat at 2200 sq foot house. We close the doors on unused rooms, and moved our bedroom to a spare room downstairs to better utilize the heat. We order split delivered wood at 180 per cord. Last year used 6-7 cords in a very cold winter.

[merince]

You might also check into an outside wood burner/boiler. They are pretty straightforward to plumb into the existing heating system (whether a boiler based or forced air). They are usually positioned away from the main building and the only thing entering the building is a hot water line and thus greatly reducing the fire risk. The look like a little shed with a chimney. They are usually refilled every 24 hours or so and can be left unattended. They are usually in the range of 5,000 - 10,000 USD.

[craig47]

We live in the Ozark's in Missouri, and our house doesn't have duct work so we have to heat with wood, and we love it. I cut and split enough wood to last 2 or 3 years at a time.
I bought a Buck stove 3 years ago to replace our old one that was I'm guessing 20 years old, but these new ones are safer and the wood burns longer with less creosote build up.

[Float On]

We live in the Ozark's in Missouri.

Hi Neighbor and welcome to the boards!

[bae]

I had the chimney fire you may be remembering:

http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?9633-Chimney-fire-last-night!

I respond to probably 15-20 chimney fires a year. They are usually the result of the homeowner not cleaning and inspecting the chimney properly, in combination with burning poorly-seasoned wood at the wrong temperature. Generally the results aren't too terrible, unless the chimney was improperly installed, or had previous damage, or the stove improperly installed, and the fire extends into the structure.

My best advice is to get a real chimney sweep/chimney maintenance professional to evaluate your setup, and get onto a regular maintenance program. Get someone who knows what they are doing to design any new installation, not just some stove salesman.

[CathyA]

Be sure to check with your insurance company. they will want to inspect it before they will insure your house. We had a wood stove that they didn't like something about and refused covering us until we fixed it or got rid of it. Funny thing was, they wanted us to move it closer to wood paneling, and I refused to do that. It just seemed more dangerous than what they were complaining about.
I would definitely have a reputable company inspect everything.

I would also get a spark arrester for the top of the chimney.......it keeps big sparks in, and wildlife out.

I know you said you were hard-wired for smoke/co alarms, but what if your power fails?
Also, on really cold nights, you need to keep it stoked well, or it can back puff and fill your house with smoke. (at least it did with the model we had).

[Mary B.]

I'm in Canada (British Columbia) and here you have to have a WETT certificate for your wood-burning stove before you can either get house insurance or a mortgage. WETT apparently means Wood Energy Transfer Technology -- thanks, Google.

Said certificate can only be issued by a certified tech. In our locale it's a chimney cleaner. What they're certifying is the safety of the stove and the installation, so things like distance from panelling, what the hearth has to be made of, etc. is all discussed and approved.

[craig47]

Thank you "Float On", judging by your user name you must be north of me. We live way back in the woods, 30 miles from the closest town, between Mountain Grove and West Plains.