OWB safety warning

[JAL]

I got a good back draft in my face the other morning when I was half asleep loading the old OWB. Sure was a wake up call. :bang: Here are some videos of what can happen if you are not paying attention or half asleep when opening the door.

View My Video

View My Video

View My Video

Make sure you are paying attention and tell anybody else that will be loading the OWB. Be safe out there people...........

 

[603doug]

Did the same thing two mornings ago. Turned the fan on and did not wait long enough and opened the door, heard a noise and jumped to the side as a blast came charging out the door. Did trim the hair alittle. Explained to the "little woman" how important it is to wait till the firebox has unloaded the gas. She basically said I am an idiot but that is not a secret

 

[Woodcutteranon]

Thanks for posting. I was bit by my Hardy once...that was enough of a lesson for me. It took a while for my eyebrows to grow back in. The barber did all she could with my bangs!

My Hardy can be a fire breathing dragon if care isn't taken when opening the door to the firebox. I know my Hardy like a book now and I know the conditions when it will spit fire. Still, to be safe I open the ash bin door first and never stick my nose in the firebox until the door has been open for a couple seconds.

I am out of rep for the day but I will give you some tomorrow.

Thanks again

 

[Bcat22]

yup, had this happen over the weeked....first time in two years.
this one was a little more serious. when i cracked (yes, only cracked ) the door, the stove sucked in a HUGE amount of air(sounded like a jet engine ). it actually pulled the door back shut then Blasted it open at me. i had just enough time to realize what was about to happen to move my hand out of the doors path (learned from two years ago to the side ).

the fireball came out about two feet, and another two feet up over the stove door. It definitely woke me up better than coffee at 5 a.m.

after someone requested a video of this, i tried for three days to make it happen on purpose, guess thats the way it goes.

 

[Butch(OH)]

I am the least when it comes to being a safety whacko but you bring up a very good subject. What you experienced used to be called "back firing" when we had those big ole coal and wood furnaces in the basement. A small back fire would cause the draft door to jump out and go "dink" in the night but I have seen two large ones that unstacked the stove rings. This happens when heat calls for a long hot burn and when hot the thermostat closes the damper. In the old air leaky stoves it would do it on there own but in our OWBs it happens when we unknowingly open the door just after the draft closes. I make habit of looking at my temps before I open the door When the readout is at 170, my cut off temp i am very careful about standing back. Wont do it if on the way down but you don't know which way it is going, just off or coming back down unless you have beenb watching it. Bottom line is anytime your temps are close to your cut off point you need to be careful about opening the OWB. If I was building them there would be a lathch that did not allow thew door to be opened until X time had passed after a damper closing. Cant believe in this sue happy age that some MFG hasn't had the rear handed to them over this.

 

[JAL]

yup, had this happen over the weeked....first time in two years.
this one was a little more serious. when i cracked (yes, only cracked ) the door, the stove sucked in a HUGE amount of air(sounded like a jet engine ). it actually pulled the door back shut then Blasted it open at me. i had just enough time to realize what was about to happen to move my hand out of the doors path (learned from two years ago to the side ).

the fireball came out about two feet, and another two feet up over the stove door. It definitely woke me up better than coffee at 5 a.m.

after someone requested a video of this, i tried for three days to make it happen on purpose, guess thats the way it goes.

As you can see it took me three tries in order to get to do it . Even with the damper on-off control bypass switch right next to the door. oke:

 

[crowbuster]

On my heatmor there is an a.r.d. or anti rollout device that lets air into the firebox when I open the outside door and a very nice safety latch that I must lift the handle up, pull it to me, then down so if it backdrafts the handle will hit the latch and the door is only able to open a few inches. It has saved me from myself a few times, did I mention I love my heatmor? No I don't sell them.:greenchainsaw:

C.B.

 

[Scootermsp]

I post this warning every year for new OWB owners.