Rookie mistakes

[r&r]

brushing my chimney but not cleaning out the creosote that built up in the bottom afterwards.

and not replacing my stove gasket when it needed it.

 

[Suz]

Not keeping my finger out from between the chunk of wood and the wood stove door frame.
I guess my first recollection of doing something nasty was when I would spit or drop something on the top of my parent's wood stove. The house was heated by a big old stove in the basement that had a hole/grate in the floor above it and you could see the plenum, and it would get hot. If anything was dropped or poured down the grate onto the top of the stove it "could" stick up the house in a hurry.
(This was over 60+ years ago!)

 

[war-wagon]

first season with the woodmaster and loved the idea of burning huge chunks. hated crushing the end of my finger between the wood and the door when i went to throw in a large piece. word to the wise. LET GO

:msp_scared:

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Hmm. I'm STILL making some of these mistakes, especially wood that's a bit too long to fit in the stove. If there's a good fire in there to begin with, the end of the log catches fire while I'm trying to stuff it in there, and once I realize it won't fit, I throw it out the door into the yard. If it's the right kind of wood, it smolders itself to ashes by morning. :msp_biggrin:

Lol...I almost found myself in that predicament awhile ago as I was really jonesing as I tried to desperately fit a big split of Cherry in; luckily I made it-barely-but the idea of what you just described had raced through my head moments earlier lol...and a few weeks before that when the stove was cold I saw another monster piece and thought "I better try that one before the stove is going" and luckily I did as there was no way it would've fit; you'd think after 21 years I'd know better, but when I'm cutting I use an 18" aluminum pipe as I guide but I sometimes think "a few more inches will give more heat" and I MUST stop doing that!!! :deadhorse:

 

[mhyme71]

Not enough seasoned wood and burning Bigtooth Aspen wood absolute crap it would choke out any coals i had and burn out real quick

 

[Motodeficient]

Stacking wood under tarps instead of building a woodshed. Not fun with multiple feet of snow over the winter.

 

[CrappieKeith]

Today. Who says you have to be brand new at this to make rookie mistakes? I had just raked coals on the grates of the owb. Closed the upper door and proceeded to shovel the ashes out from under the grates via the lower cleanout door. I use a smaller fireplace type shovel for part of this because the bigger one won't get way back in the corner alongside the grate legs. Had my arm way in and my face right in front of the door.
Yep, you guessed it. And the resulting WHOOOSH! blew the whole shovel full of ash straight back in my face. After QUICKLY shedding my hat and sweatshirt in case of any hot embers, and realizing I had no burns or singed hair, I had to laugh at my appearance. Took quite a while to get all that ash and soot out of my face pores and hair.:after_boom:

...and ya didn't stop to think to take a picture now did ya...good thing you came out of it unscathed...less a bit of soot...fun story though...:msp_lol::msp_lol::msp_lol:

 

[unclemoustache]

Not getting a good draft in the stove before lighting. (I use a hairdryer now if there's a downdraft).

 

[wackydeejay]

Not getting a good draft in the stove before lighting. (I use a hairdryer now if there's a downdraft).

HAHA...very first time I tried to light our stove I smoked up the living room! A piece of newspaper lit at the top of my kindling pile with a couple of pieces underneath does the trick for me now.

 

[kd460]

Thinking I have enough wood...

 

[turnkey4099]

Today. Who says you have to be brand new at this to make rookie mistakes? I had just raked coals on the grates of the owb. Closed the upper door and proceeded to shovel the ashes out from under the grates via the lower cleanout door. I use a smaller fireplace type shovel for part of this because the bigger one won't get way back in the corner alongside the grate legs. Had my arm way in and my face right in front of the door.
Yep, you guessed it. And the resulting WHOOOSH! blew the whole shovel full of ash straight back in my face. After QUICKLY shedding my hat and sweatshirt in case of any hot embers, and realizing I had no burns or singed hair, I had to laugh at my appearance. Took quite a while to get all that ash and soot out of my face pores and hair.:after_boom:

Yesterday - all dressed to take wife to doc office, had a few minutes. Decide to dump the ash pan. Step out on lawn, sling pan - wind eddy brought it right back over me.

Harry K