This Scared Me

[tss15]

I had a very strange/scary thing happen to me last night. I have USSC model1537M that I installed three years ago. Last night I had loaded it with wood when I got home from work. I opened the bottom ash door to allow better air flow to get it burning again. I walked over to the refrigerator to get a beer and I heard a very loud pop. I looked over and their was hot coals all over the floor and a cloud of ashes. Before I could get back over to the stove it did it again. This wasn't your usual popping that you get when you burn pine. I cant figure out what caused this. I cleaned my chimney at the beginning of the season and I only burn well seasoned hardwoods. Has anyone else had this happen to them or do you know whit might have caused this to happen? I thought that I was going to burn down my house. Also if you know how to prevent this from happening any advise would be greatly appreciated.

TS

 

[Sprig]

^^^^ +100%! What you did was create a type of 'flash-over' by using too much draft (the door), got the coals hot enough to combust the left over gasses in your smoke from the fire, and it blew it through the coal grate (with burning embers), iyiyiyiyiyi, dangerous as all-get-out! If you need a bit of extra air for a short time crack the door (and pay close attention too).
DON"T DO THAT!!:jawdrop:

That said, glad you still have a house and welcome to AS!



Serge

 

[wahoowad]

Don't do that again, and it won't happen again.

 

[ropensaddle]

I always when its cold leave my ash door open and damper too
but it is owbf I have never experienced a flashback but if I did
it would be no cause for alarm!

 

[Adkpk]

Learned something here. Thanks, guys. Welcome to AS, TS.

 

[tss15]

Thanks

Thanks for all of the quick responses. I know understand what happeded. It surprises me that it could have happened that fast though. The bottom door was only open for about 30 seconds. But I can believe it because I saw it happen. The more that I think about it though I wonder why it doesn't do it when you load it. The door oppening is much larger to give it more oxyen for combustion but then again it isn't going over the coals. I definatly wouldn't want it to do it again if I was standing right in front of it. This is a good reason to head the clearance specs. And the same reason that I keep my wood a good ways away from the stove. Thanks Again.

TS

 

[RaisedByWolves]

When you load the stove plenty of fresh air can go up the stack and will prevent the build up of flammable gasses.



When you leave the ash door open the air has to go over/through the coals and wood and picks up more unburnt gasses this way.



.

 

[zooms01]

opening ash pan

What is the difference if you open the ash pan or the combustion motor kicks on and blows a ton of air into the fire??

 

[WidowMaker]

What is the difference if you open the ash pan or the combustion motor kicks on and blows a ton of air into the fire??

==========

Forced Draft....

WidowMaker

 

[wood4heat]

This must be similar to what I see when I close my Lopi woodstove down for a night burn. As the flames die down there are slow motion flashes that fill the stove. Kind of neat to watch sometimes ends in a flame that just sits at the top of the stove almost like upside down waves.

 

[Upnorth4]

This must be similar to what I see when I close my Lopi woodstove down for a night burn. As the flames die down there are slow motion flashes that fill the stove. Kind of neat to watch sometimes ends in a flame that just sits at the top of the stove almost like upside down waves.

I've seen the same thing form my wood stove, only with a full load of wood that has burned for awhile. It seams that when the fire is starved of air the combustion slows but the heat still gasses the wood, at some point the air builds back up, mixes with the gas and ignites. It will flash with a big POOF, then die down again, then repeat. If conditions are just right it will blow smoke out the air intake of the stove.

 

[woodfarmer]

You never, never, never, leave a wood stove with it's ash pan door open. Never. If fact just using the ash pan door to help get a fire going is something every wood stove manufacturer advises against.

It's like leaving the engine running with the transmission in drive and getting out of your truck. It's just something you never do.

Handcuff yourself to that stove if you are going to use the ash pan door to help start fires. It only takes a few seconds for things to get real out of hand.

actually treeco, the owners manual for my insert says to open the ash door for draft when lighting the insert

 

[turnkey4099]

I have been opening the ash door to start for 30 years now, no problems except the one time I left the house to do a minutes work in the yard and forgot. Nothing left in the stove when I came back .

Harry K

 

[aandabooks]

On my Daka, I open it every morning when I get home from work. Throw a bunch of wood in over the hot coals, turn the damper all the way up and open the ash pan about 5 inches. Then I go have a shower and in 20 minutes or so the Daka is baking, my exhaust pipe is about 500 degrees and clean. Been doing this for 3 years now and I got the tip from my barber who has been doing it for over 30.

The Daka manual does say to open the ash pan to aid in starting a fresh fire.

Matt

 

[woodfarmer]

i have an elmira 1600 insert, they used to be made in waterloo on.