Got up at 5am(dogs woke me up) and loaded a few splits of sweetgum. Got another bag load after I really woke up and stuffed the Clydesdale full had a split roll forward and hit the glass - mind you I'm aware of this wood will throw insane sparks from coaling. Tried to slowly open the door and ease the large split back in with the poker(have about a 2-3" coal load at this point) and whole bunch of bark fell off on the ash lip - and the draft was ripping. My puckering string tightened, tried to shut the door back coals holding it open - hectic moment cut the air off and rolled fan rheostat to low, let the sparking and sputtering die down, eased the door open and cleaned the coals from the ash lip shut it back and watched secondaries for 20mins while knocking the cinders from the hearth rug. It was a whew!!!! moment
N/S loading and an 8" deep belly eliminates that kind of moment. I had a small piece pop and jump out on the top of my bare foot once. That was eye opening, to say the least.
Glad for you that you were able to deal with it without further problem. I don't care how long you burn, you alway get presented with situations where you need to keep a level head responding. Those sparks taught me to have leather shoes on when I opened the door. damm ash burn on the foot huts all night. No longer an issue now that I burn pellets.
That could have had much worse endings. Glad that it turned out as good as it did! Glad you kept your composure through the situation. That situation is one reason I only load my stove North South and never East West
I have had a few pop when the air hits it upon opening the door. Always makes me a bit a nervous that I may not see where it popped to. I also had a nice size split fall off the pile and land right on my bare foot. OUCH
2 years ago I was loading the stove. Birch bark catches fire quick. Tried to put a split in but it didn't fit all the way, pulled it out & the end was on fires Threw it in the metal bucket & ran up stairs & outside, smoke trailing all the way .
already had SEVERAL locust loads this year turn into "popcorn" after opening up the doors during a long burn, heck some of those splits almost mimicked scribs!! Hot coals popping out past the hearth and onto the wood floor!!
Do not worry about a split hitting the glass. If you feel you must move the split, put on the thick fireplace gloves, place one hand underneath the stove door, open the door, and let the split (or bark or coals) fall onto your gloved hand. The gloves can take the heat for several seconds of a hot split of red hot coals. Once it falls into your gloved hand, push it back in the stove.
A couple of weeks ago I had a pair of Rocky boots sitting on the hearth three feet from the loading door. I was filling a night load, planning on being in bed within 15 min. A hot coal popped out of the door and almost went down inside one of the boots. I thought hmmm....that could have caused a rude awakening an hour from now. Flaming melting boots catching the house on fire. Not good.
Best one I can remember was probably about 20 years ago. My Dad went downstairs to tend to the stove. Was a home built wood furnace and we had a chair in front of it instead of bending down. Normally started a fire by tossing in a bag of trash. Little bit later hear a BA-BOOM and a few mins later my Dad comes up covered in shave cream. The trash WAS supposed to be just junk that burns, but he threw in the bin a few days before by mistake. I had similar with a can of spray foam in my burn barrel. Blew the nozzle of the can out over my shed and about 125 ft to the back patio of the house!
