I've been working extra hours due to a new contract at work, long hours, and it proved almost deadly the other night if it wasn't for my son waking me up. Yes, I fell asleep on the couch- stove wide open, for around 45 minutes! Stove top was just beginning to turn orange, I shut it down, opened the door for a bit, closed it, went outside to the galv ash can, filled up a small metal pail and threw it on the fire, which snuffed it out. I have since fully inspected the stove, no warping, no cracks, and the seams were fine. I am sooo careful with the stove each and everytime. I even go as far as having my son or Dawn act as a second set of eyes with ash removal, ect. This time, no excuse, I fell asleep, and didnt even get a chance to start nodding off...... it just happened. Since then family meeting, making sure everyone understands something as innocent as falling asleep when the stove wide open (air lever, not the door!) can go south in a hurry. Ive been beating myself up over this incident getting frusterated with myself just knowing what could have happened! So, does anyone have an audible alarm that they use for their stoves when the temp needs the operator's immediate attention?
I did something similar this afternoon. Got the stove loaded, and propped the door slightly open (maybe an inch or so), then took the dogs out for a few minutes. Came back in to the sound of a freight train. It was the fire, not the pipe. The stove was only around 350, but it was a goofy mistake that could have gone worse if we'd stayed outside a while longer.
Indeed a kitchen timer can be a good thing to have, especially when one is really tired after a long week's work. It can sometimes be too easy to fall asleep and have something like this happen. Also for some that tend to leave a door propped open or the draft set wide open and for some reason get involved in doing something else. It can be too easy to temporarily forget the stove. A timer in this case could be a life saver. Well Seasoned, thanks for posting this. I'm sure it was not easy telling about it but hopefully some good comes from it.
I think it took guts to post this. Everyone screws up from time to time. Don't beat yourself up to bad about it Well Seasoned. I know it's a serious thing but look at it as a learning experience. Can't say that it would never happen again but probably less likely, and now you are being proactive to find something to keep it from happening. I know if I work late on a 3 to 11 shift I try to piddle around while waiting for the stove to heat up.
Thanks....... I wasn't too worried about posting it, but more so to educate newcomers to woodburning that even somewhat experienced burners such as myself can get in a dangerous spot. I like the timer idea, and will purchase one next time I get to a store.
I've thought a digital temp with an alarm would be neat. Just haven't figured out a way to hide the thermocouple on the stovetop. Here's one. http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=279 And a thermocouple. http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_3&products_id=307
If you have a smart phone it'll have a timer on it you could use. But you could put a temperature probe and a high limit unit to make an audible alarm.
What about having a smoke detector with heat sensor mounted near the stove? No one is going to sleep through those things, once they go off. If I was very tired and fell asleep, I would not be awakened by the whimpy alarm that was on the timer I bought. I threw the thing out.
I agree with that , a kitchen timer is not going to wake me up . I have a couple different timers on my phone I use for a kitchen timer and different things , and some loud ring tones to go along with them , some siren sound effects clips, I jacked up the volume on and turned them into ring tones , crazy loud I don't use it all the time when loading the stove but if after a few beers I need to load the stove I do .
This is the bundled package I have been looking at, you can get a buzzer and a flashing buzzer http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=292
Yes, I do. I have digital temp alarms for the stove top and flue temp. The ones I have are built from off the shelf parts, they are similar to the Aubrins units. I made mine before the Aubrins ones were available. I also have a wireless data logger that will provide a graph of stove top temp and ambient room temp. It will also text me if there is a high temp alarm. Having flue temp and stove top temp monitor/alarms make the operation of the much easier. It is easy to tell right away what the stove is doing. I use the flue temp to indicate when to start turning down the air. When the temp reaches 875* I start turning down the air.
The previous owner of this house had a floor fan suspended from the ceiling with a snap disk. We didn't trust the wiring, but it apparently kicked on at a certain heat. Any way to use something like that with an audible alarm?
I don't think a snap disc would work very well, they are not all that accurate, not adjustable and do not give a visual indication of temp. Digital is the way to go.
If you have a smart phone download a timer app. They will go off loud enough to wake the dead. I use it as a reminder if I am not going to be in the room as I always have my phone in the pocket.
Glad to hear you (all the people), the house and finally, the stove, are all OK. Yes, I use a high temperature alarm in four places on the stove; the firebox, the catalytic combustor, the stove top and the flue. Of the four, the only two that have ever actually alarmed are the flue and the firebox, and of those two the only important one is really the flue. Long before any part of a stove begins to glow, the exhaust temp. is almost certainly very high and that is the initiator to a chimney fire. I find that keeping limits on the flue gas temp. entering the chimney takes care of everything else. I personally limit my flue temp. (internal, not stove pipe surface temp.) to 700F which most people will probably think is low. But keeping the temp. that low <almost> eliminates the chance of a chimney fire and allows the stove to get more than hot enough to burn clean and provide all the heat needed to keep my house at 75F. Brian
I like the simple egg timer. I will walk away from the stove after a reload and sometimes forget it. I think we all have had a moment that has been similar. At least the egg timer is simple, it will force you to go back to the stove no matter what to shut it off. Good thread Well Seasoned
Not to be cavalier about this, because I've scared the heck out of myself a couple of times with fires that got out of hand, but I'm wondering just how far sideways something like this is likely to go if the chimney isn't full of creosote and the stove is properly installed with combustibles kept at a reasonable distance. I understand that stove damage is a real possibility, especially with cast iron. But beyond that, what's the terrifying scenario? Are we imagining that the stovetop might melt and fall in, and fire somehow start shooting everywhere? I tend to assume that most fireplace-related house fires are chimney fires, but I can't claim to be well-informed on the topic.
