With winter threatening record cold temperatures, the likelihood of chimney fires throughout the area is almost certain. Retreating to gas logs from wood burning is based on convenience for many people. Stephen and I installed gas logs in our beautiful stone fireplace ten years ago. We would do it all over again, because our reason was simple… we weren’t using the fireplace, and the reason we weren’t using the fireplace was that chopping wood, storing it safely, and then climbing up and down a flight of stairs to replenish the wood stash was not worth the benefit to us. Do we miss the beauty of the flames licking the logs, the crackle and the bouquet of burning wood? You betcha!
There’s another reason people will opt for gas logs over wood, and that’s the safety factor. I shared some basic safety tips in our last post, and I would like to expand on that just a little. Among the biggest concerns of fires in fireplaces and fires in wood stoves is a chimney fire. The most careful person in the world might still have a chimney fire at some time, but there are a few steps that can be taken to reduce the chance by a lot.
Your best prevention is regular care by a chimney sweep. I cannot stress this enough. Don’t think that because you’ve been burning hot fires that you’ve been burning off the crud inside the chimney; it doesn’t work that way. The bane of any wood burner is the by-product of the wood burning creosote. According to an article in Mother Earth News from 1988, “The creosote accumulation rate in a chimney is affected by five factors: the density of the smoke, the temperature of the smoke, the amount of time the smoke spends in the chimney, the turbulence (swirling) of the flow, and the temperature of the chimney walls.”
In the same Mother Earth News article, “Chimney fires most often occur when starting a fire, when refueling, or during an unusually hot blaze. Flames, allowed to burn intensely to ignite new fuel, lick into the chimney and, if there's enough oxygen, ignite the creosote. Heat in the chimney drastically increases draft, inducing the flames to rise through the entire system. One thing leads to another, and in short order you've got a raging inferno that can destroy the chimney and even burn down your house.”
As I read through this article and others on the subject, I gained incredible respect for people who are serious wood stove users. There are many benefits, but it takes thoughtful consideration, regular maintenance, and deliberate consideration of how to handle the inevitable chimney fire. Great planning is the key: the type of stove you select and the design of your chimney will determine how well your wood stove will work for you. Stoves with catalytic converters and stove stacks that are straight are just a couple of good tips.
I was just reading a forum discussion about the pros and cons of wood and those of gas, and one of the forum participants said, “Gas has no soul.” Ha! I see his point, but I cannot stress enough the importance of preparation and maintenance. I think the Mother Earth News article is about as thorough and complete as any I came across, Chimney Fires. It’s much more than just about chimney fires. While over at Mother Earth News, you might want to check out pellet stoves, too.
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