Heating Stoves and Carbon Monoxide Safety:
Wood Stoves, Pellet Stoves, Fireplaces, and Coal Stoves
A cozy fire burning on a cold night gives a certain charm to a home. Consumers are turning to a variety of alternative heating sources such as wood stoves, fireplaces, pellet stoves, and even coal stoves. Warming the home with wood, pellets, or coal can be efficient and cost-effective too. A few precautions during the heating season will help to keep a home safe and may even save lives.
The leading danger of these heating stoves or a fireplace is smoke and fire. It's best to have a professional install the stove. Most homeowners will have a wood stove or a hand fired coal stove installed near an existing chimney. Certain models of a pellet stove or a stoker coal stove that use electricity can be vented to an outside wall without a chimney. Consult with your local building code officer to be sure that the placement of the stove is up to code. A professional installer will assure that your stove has proper clearances, ventilation and air flow thus reducing the danger of burning your house down. Have your existing installation inspected to make sure it meets fire and safety codes. A call to your local fire marshal or fire prevention officer can give you this information.
Daily maintenance for home safety is absolutely essential if the heating stove or fireplace is used regularly. Find a proper way to dispose of ashes in a fireproof container with a lid to prevent an accidental fire. Ashes of a previous fire will often block a good airflow for the next fire. Monitor the fire regularly once it has been ignited and give it attention. Learn the signs of a fire that is burning too hot or what to do if the fire is burning too low. Know how your particular model operates. Where does it draw air and what steps will help it to operate efficiently over time? Some homeowners prefer a pellet stove or stoker coal stove because many models have self-igniting starters, automatic thermostats, and computerized monitoring to keep the heating cycles at a reliably safe burn if it is functioning correctly. All pellet stoves have heat sensors that will allow the controller to shut down the system if an unsafe condition occurs.
Seasonal maintenance is an important part of owning a wood stove or fireplace, At least once a year the chimney and stove-pipe should be swept. Be sure to have it checked for evidence of creosote build-up in the chimney and pipe. Creosote is a sign that the chimney or stove-pipe is not drawing correctly; this may allow Carbon Monoxide to build in the room during the combustible process of the wood burning. Pellet stoves should not produce creosote if they are operating correctly. Some pellet stoves adapt an existing chimney with a stainless steel liner for proper drafting. The liner should be inspected regularly to make sure that there are no leaks that would allow a Carbon Monoxide build-up in the room.
Carbon Monoxide poisoning is considered a silent killer because it is colorless and odorless. Because of this, Carbon Monoxide is more insidious than the dangers of fire and smoke when using alternative heating sources. Its symptoms often mimic the flu and include nausea, headache, and an overall sense of lethargy. Several precautions can help to avoid a build-up of Carbon Monoxide when operating the wood stove or fireplace. First, open the damper before starting a fire. Second, leave the flue open even if the fire is almost out. A smoldering, lingering fire produces the highest concentration of Carbon Monoxide. Make sure that the room is well ventilated at all times. It is tempting to leave a smoldering fire at the end of the evening as the fire is dying out. Exercise caution and be safe. Double-check on the proper functioning of fans when burning the pellet stove or the stoker coal stove The fans are an essential part of maintaining a consistent fire that burns safely. The exhaust fan will force air through the firebox to the special venting that pulls out the gases through the chimney or stove-pipe.
The house should have a Carbon Monoxide Alarm in addition to a smoke alarm. The audible beep will alert the household to dangerous levels of Carbon Monoxide as with a smoke alarm. Keep the batteries replaced and check the alarms each season. A Carbon Monoxide Detector Badge can also be displayed prominently near the heating stove or fireplace. The Detector Badge is an extra safeguard against Carbon Monoxide. It is a visual display only and it doesn't require a battery. At the center of the Detector Badge is a red silica circle. The presence of Carbon Monoxide will turn the silica to gray and then to black as the exposure increases. The Carbon Monoxide Detector Badge is an ideal companion to a Carbon Monoxide Alarm for home safety during the heating season.
