[TheForge] Murphy strikes again. But fails!

[Darrell]

If ALL of the stove pipe is insulated it won't creosote up near as much as
one that has cool air on thin metal causing the creosote to condense.

Darrell

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jerry Frost" <frosty at customcpu.com>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 7:12 PM
Subject: [TheForge] Murphy strikes again. But fails!


> Okay, so it's really the "non-reciprocating law" more than Murphy's law.
You
> know the one that says, "If you talk about something bad it'll happen and
if
> you talk about something good it'll NEVER happen?" Yeah, that's the one.
>
> Remember a little while ago we were talking about chimney creosote? I was
at
> work today, yeah, I know it's president's day and working for the state I
> get it off but there's a lot of stuff to clean up after the last couple
> weeks weather and a little OT is always a good thing. . .  Uh, where was
I?
> Oh yeah. Work, Jay and I are taking morning break and my cell rings with
the
> distinctive "home" ring. It's Deb. Cool! I like talking to my sweetie.
>
> "Hi sweetheart," I say brightly.
>
> "I think we have a chimney fire," she says without preamble, warning or
any
> other attempt at softening the news or shielding me from harsh reality.
"The
> elbow on the stove is orange," she continues with no attempt whatsoever at
> reassuring me. "What do I do?"
>
> Can YOU feel the adrenaline rush? The single wall adjustable elbow we need
> to get the stove to makeup to the stack is maybe, MAYBE a minute from
> failing all together. The Metalbestos triple wall pipe from there to the
> roof will hold, probably (PROBABLY) till the creosote burns itself out but
> NOT the elbow.
>
> Okay, it's do or die and there's maybe a couple minutes of window to fight
> this thing so I start talking Deb through killing a stack fire. First shot
> is a 2lb. box of baking soda aimed at the draw gap in the internal baffle.
I
> can HEAR it roaring over the phone, I hear it muffle for maybe ten seconds
> then clear out and start roaring again.
>
> By now I had my head out of my ass and sent her for the fire extinguisher;
> much closer than the soda had been but soda was the first thing I thought
> of. I talked her through using the extinguisher which has been sitting
next
> to the front door for some eight years now and though I take a look at the
> gage every so often I hadn't knocked the chemical loose. Ever. So, I tell
> her how to bang it on the floor to unpack the dry chem, pull the pin and
aim
> it at the draw gap in the baffle.
>
> Of course I forgot to tell her to give it quick burps so I hear the
gurgley
> roar of the extinguisher for maybe five seconds before she lets go of it.
> She can't hear me yelling at her to stop but the dry chem blasting back in
> her face convinces her to give it a break. Okay, so I tell her to just
fire
> half second bursts and let the draft draw the chem up the stack and after
> half a dozen bursts have her shut the stove up again.
>
> No joy. CRAP it's not as hot but the roar is picking back up. Not quickly
> and it's stuttering but it's picking back up regardless. I send her for
> water and have her start throwing a cup at a time into the stove and
> slamming the door in between. I tell her to keep doing it and call 911. I
> hang up.
>
> Jay's sitting on the other side of the truck, motionless, looking at me
with
> the same expression a passenger in an out of control car gets. BAD SHIT is
> happening and there's not a single damned thing he can do but not distract
> me and hang on.
>
> Of course my cell starts beeping "dead battery" so I won't be able to
check
> on Deb. #^#&^#%#*$& !!!!! I grab the radio and shout for Sue, my foreman,
> and tell her what's up and that I'm heading for the barn and maybe home.
Jay
> doesn't need me to say anything to bail. I head for the shop. I don't know
> if Jay said anything to me. Probably but I don't remember.
>
> About 15 mins later I roll in. It's normally it's a 20-25 min drive from
> where we were to the shop. I didn't "speed" or do anything reckless, I
just
> took every advantage I safely could. Working for the State has definite
> advantages, while I can't blow through stop signs and red lights, I can
> legally run them if it's safe, IF it's "job" related. So, at every red
> light, I hit the strobes, picked a gap and ran it.
>
> I get to the shop and phone home. The FD is there, it's all okay. Deb and
I
> managed to pull the fire's teeth and the FD finished it off. During her
call
> to 911 and the three minutes it took the FD to cover the two miles and get
> there she dilligently threw cups of water in the stove every 30 secs or
> minute or so. Even so, it tried to take off again while the FD was
watching.
>
> I finished the day at work though the adrenaline hangover had my stomach
> churning and me babbling. Can you imagine it? ME babbling? <grin> After an
> hour or so and a bite to eat i was okay. In fact I'm still feeling the
> "disaster survived" high I always get dodging a bullet.
>
> Well, I got home a little while ago and though the house smells of wood
> smoke and hot metal everything's okay. The steel elbow is blistered where
it
> was hottest and the seam is bulged, starting to separate. Maybe a minute
> from collapse, MAYBE. I figured out what the problem is too. The stove,
for
> all it's faults is air tight, the fire should've gone out or at least
slowed
> WAY down when Deb shut the door but it didn't. It wasn't the stove though,
> nope it was the joint where the adjustable elbow makes up with the
> telescoping double wall pipe. (intermediary between the stove and triple
> wall metalbestos pipe) There was a little gap where air was able to get
in.
> It's a gap large enough to slip my little finger in right now, it grew.
>
> That won't happen again. That joint will get gasket rope chinked into it
and
> the swiveling joints in the adjustable elbow will get a wrap of muffler
> tape. All new parts of course and maybe an all new stack. If I have to
> replace the stack, it'll get encased in double sheetrock and wrapped with
> Kaowool. Overkill? Maybe. HAH!
>
> You might be wondering how often we clean our stack. We have the recipt
from
> the chimney sweep dated six weeks ago. I usually sweep the stack myself
but
> having that recipt once a year makes the insurance Co. happier, especially
> if they have to pay off. We already pay the premium for a wood stove and
> having it professionally swept saves some.
>
> I don't think we'll be using those guys again. Heck, I'm thinking the
sweep
> is going to be paying for the inspection and maybe damages even if I have
to
> take him to court. We'll have the fire chief's incident report and the
> inspector's report to back us in court. Everything else was good: two year
> old, cut and split wood, sans bark, proper fire habits, we don't burn
paper,
> presto logs, etc. etc. There shouldn't have been enough creosote built up
to
> burn in just six weeks.
>
> I'm happier than I can express to be sitting here tonight at my own
> computer, in our home with all our pets and possessions alive and intact.
> (if dusty <grin>)
>
> Frosty
> -------------------------------
> If it ain't forged
> it ain't real.
> Wrought iron is.
> The FrostWorks
>
> Meadow Lakes, AK.
>
> http://www.artmetalradio.com/
>
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