Fire Safety

Still learning...the hard way.
As I unloaded the Kimmel off my truck today, got my sweatshirt wet from the watery bags from being outside in the rain and snow. So I had this "brilliant" idea, as I was posting on this site, I would drape my wet sweatshirt, (was only wet on the bottom front), on the top of my Surdiac.
Now if anyone is familiar with this stove, it has tin shielding all around it. The previous owner explained, that it was so "childsafe", his kids could walk right up to it, touch it, and not get burned. Altho I was leery, the tin is definitely cooler than the rest of the stove. I had the sweatshirt bundled up and positioned so the wet side was down against the top middle grate. I left it there approx. 5-10 mins, then removed it, and laid it to the side, in another room.
Later on, I checked the shirt, and it was still a touch damp in the same area, so once again, I laid it on my new found dryer. This time I draped it open, with the bottom frt hanging in frt of the glass door. (About 3-4" away). I know at times, this area can be upwards of 500*. What I didn't know, is the flashpoint for polyester/cotton blend, is less than this. So there I was, typing out a reply to someones thread, and I could smell my shirt drying. (you know, that dryer smell from freshly laundered clothing?) Anyway, as I was reading/typing, the odor became a bit pungent, so I figured I should remove my shirt from the stove. Good thing I checked it, cause it was ABLAZE!!!
I immediately grabbed it, (bare handed), and was only steps from my frt door, where I tossed it outside, on the red brick walkway, to safety. Fortunately, no damage was incurred, with the exception of some smoke. I did find all my smoke detectors worked well, which the wife will be pleased. Don't think the rest of the story will please her much though. Right now my girls are across the street, and don't know about my childish antics.
So, take a warning from an idiot like me. Coal stoves (or any other fire apparatuses) can be dangerous in the wrong hands. I was very lucky today.

You are not alone I have not done that, but I have done other things that are not recommended. If we live long enough we might eventually become experts

Thats ok lesson learned ,just don't do it again brain farts happen and what the hell was I thinking moments happen
Keepaeyeonit

joeq

In a couple of weeks you will laugh at this event but at the same time remember that you had luck on your side. We have all done stupid things like this. A few years ago I loaned my neighbor my poles and brushes so he could clean his chimney. Making a mental note that I needed to clean mine as well. Well long story short he returned the brushes and poles in short order and I kept dogging doing the "sweep" on mine.... AND you guessed it...

Sounded like a bleepin' FREIGHT TRAIN... Didn't do any damage thank goodness but scared the $^!# out of me... Upside was the fire cleaned the chimney really really good! Downside was keeping the fire a secret from my Fire Chief Father in Law!

Is it bad that I'm laughing at your story? I know its not funny but...well...I can't help it. I'm glad no damage was done.

To be fair, I've thought about hanging clothes on the stove to dry but I usually just toss them on the floor in front of it.

Smart move.

joeq time to buy the Mrs. a portable wooden drying rack and when she looks at you and say's "what's this for honey?", just shrug your shoulders and say "...oh you never know..."

Good advice M/T. "Cept they've already been there. (The drying route that is.). Once I saw one of them hang a wet coat on a hanger behind it, well enuff away. Hasn't happen too often, but you're right, maybe I'll enlighten them.

joeq wrote:Good advice M/T. "Cept they've already been there. (The drying route that is.). Once I saw one of them hang a wet coat on a hanger behind it, well enuff away. Hasn't happen too often, but you're right, maybe I'll enlighten them.

Wow, glad everything's ok and no serious damage done.

I've reminded my wife and son that nothing burnable--paper, clothing, cardboard, wood, etc.--ever gets left in the "stove zone" no matter what. That said, it would be tough to leave clothing hanging over my stove due to the collection hood that's there.

We do have a clothesline about 25 feet away from the stove, and believe me, anything that's hung there wet will dry very fast. I also have a small homemade wire thingy hanging on a nail about 6 feet from the stove, that will take three hangars for drying wet coats, hats, gloves, etc. This gets used mostly by me after blowing or shoveling snow. So nice, especially when we have a big storm and I know I'll have to go back outside later to clear snow again, that I'll be slipping on gear that's toasty warm.

Wow! Glad all ended well. If we all had a penny for every brain fart in life we would have a hod full of pennys. The thought of a house fire scares the *censored* out of me. I'm in a 62 year old house that needed rehab (gutting) throughout. I did it a room at a time and in every room I installed a hard wired with battery backup interconected smoke detector as I went. Yes it's a pain in the ass when Momma burns something in the frying pan and they all go off. and when its time to change the batteries. But if I ever have a fire I'm going to know about pretty damn quick.

At the risk of some thread drift, I'm going to post a link to a video about a house fire started by discarding 9 volt batteries. This was brought to my attention by a friend in Canada. I would never have thought about this in a million years but the risk is very real. Please take in couple minutes to watch this video and then pass it on to friends via facebook, email whatever.

Another great tip. (protect the ends of old discarded batteries.) Thanx for posting.

If you look at pictures of old wood/coal kitchen ranges, almost all have what looks like a spring-wire handled poker rod sticking out of a hole in the top back corner, right next to the firebox. Some more deluxe stoves have two, side-by-side.

I thought they were fire pokers (can be), but they are not. They are "towel rods" for drying dish towels.
However that back corner of the stove can get extremely hot. And, the rods sit on a downward angle, toward the fire box. A dish towel, once it's dry, could easily slip down the rod into contact with the stove top.

On my stove, the original towel rod had been shortened and used as a grate scarper. I made a new, longer one and only use it as a poker rod. To dry dish towels, I have an antique kitchen towel rack, wall-mounted three feet away from the stove.

However, the girl friend grew up with one of these old type kitchen ranges. Old habits don't die easy. She will occasionally forget my warnings and use that stove rod to dry a wet dish towel on.

Time to find a place off the stove to keep that fire poker.

Paul

[quote="Sunny Boy"]If you look at pictures of old wood/coal kitchen ranges, almost all have what looks like a spring-wire handled poker rod sticking out of a hole in the top back corner, right next to the firebox. Some more deluxe stoves have two, side-by-side.

I thought they were fire pokers (can be), but they are not. They are "towel rods" for drying dish towels.
However that back corner of the stove can get extremely hot. And, the rods sit on a downward angle, toward the fire box. A dish towel, once it's dry, could easily slip down the rod into contact with the stove top.

On my stove, the original towel rod had been shortened and used as a grate scarper. I made a new, longer one and only use it as a poker rod. To dry dish towels, I have an antique kitchen towel rack, wall-mounted three feet away from the stove.

However, the girl friend grew up with one of these old type kitchen ranges. Old habits don't die easy. She will occasionally forget my warnings and use that stove rod to dry a wet dish towel on.

Time to find a place off the stove to keep that fire poker.

My range has one of those rods as well. There are even holes in the warming oven to put them in and it is higher than the ones on the stove. I don't use them either, I put a clothes line up from one garage door track to the other. Much safer and it does not take long to dry. For the stove inside, I have a drying rack I use and a rod I put up 10' away from the stove that I can hang clothes to dry. These stoves get too hot to put something directly on them...but I have done worse things than this. I am glad there was not damage other than to your pride.
Randy

Wow, sounds like you were lucky for sure. I use my drying rack every so often but I don't usually venture too far when I have the stove running. Glad to here everything turned out OK

A good rule of thumb is if you can't keep your hand on something for a period of time it can catch some some things on fire so keep everything out of reach .