Coal Burning Safety

The incident I just related in the "How Hot Is Too Hot" thread made me think of safety as a good topic. What safety tips can you pass along? (ie things you do, own etc that are safety related)

Things I wouldn't burn coal without:

1. Smoke & co detectors on all living floors (& check them often)
2. Fire extinguishers within easy reach
3. Good fireplace gloves
4. Safety glasses (lumps of coal love to explode spraying shards of red-hot coal all over!)
(anyone ever have their door glass broken by an exploding lump of coal?)
5. Barrel of sand out back....Just in case I need to emergency smother the fire!
6. Good stove thermometer



Things I Recommend:
1. Hand held kitchen timer ( If I have to leave the stove with the ash door open, I set it for short time (& put it in my pocket) to remind me that the door is open.....way to easy to forget)
2. Bought a "smoker" wireless alarm thermometer that alarms if the fire gets to hot or too cold. Has a 100' range & I keep it on my headboard. http://www.smarthome.com/3219.html

What else?

Fireproof (non Combustible) Hearth that your stove sits on. In case of the exploding coal coming our of your hand fired stove or dropping ashing when changing the pan.

Keeping your chimney clean every year and checking your stove for cracks, new gaskets, keeping all movable parts cleaned and lubricated...every season.

Explaining to your spouse/kids what to do in case something does go wrong....

A good 5 gallon shop vac with a steel dust container and good filtration system is a nice thing to have. Fly ash is pesky and produces lots of dust. As WNY said, you need to clean, clean, clean!

I, too have had a run-away fire. Embarassing and scary.
I have often wondered how to put one out as quick as possible if it ever happened again.
I like the idea of having the sand on standby. Hope I don't sound silly asking but has anyone ever actually put one out with sand? Any other methods?

To stay on the topic - I never carry a freshly romoved ash pan out of the house. Worry that a "hot one" may fall out without me noticing.

Instead of sand I would use flour. I think it would be a little easier to clean up.

coal cakes anyone!?

Actually, I think "flour" might explode. ??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour_bomb .. mid page.

I don't think there will be enough suspended particles to cause a combustable mixture, now if you put it into a leaf blower and blew it at the fire... well then look out!!

There is only one way to find out for sure. Let us know, when you are going to try it and leave an address, as to where the stove was located.

Be sure your smoke detector has dual sensor technology!!

You want to purchase smoke detectors that have both the ionization and photoelectric sensors.

Photoelectric smoke detectors usually have the word PHOTOELECTRIC right on them. If you don't see any symbols chances are, it's probably an ionization smoke detector. Ionization models respond slightly faster to open flaming fires while photoelectric models respond faster to smoldering fires.

Obviously having one type is better than none at all, but if you have a Ionization model, it wont go off as easily when smoke hits it (good for kitchens).

I have a dual sensor detector by my stove to cover both the flaming fire, or smoldering smoke!!! Dont take a chance!!

Familiarize yourself with how fast the fly ash builds up within the flue pip going from the stove to the chimney and anywhere else it can build up. A blocked pipe is by far the most common reason for asphyxiation from CO gas. Use a mirror t look up the the entire length of your chimney to make sure there are no obstructions.

Make sure your flue pipe going from the stove/furnace is securely fastened with at least 3 screws at each joint. If you have a small explosion the possibility exists for the pipe to come apart.

Dallas wrote:...when you are going to try it and leave an address, as to where the stove was located.

I would say that a remote disconnect is mandatory on a stoker. Whether it be an easily accessible circuit breaker or a light switch have some means to shut off the combustion air and stoker motor in an emergency without having to go near the stove itself. I have a water hose in my basement which I use to wash the floors but it could come in handy as a sprinkler system if ever needed. Most important is have a family meeting, when someone yells "GET OUT THERES A FIRE" everyone should know what to do. scary thought.

All great ideas, I do have some sand left over from a project also...... Do you use milk or water for the coal cakes mix?

gambler wrote:Instead of sand I would use flour. I think it would be a little easier to clean up.

Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) is a better idea. Actually the "bag" the fire dept. drops down your chimney is just a large amount of baking soda. It smothers the fire. I know this for a fact (been there, done that).

Avoid the dry chem. fire extinguisher, if possible. That will REALLY make a mess.