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Unattended Stoves


cl@rkey

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I'm just testing the water here. I know leaving a lit stove unattended is generally considered a bad idea, but do you do it anyway - despite knowing the risks? Perhaps after you've developed some confidence in your stove and your own fire-setting abilities?

 

I can picture myself coming home from work on cold frosty night, lighting the stove, and then maybe popping out for an hour or two, and later returning to a toasty warm boat.

 

Be honest now. Do you do this? Maybe not regularly, but on the odd occasion? Or should I be struck down for even thinking such a thing? :unsure:

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Yes, we have done on occasions. I know we need to be really careful, but, after all, the fire is left alight when we go to sleep. We are heavy sleepers but we have alarms and I check those fairly regularly.

I try to make absolutely certain that nothing could fall or get close to either the saloon or boatmans cabin stove if the boat was rocked sharply.

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I'm just testing the water here. I know leaving a lit stove unattended is generally considered a bad idea, but do you do it anyway - despite knowing the risks? Perhaps after you've developed some confidence in your stove and your own fire-setting abilities?

 

I can picture myself coming home from work on cold frosty night, lighting the stove, and then maybe popping out for an hour or two, and later returning to a toasty warm boat.

 

Be honest now. Do you do this? Maybe not regularly, but on the odd occasion? Or should I be struck down for even thinking such a thing? :unsure:

 

Although very rare cl@rkey and I dont want to scare you but please please read through this. It just show's you how things especially with gas/electric and stoves can go very wrong.....

 

http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/Lindy%20Lou.pdf

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I'm just testing the water here. I know leaving a lit stove unattended is generally considered a bad idea...

 

Is it? :unsure: I do it every day in winter.

 

I wouldn't do it straight away with an unknown stove or an unknown installation, but once you get to know your stove then that's what most people do.

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Our stove stays on 24/7 during the winter, regardless of whether we're on the boat or not. Overnight and when we're not around we'll leave it gently ticking over, and we make sure we keep the area free of combustibles like books, newspapers, etc.

 

I read about Lindy Lou before we moved aboard - if I remember rightly the stove wasn't fitted to the correct specifications and books/papers were left very close to it. It's worth reading the report to give you an awareness of what can go wrong and how quick it can happen! It also put smoke detectors and CO alarms at the top of our shopping list before we moved aboard.

 

You'll find as you get to know your stove you'll gain in confidence, but it's best never to get complacent.

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stove was alight from oct to march.sometimes you just have to have faith l guess and common sense

As has been said check around stove that theres nothing that can burn, turn down when leaving so it just ticks over.

No different from coal fire in a house.( do they still have those ? ) :cheers:

14skipper

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Yes we do it too - but an incident scared us slightly a few years back. We had been on the boat for about an hour, having lit the stove when we came on board, and had checked that the stove was burning properly before turning it down low so as to go to the pub for the evening. I had drawn the curtains and of course before leaving I turned off the lights. Just before stepping through the door I looked back and was puzzled by a slightly brighter than usual glow from the end of the darkened lounge.

 

Closer investigation revealed that the 6" blanking plate on the back of the stove, which is there as an alternative place to mount the collar and flue, had fallen off after its two tiny fixing screws had rusted away. If we had left it unattended for the evening it would have turned into a furnace and, as this was several years ago when it was standard practice to fit the tiles directly to the plywood behind the stove, would almost certainly have caused a catastrophic fire.

 

We still do it, but I double and treble check everything before leaving - and then probably check it again for good luck - particularly as I know that our tiles are still mounted directly on the plywood behind the stove.

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We too, light our stove in Oct/November - and it basically stays in until Spring (whenever that may be) (apart from when we let it go out to sweep the flue)

 

Just be careful, take care, employ your full consignment of common sense, and ensure that there's nothing near that could smoulder anywhere near it, and always check that the door's firmly closed, and cannot open accidentally

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Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it.

 

<scratches head> I could've sworn I read somewhere that it was a bad idea to ever leave a lit stove unattended. Must've dreamt it! I'll take onboard everything you've said, and make sure I play it extra safe. :cheers:

 

I guess this means I won't be needing bizzard's ideas on staying warm this winter! Ah well, I can always keep them as a backup plan. :)

Edited by cl@rkey
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I work long hours and live aboard, and my first year on the boat I didn't have the fire lit while at work, for safety reasons. By January coming home from work at 7pm or 8pm, the boat having had no fire since the early hours of the morning, meant the place was bitterly cold and took all evening to get warm again.

 

Ever since then i decided to risk keeping the fire in while away from the boat. I stoke the fire up before I go to bed, closing the vent down to just quarter of a turn to keep it in all night. And in the morning I empty the ash, chuck on just some paper and kindling and open the vent up again to get the place roaring hot while i pootle around and have brekky. Then just before i leave for work i top it up with more coal, turn the vent back down and off to work.

 

12-15 hours later I'm back home, the place is still warm and the fire is ticking over on low. I chuck on another handful of kindling with a bit of paper which ignites from the hot coals (no need for matches or firelighters), get it good and burny again and chuck on lots more coal. Vent wide open and stove door open just a smidgen and the place will be at 25 degrees and sweltering in no time. :) door closed, vent down to half a turn or so, and it's fine all night. I just stoke it up with more coal before bed again. (and before you ask I have two perfectly functioning CO alarms, one of which is not far from the stove, and they've never gone peep from the stove door being open just a crack. I always ensure i have a good draw from the chimney though, They have, however, gone peep from mooring near a neighbour's stinky exhaust and when I once left a chamber pot* full of hot ash on the back step, so I know they work!)

 

My stove is just a simple Boatman.

 

I've had no safety issues at all.

 

Edited to add: I always use Taybrite as my coal. I find it stays in well with my stove and burns at just the right temperature. Some other coals burn too hot (or at least more hot than I like and more hot than I'd like to leave unattended) and don't stay in as well in my stove and with my lifestyle. Others will have different opinions, but for me and my unsociable working hours Boatman + Taybrite is perfect. I have also come to prefer paper and kindling wood, to using firelighters. In only use firelighters if I don't have any kindling or if what I have is a little damp. The other thing I find important is keeping the flue swept reasonably regularly. I get lazy and leave it months sometimes, when I do the stove doesn't light as quickly or stay in as well as usual.

 

* my Ash Poe is my greatest friend in the winter months but I get some funny looks from passers by when I step off the boat with a steaming chamber pot and pour it under the bushes :P

Edited by BlueStringPudding
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Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it.

 

<scratches head> I could've sworn I read somewhere that it was a bad idea to ever leave a lit stove unattended. Must've dreamt it! I'll take onboard everything you've said, and make sure I play it extra safe. :cheers:

 

I guess this means I won't be needing bizzard's ideas on staying warm this winter! Ah well, I can always keep them as a backup plan. :)

 

You're not imagining it. I had read it on this forum which is why I tried my first winter without leaving it unattended. But to coin a phrase: B*gger that for a lark.

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Yes, we do.

 

Typically if the stoves lit were on or near the stove, because if we whernt why would it be lit, however I have no quarmes leaving it while going to the pub for a meal, and when we where caught short with a winter stoppage went to the boat every night, lit the stove every night and left, to stop the boiler freezing.

 

 

Daniel

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Yes we do it too - but an incident scared us slightly a few years back. We had been on the boat for about an hour, having lit the stove when we came on board, and had checked that the stove was burning properly before turning it down low so as to go to the pub for the evening. I had drawn the curtains and of course before leaving I turned off the lights. Just before stepping through the door I looked back and was puzzled by a slightly brighter than usual glow from the end of the darkened lounge.

 

Closer investigation revealed that the 6" blanking plate on the back of the stove, which is there as an alternative place to mount the collar and flue, had fallen off after its two tiny fixing screws had rusted away. If we had left it unattended for the evening it would have turned into a furnace and, as this was several years ago when it was standard practice to fit the tiles directly to the plywood behind the stove, would almost certainly have caused a catastrophic fire.

 

We still do it, but I double and treble check everything before leaving - and then probably check it again for good luck - particularly as I know that our tiles are still mounted directly on the plywood behind the stove.

I have experienced exactly the same thing. You need to know that your installation is safe and secure and then make sure you don't do anything silly like leaving the ash door open etc.

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You're not imagining it. I had read it on this forum which is why I tried my first winter without leaving it unattended. But to coin a phrase: B*gger that for a lark.

Thanks BSP, it's good to know my mind's not failing me just yet! And thanks for the recommendation; Taybrite does seem a popular choice among boaters.

 

I think what I'll do is get someone who knows their stuff to give my stove the once over. Even then, is it best to be there to monitor things the first few times you keep the fire in all day, if only for your own peace of mind?

Edited by cl@rkey
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If you think the fire hasn't lit but you leave the boat do make sure everything is closed down. Several fires have started by the fire reviving after being left

Thanks Sue. I will definitely bear that in mind and be extra careful! :cheers:

 

And thanks to everyone for their input.

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I'm just testing the water here. I know leaving a lit stove unattended is generally considered a bad idea, but do you do it anyway - despite knowing the risks? Perhaps after you've developed some confidence in your stove and your own fire-setting abilities?

 

I can picture myself coming home from work on cold frosty night, lighting the stove, and then maybe popping out for an hour or two, and later returning to a toasty warm boat.

 

Be honest now. Do you do this? Maybe not regularly, but on the odd occasion? Or should I be struck down for even thinking such a thing? :unsure:

 

We don't - but others do without incident

 

- we however do not live aboard but have perfected getting the stove going in about 10 to 15 mins. when we come back to the boat.

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If you think the fire hasn't lit but you leave the boat do make sure everything is closed down. Several fires have started by the fire reviving after being left

That's a very good point and applies when you go to bed as well. Our fire had died and I tried relighting but gave up after a while. Went to bed leaving both the vents open and was woken by the ecofan going potty on top of the stove. It was glowing red and radiating a massive amount of heat! We were lucky that time and have never made the same mistake.

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Thanks Sue. I will definitely bear that in mind and be extra careful! :cheers:

 

And thanks to everyone for their input.

 

It is our advice not to leave a stove unattended..... until you are familiar with it (Ref Blackrose et al). Also what Sue B and other say about being caught out.

 

Get familiar with the stove and with the fuel you will be using

If you swap fuel, keep an eye on the stove and note the burn characteristics

Store your fuel well, if it gets damp, it will burn differently.

Keep a weather eye out, high winds (fen blows where you are) and inversions can cause problems, this can be OK if you've keeping watch, but if problem start, you won't won't be there to sort it out.

Keep up with routine checks and maintenance. That way you can be sure of a consistent burn pattern not affected by hole in the chimney or leaking seals for example.

Beware of pyrolisis. Any wood in the near vicinity of the stove could be carbonising. Again the routine checks and maintenance will reveal any danger signs, but if left to drift and not tackled, one day you could pop out for a swift pint and come back to a real fire... in the sense of two local fire crews and smouldering twisted wreck.

It's happened before and its likely to happen again when people don't get the good advice they find on this forum.

 

Finally, fit smoke and CO alarms, test them routinely, never take the batteries out. Consider having a boat fire risk (aka safety) check; the local fire service is usually very obliging.

 

Enjoy your winter boating and be confident in the use of your stove (so long as you show it some respect)

 

here's the link to our solid fuel stove advice http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/stay-safe

Regards

Rob

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As long as you are careful with the stove, leaving the boat with the fire going also reduce the risk of another boater's nightmare - being burgled.

 

If burglars are about, which boat are they going to break into, one that has smoke drifting out the chimney?

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