Don't do this

Jackie · #41 11/09/10, 07:50 PM

Every. Single. Day. my ex husband would use diesel to start the fire in the woodstove. I used to get so mad I would send him outside and start it myself. He would just stick big logs in, pour on diesel, light a match and be done. It would pour black smoke into the house before he got the door shut. And the smell was horrible. Bad bad headache every time. GRRR! I would start it with paper and kindling. Took a bit longer, but smelled way better and I am SURE was much healthier. ugh. At least diesel doesn't blow.

7thswan · #42 11/09/10, 07:59 PM

Yes you can make fire starters out of paraffin and wood chips/sawdust. I made some for the next doors with that and used paper egg cartons to put it in. Then cut them apart. You can also use those paper things used for making cupcakes. i just use paper and tiny split wood. Once the woodburner gets started in the fall, it dosen't go out, so I'll take coals out in a ci pot and use that to start the cook stove.

haypoint · #43 11/09/10, 11:31 PM

A few years ago, we needed a piece of steel to repair the bush hog. Went to the dump and found a fuel oil tank. While most like this are round on top and bottom, with flat sides, This one was set up sideways. The round part on the sides, top and bottom were flat. I took the pipe legs off and the filler pipe, vent pipe and fuel gauge piece. No sign of any liquid inside.
I rolled it over so the “belly” was on top, nice big flat piece of steel. I marked off a big rectangle, cut the corners with a metal cutting blade (more like a thin grinding wheel) in a Skil saw. My son put on Welders gloves and safety glasses, then began running the saw along the chalk line.
The tank exploded. The three pipe openings became jets, tossing the tank 10 feet in the air. The end of the tank blew open. The flames that shot through that tiny slit where my son was cutting, gave him second degree burns on both forearms, above the end of the glove’s gauntlet.
All from and empty tank. I didn’t think fuel oil was explosive, but as a vapor, it is.
I have photos, if someone wants to see them.

mountainlaurel · #44 11/10/10, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael W. Smith

Apparently you need to teach the neighbor the "old fashioned" way of starting a fire. A couple sheets of newspaper crumpled up and on top of that, small slivers of wood and sticks. Once that gets going, then you add the bigger stuff on.

I can't believe that people use flammable liquid to start fires in their house. On the charcoal grill OUTSIDE - yes lighter fluid, but NEVER gas or other things.

I can just see someone who wants to get a big fire going quickly dumping two cups of gasoline in their stove. They don't notice as it runs out the door and onto the floor. 1 match and POOF - huge fireball that is going to send them across the room and they run outside to watch their building burn to the ground.

We think we've "mastered" fire. But yet the mechanical problems (along with stupidity) shows otherwise. It's about this time of year where you hear about some fire almost every week.

Your furnace that worked fine last year, is now another year older and has sat idle for the last 5 months. Please get your heating systems checked by a pro every year!

As for wood burning, coal burning, corn burning stoves, there should be mandatory classes that people go to so accidents like this don't happen!

Now you're talking, that's just plain old common sense. It saves folks a lot of trouble if they use it.

heavyrebel · #45 11/10/10, 07:40 AM

This reminded me of a lesson I learned as a kid, about 10 I guess:

It was a cold fall night, dad told me to go to the basement and restart the fire. It must have been one of the first for the winter season and it must have been cold because my parents were frugal, even with the firewood and heat. We had switched back from coal to wood that season, too (much to my chagrin, since coal required me to only scoop it from truck to the coal bin, where as wood meant going into the woods, cutting the trees, hauling it to the truck, loading of 2 cords at a time in the farm truck, hauling it to the house and splitting it all...a lot of work at 10 - 11 years old. Anyway, I go to the basement, add the paper and kindling, close the door, turn on the fan and wait. Nothing. No fire, wood not started. So, I add more paper...a lot more. I close the door, open the door, close the door, open the door, repeat, repeat, repeat. I guess the soot from the coal and the heat and gas from the paper did not mix well. On the last opening of the furnace door a TUBE of fire shoots out, takes off my eyebrows and eye lashes and the front of my hair! I am startled to say the least! BUT the fire was started...dad cleaned the furnace the next day.

bee · #46 11/10/10, 08:39 AM

Fatwood isn't made but harvested. For those who don't know what it is, it is the heartwood of burned pine tree stumps. These stumps have the pine sap resin concentrated in the wood. One match on a splinter of fatwood has it burning like a mini torch. I got mine off e-bay from a fella in georgia. There are a lot of gift catalogs that sell it with designer holders or fancy gift boxes. Those I gave it to last year all loved it and as long as I can afford to buy it I won't be without it for my woodstove. I even use the resin dust from the box by dumping it on a piece of news paper and rolling it up...just don't drop anything lit into the fatwood box..THAT would be hard to put out!!!

**Cabin Fever** · #47 11/10/10, 08:55 AM

We just buy a 24 count box of those wax/sawdust firestarters for about $10 per box. Then we cut each firestarter brick into three "pucks." That's 72 fire starters for around 15 cents each. These little pucks will start an armful of full-size logs....no need for any kindling what-so-ever. Most people can afford 15 cents a day to start their woodstoves. No fuss, no muss. Simple.

NostalgicGranny · #48 11/13/10, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bearfootfarm

She may have used "lighter fluid" as in the type you'd use in a Zippo.

That would explain the flash.

CHARCOAL lighter or kerosene wouldn't have done it

Charcoal lighter fluid does poof. About 25 years ago DH was lighting a BBQ and had a poof moment. Burned of his eyebrows, lashes, and arm pit hair (trying to cover his face).

BamaSuzy · #49 11/13/10, 05:16 PM

We have been using a wood-burning heater/cook stove since about 1979 and we have NEVER EVER used kerosene or anything else likethat to start a fire...

We always make sure the ashes are out; then put in some rolled newspaper, some pine combs and possibly some small sticks of pine, and any other small types of dry wood we have. We light the newspaper and once all that gets burning we simply add slightly bigger wood until we have a good roaring fire.

Using ANY kind of oil or anything like that is just too too too dangerous. it is too easy to build a good fire without any of that.

What if that had blazed into her eyes or her little one's eyes...

Basic fire starting skills are easy to learn....much easier than medical repairs from doing it the wrong way!

radiofish · #50 11/14/10, 03:38 AM

Reading of this makes me hope that the OP's neighbor is well insured..

Plus it reminds me of when I was working for the US Forest Service out in the field, and we stayed one night in a Forest Service Campground. Well a caravan of folks parked in the spaces next to us, unloaded their gear, had kids running around, and proceded to build a camp fire.

They made a jumbled pile of wood in the firepit, poured on some Coleman fuel straight from the can, and tossed a lit match onto it. Well the resulting fireball and the loud 'whoomp' sound, drew most of the folks from the campground to see what the commotion was.

Luckily no one was seriously burned, but the unhappy campers were admonished by the resident campground manager for unsafe burning practices.

I have been heating with firewood for over 25 years now, and I never have had to use any soft of combustable liquids to get a fire started in the stove. Wadded up paper, fine split kindling, and a match - is all I ever have used.