Spooky Experience With a Stove in a Tipi...What Went Wrong?

[KayakMacGyver]

First trip with a titanium stove in a tipi on a late season hunt. We had built nice fires for several nights in an area with lots of usable oak and mixed in some pine too. I never gave it much thought. We would keep it going through the night in single digit temps by rotating wakeup duties between two of us .

We moved areas into a spot with TONS of dead fall full of pine. Looked like a fire had gone through many years ago and this was all leftover collateral damage. This is in Arizona, so very dry.

We had grown comfortable with filling the box and falling asleep. First night in low country I packed the box heavy with plans to sleep for as long as possible before having to refill. I remained awake while fire built still and my wife passed out hard.

Soon, I started to hear a dripping sound in the firebox I hadn't heard before. Turned out that dripping sound was creosote (right word?) liquifying inside the stove pipe. Just a minute later it began dripping onto the firebox and then smoking like a 5 alarm fire.

I had to shake my wife to wake her up and was beginning to have a hard time breathing. We were fortunately fine, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to sleep and burn again.

The only other variable we had was the dampener. Still learning the equipment, I mistakenly shut the dampener (small circle of titanium with holes like swiss cheese). I'm sure it was clogged from a heavy wood pack, but don't really understand how that led to liquifying creosote.


Thoughts or ideas on what caused this to happen? The wood we burned, or the closed dampener, or both combined?

 

[Wild Bill]

All the resin in pine can cause issues, but if you’re mixing it in and it’s not your main fuel, I donno if that would be the main issue. Glad it didn’t escalate to anything more.

 

[MS 9x56]

Definitely both contributed never shut the dampener all the way. Even with hardwood you will at the very least get smoked out. You were actually luck the creosote didn’t ignite causing another calamity. We try not not burn straight pine if avoidable for that very reason.

 

[LuketheDog]

I had something similar happen in the wood stove in our house after we bought it, but fortunately the stove is sealed so I didn't smoke out the house. The previous owner only ever burned pine and didn't clean the chimney pipe as far as I could tell. I then went down the rabbit hole of learning about chimney fires, how to clean your chimney yourself, and optimum burn temps to avoid creosote. Now I mix maybe 50/50 oak and very dry pine and watch the temperature, plus scrub out the pipe every spring.

 

[mtnrunner260]

I burn mostly lodgepole as thats the only choice.
Haven't had any issues but do scrub the pipe and stove body once a year or so.
You may have had quite a few hours on it if you were burning all night. That doesn't sound fun at all. If you let it burn out does the cold wake you?

 

[KayakMacGyver]

I burn mostly lodgepole as thats the only choice.
Haven't had any issues but do scrub the pipe and stove body once a year or so.
You may have had quite a few hours on it if you were burning all night. That doesn't sound fun at all. If you let it burn out does the cold wake you?

When we got home I burned a real hot fire through it with oak and it cleaned it right up. A little bit of scrubbing was necessary, but not much really.

Honestly, we were being spoiled keeping it burning all night. When your from Florida, cold has a way of seeping into your pores. We spent the last 2 nights stoveless as I was worried about catching the tent on fire with all the creosote build up, so it was definitely doable.

 

[wyoboypt]

You need to invest in a better sleep system. Staying up to keep those tiny stoves going is sucky.

 

[trasko]

You need to invest in a better sleep system. Staying up to keep those tiny stoves going is sucky.

This. If you're car-camping just get a cheapo 0F bag and sleep cozy. If it isn't enough put your current sleeping bag inside for the double-burrito effect!

 

[Nick_CO]

You need to invest in a better sleep system. Staying up to keep those tiny stoves going is sucky.

I agree with this. Just use the stove to warm up in the morning when getting ready, and in evening before bed. Not sure what stove you use but mine is so small I have to load more wood into it every 20 or 30 minutes so I don't even try to keep it going once I get in my sleeping bag for the night.

 

[trackerbacker]

You need to invest in a better sleep system. Staying up to keep those tiny stoves going is sucky.

This is where I find SS stove (ti foil pipe) hold heat in the box longer, and less tending required in my experience, I can get the heat to last around 5 hours without fully loading it up before sleep.

 

[KayakMacGyver]

You need to invest in a better sleep system. Staying up to keep those tiny stoves going is sucky.

My sleep system is great. 0 degree down bag, insulated pad, etc. I'm great in it all night.

We were just spoiling ourselves by alternating shifts to keep it going. It's not a sustainable practice, but was a nice novelty that we enjoyed.

All that said, I do wish to continue the practice of getting a fire going in the box and falling asleep and I'm not sure how I'll get my comfort level back to allow that.

 

[trackerbacker]

My sleep system is great. 0 degree down bag, insulated pad, etc. I'm great in it all night.

We were just spoiling ourselves by alternating shifts to keep it going. It's not a sustainable practice, but was a nice novelty that we enjoyed.

All that said, I do wish to continue the practice of getting a fire going in the box and falling asleep and I'm not sure how I'll get my comfort level back to allow that.

Like posted, don't damper too much, try to run hardwoods if you can, and worst case, a co detector.

Play with it in the backyard until your confidence level builds back up

 

[Laelkhunter]

I seem to remember seeing some fireplace cleaning logs for sale somewhere. Supposedly you burn one every week or so in your fireplace/woodburning stove and it supposedly removes built up creosote and "prevents deadly chimney fires" (their words). Anyone think they work efficiently, or is it just a waste of money? Also, use a battery powered smoke alarm AND a CO (carbon monoxide) detector. Place the CO detector about 12 inches off the floor.

 

[44hunter45]

A creosote fire in the flue will get your attention. I've heard of them cracking masonry chimneys.

 

[KingOfTagSoup]

I second that I never close the damper, use a really good sleep system, and always bring a small CO detector. I use the stove more to warm up in the morning/evening, boil water, and help dry gear a little bit. I'll pack it before bed with some large pieces but I don't get up to refill it. Sleep is critical for me lol

 

[Islander]

Simple; don't close the damper if you plan to sleep. Or...burn hardwood. Or...don't burn the stove while you sleep.