TheBanyanTree: Murphy's Law strikes again ... but fails!

[Snowgoose]

Hi friends,

My husband, Jer, sent this post to his "Forge list" yesterday 
(in case there are references to them <g>). He describes what 
happened yesterday better than I could, so I thought it would save 
me writing a long post about my morning's adventure to just copy 
and send HIS version. Besides, he *should* get full credit for a 
good story. I had quite the morning. Here's how it went. :(
-Deb in AK

Jer wrote:
Okay, so it's really the "non reciprocating law" more than Murphy's law. You 
know the one that says, "If you talk about something bad it'll happen and if 
you talk about something good it'll NEVER happen?" Yeah, that's the one.

Remember a little while ago we were talking about chimney creosote? I was at 
work today, yeah, I know it's president's day and working for the state I 
get it off but there's a lot of stuff to clean up after the last couple 
weeks weather and a little OT is always a good thing. . .  Uh, where was I? 
Oh yeah. Work, Jay and I are taking morning break and my cell rings with the 
distinctive "home" ring. It's Deb. Cool! I like talking to my sweetie.

"Hi sweetheart," I say brightly.

"I think we have a chimney fire," she says without preamble, warning or any 
other attempt at softening the news or shielding me from harsh reality. "The 
elbow on the stove is orange," she continues with no attempt whatsoever at 
reassuring me. "What do I do?"

Can YOU feel the adrenaline rush? The single wall adjustable elbow we need 
to get the stove to makeup to the stack is maybe, MAYBE a minute from 
failing all together. The Metalbestos triple wall pipe from there to the 
roof will hold, probably (PROBABLY) till the creosote burns itself out but 
NOT the elbow.

Okay, it's do or die and there's maybe a couple minutes of window to fight 
this thing so I start talking Deb through killing a stack fire. First shot 
is a 2lb. box of baking soda aimed at the draw gap in the internal baffle. I 
can HEAR it roaring over the phone, I hear it muffle for maybe ten seconds 
then clear out and start roaring again.

By now I had my head out of my ass and sent her for the fire extinguisher; 
much closer than the soda had been but soda was the first thing I thought 
of. I talked her through using the extinguisher which has been sitting next 
to the front door for some eight years now and though I take a look at the 
gage every so often I hadn't knocked the chemical loose. Ever. So, I tell 
her how to bang it on the floor to unpack the dry chem, pull the pin and aim 
it at the draw gap in the baffle.

Of course I forgot to tell her to give it quick burps so I hear the gurgley 
roar of the extinguisher for maybe five seconds before she lets go of it. 
She can't hear me yelling at her to stop but the dry chem blasting back in 
her face convinces her to give it a break. Okay, so I tell her to just fire 
half second bursts and let the draft draw the chem up the stack and after 
half a dozen bursts have her shut the stove up again.

No joy. CRAP it's not as hot but the roar is picking back up. Not quickly 
and it's stuttering but it's picking back up regardless. I send her for 
water and have her start throwing a cup at a time into the stove and 
slamming the door in between. I tell her to keep doing it and call 911. I 
hang up.

Jay's sitting on the other side of the truck, motionless, looking at me with 
the same expression a passenger in an out of control car gets. BAD SHIT is 
happening and there's not a single damned thing he can do but not distract 
me and hang on.

Of course my cell starts beeping "dead battery" so I won't be able to check 
on Deb. #^#&^#%#*$& !!!!! I grab the radio and shout for Sue, my foreman, 
and tell her what's up and that I'm heading for the barn and maybe home. Jay 
doesn't need me to say anything to bail. I head for the shop. I don't know 
if Jay said anything to me. Probably but I don't remember.

About 15 mins later I roll in. It's normally it's a 20-25 min drive from 
where we were to the shop. I didn't "speed" or do anything reckless, I just 
took every advantage I safely could. Working for the State has definite 
advantages, while I can't blow through stop signs and red lights, I can 
legally run them if it's safe, IF it's "job" related. So, at every red 
light, I hit the strobes, picked a gap and ran it.

I get to the shop and phone home. The FD is there, it's all okay. Deb and I 
managed to pull the fire's teeth and the FD finished it off. During her call 
to 911 and the three minutes it took the FD to cover the two miles and get 
there she diligently threw cups of water in the stove every 30 secs or 
minute or so. Even so, it tried to take off again while the FD was watching.

I finished the day at work though the adrenaline hangover had my stomach 
churning and me babbling. Can you imagine it? ME babbling? <grin> After an 
hour or so and a bite to eat i was okay. In fact I'm still feeling the 
"disaster survived" high I always get dodging a bullet.

Well, I got home a little while ago and though the house smells of wood 
smoke and hot metal everything's okay. The steel elbow is blistered where it 
was hottest and the seam is bulged, starting to separate. Maybe a minute 
from collapse, MAYBE. I figured out what the problem is too. The stove, for 
all it's faults is air tight, the fire should've gone out or at least slowed 
WAY down when Deb shut the door but it didn't. It wasn't the stove though, 
nope it was the joint where the adjustable elbow makes up with the 
telescoping double wall pipe. (intermediary between the stove and triple 
wall metalbestos pipe) There was a little gap where air was able to get in
(probably caused by a misalignment when they put it back together after
the last chimney cleaning, but who knows). It's a gap large enough to slip 
my little finger in right now, it grew.

That won't happen again. That joint will get gasket rope chinked into it and 
the swiveling joints in the adjustable elbow will get a wrap of muffler 
tape. All new parts of course and maybe an all new stack (hope not -
that's gonna be a real bite). If I have to replace the stack, it'll get 
encased in double sheet rock and wrapped with Kaowool. Overkill? Maybe. 
HAH!

You might be wondering how often we clean our stack. We have the receipt from 
the chimney sweep dated six weeks ago. I usually sweep the stack myself but 
having that receipt once a year makes the insurance Co. happier, especially 
if they have to pay off. We already pay the premium for a wood stove and 
having it professionally swept saves some.

I don't think we'll be using those guys again. Heck, I'm thinking the sweep 
is going to be paying for the inspection and maybe damages even if I have to 
take him to court. We'll have the fire chief's incident report and the 
inspector's report to back us in court. Everything else was good: two year 
old, cut and split wood, sans bark, proper fire habits, we don't burn paper, 
presto logs, etc. etc. There shouldn't have been enough creosote built up to 
burn in just six weeks.

I'm happier than I can express to be sitting here tonight at my own 
computer, in our home with Deb, all our pets and possessions alive and intact. 
(if dusty <grin>)

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.
http://www.artmetalradio.com/


-- 
Deb Frost / snowgoose
Spring Promise Pygmies; Wasilla, Alaska
dfrost at customcpu.com
http://www.springpromisepygmies.com
Pygmy owner since 1976, breeder since 1988
Member NPGA since 1991