Assuming the woodstove was installed to building codes, is a modern safe
woodstove, has a modern safe installed to code chimney, and you have had the
chimney cleaned yearly (Chimneys can get a build-up of "creosote" which can
cause a "chimney fire". These fires can reach 3000 degrees and melt a
chimney causing the fire to spread to the house.)...

Then it should be safe to leave a burning fire while you sleep; HOWEVER you
should have some experience with building fires in *your* stove and watching
these fires like a hawk.

Have a temperature gauge on the chimney, a temperature gauge on the top of
the wood stove, and a temperature gauge on a nearby wall. You can watch the
temperatures on the gauges as you build a fire, as the fire reaches its peak
temperature, then as the fire slowly dies out.

After gaining experience with your fires, you will know after building a
fire what it is going to do temperature wise. If it is going to get hotter
and you should stay up and keep an eye on it. Or if it is dying down, then
temperatures are ok, and you can go to sleep.

I have smoke detectors all over my house as well as a few carbon monoxide
detectors. I also have a smoke detector in my attic in the area of my
chimney. I also have fire extinguishers.

I bought three of the same indoor/outdoor wireless thermometers and have the
outdoor sensor on the wall near my woodstove. I have these thermometers
located in other rooms of my house and I can tell what the temperature of
the surrounding wall near my woodstove is while I am in other rooms of my
house (outdoor sensor). So I am upstairs now on my computer and can tell
that the wall next to my woodstove is a safe 95 degrees F.

Temperatures inside a woodstove can reach 1000 degrees or more. And this
"raging inferno" is all inside my living room! So I make darn sure I know
what my fire is doing or is going to do.

I also installed my woodstove to code, had it inspected by the building
inspector, and had it added to my homeowners insurance policy. (The
insurance company also came out and inspected my woodstove.) So I am covered
by insurance if there is a fire and it burns down my house.

The previous owners of your house may have installed everything to code or
they may have cut corners (not uncommon). I would suggest having your
woodstove and chimney inspected by an expert before using it, have the
chimney cleaned, and be sure it is listed on your insurance policy.



"spj_uk" wrote in message
Hi,

Just moved in to a new house that has a wood burning stove and we used
it for the first time over the weekend.

At the end of the night the fire was still going, but we wanted to go
to bed. Is there any 'quick and safe' way to put the fire out? Or in
fact would it be safe if it is just the burning embers and the doors
are shut?