Wood Stove in ice houses Co2?

[Guest]

I put a small woodstove in my ice house this year. I was worried about putting a gas heater in it because we will be sleeping in it quite a bit. Do I have any worries about anything with my woodstove? I have a 4" chimney that goes through the roof and sealed it up pretty well. Just wondering if there are any problems I may encounter burning wood.

[chunkytrout]

I've had a woodstove in my big shack for years and never had a problem.

[BLACKJACK]

Any fire/combustion uses oxygen, so it depends how tight your house is. I also have a wood stove in my fish house and when I sleep overnight, I usually crack a window and have a rattlereel down, giving me two sources of fresh air. I'd rather wake up cold than not wake up at all!!!!

[Surface Tension]

Anything that burns gives of CO.
CO accumulates in your body, inhibiting your bodies ability to absorb oxygen. Combine that with a stove or heater in a shack thats burning up oxygen and you see how important it is to have a vented stove with its own fresh air inlet and fresh air for its occupants. Stoves in a small space can kill ya two ways.

Every hear the stories of an entire family that succumbed to effixciation(sp) in one night by using the gas range for heat during power outages. Or a dirty furnace killing the everyone in the house.

[Guest]

Woodstoves are great, and I don't know how much you know or how much experience you have, so I'll hit ya with basics -

-air -
Fire in a box needs to inhale and exhale to stay alive and safe, but unlike you, it needs to exhale a little more than it inhales. Adjust your flu (exhale) so smoke and exhaust flow freely and doesn't back up, but don't let all your heat out. Adjust your damper (inhale) so that the fire isn't hyperventilating (burns too hot and wastes fuel) or suffocating. If your fire starts to suffocate it will respond violently. It may even create an explosion called a 'backdraft'. Not good. If your fire shares air with you in the fishhouse - open a window or vent near the damper intakes, so it's not drawing cold air across the whole shack. A good indication of proper amount of vent/flu balance is if the damper vents have a low toned whistle. If you can hear the fire raging inside, choke it back a little until the fire draws slower breath. If you want, you can also have a closed vent system directly to your damper from outside. This is good, but make sure you have a clear visual check for openness.

wood -
Coniferous or soft woods burn too hot and too fast for good wood heat. The rapid release of heat can also be dangerous in a woodstove. Fun in the firepit, bad in the box. Softwood also leaves more flammable residue in the stovepipe. Use very dry decidious or hardwoods. Smack a hammerhandle on a baseball bat - that's the sound your wood should make. Green wood not only doesn't burn well, but USES your fire's energy to dry itself before it will burn and give up the energy. The slower a species growing season, the better heat wood it makes. For a nice aroma treat - burn a hickory log. Apple wood is real nice, too.

Enjoy your woodstove, and be safe.

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RobertC