Bl4— Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, October 13,1984
BY SUZANNE KEENE
LANCASTER Over the last
several years many people have
installed woodstoves in their
homes in an effort to reduce
heating costs. However, an in
crease of woodstove and chimney
related house fires has ac
companied their efforts.
Last year 35 percent of the house
fires in Lancaster County were
woodstove or chimney related,
Lancaster County fire service
coordinator Randall Gockley
reports. Throughout the past week,
which was designated Fire
Prevention Week, Gockley has
been spreading the word about how
to install and operate woodstoves
safely.
The consumer should be careful
to select the proper size woodstove
for his needs, Gockley advises. If
the stove is too big, it will bake the
room where it is located, while if it
is too small, people may be temp
ted to try to heat too large an area
with it. A reputable dealer can
provide advise on the proper size
for individual needs.
Once the customer purchases the
stove, he is often tempted to cut
costs by installing it himself. The
problem with this, Gockley warns,
is that the consumer often does not
realize the amount of heat that the
stove and stovepipe can radiate,
and therefore does not take the
necessary precautions to prevent
fires.
“Many tunes when individuals
install it, they do not follow the
safety guidelines that they
should,” Gockley says, estimating
that 50 percent of the woodstoves in
the county are not installed ac
cording to safety guidelines.
The two most common mistakes
people make when installing a
woodstove, he said, are placing it
too close to combustible materials
iand failing to provide proper
'clearance and insulation for the
stovepipe.
The stove should be at least 36
inches from any combustible
material, not up tight against the
wall, Gockley advised. The radiant
heat produced by the stove could
ignite any combustible material
that gets too close.
Sheet metal or other non
combustible material should be
placed under the stove to offer
protection against sparks that may
jump out, Gockley said. The floor
protection should extend 18 inches
on the loading side of the stove and
12 inches on all other sides.
The stovepipe also gives off a lot
of radiant heat that can cause a
fire if the pipe is installed too close
to combustible wall materials.
Over a period of years, wood and
other combustibles placed near a
stovepipe become like charcoal
and posses an ignition temperature
so low that radiant heat could
ignite nearby walls or partitions.
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Safely precautions are necessary when
Gockley said that safe in
stallation standards call for 18
mches of open space on all sides of
the pipe and a layer of brick,
asbestos or other non-combustible
material for extra protection.
Chimneys can also become fire
hazards when they are not
properly maintained. “People
don’t clean their chimneys often
enough,” Gockley says.
A chimney should be cleaned at
least once a year, or more often if
necessary. A stovepipe needs
cleaned if it produces a thud in
stead of a hollow, ringing noise
when tapped, Gockley said. The
thud indicates a creosote buildup
that can eventually completely
block the pipe. To check a chimney
for creosote, hold a mirror up in
the cleanout.
Creosote is a tar-like substance
which accumulates inside a
chimney because of improper
burning. Gockley explained that
creosote is formed during the
burning of unseasoned or moist
wood. If creosote cools before it
Lancaster County fire service coordinator Randall Gockley
stands by a woodstove that is part of a fire safety display in
the Park City Shopping Mall. Throughout Fire Prevention
Week, Gockley has been offering information on how to install
and operate woodstoves safely.
BE HR! SAFE■"
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leaves the chimney, it transforms
from a vapor to a solid form and
sticks to the sides of the chimney.
Over a period of tune, Gockley
said, the creosote can build up until
the chimney passage is narrowed
or completely blocked and can
ignite, causing a chimney fire.
During a chimney fire smoke
will back up into the house and
flames will shoot from the chim
ney. It will create a noise similar to
a freight train, and the woodstove
may visibly shake.
Usually the fire will create
enough heat that the creosote will
return to its vapor form and the
fire will go out, Gockley explained.
However, during that short time
when there is a fire, the chimney
can be cracked. If this happens,
the fireplace should not be used
again until it is inspected by a
masonry contractor or a stove
dealer, Gockley said.
Even though the fire may be
over as quickly as it began,
Gockley suggests that
homeowners call the fire company,
installing woodstoves
just in case smouldering sparks
start another fire.
Gockley said he has seen a clean
chimney blocked in as few as 48
hours when unseasoned, wet wood
is burning slowly. He recommends
that during the winter months,
when the stove is used daily, the
chimney be checked for creosote at
least once a week. The gaskets and
seals on woodstoves should also be
checked periodically for cracks.
Occasionally, a woodstove can
get so hot that it will glow red,
creating still another fire hazard,
Gockley said. If this should hap
pen, close the damper to slow the
Trick or Treat
Traditions
Stacks of sweet goodies at the
check-out counters remind me that
it is time to stock up-not for a snow
storm but for the throngs of trick
or-treaters who will soon be
masquerading at my front door.
Preparing for this occasion
“back home” meant baking and
decorating a double batch of
delicious gingie cookies decorated
like pumpkins. Other memories
include the assembling of a
costume, carving a jack-o-lantern,
and finding the biggest “loot” bag
available.
Living on the farm out in the
country made trick or treating at
four neighbors an entire evening
affair. One of the favorite parts of
the evening was going to Grandma
and Granpap’s house, where they
spent considerable time admiring
the costumes and guessing who
was inside which costume. And of
course, with this task ac
complished, a treat was dropped
into our “loot” bag. One especially
memorable Halloween was the
year Mom and Dad dressed up too!
At this time many families are
busily creating ghosts, goblins,
movie stars and super heroes for
this year’s halloween celebration.
Unfortunately, this fun-filled
tradition has become a time when
many parents dread the tricks and
fear the treats! To ensure that this
tradition continues to be a safe and
happy one for your family, review
these tips.
Make sure costumes are flame
resistant and do not dangle or trail
behind the child. Candelit jack-o
lantems should not be carried by
children and should be kept away
from doorsteps where trick-or
treaters’ costumes might brush
against the flame.
Costumes with unaccustomed
fullness and extra length, may be
ignited more easily because they
are cumbersome, or because the
sleeves are billowly and full. When
selecting costumes, beards, masks
or wigs, look for flame resistant
labels. If you are making a
costume, you can treat it with this
flame retardent mixture: Mix
seven ounces of Borax and three
ounces of Boric acid in two
quarters of hot water. Soak the
costume and drip dry. This
procedure can keep your ghost or
goblin from a tightening disaster.
Supervise young children. I
believe it is more fun and safer to
air intake and reduce the tem
perature of the fire, he advised.
Do not pour water on it, Gockley
cautioned, because water will
cause the stove to crack. A dry
chemical fire extinguisher, which
should always be kept near the
stove, can also be used.
Today, the last day of Fire
Prevention Week, offers an op
portunity to review your fire safety
practices. Do you have a fire ex
tinguisher next to your stove? Does
your woodstove adhere to safety
standards? If not, now is the time
to make the necessary changes for
a safe woodbuming season.
By Michelle S. Rodgers
Lancaster Extension
Home Economist
go only to homes of people you
know. If your children are stopping
at homes of people you do not
know, ask them not to eat any
treats until you can check the
“loot”. Providing a treat to eat
along the way may help to avoid
this temptation.
Remember to choose costumes
which are light or bright enough to
be seen clearly by motorists. Even
witches can wear reflective tapes
over their gowns and carry
flashlights.
If you would like to take the focus
off a candy treat, you might try
offering one of these ideas this
year..
Penny Pumpkins - cut out orange
paper pumpkins and with a
marking pen draw on a happy grin.
Glue on pennies for eyes and nose.
(If inflation has hit your neigh
borhood, try nickles and dimes.)
* Halloween Pencils-Take two
identical Halloween stickers and
stick them back to back near the
top of a pencil.
Sugarless Gum-Stick stickers
onto pieces of sugarless gum.
Cheese Ghost Snack-Cut a seven
inch cheese log into one-inch
sections. Put a popsicle stick into
cheese piece. Cover with clear
wrap and two white tissues.
Smooth the tissues and tie at the
“neck” with white yarn. Use a
black marker for eyes, nose and
mouth.
Even though I have no plans to
“dress-up” this year, one tradition
will continue. It just wouldn’t be
Halloween without making the
family favorite, Halloween
Pumpkins Gingies. I’ve included
the recipe below in case you would
like to share in our family
tradition.
Halloween Pumpkin Gingies
Ms cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 Mt cup molasses
% cup water
6 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking sqda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all of the above ingredients
Chill. Roll out dough to 1 4-inch
thickness. Cut with a cookie cutter
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool
and decorate with icing to look like
jack-o-lantems.
Happy Halloween!
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