Two questions:
Do they actually work?
Do they expire?
Do they actually work?
Do they expire?
Chimfex Chimney Fire Extinguishers
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olympyk_999
Addicted to ArboristSite
mijdirtyjeep
ArboristSite Operative
I don't know if that is the particular brand or not, but I do know whatever brand my wife's friend had did work "actually they worked twice".
They had an old insert put into their basement fireplace with no liner when they bought their house. He worked third shift, and one night she woke up and said it sounded like a freight train was driving thought her basement. She ran downstairs grabbed one of those sticks, quick opened the door and trough it in. She then called the fire department and when they got to her place they confirmed there was a chimney fire, but it was out and they need to do nothing.
They contacted their insurance company and it paid a fireplace company to come put a stainless liner down the chimney. The only put the new liner halfway up the masonry chimney, and said it was all they needed. Next year, half way though the burning season he cleaned his chimney. That night he went to work and they had another chimney fire. She did the same thing as she did the year before but this time did not call the fire department. It put it out again.
I will say, these people burn the greenest, wettest, most nasty wood. He cuts all his trees down in the summer into 8' lengths. He then stacks them out side his house until he need them and then bucks and splits them up. I tried to convince him to season his wood to no avail. I did finally talk him into an outdoor wood boiler so at least the fires would not kill his family one of these days.
They had an old insert put into their basement fireplace with no liner when they bought their house. He worked third shift, and one night she woke up and said it sounded like a freight train was driving thought her basement. She ran downstairs grabbed one of those sticks, quick opened the door and trough it in. She then called the fire department and when they got to her place they confirmed there was a chimney fire, but it was out and they need to do nothing.
They contacted their insurance company and it paid a fireplace company to come put a stainless liner down the chimney. The only put the new liner halfway up the masonry chimney, and said it was all they needed. Next year, half way though the burning season he cleaned his chimney. That night he went to work and they had another chimney fire. She did the same thing as she did the year before but this time did not call the fire department. It put it out again.
I will say, these people burn the greenest, wettest, most nasty wood. He cuts all his trees down in the summer into 8' lengths. He then stacks them out side his house until he need them and then bucks and splits them up. I tried to convince him to season his wood to no avail. I did finally talk him into an outdoor wood boiler so at least the fires would not kill his family one of these days.
CrufflerJJ
ArboristSite Operative
I've never had to use a chimney fire extinguisher, so take this advice for what it's worth...
When we had a woodburning insert (QuadraFire 2700i) installed back in February, I looked at chimney fire extinguishers. The Chimfex extinguisher is almost like a flare. You're supposed to go through a 3-step process to ignite the thing before chucking it into the fireplace (next to the fire, NOT directly into the flames). See:
http://www.chimfex.us/resource-center/how-to-use-chimfexr.html
Instead, I went with a simpler extinguisher. I bought Meeco Red Devil FireEx. It is basically just a sealed plastic pouch containing the extinguishing agent. Open the fireplace door, chuck in the extinguisher (pouch & all), close the door. Caveman simple, easy for my wife or children to do in a stressful situation. We keep it hanging on the mantle...just in case.
When we had a woodburning insert (QuadraFire 2700i) installed back in February, I looked at chimney fire extinguishers. The Chimfex extinguisher is almost like a flare. You're supposed to go through a 3-step process to ignite the thing before chucking it into the fireplace (next to the fire, NOT directly into the flames). See:
http://www.chimfex.us/resource-center/how-to-use-chimfexr.html
Instead, I went with a simpler extinguisher. I bought Meeco Red Devil FireEx. It is basically just a sealed plastic pouch containing the extinguishing agent. Open the fireplace door, chuck in the extinguisher (pouch & all), close the door. Caveman simple, easy for my wife or children to do in a stressful situation. We keep it hanging on the mantle...just in case.
Love your sig by the way. I'm looking at getting a 562 in the next year. I have 5 kids but only a couple are old enough to be slave labor
Oldman47
ArboristSite Guru
That's not slave labor. It is learning life skills.
BoBDoG2o02
ArboristSite Operative
BoBDoG2o02
ArboristSite Operative
And no, I don't think they expire. Fire extinguishers only expire because the pressure vessel needs recertification, that process is often more expensive than buying a new one.
That's funny. I've heard horror stories about that place. Kettle and pot I guess.
Yes you are correct, it is.
My friends who had hard ass parents are much more successful and better human beings than those who were raised by enablers.
Dalmatian90
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yep, they work.
Don't see why they would expire, it's just a flare.
Back when chimney fires were a routine occurrence around here (mid 7os to mid 80s my fire company ran about 15 per winter...pretty much one a week all winter long) it was the first step on most chimney fires. Now we might see 2-3 a season, and usually on the lower-end of the scale of fires...most of them aren't really cranking along on arrival any more.
They were hard to find for a while after the factory blew up in 2001. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-03-15/news/0103150370_1_easton-orion-talbot-county
Don't see why they would expire, it's just a flare.
Back when chimney fires were a routine occurrence around here (mid 7os to mid 80s my fire company ran about 15 per winter...pretty much one a week all winter long) it was the first step on most chimney fires. Now we might see 2-3 a season, and usually on the lower-end of the scale of fires...most of them aren't really cranking along on arrival any more.
They were hard to find for a while after the factory blew up in 2001. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-03-15/news/0103150370_1_easton-orion-talbot-county
Dalmatian90
Addicted to ArboristSite
I don't have any experience with this product...but after looking at the MSDS sheets of each I'd agree with you.
The chemical composition is similar for both so I don't see a reason the FireEx product wouldn't work as well as a Chimfex flare.
http://www.noblegov.com/media/catalog/product/msds/N115R47.pdf
http://www.chimfex.us/images/stories/pdfs/msds.pdf
The "smoke" produced by each of these products is sucked up the chimney by the draft of the fire (the freight train noise), and it interferes with the chemical reaction part of the fire, similar to how the Halon extinguishers that used to be used in computer rooms interfere with the chemistry of a fire.
Now I almost want to buy one of those Fireex packs and chuck in my stove one night when I have it cranking just to see how it burns!
