Wood Stove Safety

[IslandWanderer]

Hi all, we'll be using our wall tent and wood stove for the first time in a couple of weeks and I have some safety questions.

If we were having a campfire instead of a wood stove we'd douse it with water before leaving to go hunting for the day. Does a wood stove require something like that?

Maybe emptying it out and pouring water on the coals?

Also, do people use a smoke detector in a wall tent while sleeping, or would it be going off all the time?

Thanks

John

[HarryToolips]

My son and I built a woodstove that we use in our tipi tent, and we have a good stove jack that the stovepipe protrudes through, and I ensure that the tent is setup properly, so I therefore don't have to worry about the tent catching fire.. we do keep a stack of firewood in the tent as well but it's far enough away that it's not a concern...I used to keep a smoke detector inside but we're very comfortable with it now so I no longer bother, we don't keep anything flammable in the direct vicinity of the stove..to each their own..

[adriaticum]

For wood stoves you just have to make sure that your pipe and stove don't come into contact with materials that can burn. Stove and pipe will get very hot that's your only danger.
Also make sure that the stove pipe has a chimney cap with mesh to prevent large ash lumps from falling onto your tent and burning a hole in it.

[Mulehahn]

I hang a welding blanket behind the stove off of the aluminum frame. My frame has 5' walls so a 4x6 blanket it almost goes the ground and does a good job of blocking a lot of the heat. My biggest concern is securing the stove pipe. Had it fall down during a crazy wind storm one year. That was fun. Since then I found one of those road sign tripods and attached some tubing to it to secure it too. Been solid ever since. As for smoke detector, there will be smoke until you get used to using it. Crack a window and you will be ok.

[rageous]

keep any inside wood away at a safe distance.
keep a shovel nearby. Fire extinguisher handy is not a bad idea.

We close the door and pipe dampers when leaving camp. Basically smothers the fire.
the way our stove is designed we can use a metal fence spine post and drive it into the ground and put a large hose clamp around the post and pipe to secure for any strong winds.

ps always have a pot of water on the stove for humidity.

[Bustercluck]

Depends how windy it gets and well you have your stove pipe secured.

I’d let it burn while I leave for the day, I just don’t stoke it up.

[RiverOtter]

I'd not stoke the stove and leave for the day, if that was your question. If your stove is out in the morning, light a small fire to warm up while you're getting up and ready, then damper down before you head out.
Wall tents heat up fast. Just keep some small tinder ready to make re-lighting easier when you get back.

As per a smoke detector, I'd opt for a CO detector first if you have any doubts about your safety while you are getting used to your new setup. .

[RiverOtter]

What tent/stove did you end up with?

I've used a number of different wall tents over the years, but this spring I pulled the pin on a 12x14' Deluxe wall tent with a 10' porch with screened in front. Ordered the Yukon stove kit at the same time.
Hoping to get it out in the bush here shortly.

[exv]

Right on .. hard to beat a wall tent!.

Like others have said ... stove pipe, make sure it's secure. Mine came loose once and it was a learning moment haha. I have a set of heavy leather camp/truck gloves I keep in the tent now incase I have to grab something hot. Also nice for disassembling and emptying stove at end of a trip. I often empty the stove into the fire pit then extinguish any remaining embers, keeps the camp site tidy for the next guy.

If you can, set your tent up before your trip to iron out any kinks.

Our late season wall tent camp is something I look forward to every year.

[Thunderstix]

I literally jam mine full of wood when I leave camp each morning and when I return 6hrs later I just throw some in on the coals and boom it is going again!