Question

Is it safe to leave a wood burning stove going overnight while you are asleep?

I'm installing a wood stove to keep my electric bills down in the winter since I only currently have electric heat.

I'm wondering how safe it is to sleep while having a wood burning stove going overnight? Is it okay to leave a wood burning stove burning unattended?

Answer 1

If the wood burning stove is installed correctly and is used correctly then there's no problem going to bed with the stove burning.

I go to bed with a wood burning stove going but after I get a log going I turn the damper down so that the log will burn slowly just enough to keep the temperature in the house warm enough and so I don't have to get up too much at night to reload the stove.

I also leave my stove going while I'm away to keep the house from freezing and never had a problem. Just make sure the stove is used correctly and installed correctly and keep your chimney cleaned of creosote and you should have no problem.

Answer 2

Like the other poster said. If it's installed correctly and used correctly it's just as safe going to bed with the wood burning stove going as it is with a natural gas or propane furnace going at night.

They both have fires inside the box.

What causes house fires from wood stoves is usually the misuse of the wood stove, getting it too hot, not cleaning the creosote from the chimney and pipes, and not having the stove installed correctly.

I've slept with my wood stove going last night and I've done so in the past before without thinking twice about it.

I installed it myself and I installed it correctly. Make sure you keep the wood stove at the minimum clearances to prevent walls and other combustibles from catching on fire.

It's okay for the wall behind the stove to get a little hot but not really hot.