Figure 1. Our working fireplace has a plethora of installation issues, all of which we’ve seen in fires we’ve investigated. During “Investigating Solid Fuel-Burning Appliance Fires,” we operate the fireplace and observe real-time temperature data. Plus, attendees test themselves by finding all of the installation defects.

Figure 2. Live fires in the lab rivet the attention of those who attend the two-day, solid-fuels class.

Figures 3 and 4. Fiberglass insulation doesn’t burn, right? As one in-lab demonstration showed during the seminar, that’s not the entire story. We placed cellulose insulation around a wood-burning chimney connector for a few minutes, removed it by hand and left it outside overnight. The next morning, one container of insulation (at right) was in the same condition, but the other container (at left) had re-kindled and was nearly burned away. Some participants said what they learned about cellulose insulation alone was worth the price of the entire seminar.

Figure 5. “Investigating Solid Fuel-Burning Appliance Fires” features an operating fireplace, wood-burning stove and pellet stove, along with temperature data acquisition and knowledgeable instructors who explain what it all means.