Homestead Safety : Preparing for the unthinkable
Safety should be the number one priority in any situation. Homesteading especially. I am sure we have all done, seen, or visited something unsafe. We have a natural curiosity and an over whelming idea that we are indestructable. I want to take a few minutes and talk about safety issues I have had to address in my life, and things I have observed along the way. @dreemsteem has done a nice job talking about woodstove safety, and has challenged me to create my perspective toward it.
Wood Stove Heating
Wood Stove
Wood burning stoves seem to come in all shapes and sizes. It is important to get a stove that adequately heats you home without having to run it full tilt to produce enough heat. Some wood stoves also come with safety latches to hold the door closed. Some also come with another feature that many don't use...a combustable air line. This is to pull combustable air from outside of the house and not consume all of the breathable air. I personally utilize this feature and pull air from just outside the wall.
Stove Pipe
With the install of a wood stove we all have to consider what pipe to use. It starts at the top or back or the stove and moves through the wall and up. There are several things to consider here. Inside of the house there are two options of stove pipe. There is single wall or double wall black pipe. Single wall puts off more heat directly into the room. This also requires a greater distance to the nearest combustable surface (i.e. wall, shelving, ceiling). Double wall greatly decreases the needed distance. This will allow for a properly fit stove to provide heat in a tighter space without increased risk of fire.
Going through the wall is particularly dangerous. I have seen in many cases a single wall black pipe going throught the thimble in the wall, or a sheet of metal that has replaced a window. This is a terrible idea. The increased heat can begin to over heat the studs in the walls and may lead to a fire starting inside of the wall.
Outside there is a bend that goes up. Here I recommend a T clean out. This allows for thorough cleaning and ease of use.
The pipe that goes through the wall and up should be atleast double wall and insulated. This should also be one system from the stove all the way to the rain cap. All of this ensures the temperature does not change. When different pipes or brands are mix matched it causes inconsistent temperatures which could lead to smoke cooling and creosote build up.
Fire Extinguishers and Smoke Detectors
Smoke detectors should not be an option, but a must. With the amount of sparks and embers that may fall from a stove, the chance of fire is greatly increased. Mix that with the idea that alot of homesteads have smaller homes and the fire wood and fire starting material is typically closer to the stove. Smoke detectors will give you a chance to respond and may save your life. Carbon monoxide detectors are also important. Gases and fuels leak in our homes from various sources, and in this case it would be a silent killer.
A fire extinguisher is also a must. The idea that you will be able to wake up, get a bucket of water and put out the fire out quickly is something you should not expect. A fire extinguisher gives you a quicker response. It is pressurized for good coverage and may reduce loss.
General safety
Hand Rails
Hand rails are important for any situation. Whether you have a porch/deck that might be slippery, or stairs to climb. A solid hand rail may take a little time and a little money, but is worth it. We have recently added grab bars to our jacobs ladder and the landing heading upstairs. These are very solid and rated for 300 lbs. That is more than a Yeti!
Eye Protection
This is probably the most overlooked thing on any homestead. I am sure that many of you know someone that refuses to use them, or are even guilty yourself of not. With the variety of equipment that we all use including chainsaws and chippers, these are a must. The homestead isn't as pretty when you are blind. 🙃
Hearing Protection
Much like eye protection, hearing protection is often disregarded. Mostly seen as unnecessary it is often not used. Chainsaws are probably the most used tool, but this can apply to any equipment even heavy equipment. It isn't the volume that makes you deaf, it doesn't help, but it is the steady frequency and the wearing down that happens in our ears from that.
Chainsaw Chaps
You know chainsaw chaps. They are the expensive things on the shelf at the store that never quite make it into the cart. These are worth their weight in gold. We all over look them, but in the unfortunate circumstance that we hit our leg with the saw, we will all wish we were wearing them. It is not a purchase of chaps, it is an investment in your legs. Think about it.
With all of this it is important to remember that this is just my opinion, and does not include everything.
If you agree with safety first, feel free to Yeti Holler for safety!
If not, best of luck, it has been nice knowing you. 🙃
Thank you for your post to keep homestead safe
You are welcome! 🙃
I can see how these are practical for many homes. The only parts I'm finding relevant to my situation is the wooden stove and eye protection. I had no idea wood stove had a feature of using air from outside and using less air inside. I have a very cold home during winter but coal stoves are not an option. Electrical heaters bearly do a thing. Wood stoves sound like the way to go.
I've seen a lot of people working without eye protection wear. I am deeply troubled by this but I have no idea how to approach them in a way that will allow them to listen to me without feeling undermined.
A lot of people make this mistake with fireplaces. If you don't increase the efficiency with an air exchanger the fireplace will pull drafts all over the house. The room with the fireplace will get hot and freeze the rest of the house by pulling cold air in where ever it can get it. You definitely notice this at -40 F. Designing a stove that pulls cold air directly into the stove would be even better than an air exchanger.
I wear eye protection at home. It's usually just my Oakley sunglasses but I think those might be better than the ones I wear at work anyway if you believe their website. They are more expensive to replace but I've been pretty good at not damaging them. That's the thing about safety equipment. The goal is to try not to need them in the first place but to have them on just in case anyway. Wearing something that fits nice, looks good, and still provides protection is what sold me. I don't have to force myself to wear them. I enjoy wearing them.
There are some pretty decent looking safety glasses these days with various tints. I've known guys that use their tinted safety glasses as sunglasses. All you can do is lead by example. Maybe someone will like the look of your new tinted safety glasses and pick up a pair themselves. Offer to let them try yours on.
These are very helpful tips and extremely educational. It will be winter in less then two months. This time around I will be ready for it because I am now armed with knowledge. People make these mistakes because of lack of knowledge, well that's the case for me anyway. You could find that others just aren't bothered at all by the inefficiency of their house warming apparatuses.
I can do that with the glasses. Could you perheps tell me names of the brands you buy and also send a picture or description of them? Will try to find them here where I live.
Yes, you can't fault people for making mistakes when they don't know any better. We all learn from our mistakes.
I don't have any of my own photos of safety glasses but if you search on Amazon for Harley Davidson safety glasses, they are one brand that's a little more fashionable than others. They have different styles so you don't look exactly like every other person that wears them. I've seen guys wearing them around as sunglasses before.
HD glasses. Those must cost a pretty penny. I will do that and compared the dollar to rand. I hope they are affordable.
They might be but Amazon will show cheaper alternatives that are still safe to use. Companies copy the designer names and put a cheaper price tag on their product. They still have to meet safety standards to be sold as safety glasses. I did a search on Amazon and there are some affordable alternatives that look really similar to the designer safety glasses.
Thank you for spending time researching that and giving me pointers. I truly appreciate it. I will head on down to amazon soon.
Great conversation guys. I use Stihl saftey glasses. Lile the chainsaw brand Stihl. Mine are white with reflective blue lens. They were less than 15 usd.
Well in alot of cases we can just use a line from a friend of mine "if you don't see an example, be an example". If we live safe, others will see!
Be the change you want to see... I GET YOU. You have a wise friend.
Nice one,safety should come first in everything we do.
We have to use the right PPE (personal protective equipment) at all times.
You are so right! Life is good. We should protect it!
And a butcher knife just in case someone is stupid enough to try the Yeti.
Hahaha! I was going to keep going but it started getting long.
Such important information. Thank you. As a child, we heated and cooked with a wood stove. I remember having occasional chimney fires that were always attended to quickly and never caused harm, but I can attest that chimney fires are very real. There is an art to a wood store. My son until recently heated his home with a wood stove. It kept the house nice and cozy.
I am glad you are safe! Chimney fires are scary and can be bad.
My husband has learned he has to wear protective chaps and helmet when cutting down trees. He had a branch fall and split his head open. Also caughtvthe blade on his pants but just ripped his jeans. That was a miracle. We don't mess around anymore.
Praise Jesus he is ok. What would the world be like without @bowentroyer !
Lol well my world be awful! He's the cream to my coffee...the lace to my shoe...and so on and so forth...
Aawww yeah! Keep going! Sounds gushy and lovey dovey haha
This was EXCELLENT!!!!!!
If only my hubby had read this first... Lolol
I am glad you enjoyed it. Safety is no joke. We see people getting hurt all the time. A few years ago there was an old timer that tried to eat his chainsaw. Still alive, but had alot of surgery.
Nooooo!!!!!! Oh my goodness! That sounds terrifying!!!
Life is really too fragile to be taking unnecessary chances- this post will help some people out there for sure! Safety first!!!
I grew up on a farm and used to work in a hospital (a long time ago, when the earth was green and unicorns roamed free) so safety is always first and foremost in my mind. When I am doing any kind of construction I make sure the people I hire to help me, have the proper safety equipment and know how to use it. It has saved some serious injuries...
Thats a great measure making sure they are covered. Safety shouldn't be a second thought.
Dude I'm not sure how i have not found a beaded brother like yourself until now.. But thanks for ole @papa-pepper for the introductions.. Ill be looking over your Knives for sure.. I'm a troop master of our local Trail Life USA troop MS-2017 and I'm always looking for good knives for bush craft and backwoods work.
Great! Nice to meet you. I love making knives of all kinds!
Excellent post. It really is true that it only takes a moment to change your life forever when it comes to safety. Being a good 1/2 hour + from medical services really makes us aware of safety in everything we do.
Yeah, being that far means we need to be prepared.