Using cauldron for burning in house

[booklr]

I want to use my cauldron to burn some wood, but I want to do it in the house. This may be a common sense question -- As long as my cauldron is fire proof, can I build a fire in the house if I have a window open? My roommates will be home on Samhain, so I can't go outside. Will the smell of burning be potent if I'm near a window?

[Jenett]

I want to use my cauldron to burn some wood, but I want to do it in the house. This may be a common sense question -- As long as my cauldron is fire proof, can I build a fire in the house if I have a window open? My roommates will be home on Samhain, so I can't go outside. Will the smell of burning be potent if I'm near a window?

 
Burning wood would make a fair bit of smoke, potentially set off your smoke alarm, and if your roommates have allergies at all to smoke, make it very difficult for them to be in the house for an extended period of time. (like days or weeks.)

Also, depending on some other factors, it can do horrible things to the carbon monoxide levels in your space even with windows open. There are reasons human beings learned how to build chimneys.

Why precisely do you want to burn wood? It may be that there's some other solution that would work better.

[booklr]

Burning wood would make a fair bit of smoke, potentially set off your smoke alarm, and if your roommates have allergies at all to smoke, make it very difficult for them to be in the house for an extended period of time. (like days or weeks.)

Also, depending on some other factors, it can do horrible things to the carbon monoxide levels in your space even with windows open. There are reasons human beings learned how to build chimneys.

Why precisely do you want to burn wood? It may be that there's some other solution that would work better.

 
There's some sitting on my altar that I want use to symbolize the coming months. You make valid points, though. I might be able to save that ritual for a day when my room mates are gone.

[Medulla]

I want to use my cauldron to burn some wood, but I want to do it in the house. This may be a common sense question -- As long as my cauldron is fire proof, can I build a fire in the house if I have a window open? My roommates will be home on Samhain, so I can't go outside. Will the smell of burning be potent if I'm near a window?

It's probably not ok. So probably not that my answer is very close to no. The amount of smoke it'd probably give off would mean that you'd have to keep the windows open even for a while after the fire was out. As Jenett said, carbon monoxide is a risk, especially if you have children or pets living in the house (I don't know about plants but depending on the type I think that could damage them too).

How big is the fire? If it's something like a fireplace fire or a campsite fire, no, you won't want to do it. I lived in a place with a fireplace for most of my life and depending on minor things in the wood and how it's set up, it can give off a very big flame at least initially, which can be a fire hazard. If you don't know much about wood and fires, then it's a huge risk.

Even if your cauldron is fireproof, it's probably going to heat up and you'll have to be very careful approaching it. Touching hot metal can be painful and even dangerous, obviously.

Unless you have a space outdoors with minimal fire hazards (so don't go to a nearby forest or park thinking it's safer) you might want to look into alternatives. If it's for a symbolic purpose maybe you can make a much smaller one, or burn something else like a small amount of incense or a candle. Maybe you can even replace it with something else entirely.

[yewberry]

I want to use my cauldron to burn some wood, but I want to do it in the house. This may be a common sense question -- As long as my cauldron is fire proof, can I build a fire in the house if I have a window open? My roommates will be home on Samhain, so I can't go outside. Will the smell of burning be potent if I'm near a window?

Nope.  Too much smoke.  Unless your altar is situated under a powerful range hood.

Brina

[booklr]

It's probably not ok. So probably not that my answer is very close to no. The amount of smoke it'd probably give off would mean that you'd have to keep the windows open even for a while after the fire was out. As Jenett said, carbon monoxide is a risk, especially if you have children or pets living in the house (I don't know about plants but depending on the type I think that could damage them too).

How big is the fire? If it's something like a fireplace fire or a campsite fire, no, you won't want to do it. I lived in a place with a fireplace for most of my life and depending on minor things in the wood and how it's set up, it can give off a very big flame at least initially, which can be a fire hazard. If you don't know much about wood and fires, then it's a huge risk.

Even if your cauldron is fireproof, it's probably going to heat up and you'll have to be very careful approaching it. Touching hot metal can be painful and even dangerous, obviously.

Unless you have a space outdoors with minimal fire hazards (so don't go to a nearby forest or park thinking it's safer) you might want to look into alternatives. If it's for a symbolic purpose maybe you can make a much smaller one, or burn something else like a small amount of incense or a candle. Maybe you can even replace it with something else entirely.

 
It's literally the size of a bowl. I might grab a few small candles and use that as a fire.

[Elani Temperance]

I want to use my cauldron to burn some wood, but I want to do it in the house. This may be a common sense question -- As long as my cauldron is fire proof, can I build a fire in the house if I have a window open? My roommates will be home on Samhain, so I can't go outside. Will the smell of burning be potent if I'm near a window?

Short answer: no. The longer answer has suggestions. I make twice-daily libations to the Gods, always in a fire and most of the time indoors. Sometimes I add meats, cakes, dried fruits and other offering. What I do is use a cast iron pot (deals well with heat) on an elevated stone slab (to deal with said heat) and make a fire with bio ethanol. It lights easily, there is no smoke, and it burns hot enough to toast everything you throw into it. As such, it would also burn your bit of wood.

The biggest risk is the cauldron itself; I've had a lot of them in the past and many of them had feet welded on to them; feet that thus broke off when heated. If that happens when you have burning bio ethanol or a similar medium in there, you will burn down the house. I suggest finding another heat resistant medium, perhaps in a cooking store. If it can deal with the heat of the oven, it can deal with the heat of a sacrifice. Also, test it outdoors, repeatedly, don't take chances with fire.

Good luck!