How often does glass break?

I broke mine while putting in new door/window gaskets, wasn't burning at the time. Other than that I have never had a cracked window while burning. I think you can chalk it up to these bigger windows that everyone wants, more surface area for a log to roll on to cracking it.

I split everything. Nothing round over 3 or 4 inches in the stove. I know a pie shape can shift but it's less likely.
Sorry to hear that about your glass. Just a tap? maybe if it's real hot. That's a real puzzle.

The andirons seem to do a pretty good job protecting the glass in both my EW stoves. One being a side load and the other being a top loader.

I'm not sure often glass breaks, yet it will most definitely break if you touch it with something cold while it's hot. I haven't broke my glass yet, but I do have a spare ready in case I do.

GeHmTS said:

I'm not sure often glass breaks, yet it will most definitely break if you touch it with something cold while it's hot. I haven't broke my glass yet, but I do have a spare ready in case I do.

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Are you sure about the temp thing . . .

http://www.woodstove-fireplaceglass.com/Neoceram.html

Pretty sure there is a video out there that has been mentioned where a person heats up the neocream (or pyroceram) and then drops a chunk of ice or snowball on it to show that it is thermal resistant.

I wipe my hot door glass all the time with a paper towel wet with cold water, always thought the glass was thermal resistant. If it can take the heat then..................

How often does glass break?

Only as often as YOU break it. I don't know of anybody that ever had glass just suddenly break on its own. So this is like trying to prevent a speeding ticket, you are in complete control and it is completely preventable unlike a deer impact which has an element of chance.

Fortunately I have never owned a stove that required E/W loading from the front where you are supposed to chuck the last few logs up on the pile and hope they stay. I would suspect that folks with those stoves are more likely to break their glass since setting those logs securely is more difficult.

I've had, on several occasions, had a log roll right onto the glass and burn there. Not me loading but someone from the family that doesn't like getting their hands close to the coals. Anyway, when I've gotten home a few times I'll see where the log lay rested against the glass and it completely burns down there. No damage to the glass. Cleans right off next time I do a cleaning. I've been impressed with how strong this new glass is. Mine is a pyroceram type glass. You say you went to your local glass shop and got a replacement. Do they carry the newer stove type glass at a shop like that?

firefighterjake said:

Are you sure about the temp thing . . .

http://www.woodstove-fireplaceglass.com/Neoceram.html

Pretty sure there is a video out there that has been mentioned where a person heats up the neocream (or pyroceram) and then drops a chunk of ice or snowball on it to show that it is thermal resistant.

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I pretty sure glass is brittle and that putting something cold on a hot brittle material is never a good idea.

GeHmTS said:

I pretty sure glass is brittle and that putting something cold on a hot brittle material is never a good idea.

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Glass yes . . . pyroceram and neoceram are not glass -- ceramics . . . hence their unique thermal properties.

I have had logs/splits fall against the glass and burn there even, and I have used the doors to jam in a split that is just "a bit" too long (not recommended). I have had a wet dog shake himself off in front of the stove, leaving only waterspots on the glass. I am guilty of cleaning the glass while the stove is hot. I have never cracked the glass or ever heard of stove glass just cracking. Our stove has small (7"or so) windows, so less chance I guess, but also less fire view.

I've run my 'glass' (it's a clear ceramic or something) through the ringer learning how to operate my stoves, high temps, low temps, gasket replacements, even accidentally spilling water from a vaporizer thing down the front of the hot glass and nothing has ever cracked. Quite impressive in fact.

Although on my first walk through when buying this house the 'glass' in the F2400 was shattered... the scary part is they were still burning in it. Anyways I asked them what happened and they mentioned something about the poker but I never got a straight answer.

I Have had rounds and splits shift. They burn laying against the glass. I load E/W. So for no issues. Knock on wood.

lazeedan said:

I Have had rounds and splits shift. They burn laying against the glass. I load E/W. So for no issues. Knock on wood.

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You can knock on the wood, just not on the glass

Highbeam said:

How often does glass break?

Only as often as YOU break it. I don't know of anybody that ever had glass just suddenly break on its own.

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It happened to me, when the coals were right against the glass on one of the doors. Of course it had to be during one of the coldest spells ever for PA, about 15 years back. We didn't have our stove for about a week!

I was negligent in emptying the ash, but it wasn't because of laziness. I didn't know about Shelby Firewall gloves at the time. We were burning night and day during that weekend and the stove never cooled down enough to grab that pan with any gloves I owned. The coals had built up enough so that they were actually at or above the highest ash fettle. The glass was taking the heat from the burning splits plus the full onslaught of the coals. Don't you know I was looking right at the stove and actually saw it break. The lower cracked piece slipped down and opened up a horizontal, curvy crack about 1/4". I thank my Angels we were there when it happened. I can't imagine how hot this heater would run in that condition. And I figured out about the gloves shortly ater that.

Tonight is a cold, cold one too. I tied a new eye-to-eye tail, whipped the ends, and tested the length with a VT friction hitch, all by the warmth of this beautiful stove.

Happy Holidays everyone. I know it's silly but I like getting the birthday greetings from the forums.

In spite of the andirons I have had large splits at te top of the load fall against the glass a couple times during burns. Never an issue. I pulled my windows out to change the gasket last summer and had to really work on some of the clips. No issue.

The ceramic is tough.

I've had the window in a brand new stove crack on the 4th fire - the first time the glass hit 600 degrees.
Cracked right under a retaining clip and screw.
The retaining clip screw was likely just over-torqued just a tiny bit too much.
One single straight vertical crack from the top screw to the one on the bottom directly under it.



I've had glass in a jotul 600 crack when a log(s) shifted and rolled to the front
I heard the log roll/shift, didn't hear the glass crack. It made enough noise to look over immediately after it rolled.
Never used the front doors on that stove because it made such a mess unless you cleaned the ashes out anally.
Logs rolled against the replaced glass occasionally with no issue - stress in the glass maybe ?

I've had two panes of glass break on their own with my old Jotul firelight 12 in the midst of a burn with nothing bumping or against them. This happened very shortly after I purchased it used and went through my rebuild. I thought there was something defective with the stove till I noticed that the spring clips that are supposed to hold the glass against the door were replaced by the previous owner with little pieces of steel bar. When the cast iron expanded as the stove heated there wasn't any way for the glass to move independently of the door, and there would be a loud cracking sound. Once I put in the factory clips from Jotul it was smooth sailing ever since. Pretty scary when it happened on full loads though.

Not much evidence for operator abuse in this thread yet.
C'mon stove abusers, speak up ! ! ! ! !
We know you're out there.
Anybody ?

billb3 said:

Not much evidence for operator abuse in this thread yet.
C'mon stove abusers, speak up ! ! ! ! !
We know you're out there.
Anybody ?

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Okay. I also broke a third pane of glass when my poker slipped while pulling a log close to the front. Busted a hole right through it for yet another $100 bill up the chimney.