Question about glass hazing

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Nick Mystic

Nick Mystic

Minister of Fire
Feb 12, 2013
1,141
Western North Carolina
I have a Joutl F 600 woodstove and the glass stays relatively clean while burning. If any soot builds up at the start of a cold fire it will burn away once the stove gets hot. However, I've noticed after I clean the glass I begin to gradually develop a faint white haze that becomes more pronounced with additional fires. It is not loose fly ash since that can be brushed off with no problem. The haze I am talking about won't come off with just a brush with a paper towel it must be cleaned off with a wet paper towel when the stove is cold. Does anyone know what this haze is and is there a way to prevent it, or do you just have to clean it from time to time with a wet paper towel like I have been doing?
 
I get something similar on my Northstar. I think it's just what's left over after the soot burns off the glass, like some stuck-on ash by-product. I just figure there's no way to have glass next to fire without it getting at least a little dirty :)
 
My glass haze seems to be always located in the same place- the lower half of the glass. I just assume that since this is the area furthest away from the air wash at the top, and that the haze gets a little stronger towards the bottom, it's where the air wash can't reach as well.
 
What are you using to clean the glass? Could it be some sort of residue from your cleaner? hard water?
I used plain old Windex sprayed on a paper towel then dip the wet towel in ashes and rub. Keep the towel wet with the windex ash mix . Then just windex sprayed on the glass and wiped off , streak free. The glass needs to be cold , like room temp. I do this at least once a week and no haze.
 
mark cline said:
The glass needs to be cold , like room temp.
Click to expand...

how do you get the glass room temp? I want to stop and clean my glass sometimes, but it would take over 24 hours for my stove to go cold. I have seen coals (small ones) almost 2 days after i quit putting wood in it. I put my hand inside the stove and felt heat!

I guess i could shovel it all out, but I have had a fire for the last 30-40 days or so. Is there any way to clean glass warm? I have hazing from ashes coming and going over the glass too,,and wish it would be clean like it was before the first fire,,,but do not want to shut down and cool it to clean the glass.

I have wondered if i catch it when it is all coals,,,open the door wide,,if it would cool enough to clean. Does your door open 180 degrees?

Low electric bill is addictive,,,
 
I clean my glass when it's cool enough to handle through the paper towels. Unless the stove has been out for days, it won't get stone cold. You just don't want to burn yourself or thermally shock the glass and crack it.
 
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David.Ervin said:
I clean my glass when it's cool enough to handle through the paper towels. Unless the stove has been out for days, it won't get stone cold. You just don't want to burn yourself or thermally shock the glass and crack it.
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Before loading in the morning I run a cloth under hot water and then give the glass a quick wipe, seems to work for me.
 
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I use vinegar and water in a spray bottle to moisten a paper towel and then I wipe the glass like you would any window you are cleaning. I have a paper towel attached with a wire tie around the end of a foot long stick that I use to reach in the stove from the side door to brush off fly ash if it sticks to some of the glass and this can be done when the glass is pretty hot since affect the glass. For the wet cleaning I wait until the glass is cool enough to touch for a few seconds without having to pull my hand away. As others mentioned, this is usually done in the morning before a reload or later in the day if it's been warm enough to let the fire burn down during the day. I don't think the haze I'm talking about is residue from cleaning because it doesn't appear until after a few fires following glass cleaning and then keeps getting progressively worse over time.
 
razerface said:
how do you get the glass room temp? I want to stop and clean my glass sometimes, but it would take over 24 hours for my stove to go cold. I have seen coals (small ones) almost 2 days after i quit putting wood in it. I put my hand inside the stove and felt heat!

I guess i could shovel it all out, but I have had a fire for the last 30-40 days or so. Is there any way to clean glass warm? I have hazing from ashes coming and going over the glass too,,and wish it would be clean like it was before the first fire,,,but do not want to shut down and cool it to clean the glass.

I have wondered if i catch it when it is all coals,,,open the door wide,,if it would cool enough to clean. Does your door open 180 degrees?

Low electric bill is addictive,,,
Click to expand...
I'll leave the door open , swing it back away from the stove ,for about 1/2 hour , only coals in the stove so not a problem.
 
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I would love to know the answer to your question Nick because your description of the glass haze is exactly how it goes with my Oslo. It happens gradually and after about 4 or 5 days it's very hazy, like you said any black burns off quickly but not the haze. At least it cleans up easily with a wet rag and it's still easy enough to see what is going on in the firebox even when the haze is thick. Only the top inch of the glass on my Oslo stays clear.
 
I have been using damp newspaper with good results
 
Normal to get the white haze when practicing good burning habits.

About once a week, when I let the stove burn down enough to want to clean out ashes, I just wet a paper towel and clean up the glass. Load the stove and give it another go.

The white stuff is a good sign that you are doing it right! Black / brown deposits mean things aren't hot enough or there is a leak at the gasket.
 
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Like Kevin, in the morning before I rekindle the stove, I wipe the glass with a cloth wetted with very not water. I don't use paper towels but a dish rag I save for this purpose. I dry it with another dish rag -
 
It's normal. I suspect it's just part of the fly ash. I have also noticed a more stubborn to remove hazing that I think is due to my hard water as this does not come off or clean up as easy as my usual swipe of the glass with the damp newspaper -- however using some commercial stove glass cleaner easily takes care of this bit of haze. Generally I just use the damp newspaper since the more stubborn to remove hazing is barely noticeable.
 
David.Ervin said:
I clean my glass when it's cool enough to handle through the paper towels. Unless the stove has been out for days, it won't get stone cold. You just don't want to burn yourself or thermally shock the glass and crack it.
Click to expand...

Your method is fine ... and it makes sense in terms of not getting burned ... but thermal shock is not really an issue with the "glass" in most modern stoves as it is actually a high tech ceramic -- either neoceramic or pyroceram. You can clean it while it is hot ... but it is much easier and (as you noted) safer to do so while warm to cool. I typically clean my glass in the morning after an overnight burn.
 
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I clean the glass on my F600 every day with a couple quick swipes from a damp paper towel. It takes less than a minute and makes a big difference because whatever causes the hazing never gets a chance to build up. I do not load up the stove for overnight burn, but there are plenty of coals left in the morning. You do need to be careful not to burn yourself, but I don't think thermal shock is a concern at all. Ceramic stove "glass" can withstand being hit with ice water when it is extremely hot without damage. I think the warnings about letting the glass cool to room temperature are to protect the operator, not the glass.
 
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this contradiction to the thermal shock theory is good to hear. LOL,,,,I think i will test it out!

I have suffered with dirty glass because I didn't want to shut down and cool the glass to clean it. I hope you guys are right,,,, and i will come back and whine if you are wrong. :cool:
 
Thank you for asking this. We get the same on our Napoleon 1400PL and I was wondering if it was bad (some type of creasote).
 
razerface said:
this contradiction to the thermal shock theory is good to hear. LOL,,,,I think i will test it out!

I have suffered with dirty glass because I didn't want to shut down and cool the glass to clean it. I hope you guys are right,,,, and i will come back and whine if you are wrong. :cool:
Click to expand...


Only negative I have found is if the glass is too hot the water evaporates too quickly . . . well that and if you're not careful you can get burned. Cleaning the glass in the a.m. after an overnight burn seems to work out well for me though . . . warm, but not blisteringly hot.
 
It is just fly ash but it gets a little caked on there after a week or two. I try to clean the glass on our Oslo every week or other week w a wet paper towel. I usually do this when I shovel out all the ash in the stove. As you mentioned, if you try to clean it while the stove is hot you will make it that much worse. If you clean once every week or two it should really be unnoticeable. Ours stays clean most of the time this way. Most stoves I've seen or used need their glass to be cleaned every once in a while. The newer burn systems and glass cleaning technology is great, but a paper towel every now and again is still needed to keep things extra clean.
 
On a warm/hot stove I find a dry piece of crumpled newspaper held with a glove takes off a lot of the white ashy stuff. Seems to come off easier when the stove is warm/hot than when totally cold. I do as needed while reloading. Eventually a more thorough cleaning is needed with damp paper towels etc but it extends the time in between quite a bit.
 
To clean my glass, I wait for the stove to burn down a bit. I open the door all the way and place a piece of metal over about half the opening ( on the side of the opening where the door is ). It blocks the radiant heat from hitting the glass and it cools down enough to clean in about 10-15 minutes..
 
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I clean mine every now and then get a dirty sock from laundry, wet and wipe off. Buff dry with newspaper for streak free clean class. I think it forms from condensation or soot on the glass when a wet or bad piece of wood is in the stove, then burns off to white when it is hot. It only takes one piece that is over moisture or one slow burn to do this. Sometimes I can go for a day or two with clean glass and then one piece is too wet or long close to the glass and I get the hazing. I clean off when warm with coals left, but not when hot.
 
jbean said:
Thank you for asking this. We get the same on our Napoleon 1400PL and I was wondering if it was bad (some type of creasote).
Click to expand...

Our Napoleon 1450 did this regularly, except for the top couple inches. Pretty normal and wipes off with a wet rag :)
 
The glass may be etched. I had that happen with my first glass. You can also try and use ceramic stove top cleaner...no abrasives
This is why I no longer clean hot or warm glass, nor use ashes.
 
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