How fast does your glass get dirty?

dlstech · Dec 17, 2015

My glass gets "foggy" after about an hour and and gradually less and less clear. After about 15 hours or so I can't clearly see the flame, I just see a flickering light. But I usually don't run it more than 8 hours a day so normally it doesn't build up that much. It wipes right off when I clean it each morning and the ash is usually brown, sometimes dark brown. I get a weird V shape that doesn't wipe off dry but it comes right off with water or spit.

It's an older Avalon 900PS but the stove was in storage for 20+ years new and only has about 15 bags through it. I burn Olympus 100% Douglas Fir pellets and have tried a few bags of Bear Mountain with the same exact results.

Is this normal or should the glass not be getting this dirty?

Edit: I usually run on High for 20 minutes or so and then run on low for the rest of the day. Buildup seems a little less when I run on medium but it just gets too hot so I usually run on low. No issue with the flame or airflow, just lots of ash.

bogieb · Dec 17, 2015

It depends on the pellets I burn. FSU's soot up the glass pretty fast (on the previous Hastings and on both current Harmans), but I get hardly little ash. Currans would take a day or so before starting to deposit, but got mountains of ash (same with Thema-Glo's). I didn't get to burn much Vermont's - but if I remember correctly the 4 bags I went thru gave me no ash, and very little on the glass either.

TimfromMA · Dec 17, 2015

Burning on low for extended periods of time will dirty your glass alot faster.

Bioburner · Dec 17, 2015

Depends on the stove design and how much of a priority they put on glass wash. Best one I have is the Ecoteck Elena and gets a bit dark in the lower corners. The Harman PC45 gets pretty ugly after a day but still a visable flame a week later.

DneprDave · Dec 17, 2015

It depends on how clean my stove is. My glass was getting pretty dirty after a day on the lowest setting, then I did the leafblower trick on it. The glass is still clean after four days on the lowest setting.

biomass burner · Dec 17, 2015

Bioburner said:
Depends on the stove design and how much of a priority they put on glass wash. Best one I have is the Ecoteck Elena and gets a bit dark in the lower corners. The Harman PC45 gets pretty ugly after a day but still a visable flame a week later.

my PC45 glass stays very clean other then once the glass was dirty fast but discovered the dust cover for the auger feed wasn't sealed correctly so that was the culprit for the glass getting dirty (to much air leaking in)

alternativeheat · Dec 17, 2015

i don't have your model or year stove so what mine does is irrelevant.

Tonyray · Dec 17, 2015

In cold weather my glass stays clean for a few days then starts to fog a bit..
in this shoulder [and exceptional warm weather,] running in room mode/auto tends to get the glass dirty sooner.
a bit too many re-igniting sequences on the days it has been used... been just to warm to run a constant or even Maint mode.

bcarton · Dec 17, 2015

My glass gets dirty within a few hours, but I like to think of it as least half clean.

Deezl Smoke · Dec 17, 2015

On my Castle Serenitys, the glass will start to show in about 2 hours or so, then gradually get dirtier. Might take about 4 bags to get to where I can not see the flame other than a flicker. But by then, it's time for me to vacuum it out and clean it up.
Here's a picture if it shows much,, of one of my Serenitys right now. Second start up since cleaning. About 30 pounds maybe or so thru it.

Lake Girl · Dec 17, 2015

dlstech said:
Avalon 900PS but the stove was in storage for 20+ years new and only has about 15 bags through it

So you have to give us the rest of the story - you've had it in storage, you inherited it from someone else's storage, or bought it?

Jake86 · Dec 18, 2015

Depends on the brand of pellets and the heat setting on my Castle Serenity. #1 setting will do it faster the #2,3,4,or 5. North County pellets.do it faster than Green Supremes.
I clean the glass usually once a day. I use the brush attachment on the ash vac and then use INVISIBLE GLASS: great stuff !.!

STANG302 · Dec 18, 2015

Has any one modified there stove to add air wash functionality?

I've thought about adding a couple tubes to direct air to the glass?

SXIPro · Dec 18, 2015

STANG302 said:
Has any one modified there stove to add air wash functionality?

I've thought about adding a couple tubes to direct air to the glass?

I'd rather take two seconds once a week, open the door, wipe the glass, close the door.

Bioburner · Dec 18, 2015

More air on glass usually means less through the fire and so more out the exhaust so lowers the efficiency. Have no idea why the Ecoteck stays so clean. Can go the entire season without cleaning and is still better than most after a few hours and still has very good efficiency.

Dr.Faustus · Dec 18, 2015

The only purpose my glass serves is that i can generally tell if the stove has a fire in it, and thats only if the room is dark.

Otherwise, my pdvc gets the glass fogged hours after a cleaning. When i first got it i cleaned it regularly because i liked seeing the flame, now we just gave up and appreciate the heat.

Cory S · Dec 19, 2015

My P61A keeps the glass VERY clean. Heat setting doesn't matter. (It shouldn't anyway) It stays CRYSTAL clear for as long as 36-48 hours. Then only a couple spots near the corners of the door start to turn a hint of light chocolate. I can realistically go as long as 2-3 weeks without feeling the need to clean the glass still. 60-70% of it still allows great viewing.

Tonyray · Dec 19, 2015

Cory S said:
My P61A keeps the glass VERY clean. Heat setting doesn't matter. (It shouldn't anyway) It stays CRYSTAL clear for as long as 36-48 hours. Then only a couple spots near the corners of the door start to turn a hint of light chocolate. I can realistically go as long as 2-3 weeks without feeling the need to clean the glass still. 60-70% of it still allows great viewing.

have same stove/with OAK and usually have to wipe a chocolate brown teardrop in the upper right corner after a day or so. [this so far is during shoulder season with the Off/Re-ignite routine of room/auto...

Cory S · Dec 19, 2015

Yep! Sanevwx

Tonyray said:
have same stove/with OAK and usually have to wipe a chocolate brown teardrop in the upper right corner after a day or so. [this so far is during shoulder season with the Off/Re-ignite routine of room/auto...

Yep! Same exact corner and shape. After another day or two, a real light one starts to form on the upper left. Nothing like a lot of others are experiencing with nasty glass.

Tonyray · Dec 19, 2015

Cory S said:
Yep! Sanevwx
Yep! Same exact corner and shape. After another day or two, a real light one starts to form on the upper left. Nothing like a lot of others are experiencing with nasty glass.

I think it's a bit of air either escaping or getting in around the gasket just inside where the stain appears. my gasket has a small dark sooty spot on it just opposite the Stain.
if it is it's not a biggie and I wouldn't replace the gasket just for that..

Cory S · Dec 19, 2015

Tonyray said:
I think it's a bit of air either escaping or getting in around the gasket just inside where the stain appears. my gasket has a small dark sooty spot on it just opposite the Stain.
if it is it's not a biggie and I wouldn't replace the gasket just for that..

I'm actually thinking it's the flow of the air wash characteristics. My stove is new this year, the gasket seats nicely, and the door seals tightly.

Pete Zahria · Dec 19, 2015

Cory S said:
Yep! Same exact corner and shape.

Mine too...
But mine is more of a gold color, a cloud like, that you can see right through.
When looking through it at an angle, it hardly distorts the view at all..
But it wipes off very easily.
This is all burning very low setting....

Dan

Cory S · Dec 19, 2015

Pete Zahria said:
Mine too...
But mine is more of a gold color, a cloud like, that you can see right through.
When looking through it at an angle, it hardly distorts the view at all..
But it wipes off very easily.
This is all burning very low setting....

Dan

yeah. It is goldish for the first 2-3 days, then gets darker over time. You can't see through it after about 7 days. Just that 2" wide by 4" long area in the corner.

bogieb · Dec 19, 2015

Part of it is the quality of pellets. I know Cory S is running pretty good pellets, where as my P61a is usually running the chitty pellets. However, I have noticed a big upsurge in dirty glass on that stove - regardless that FSU's that I have just started running in it always have a darker soot than even chitty, ashy pellets. So I think I need to replace my gasket. Got new gaskets today, and will plan to replace next weekend. Warm weather is supposed to return, so will be no big deal to have that stove down for a day.

Bioburner · Dec 21, 2015

Picture of the Elena. Still have not cleaned the glass from last season. Picture is the currently burning stove this AM having not cleaned after a full season.

How fast does your glass get dirty?

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