I have been noticing that each load of wood burns down more quickly lately....I did the dollar bill test that pen posted many moons ago. Well, when I latch the door closed real tight, I can pulll out the bill if I tug it a bit. So do I have a problem with the gasket???
Door gasket problem???
- Thread starter GAMMA RAY
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if there was no or very little resistance then there would be a problem. Sounds like it's tight. Did you test it all the way around the door? (do it on a cold stove or else it'll cost you a few dollars)
Any chance you got into some different wood? Soft wood perhaps?
pen
Any chance you got into some different wood? Soft wood perhaps?
pen
yooperdave
Minister of Fire
i asked for dollars so i could perform that very same test a couple months back; but i guess, even as helpful as everyone on this site can be, they have their limits that they just won't cross!!
Hows about this. Use any piece of scrap paper and check to see if a gap has formed when the stove is hot. And do it with a narrow piece of paper.
fire_man
Minister of Fire
try slowly passing a lit wooden match (long matches work best) all around the door seal when the stove is burning hot and drawing good draft. If the match flame sucks into the door gasket you found your leak.
Wood Heat Stoves
Minister of Fire
fire_man said:
the smoke from a cigarette or incense stick works well, and doesn't burn out so fast..
Yep, I think I found a leak on the top part of door. How could that be when the stove is new??? Is it possible that it was defective??? My husband nearly died when I told him I think we have a gasket problem....He did not think I knew what a gasket was.....learned it here at hearth...Anyway, I know Kathleen posted recently about a new gasket so I will do a search and post back if I don't find all my answers. Thanks guys...I appreciate your help.
Gamma, that is a brand new stove right? If so, you need to contact Englander. It's under warranty.
Another tell-tale sign of a leaky gasket is that the glass will often be dirtier in the vicinity of the leak.
Where around the door are you suspicious?
pen
Another tell-tale sign of a leaky gasket is that the glass will often be dirtier in the vicinity of the leak.
Where around the door are you suspicious?
pen
So did it suck in smoke here or does your dollar bill slide right out?
Where are you storing your wood? If your wood has been drying out more lately than it was before that could make a difference to.
Do you have a thermometer on the top? Have you noticed a change in cruising temps?
pen
Where are you storing your wood? If your wood has been drying out more lately than it was before that could make a difference to.
Do you have a thermometer on the top? Have you noticed a change in cruising temps?
pen
fire_man
Minister of Fire
How could you tell there was a leak there? Did you try the smoke test and it got sucked in? How bad was it?
How easily did it slide out, I read on one site if it slid out hard it was probably OK.GAMMA RAY said:
gregbesia
Feeling the Heat
I think that may be the problem with Englander. I got the same thing , in same spot. Next time you have a cold stove , open the door , take a straight edge (ruler , pc of sheet metal ) and place it on the stove in aprrox the same spot where gasket sits. I bet you will find that stove is not straight in that spot. On my old stove it was really bad , new one not so bad , but still...
I am beginning to think that it may not be a door gasket problem. Kathleen brought it to my attention about the problem she posted back in November. I read that thread and goin to do some investigation when the husband gets up and the stove isn't cookin...
The front of my Magnolia stove is not flat either. Don't know if it was mfg that way or heat did it. I put the biggest gasket I could on the door and adjusted the latch to be tighter to compensate for it. It has about a 1/32" gap showing before I pull down the latch. This is a problem I spoke of in another thread about the short comings of steel stoves with cast doors. The cast doors are an improvement over steel ones but then these new EPA stoves are made of 1/8" steel instead of 1/4" like the old ones were so nothing is really solved. Cast on cast is the best way maintain a stove door air tight. My neighbor has an old Rebel Hutch ( big ole beast made all of 1/4") and it is perfectly straight on all sides after 30+ yrs.
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