Stupid question: is it hard to replace a gasket?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Swedishchef

Minister of Fire
Jan 17, 2010
3,275
Inuvik, Northwest Territories
Hey guys

The questions is short and sweet: I have a new door gasket and was wondering how hard it is to install it?? Any tips or advice?

Thanks a ton!

Andrew
 
  1. Pull out old gasket.
  2. Remove old cement.
  3. Apply new gasket cement.
  4. Place in new gasket.
 
I did ours a couple of weeks ago. Just make sure to clean out the groove for the gasket, apply new glue, and set in the new gasket......I was told to start/end at the lower part of the door at the hinge....I let our sit for 12 hours with the door shut (not sure if it's correct, but it's what I did)....also, the door felt real tight to shut with the new gasket in place....felt much better after the first fire
 
Hey guys

The questions is short and sweet: I have a new door gasket and was wondering how hard it is to install it?? Any tips or advice?

Thanks a ton!

Andrew
From a post I did a while back:

I used the gasket glue that came with my Imperial gasket kit I bought at Lowes and the instructions were to clean out all the old glue, dust etc. then apply a thin layer glue to the entire surface that the gasket needs to bond to.. Then let the glue setup until tacky, apply the gasket without stretching it and place newspaper between the gasket and the door and close it for a few hrs.. The newspaper prevents the glue from sticking the door to the stove or the gasket to the other surface.. Hope this makes sense it worked OK for me..

Ray
 
I use a Dremel with a small wire wheel if the glue is crazy. I never use glue again,,,, instead a few dabs of high temp silicone. Next time the clean up is a breeze. Once that gasket takes a set from the door always being shut, it's not coming out. If there is a door adjustment I will back it out to get the most out of the gasket doing the dollar bill test. Why over compress the new gasket beyond what you need? Adjusting it until you get the dollar bill fit leaves you adjustment down the road. When the gasket install is done the stove gets fired up. Never had any problems. When I had a wood gasification boiler, Mark from AHONA heating sold really nice replacement door gaskets, they were impregnated with orange silicone. They sealed beautifully. Lasted for ever, no creosote build up on the gasket either. Key was they never got hard, stayed pliable to maintain a nice seal without being overly tight.
 
When I put the new gasket in, I scrunch it shorter so it's puffy. The puffyness will squish down and make a wider seal. Otherwise you could stretch the gasket too thin and not have it make a good seal. I use more gasket, but gasket is cheap.

Matt
 
Thanks for the advice.
It is something that sounds easy but I am sure I could mess up. And if I mess up then I am up the crapshoot without a spare Gasket. At $40 each, I don't wanna ruin this one that I got for free.

Charly: my gasket did some with high temp silicone and not glue. I am hoping that the initial install had silicone and not glue as well...

PLus I will back off my door handle as it allows me to tighten the seal more and I have done so in the past couple of years to tighten the seal around the door.

Now to find time in the next few weeks to get that done...

Andrew
 
I changed the gasket on the front door of my stove and got more than I bargained for. If there are screws that hold the glass in place make sure you use some sort of spray to loosen the screws. Had 6 out of the 10 screws break which basically lead to a new front door as well as glass. All posts above are dead on for what to do.
 
Where did you find your gasket? $40 is quite a bit higher than I remember my last gasket costing, but I haven't replaced one in a few years. Maybe they went up in cost?? Did you buy one from the manufacturer, stove shop, or hardware store? The stove shop usually has it on a roll, the hardware store has it in little packages. I used cheap gasket cement from the hardware store for mine, it was probably Rutland brand.

Matt
 
Thanks for the advice.
It is something that sounds easy but I am sure I could mess up. And if I mess up then I am up the crapshoot without a spare Gasket. At $40 each, I don't wanna ruin this one that I got for free.

Charly: my gasket did some with high temp silicone and not glue. I am hoping that the initial install had silicone and not glue as well...

PLus I will back off my door handle as it allows me to tighten the seal more and I have done so in the past couple of years to tighten the seal around the door.

Now to find time in the next few weeks to get that done...

Andrew
Dry fit it first, cut it long at the end, you can always seem to get the extra in, if not, just cut some off. Nice thing is the silicone gives you some time to work with the gasket. Have faith,, you can do it!
 
My gasket is from SBI (Osburn). It's the original one. I think that is why they are a little more pricey. It is also 9 feet long, I presume I have enough for 2 gasket replacements?? Also, I noticed that the gasket has quite the elasticity to it, almost like a bungee cord. Do I simply put it in or stretch and put it in?

Sigh, I am making this complicated for nothing...

Andrew
 
Andrew, post #8 by Matt. Make sure to not stretch the gasket.
You can work the gasket around some after it's in the groove/channel. I loose fit the gasket, then cut slightly oversize to make it easier to handle.
As others have said, clean the groove/channel, then get any dust out with a damp rag/paper towel. Run a small bead of cement in the groove, then place the gasket in. Scrunch the ends together, and as charly said, cut it again (sharp scissors) to get a slight overlap, then scrunch.
It's not difficult, so don't sweat it.
Is there a reason you have to use the gold plated (expensive) gasket? I've used Imperial, and Rutland in the package. Also used some from a roll I got at the hardware.
 
  • Like
Reactions: raybonz
You might get 1.5 doors out of a 9 foot gasket. Don't try to cheap out by stretching it. Scrunch it so you don't have to do it over and buy another gasket. The fatter that gasket is, the better it will seal.
 
I use a Dremel with a small wire wheel if the glue is crazy. I never use glue again,,,, instead a few dabs of high temp silicone. Next time the clean up is a breeze. Once that gasket takes a set from the door always being shut, it's not coming out. If there is a door adjustment I will back it out to get the most out of the gasket doing the dollar bill test. Why over compress the new gasket beyond what you need? Adjusting it until you get the dollar bill fit leaves you adjustment down the road. When the gasket install is done the stove gets fired up. Never had any problems. When I had a wood gasification boiler, Mark from AHONA heating sold really nice replacement door gaskets, they were impregnated with orange silicone. They sealed beautifully. Lasted for ever, no creosote build up on the gasket either. Key was they never got hard, stayed pliable to maintain a nice seal without being overly tight.

X2, the Dremel works good. You can also get a wire wheel brush for your drill. The high temp RTV is easier than cement because it does not run or drip!
 
X2, the Dremel works good. You can also get a wire wheel brush for your drill. The high temp RTV is easier than cement because it does not run or drip!
Don, I can't understand the big push on cement or glue,,,,,,,,it's not like the gasket is hanging upside down out in the open. Door gaskets spend 95% of their life compressed against another surface. Why make it brutal the next time you change the gasket? On an outside wood boiler I had, when it came time for a new gasket,,,,, I laid the door flat cleaned out everything,,, then installed a slightly undersized gasket ,,, next on top of the gasket I filled the whole face of the gasket with high temp silicone, actually filling the 1/8-1/4 channel depth all the way around. Then took a putty knife and scraped it flush with the outer edge. Nice neat finish. Let it dry for 24 hours. I now had a nice silicone faced gasket that stayed pliable and sealed well. The trick is not too much silicone depth wise, so it will cure. The gasket acts like a backer rod. One note, my door was closing against a raised lip on the stove face. But I'm thinking sometime to just coat the whole gasket face itself with black high temp silicone, smoothing it on neatly, letting it dry overnight and then seeing how it will hold up. That could be used against a flat surface. I'll have to call Mark at AHONA sometime and see if he has a source for standard size wood stove siliconized gasket.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.