A Method for Cleaning and Polishing Wood Stove Glass

[Rachit]

After months of continuous use, the glass on my wood burning insert get pretty hazy. Although it's a little time consuming, this is a sure-fire method for restoring heavily damaged glass. Lighting the first fire with a clean glass window is enjoyable. Everything looks so clear and you keep thinking you forgot to close the door! Here's a link to the video:

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum Rachit.

I have no doubt that your method will work just fine. However, I wonder why anyone would do that when it is so easy to clean the glass. You can even clean the glass without removing it from the stove. Sort of like a fellow who paints his entire car when all he had was one little scratch that could have been buffed out.

 

[Rachit]

Thanks. There is a group of people out there that know what I'm talking about. They are the ones that have glass that does not clean and it's because something has happened to their glass that is different from the usual soot. If the easy methods work, you are good to go - a damp rag works great for me usually. But there are folks that, for whatever reason (maybe burning something unusual) end up with "un-cleanable" glass. I know from your comment that you have never been that person - that's a good thing. But if you spent January burning who knows what and you wound up with hazy glass that can't be cleaned - well, here's your big gun that will get your clear glass back!

 

[adrpga498]

Welcome to the forum Rachit. With all due respect, I'm not gonna waste my 12 minutes looking at the video you kindly attached. I'll lurk around the forum awhile and watch others explain how to keep stove glass clear. For me its dry wood, hot fires, and a damp paper towel when needed.

 

[Rachit]

You know you're getting ready to be slammed when someone starts by saying "with all due respect".

 

[BCC_Burner]

A damp paper towel with some ash slurry is all you ever need if you are burning responsibly (i.e. using seasoned wood, not burning painted/treated crap, not smoldering the fire).

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Try cleaning more often, it becomes much easier that way....

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Not slammed.

Just that, well, most have never needed more than a wet paper towel and some ashes. Heck, I don't even let the glass cool much usually. And yes, I have a couple times thrown a "damp" paper towel into the stove because it was about to, and did, ignite. I doubt many if any, have gotten their glass any dirtier than mine was the first spring I started burning.. and again, never done/needed more than that.

I believe that is most peoples experience.

BTW.. if you have your glass out for any reason, to keep track of inside/outside, just put a piece of masking tape on the outside...

BTW #2.. Pretty sure if you read your owners manual, you find it specifically states not to scrape the glass with a sharp object, like a razor blade or, in your case, chisel. I know both of my stove manuals say not to do it.

 

[Rachit]

Somehow I took a wrong turn and wound up in the nice section of the internet where all the "responsible burners" are. I'm talking to "my people" - who burn damp wood and stray pets. OK, I'm just kidding about the pets - but the wood I burn is not always great - sometimes a bit rotten - but I get some heat out of it and it helps me keep the yard clean. And I helped a neighbor get rid of a tree of some sort that, when you cut it, it smelled like dog poo... some kind of eucalyptus something or another. I'm guessing you probably burn oak - I've heard of that wood, sounds nice.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

I burn whatever falls in our woods, properly cut split and seasoned. It's what we preach here. Sometimes it is in fact oak, mostly not.

When we get "your people" here, we do our best to educate them to doing it the right way to begin with, so they feel no need to do the sort of thing you are advocating in your video, among other things.

BTW.. I also bet your manual states NOT to burn construction trash, kiln dried lumber or treated lumber. Not only bad for the stove, bad for the environment.

 

[Rachit]

No question - you are right. There's nothing better than clean dry wood. It's the way to go.

 

[Sportsmom]

Hey guys, just wanted to let y'all know (and yes I'm from the south) that the best method I've found to clean my glass is a magic eraser, you would not believe how fast it takes off that burnt on gook, and ash!! Btw I love my stove, husband is so happy cause his only chore is bringing in the wood!!

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Rachit, stick around for a while on here and those thoughts will be a thing of the past....
Sports mom, I have a box of them, I will try it out this week, thanks in advance if it works out well....
I'm a fan of the wet towel with ash but in this life we learn something every day

 

[andybaker]

Hey Rachit, looks like they're hitting you pretty hard with the dirty glass. I think a lot of us have gone through this but over time and with the help of this site we've learned a few things. When I started with my ZC insert I had to clean the glass everyday. If I went longer it would be hell. I use to need to replace the gasket every year from all the scrubbing I use to do on that glass and I think that damaged the gasket too. I use to burn "whatever" I could get my hands on too. With the help of this site I learned some very good lessons about trying to burn with an EPA burner. DRY wood is the ONE and ONLY way to go. It's the only way to make the burner perform as it is designed and guess what, cleaner glass. I went from cleaning glass everyday to today I now only clean it when I feel like it, once every month or so. I have a little build up in the corners, I'm sure the cause is the design of the firebox, other than that the glass stays clean, the wood burns hotter, the chimney is clean all the time and burning is much more enjoyable. I think the message everyone is trying to imply is start getting ahead on your wood supply. It's a lot of work but once there it is great. Try to get two years ahead. One year old wood will burn better at two years. You will learn which needs what. Silver Maple, one year fine. Red Oak, 3 years a must. And so on. Nice thing about getting ahead is you always have a good supply ready and if something happens to you one year and you can't get much or any, no worries, your covered. Some guys here you will find actually have several years ahead. It gets addicting. Oh, btw, I'm still on the same gasket for the last four years.

 

[BrotherBart]

Welcome Rachit. Don't let the ragging get to ya. They have all have cabin fever from the weather.

 

[Rachit]

Yeah, it's all good. There's a very high standard here at Hearth.com. I do long a bit for a place where I could keep my woodpile drier. I've got about a week more of dry seasoned wood which I stage under a covered porch. Everything else is seasoned, but has been under wet snow for the last few weeks. My wood cutting buddy has made these little barns for his wood - works well, but that's not in the cards for me. No argument from me; I know the limitations of "bad" practices. Nevertheless, to all the folks who've been heating their house this last January by burning 2x4s from the basement remodeling project (that's heating your house by burning your house, by the way) and your glass is all etched up - watch my video - I'll show you how to get your clear glass back!

 

[firefighterjake]

I think you'll fit in here with no problems Rachit . . . after taking the criticisms and suggestions and just rolling with it. A person without thin skin . . . yeah . . . you'll do OK here . . . really, the folks here are pretty decent characters once you get to know them.

 

[BrotherBart]

Hopefully he isn't one of the 140,000 without power in Maryland tonight. And being told it is going to be a "multi-day" event.

 

[Valhalla]

Damp newspaper on cold glass works great!

 

[mliiiwit]

Thanks for the video Rachit. I think it will be very helpful for anyone with a similar challenge. I watched it and think everyone who replied to your post should have too so they would have understood that your glass was not just dirty, but was actually etched. I have to agree with you that no amount of "cleaning" was going to get you a clear glass. I've had to do the same thing with automotive glass on my K2500 after I bought it used. Something about the red Oklahoma dirt it had lived in all its former life is evidently very abrasive - hmm.., get to thinking about it, the polishing media you used looked a lot like that red OK dirt. I wonder if they're one and the same. Anyway, bunch of elbow grease and some chrome polish (I didn't know what else to use and it worked when tested on a small area) cleared the truck windows up nicely.

That said, I have to wonder what it was that you were burning that etched the glass as I don't think poorly seasoned wood would cause this. Any ideas?

And I'm betting you're a single guy since you're able to do shop work in the house on your nice, glass-topped dining table. Or was that not your own video?

 

[Woody Stover]

I have to wonder what it was that you were burning that etched the glass as I don't think poorly seasoned wood would cause this. Any ideas?

If you never clean the glass, and leave ash on there for a long time, it will eventually etch the glass.

 

[Rachit]

Ha ha! I'm lucky to have a wonderful wife who is amused at my projects. Yes, I have some ideas of what might have been contributors to the etching. Anything that might contain sulfur or chlorine is a concern because of the production of hydrogen chloride or hydrogen sulfide corrosive gas - so laminate materials maybe with adhesive resins could have been problematic. I'll be staying away from anything like that. Even burning small amounts of those materials can generate large amounts of the corrosive gas and dioxins for extended periods. A persistent coating came when I burned a eucalyptus or gum tree. The wood stank so I burned it up quickly to get ride of it. The HCl cleaned that residue easily, but the etching had to be polished.

 

[mstoelton]

I had no other wood to burn than some not quite ready oak during the first 3 weeks of January. I had a good coating of stubborn sote on my glass but I never considered using a hard tool or taking the glass out. Just some rutland glass cleaner and elbow grease. took 10 minutes to fully clean the whole glass. Note: found a great source for well seasoned wood and that burns much better. Ya gotta burn what ya have! Ya don't have to go nuts to clean yer glass!

 

[tlingit]

I love the rutlands glass cleaner! I use the cream, and it works great. I do it once a week when we shovel out the ashes.

 

[mstoelton]

Same here once a week usually Saturday when I have the time to clean it. Burning hot fires with dry wood makes cleaning the glass an afterthought.