Its me again and another question. I have a brand new englander 13 and I've did my break in burns ( 4 times for about 4 hours each) and now my door glass is black. I can hardly see the fire!! Is this normal with new stoves? :bug: I thought the airwash system was supposed to prevent this from happening. Or am I worrying about nothing? Oh and what would you guys recommend for cleaning the glass?
Black Glass
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Break-in fires are a bit "cooler" than a full fledged heating fire, and that will sometimes leave a black glaze. Hot fires will usually burn the glaze off, leaving a clear view, but it may take a few burns. You can clean it off cold, but be careful not to haze the glass: If the glaze will not come of with glass cleaner, you can use ultra fine (XXXX ONLY) steel wool with it -- very gently. In the toughest cases, a small amount of ceramic cooktop cleaner will work on high temp ceramic glass.
Dexter
PS: Test in an inconspicuous part of the glass first!
Dexter
PS: Test in an inconspicuous part of the glass first!
Get a good screamin' hot fire going, and the glass will be clean.....And no green wood, young man!
:lol:
:lol:
Hot fire and seasoned wood! I used plain old oven cleaner on my old englander 12 to get the black off the glass. That thing was better at producing black glass and a plugged chimney than it was producing heat. If you use oven cleaner which works very well be sure NOT to get any on the stove. The paint will not like it.
Right...what the others said about a hot fire. We use a little bottled water and a paper towel in the morning before reloading...careful using tap water if it's too hard it'll leave a permanent frosty haze on your glass.
Windex gets most of it off for me. I use a razor blade for the really stubborn stuff along with the windex.
i was told to use wet newspaper by the guy who sold me the stove? i tried it a few times and it worked ok. i don't think it damaged anything. anyways i use some oven cleaner now if i have a stubborn spot, but thats very rare as my glass does stay pretty clean. i think once you get past your break in fires and let er rip then your glass should clean up good.
- Feb 5, 2006
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crazy_dan said:
Yep!, wet rag, wring out some of the water in the rag so it's not soaking, not dripping, but still wet. Dab the ashes and then start rubbing it into the glass, dab some ash, repeat, then follow up with just a clean moist rag to wipe of the residue film. Works great. Just don't do it with hot glass! KD
thanks for the info. I tried "Easy Off" oven cleaner and a rag, worked great. Didn't even have to leave it on for a minute. good stuff. Still dont know why the air curtain thing on my englander 13 didnt keep it clean like it said it does. oh well . Learn by doing I guess. %-P
Well thats what you get for your money. At least thats what my experience was.Screwindaman said:
The stove needs to get hot to keep the glass clean, regardless of cost. I could and did smoke up the glass on the F400 and the T6 with a cool fire. It's not untypical with fall burning.
Some of the airwash systems seem to be more effective than others. The glass in my little shop stove seems to stay cleaner longer than the glass in our big Lopi. Then again, comparing two very different stoves is pretty much an apples and oranges thing. I've seen big old black spots appear early on in a fire that were completely gone after it got going good for a while. I've never resorted to oven cleaner, razor blades, or steel wool. Cool stove, Windex, paper towel or newspaper is all I ever use. Rick
BeGreen said:
Ok BG, if the stove will not let you get it hot because of its design, then what to do??? Seriously I would like to know. That was my issue. The stove could care less how dry my wood was. And the chimney is great and my new stove loves it, even in 55 degree temps?
It's not the design of the stove, but the modest break-in fires and perhaps the outside temps that are the issue. By later in the season, I'm betting this will be a non-issue. Every installation is different. The flue setup often matters as much as the stove. Then there is the wood, size of splits, dryness are important determinants of how the stove will burn. And finally there is the operator in charge.
My point is that this is a learning curve, not so much a stove design issue, though it varies of course. Most of us have been there with a new stove. Good to hear that it was not an issue for you. But a lot of people are burning for the first time and have not reached oneness with their wood. Patience grasshopper, it will come.
FWIW, it's pretty common for new owners to complain about the glass getting smoked up in fall burning. Check back several Septembers and I think you'll find it happening to many first burners, regardless of the stove.
My point is that this is a learning curve, not so much a stove design issue, though it varies of course. Most of us have been there with a new stove. Good to hear that it was not an issue for you. But a lot of people are burning for the first time and have not reached oneness with their wood. Patience grasshopper, it will come.
FWIW, it's pretty common for new owners to complain about the glass getting smoked up in fall burning. Check back several Septembers and I think you'll find it happening to many first burners, regardless of the stove.
Dexter said:
I'm not sure it's a good idea to use anything abrasive on stove glass. I would rather resort to chemical means if necessary.
Windex on the Quad works just fine for even the heaviest of stains. If there were something that was still in the corners, I would try a little WD-40 or other solvent on a rag (cool stove). Oven cleaner is very aggressive and may etch the glass, but would work.
Chris
Redox said:
Oven cleaner is for sure some nasty stuff. But as a side note, Used it hundreds of times on my old englander 12 and never had a problem with it doing anything to the glass, other than cleaning it.
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