Broke "glass" on wood stove

[Jerry_NJ]

This is, of course, a neighbor story, I'd never do anything like this.

The door on a Trinity Waterford wood stove was closed with a split (north/south) too log to fit and was in the corner near the hinged where a lot of torque could be generated. This crushed the glass in that corner, sending cracks all the way across the door "glass" (ceramic or whatever the material is). Not sure on the model, but in any event I believe the Trinity stove company is no longer in business, so I doubt that a "factory" replacement can be ordered.

So, any advice on how to replace the glass? Should I expect to see a dealer for another brand being about to custom cut a new glass? Should they have it installed, or is it simple to DIY? I haven't looked, still waiting for the stove to cool off, it had a hot burn given the air could not be cut back. I'd guess the Trinity has a door in the range of 1.5' highe by 2' wide, would guess the fire box is at least 2.5 cubic feet.

I think the glass panels on my Quadrafire 4100I are held in with door gasket type material forced in around the glass and under a small overhand on the door.

Thanks,

 

[Hogwildz]

http://www.onedayglass.com/

Cost me $10.00 less than buying at a local glass dealer (20 miles away) and saved on gas too.
They will cut it to any size you specify. Make sure you get a true measurement from the glass itself.
Check the thickness also. Most new stoves use NeoCeram which is 3/16" or 5mm thick.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Thanks Hogildz, any heads-up on the installation? I haven't looked at the stove door yet, will do so tomorrow.

 

[LeonMSPT]

Might try contacting them. Even though they're not selling the stoves, should still be able to get owner's manual and parts...

Otherwise, look it over and see what it looks like. Might be as simply as the VC insert I have here... small piece of gasket folded over the ends and sides, and a bar with two screws holding it in place.

I'd make sure it was cut to fit before I got it... no idea how to cut ceramic and might break it cutting it.

 

[LeonMSPT]

Regency is involved in the company in some way, as I did a google search on Trinity Waterford Woodstoves and they're listed as an email contact...

Waterford Irish Stove Products
For questions regarding your Waterford product, please email our Technical Department at [email protected].

Says they're no longer distributed in North America... maybe they didn't want to foot the thousands of dollars it takes to get tested for EPA compliance, or redesign their stoves, that appeared to be pretty decent stuff and probably worked well anyway.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Thanks, I sent an email to Regency.

 

[Hogwildz]

Thanks Hogildz, any heads-up on the installation? I haven't looked at the stove door yet, will do so tomorrow.

Get a new glass gasket, as Leon mentioned, its usually a thin flat gasket material made of same stuff as door rope gasket. it folds evenly around the glass edge to cover both sides of the edge.
My door glass hold down clamps seem to have a pre stop, to avoid over tightening & cracking the new glass. I was still worried about over tightening and tightened in increments around the door a lil at a time.
All I can say is take your time, look as the clamping system good before you reassemble, if it don't look like its going to stop on its own, go slowly with finesse and get them snug. Put some antisieze on the screws for next time.
I was sure I was going to crack mine, as this is my kind of luck, but it didn't and I was happy of course. Make sure you get the right thickness of glass.
Even if you find a manual for it, measure the existing glass. My manual stated sizes that were about 1/8" too large. Which would not have fit.
The gasket comes with tape on one side, you peel this off, and that side goes on the glass. picture a flat tape looking gasket that forms a "U: wrapping around the glass.
Leave the gasket a tad long, and butt the ends together king of mashing the lil extra on the end into the other end of the gasket for a tight seal.
Good luck.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I brought the door to the local glass shop for an exact fit. If the door isn't square your measurements might be off.



Matt

 

[webbie]

Regency used to import these MANY years ago, but has nothing to do with them these days.
Any ceramic glass should do for replacement.

I usually suggest Applied Energy Systems since they have templates of most stoves.
http://www.robaxglass.com/order.htm

You should look at the way it is installed now...usually clips or a frame. And most glass has gasket wrapped around it, etc.

Make sure it is not cut too large or fit too tight with clips, etc. - that will make it break when it gets heated up.

 

[LeonMSPT]

Clean the contact area real good... make sure no "nubs" or bumps from someone sealing it with furnace cement or any corrosion might put pressure on the glass. Surface has to be flush...

No interference with the glass and door, like the man said... it'll break with heat and cold action.

Shouldn't be that mean of a job.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Thanks Craig,

Applied Energy looks like a great possibility. We'll check with them tomorrow after looking at the glass size and making sure we have the full model number. It would be great if they have a "factory template". I am uncomfortable in sending hand taken measurements, especially if it isn't a rectangle.

 

[LeonMSPT]

Is the old glass kind of still in one piece?

Might be able to take some wide packing tape and with the old glass still in the door, put the tape on it to hold the pieces together and disassemble it. Then, you've got a template that will work... except the vaporized bottom corner. With a straight edge should be able to get the gap filled in once you've traced it.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Making progress.

Found the owner's manual and it gave the thickness. And, good fortune, the class is rectangular 19 5/8" x 10 3/8" high. The hold-down keys are obvious and, I hope, easy to remove/reinstall. The old "tape" looks to be in good shape and will likely reuse, more on that in a moment.

We found a local glass dealer who will cut to our size 1400 degree ceramic (wood stove) glass for $140, about 70 cent per square inch, a bit more than some prices on the web, but no shipping charge, and it will be ready this afternoon. Happy to pay a little more than "web-list" to get from a local/neighbor merchant. However, he not being in the stove business, I'm on my own from there. So, back for more help.

In my mind's eye I imagined the glass tape to have a "U" shape in cross section and even to have some adhesive on the side that is against the glass. The tap on the current unit, looks to be in good shape, is just a flat "rope", fiberglass or whatever the gaskets and door seal are made out of. So, the tape being that it seems to me it would help the installation process to use some (I have a tube) fiberglass gasket cement along the edge of the glass to hold the tape in place while the glass is being placed and fastened down. Good idea? Better ideas? How about benefits of buying new tape?

Thanks,
Jerry

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Jerry, a little off the subject here, but how do they like that Trinity? Back in 1993 when I was deciding on a stove, it was down to the Waterford Trinity and the one that I chose (Dovre Aurora). The Trinity looked like a very good stove also, but I liked the fact that the Dovre didn't have that "wagonwheel" look in front of the glass, and the Trinity seemed to really sit low to the floor. But I bet that it is/was a good stove in its own right-thanks!

 

[Jerry_NJ]

PA. W.. Ya, I was telling the truth about it broken glass being the neighbor's, not mine.

I have been in the room with it a few times, seems to run a controlled fire and they say it is a great heater (obviously, can't get more heat than the wood contains). It sits in a large family room with a step-up kitchen, and another three step up dinning room, opening to a living/library up a few more steps, so there's a lot of space for the heat to flow too. It is in a big house, I suppose 3,500 sq ft, maybe more, so it can't heat the whole house which has two oil fired furnaces.

It has an ash pan, and a large fire box, as you must know. They have had it for seven years...seeing more use with the increase in the cost of heating oil. No problems until yesterday when a split was just the wrong length, put in N/S it was just long enough to crush the glass in the corner near the hinges, maybe just where the latch allowed for developing a lot of force as the split contacted the glass.

We have the replacement glass, and I've already looked at the six hold down tabs. The top three screws broke loose with out any problem. The bottom may be a problem and have been sprayed with WD40 to soak overnight. I hope I can break them loose without having to drill them out. It is obvious that the lower side of the glass is a lot hotter.

 

[LeonMSPT]

Impact screwdriver can help there. However, I need not remind one to be sure of the placement of the bit, and not smacking cast iron sharply.... sometimes it doesn't like that.

 

[LeonMSPT]

Be sure it's on a wood bench or plank when you hit it, and it doesn't usually take much. I've helped my cousin rebuild a coupe VC's and usually just a tap on the screwdriver is all it takes. It comes loose, or the head snaps off... (bound to happen at some point).

 

[njkev]

Where in NJ? American Mobile Glass.....in Newfoundland on Oakridge Road in NJ. I believe they do custom stove glass.
Kev

 

[Jerry_NJ]

We got the glass (ceramic) at a glass place near Flemington, a few miles north (toward Somerville) of the Flemington traffic circle 31/202. We got the glass the same day as ordered.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

UPdate, got the six (3 top, 3 bottom, along 20" length) screws/bolts and hold town tabs out. These screws are all flat head Phillips head screw tops: design improvement, put in bolt head bolds. The 3 bottom were problematic. While the top 3 easily broke loose with some careful pressure from a screw driver. Not so the bottom, where the highest heat was focused. I could not, even after hours of soaking with WD40, get them to turn with a screw driver. I used a new, proper size Phillips and still ended with some slippage/damage to the heads. Fortunately the flat head tops had a small exposure to their edges, enough to with some effort lock on Vice Grips (locking pliers), and bingo! off they came. As the screws have a damaged head I think I should replace them, should they be stainless steel? something else? I'd also look for bolts rather than screws, after checking for clearance between this area and the door frame, that may be why the mfg used flat head screws.

The glass cut to my measurements fits with some wiggle room, but I am thinking (I stopped work as I need help installing the glass and getting the gasket in place) "wish" I'd given another 1/16" inch to make the gasket fit not so tight. Obviously there is a need for an "airtight" seal, and it looks like if I can get the gasket in, it will be airtight.

Any advice on how to best get the flat tap-like fiberglass (?) insulation in around the glass. I have not gone for a new tape, the existing one looks to be in great shape and I'd need to do another 30 miles or so (RT) to get a new gasket. I have high temperature gasket cement, came in a package that I think I purchased at Walmart a few years back. The cement has never been opened, so it should still be in good shape. The cement is provided in a package with a strip of (I'd estimate 1/2") insullation rope for use in replacing the main door gasket. I seems to me the cement should work just as well with the flat strip for the glass.

 

[Hogwildz]

UPdate, got the six (3 top, 3 bottom, along 20" length) screws/bolts and hold town tabs out. These screws are all flat head Phillips head screw tops: design improvement, put in bolt head bolds. The 3 bottom were problematic. While the top 3 easily broke loose with some careful pressure from a screw driver. Not so the bottom, where the highest heat was focused. I could not, even after hours of soaking with WD40, get them to turn with a screw driver. I used a new, proper size Phillips and still ended with some slippage/damage to the heads. Fortunately the flat head tops had a small exposure to their edges, enough to with some effort lock on Vice Grips (locking pliers), and bingo! off they came. As the screws have a damaged head I think I should replace them, should they be stainless steel? something else? I'd also look for bolts rather than screws, after checking for clearance between this area and the door frame, that may be why the mfg used flat head screws.

The glass cut to my measurements fits with some wiggle room, but I am thinking (I stopped work as I need help installing the glass and getting the gasket in place) "wish" I'd given another 1/16" inch to make the gasket fit not so tight. Obviously there is a need for an "airtight" seal, and it looks like if I can get the gasket in, it will be airtight.

Any advice on how to best get the flat tap-like fiberglass (?) insulation in around the glass. I have not gone for a new tape, the existing one looks to be in great shape and I'd need to do another 30 miles or so (RT) to get a new gasket. I have high temperature gasket cement, came in a package that I think I purchased at Walmart a few years back. The cement has never been opened, so it should still be in good shape. The cement is provided in a package with a strip of (I'd estimate 1/2") insulation rope for use in replacing the main door gasket. I seems to me the cement should work just as well with the flat strip for the glass.

Use stainless steel. Mine are torx heads, easy to get out. Put Never-Seize on the threads before installing the screws.

Bro, if your replacing the glass, replace the glass gasket. Mine needed no adhesive as the glass and clamping frame are continuous, and hold the gasket in place.
The cement will work fine on the door gasket. Don't go heavy, and make sure you mix it up real well before applying. Silicone worked better for me. Make sure all surfaces are cleaned well. For the door & clamping framing I used a wire wheel in a cordless drill. The glass is new, no its already clean. Let us know how you make out.

I dated a gal from Somersville once. She was real cool.

 

[pyro68]

recommend taking the door off, laying it flat, putting the glass in and instead of tightening screws around the "horn" put pressure on the center of the glass with your hand and then just tightening the screws to match the pressure.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Thanks all.

I have to door off and on a table for good light and nice working space.

With the warm weather I'm in no hurry and I wanted some help which didn't materialize until after dinner, so I'll give it attention tomorrow. My main concern is that the glass is too big. It isn't too big, I did a "dry", but I haven't yet tried to get the glass in with the tape in place. I haven't yet decided if I'll make a trip to Lowes or wherever to get new stainless steel screws/bolts. I think Lowes will have such hardware, but can't say I've ever purchased such from them before.

The Trinity doesn't have a "clamping frame". I see on my Quadrafire there is a long "frame" that is bolted down to the door and overlaps the insulation. The Trinity has six "points", three top and three bottom. These are triangular in shape, maybe an inch on a side. So the insulation tape runs most of its lenght without any hold down overlay.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Installed glass today.

One important learning. I decided that the glass was a little too big, so I called the glass supply to ask if it was possible to "trim/grind/polish/whatever" another 1/16" off of one side. He said, yes, $10. We took the glass in, they reduced the size and did not charge any fee. This helped. We also bought a new "tape/rope" and could see it was just like the one from the factory, and the new tape had an adhesive on one side with a protective removable protective cover. Even with the additional material removed from the glass it was clear to me that it was going to be a tight fit to get the insulation tape in place, as it should be if we're to get an air-tight seal. So, I decided to try first installing the old tape which no longer had adhesive on it. With some effort I got it in and looking good, so I decided to leave it in and put the new tape in storage in case I needed it in the future. I was able to purchase replacement hold down bolts at Lowes, stainless steel.

So all is back together and ready for a fire. I have recommended small fires for the first couple of times, then do a physical check that the glass is still securely in place and that there are no troublesome air leaks, then put the stove in full service.

The weather tonight is still too warm to need a fire, maybe tomorrow night.

Thanks to all for help and advice.