Burning log on glass

[jadm]

My manual warns about keeping burning logs behind the andirons ( about 3" in from door) and off the glass. I understand the concern.

When loading I am careful in how I place the splits but there are times when things settle differently than I had anticipated and a piece of wood does roll onto the glass. That, of course, can be fixed easily by opening up the door and shoving it back where it belongs which I do when I see it happen.

I get afraid of this happening when we are out and I can't fix it and it would sit there and burn. Anybody have experience with this? Was your glass ok? I get afraid of coming home to broken glass,burning house and fire trucks filling the street with emergency equipment. Just a bit of an imagination. :ahhh:

I also guess that the glass in these things has got to be able to withstand really high temps. in order for these things to be safe to burn in.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

The only effect I've seen is soot on the glass, which burns off with the next hot fire

 

[backpack09]

I don't know about the Jotul, but on my Morsoe with the giant (1'x1'ish) front window, logs often roll onto the glass as they burn. I have no reason to believe they would ever go through the glass. They are only rolling a few inches and not really developing any momentum.

The warnings you are reading are more to make sure you are not closing the the door and pushing the wood against the back of the stove. This could easily cause a stress crack in your glass.

 

[meathead]

Nah - it'll be fine. Soot on the glass like adios said.

 

[jadm]

Thanks for the input here. When I leave this morning instead of imagining fire trucks surrounding my house - your replies will float through my head and fill me with comfort knowing that all is well and not too warm while we are out and about.

 

[Corey]

I third AP's advice. Though ~15 years ago I had a log shift during the burn and it fell forward and broke out a pane of "glass" Luckily I was right there when it happened and wound up 'patching' the hole with some aluminum foil to cut down on the blast furnace heat that resulted from the increased air flow. There is no magical force field and a shifting log can most definitely break the glass. I would advise trying to pile logs to minimize the possibility of shifting or rolling during the burn. Place splits in the most stable orientation (large flat side down) and try to place rounds low in the stack and toward the back of the stove.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

If really worried, burn NS and they can't roll forward.

 

[EddyKilowatt]

I have read that part of the UL test for stove safety is to throw a glass of cold water on the 'glass' (zero-expansion ceramic) during a hot fire, without cracking it... so I reckon there's not too much concern about the localized heat load caused by a burning log touching the glass. On the other hand, I had an inner metal plate (cast iron) tip over and crack the glass with a not-very-hard tap, so the stuff is definitely not in the bulletproof-glass category as far as mechanical strength goes.

I try to keep big rounds piled well away from the door.

Eddy

 

[Cedrusdeodara]

I just upgraded to a larger firebox insert. THe new one is 2.25cuft,compared to the 1.8cuft unit that I had previously. I find it MUCH easier to fill the newer larger unit. The older unit always made me feel like I had to pick through the pile to find the right pieces for form a safe pile.

Anyway, I now load all wood into the firebox in a front to back orientation (ends showing toward the door). That seems so far to have reduced the rolling log issue for me.

Brian

Napoleon 1402 - new owner and REALLY impressed
Stihl MS 361
Spee Co 22-ton hydraulic splitter
leather gloves

 

[Valhalla]

My manual warns about keeping burning logs behind the andirons ( about 3" in from door) and off the glass. I understand the concern.

When loading I am careful in how I place the splits but there are times when things settle differently than I had anticipated and a piece of wood does roll onto the glass. That, of course, can be fixed easily by opening up the door and shoving it back where it belongs which I do when I see it happen.

I get afraid of this happening when we are out and I can't fix it and it would sit there and burn. Anybody have experience with this? Was your glass ok? I get afraid of coming home to broken glass,burning house and fire trucks filling the street with emergency equipment. Just a bit of an imagination. :ahhh:

I also guess that the glass in these things has got to be able to withstand really high temps. in order for these things to be safe to burn in.

Perplexed,

Your glass was made in much higher temperatures.

Use your andirons to prevent mechanical contact damage to the glass.

Relax and enjoy your stove!

 

[boostnut]

I agree with the above. I fill my firebox to the absolute max at night and in the morning before leaving for work. Splits touching the glass is nothing new to me. A little soot left behind is the only thing I've ever noticed. As Valhalla stated, relax and enjoy.

 

[firefighterjake]

My manual warns about keeping burning logs behind the andirons ( about 3" in from door) and off the glass. I understand the concern.

When loading I am careful in how I place the splits but there are times when things settle differently than I had anticipated and a piece of wood does roll onto the glass. That, of course, can be fixed easily by opening up the door and shoving it back where it belongs which I do when I see it happen.

I get afraid of this happening when we are out and I can't fix it and it would sit there and burn. Anybody have experience with this? Was your glass ok? I get afraid of coming home to broken glass,burning house and fire trucks filling the street with emergency equipment. Just a bit of an imagination. :ahhh:

I also guess that the glass in these things has got to be able to withstand really high temps. in order for these things to be safe to burn in.

Oh, don't ever let a burning split or round touch the glass for more than five seconds . . . otherwise it will cause the glass to shatter into tiny little shards which you will get embedded in your feet three years from now, the resulting fire will burn the house down leaving you only a burning husk of a stove and your spouse will tell you "I told you this would happen" every day for the next 22 years and worse of all some guy in Nigeria will put you on all of his buddy's mailing lists so each and every day you will receive a pitch from him or a buddy telling you that you have been specially selected to receive a million dollars if you would only do him the small favor of cashing a check, giving him your bank account number, your social security number and your first born child.

On a serious note . . . as others have mentioned . . . usually it's not a real big deal. Be careful in how you load your stove -- don't just slam the door shut once you've reloaded the stove and when stacking wood in the stove try to place it so that the larger, heavier pieces are on bottom and make it so that the wood is more likely to roll towards the back of the stove. If a piece does roll or fall against the stove front (which happens occasionally in just about everyone's stove) it may leave some sooting or make a small clunking noise which may startle you a bit . . . but typically, in most situations, that's all that will happen.