Door Gasket 101

[mellow]

I am a long time user of Rutland's grapho-glass gaskets, but this last time I used it on the Appalachain it has only lasted for a season, it has gone soft on me and has allowed a groove to set in and the latch is now loose.

What gasket would you recommend that will keep its shape for longer?

I have tried searching for a write up on different types of door gaskets and how they are made but all I can find is how to install them so any info you can provide on the difference between Rutland and Homesaver and other gasket makers would be appreciated.

 

[Highbeam]

How often do you find the need to replace your door gaskets? Is there an installation method that might allow many more years between replacements?

 

[mellow]

A door gasket should last for 3-4 seasons if you ask me, only lasting 1 is a failure in my book.

What I am looking for is info on the different types of gaskets, how does the manufacturer chose which type of gasket to put on their stove?

Appalachain for example recommends Perkins door gaskets, which to me looks exactly like the Rutland Grapho-glas gaskets, is there a science behind what gasket is chosen?

 

[mellow]

Maybe I need to be more specific, @BKVP how does Blaze King go about selecting the door gaskets for your stoves? Do you have a selection criteria that you use or do you just stick with whatever manufacture gives you the deepest discounts?

Trying to get some more knowledge on door gaskets and is their a science behind them in choosing the right one for your stove.

 

[BKVP]

We purchase from a company named Mid Mountain. Their rope gasket is three gaskets diameters inside one another. They are typically very durable. They do not crush easily and work well with our line since all of our doors are easy to adjust. If you install a new gasket and do not adjust the door catch latch on our stoves back to new door positioning, you will prematurely crush the gasket. All of our Owners Manuals describe the use of the dollar bill test to maintain proper door gasket tension/seal. Hope this helps.

Chris

 

[mellow]

Thanks for the reply Chris I will check into them. Any other manufacturer's care to chime in about door gaskets and how/why they were chosen? Woodstock? SBI? Kuma?

 

[Highbeam]

All of our Owners Manuals describe the use of the dollar bill test to maintain proper door gasket tension/seal.

I do agree that the door latch is very simple to tighten. The subjective matters of "too tight" and also with the dollar bill test "firm resistance" to pullout are so tough for regular people to estimate that there is no way to know for sure if your gasket will fail, has failed, or is in perfect working order.

On the BK, the punishment of a leaky door seal is severe. Not only a higher than expected burn rate but also the most likely cause of cat failure (I believe BKVP siad 95%) is from a leaky door seal. If it was really that easy to determine door seal intergrity I'd expect this % to be lower.

I've been wanting to replace my gasket since it "feels" weak even though the dollar bill test seems to indicate at least some amount of sealing.

 

[DougA]

I bought a gasket kit from a dealer that was supposed to be made for the VC models and it lasted one year. I then bought a kit from Home Depot at half the price and it worked great and is still good.
Half the trick is to clean out the old groove with a wire brush attachment on your drill and the other half is to not stretch the basket when setting it in.

Stoves sometimes have wide, braided gaskets and some have ones that are more like a tight rope. There are lots of stoves out there with no adjustment available in the door hinge or latch.

 

[mellow]

Thats the thing, there are many different types of gaskets out there, but I can't find any breakdown of what type of gasket goes on what stove and why.

 

[webby3650]

I think the stove design has a lot to do with gasket life. Blaze King stoves have a knife edge seal, it is pretty easy on gaskets and seals pretty evenly. Lopi on the other hand, puts the gasket on the door and it just smashes it against the face of the stove. It smashes it really hard on the hinge side just to get a decent seal on the other side. This type seems to wear out prematurely and wear unevenly.

 

[Ashful]

I am a long time user of Rutland's grapho-glass gaskets, but this last time I used it on the Appalachain it has only lasted for a season, it has gone soft on me and has allowed a groove to set in and the latch is now loose.

What gasket would you recommend that will keep its shape for longer?

I played with those grapho gaskets a few years ago, and bought one used stove that came with them, and I am not a fan. Who cares if you get more life out the gasket, when they just don't stay glued in as long? Yes, I did use the Rutland cement that they ship WITH the grapho gaskets, but it still fails the first time you bump the gasket with the end of a split.

I've gone back to traditional fiberglass braided gaskets from McMaster-Carr. Check your user manual, as to whether you need braided or woven, and then hit McMaster-Carr. They carry standard gasket material for furnace & boiler maintenance.