door gaskets replacement and chimney cleaning frequency

[little heathen]

We have a PE Alderlea T4. I replaced our gasket 2 years ago; the original lasted 3 years. I did it well- took the door off, cleaned it thoroughly and cured it back on it's hinges. Now the gasket/roping itself looks fine but the cement hasn't held. It's loose along the top. I'm thinking I can re-cement the top edge and get another season or two before replacing the whole gasket. It seems like these things should last longer. What do you think- fix or replace? How often have you had to replace yours?

How often do you clean your chimney? We burn mostly well-cured hardwoods but use some pine during shoulder seasons and for fire starters. Half of the adults here think it needs done annually but the other half thinks with our burning habits that every other year is sufficient. We just didn't see much debris last year.

 

[begreen]

The door gasket should last longer, more like 5-8 yrs. if it is an OEM PE gasket. That is all I would use. Most 3d party gaskets are inferior. Stove gasket cement can be hit or miss sometimes. Automotive RTV is preferred these days by many stove manufacturers. You could apply a bit behind the loose gasket segment and then close the stove door and let it set for a day. Rutland now makes a black RTV adhesive for stove gaskets, but most good red or black RTVs are fine.

Chimneys should be cleaned as frequently as needed. This is going to vary depending on the flue setup and wood burned. Annually is usually fine, but it may need to be done more frequently (like once every cord burned) in some circumstances. This could be when there is a long single-wall stove pipe connection, or with a cold exterior chimney, with a stove run with low flue temps or with wood that has higher moisture content.

With a straight-up, interior chimney, burning dry wood and a flue temp >350º one may find that less frequent cleaning is ok. How much did you get last year? More than a pint?

 

[little heathen]

That's about what I had in mind for a gasket's lifespan. I don't remember what I bought last time but it was probably from a local hardware store, not PE. What's OEM? I'll look for PE next time and mend/cement this one to see if I can get more out of it.

As for cleaning, my recollection was that it was much less than a pint. We have a 2 story straight chimney with the exception of one very short 45 degree jog. Anything we can do to minimize maintenance is worthwhile to me- this farm consumes us.

 

[firefighterjake]

We have a PE Alderlea T4. I replaced our gasket 2 years ago; the original lasted 3 years. I did it well- took the door off, cleaned it thoroughly and cured it back on it's hinges. Now the gasket/roping itself looks fine but the cement hasn't held. It's loose along the top. I'm thinking I can re-cement the top edge and get another season or two before replacing the whole gasket. It seems like these things should last longer. What do you think- fix or replace? How often have you had to replace yours? I would do what was suggested . . . put a dab of the RTV behind the area that is coming out vs. replacing the entire gasket. As for me . . . I replaced one or two gaskets after 8 or 9 years. Some gaskets have been fine and I'm now working on Year 11 with the original gaskets in place.

How often do you clean your chimney? We burn mostly well-cured hardwoods but use some pine during shoulder seasons and for fire starters. Half of the adults here think it needs done annually but the other half thinks with our burning habits that every other year is sufficient. We just didn't see much debris last year. I personally try to inspect and clean my chimney every month or two. This is admittedly overkill for most folks. I do it due to the nature of my job and I would never hear the end of it if my co-workers found out I had a chimney fire. For newbies I suggest checking it a few weeks after burning to see how things are going and then about halfway through the year. For folks who have been doing this for a bit I personally think inspecting and cleaning if necessary at the beginning of the year and halfway through is a good practice . . . but many do once a year with zero issues. In truth, I suspect I could get away with just an annual cleaning.