Eko 25 Door and gasket?

[mpraete]

My Eko 25 will be 3 years this heat season. Door leaks small amount of smoke. Would like to replace the door gasket and adjust the door. Book does not say how to Remove the door. I don't want to screw anything up by forcing anything or removing something that does not need to be removed. Can you just lift the door up and off or do you have to loosen or remove the large nuts? Also any suggestions about a new gasket. Thanks, Mike

 

[Triumph562]

Annually I will buy a caulk tube of RTV black 500 or 600 degree silicone. Grab a box of saran wrap. Clean the excess crud off the existing rope seal but leave it in place. Run a very thick bead of RTV on top of the rope seal. Make sure you put extra at the corners. Gently place the saran wrap in several sheets to cover the entire door inner surface without disturbing the silicone. Then, close the door onto the mating surface VERY GENTLY AND JUST BARELY PUSH to make a slight impression on the wet RTV under the saran wrap. Very light pressure to just make a C shaped dimple on the RTV so it will wrap around the firebox metal nicely and make a good seal. Then take the saran wrap off carefully and let it dry for a couple days. It will now make a good form fitting seal.

You will need to adjust the door hinges after this to their maximum clearance setting as the door won't close if you have never adjusted them before. The door just lifts up and off without any modification. You will need to shake and wiggle it but it will lift straight up and off the hinges. You will then need to use a pair of wrenches to turn counterclockwise to increase the door clearance as far as they will go. Then you will need to realign them perfectly straight up. Ensure you do each one an equal number of turns to the other so they are the same.

If you are ambitious you can also take off the door decorative sheetmetal to seal up the 4 screws which hold the insulation in place. It's a leak point for the woodgas odor and smoke.

I've never replaced or taken out the original rope because it provides the right amount of "give" under the RTV seal to make it seat tight. I have those fat orange seal things from New Horizon but never used them yet as I haven't had to. The RTV seal still won't seal the woodgas odor completely but I fabbed up a suction hood exhaust system which takes care of that anyways. I have also never touched the lower burn chamber seal. I've had my EKO in service for 3 years.