Englander 17-VL shrinking firebricks and cloudy glass

[Charles2]

2 questions:

1. Why are the 4 firebricks at the bottom of my stove slowly getting smaller, and at what point should I replace them?

2. Why is the glass in the door getting cloudy spots, and is there any way to remove them? If the glass were laminated like a windshield, I would know the answer.

 

[begreen]

Is the stove cleaned out of ash frequently? Depending on the tool used, that can wear them down. Are these pumice bricks? The are softer and can wear faster in this case.

How much wear are they showing, how large are the gaps? Often they can stay in place with the ash fills in the gaps. If they are crumbling and decaying rapidly, then replace them.

Stove glass can get etched if creosote residue stays on them for a long time. That can make it look milky. What stove is this?

 

[Charles2]

Is the stove cleaned out of ash frequently?

No more than daily. It's the gaps between the bricks that are growing.

Are these pumice bricks?

No, denser than pumice. They used to be yellow.

What stove is this?

Englander 17-VL. Is there any way to restore the clarity of the glass?

How much wear are they showing, how large are the gaps?

Maybe 1/4 inch? They used to be really tight. What would happen if I didn't have the bricks at all?

 

[30WCF]

On a cold stove, dip a wet paper towel in the ashes. Start washing the inside of the window with the ash slurry. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[begreen]

1/4" isn't too bad, ash will fill that gap. The 17VL must have the firebricks. They protect stove floor and maintain the tested clearances.

 

[Charles2]

1/4" isn't too bad, ash will fill that gap. The 17VL must have the firebricks. They protect stove floor and maintain the tested clearances.

What is causing the gaps? How much do the gaps need to grow before I need new bricks? Do I have to buy the bricks from Englander?

 

[begreen]

I think the floor bricks are common 9" x 4" x 1.25" firebrick. They can be purchased at a good masonry supply store or lumberyard or online. Some local stove shops may carry them too.

 

[Charles2]

I think the floor bricks are common 9" x 4" x 1.25" firebrick. They can be purchased at a good masonry supply store or lumberyard or online. Some local stove shops may carry them too.

I think I once saw some at Tractor Supply. Why would they have them?

 

[bholler]

I think I once saw some at Tractor Supply. Why would they have them?

Because they sell stoves

 

[bigealta]

2. Why is the glass in the door getting cloudy spots, and is there any way to remove them? If the glass were laminated like a windshield, I would know the answer.

If you hazed the glass by overfiring repeatedly you can get the "permanent" burned in haze. It's a lot of work but is possible to buff out.

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[begreen]

Yes, several years ago there was a thread on buffing out a hazy stove glass window. It was a fair amount of work, but it definitely improved clarity.

 

[begreen]

If you hazed the glass by overfiring repeatedly you can get the "permanent" burned in haze. It's a lot of work but is possible to buff out.

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That guy is going to crack the base of his stove sooner or later by feeding air via the ashpan door.

 

[bigealta]

That guy is going to crack the base of his stove sooner or later by feeding air via the ashpan door.

Yeah i think he learned that lesson but not sure? other than that i think he did a really nice job on his f500 oslo youtube set up/review/operating pieces.

 

[Charles2]

Because they sell stoves

New stoves that don't include firebricks?

 

[Charles2]

If you hazed the glass by overfiring repeatedly you can get the "permanent" burned in haze. It's a lot of work but is possible to buff out.

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I don't think I've ever overfired in the day, but it's possible it overfired at night when I was sleeping. Is there a particular pattern to the haze that would indicate overfiring?

 

[bigealta]

I don't think I've ever overfired in the day, but it's possible it overfired at night when I was sleeping. Is there a particular pattern to the haze that would indicate overfiring?

Did u watch the video? He explains it in detail.

 

[bholler]

New stoves that don't include firebricks?

No but firebricks are wear items that need replaced

 

[Charles2]

Did u watch the video? He explains it in detail.

Yeah, but I didn't catch everything. What did he say that answers my question? Also, he had 2 types of damage, cloudiness and the brown area that took so long to buff out. I don't have any brown areas. Most of my cloudiness is in the upper corners.

No but firebricks are wear items that need replaced

At what point should I replace mine?

 

[30WCF]

Can you post a good picture of your window and fire brick?

 

[Charles2]

Can you post a good picture of your window and fire brick?

Yes, on the next mild day.

 

[cahaak]

First, stop cleaning out your ashes so much and always leave a layer in the bottom of the stove to protect the firebrick some. Unless you're doing work on the inside of the stove, there is no reason to get it very clean.

As for the glass, when cloudy, I just clean it with Windex that contains some vinegar, takes it all off just fine. If you have permanent cloudiness, then you will need to polish it with a cerium polish.

 

[Charles2]

First, stop cleaning out your ashes so much

I only remove ashes when they rise so high that they're spilling out the door. The reason why I might need to clean daily is that I choke the air all the way down at night, so it builds up a lot of coals.

 

[Charles2]

Can you post a good picture of your window and fire brick?

Here you go. As you can see, the upper left corner is the worst, followed by the upper right. I tried Windex, vinegar, and the damp ashes, none of which did anything.

 

[30WCF]

Here you go. As you can see, the upper left corner is the worst, followed by the upper right. I tried Windex, vinegar, and the damp ashes, none of which did anything.

View attachment 323771

The others are probably on to something with overheating it. I was imagining the blackening of the window at first when I suggested cleaning it.

 

[danrclem]

I just used some Sprayway glass cleaner on mine and it worked really good.