Fire Braid around glass disintegrating...??!!

[pduby]

I have a new - well, one month running now - Lopi Yankee Bay and last night while cleaning this I saw some small frays landing on the floor - the braiding around the glass is disintegrating! We've probably cleaned the glass area maybe 10 times - I don't think it should be doing this. Will this cause an air lead between the glass (there are 3 sections of glass) - is this dangerous? Has any had this or heard of this before? Thanks for you help

 

[Souzafone]

It's important to not get cleaner on the gaskets when cleaning the glass. How do clean the glass and what do you use for cleaner?

 

[SKIN052]

I have had the same problem with a stove in the past. I agree with Souzafone, do not get cleaner on the gasket. Spray onto a cloth and wipe the glass while being careful to avoid the gasket. If the gasket get really bad then you will have problem with air pressure. The stove should shut down though if the air pressure is way off.

 

[Valhalla]

Just a thought,

Can you pellet guys use the ash method for cleaning glass? As wood burners do.

It is well known, just use a damp newspaper dipped in wood ash to clean the glass.

It works great and no special cleaner to buy or damage gaskets.

Keep warm pellet guys!

 

[pduby]

Thanks for your responses - we've followed the manufacturer directions - " open the door and clean the glass with a non-abrasive glass cleaner and rag" - using Windex. I know you can't help but get some on the gasket.

We also have had on going problems since the install - replaced ash pan as not sealing right, leveling legs putting too much pressure on stove, ductwork not sealed correctly - the dealer did come out and adjusted this...

so, should the braiding be replaced?

Thanks for all your input!

 

[tinkabranc]

Do not spray the windex directly on the glass, spray it on a cloth and then
wipe the glass.

Need a pic of the braiding and strays to tell you if it is necessary
to replace or not.

 

[pduby]

Yes, we've been spraying the windex onto the rag, not directly onto the glass. I just called the dealer - they are coming out to replace under warranty, they haven't seen a gasket do this only a month after install. Just to be safe we'll swich over to using the ash as suggested in an earlier post

 

[Souzafone]

What Valhalla said.

 

[sydney1963]

I only use a paper towel with just water. It works fine on my glass, no need what so ever for glass cleaner.

 

[Valhalla]

Glad that you pellet guys liked the wet paper and ash method for cleaning glass.

It came from previous Hearth.com forums and threads. It is a great resource.

Burn wisely and keep warm.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

exposed sections of the gasket which are not pinched between the glass and the supports can degrade fairly quickly but the important part is whats pinched between the glass and the door face as well as the support clamps whicch hold the glass in place. as long as the glass is tight and not leaking (check with a lit match upon startup before it lights ,, if you hold the flame close to the edge of the window and trace around the edges you will see the flame be pulled into a leak as the air is sucked in through it, no movement in the flame, no leak. just dont do it with a hot stove as 1 the glass will be quite hot, and 2 the room fan will blow the flame around and make it hard to see if you have a leak)

 

[Xena]

Ya don't even need any fluids to clean the glass.
I dry wipe it every day. Cloth baby diaper works
great but I've used dry paper towels too. Been
doing it this way going on 4 yrs now. No problems yet.

 

[MainePellethead]

I use windex daily.....have never had any problems. The key word is "ammonia". Dont use any window cleaner with ammonia in it. I have never tried the ash method but I hear it works well.

 

[Shortstuff]

I also use only paper towels and water usually every 3 days. First I carefully vacuum the gasket lightly with my ash vac to remove any excess buildup of ash, then with a damp paper towel (balled up a bit) I carefully pull the top center of the door gasket away from the glass just enough so that I can get a little paper towel just under it and wipe to the corner, then down to the bottom - repeat the other side. This way I'm not pushing any ash under the gasket but rather out from under the gasket. I only wipe under the gasket this way carefully one time, then use a total of 3 damp paper towels to wipe the glass clean. The final wipe is with a dry micro-fiber cloth and my glass is always crystal clean. And yes, I've tried dipping my paper towel into the fly ash in the stove and it does work perfectly as a harmless abrasive for stubborn spots.

Also, you can also use a good old-fashioned felt chalk board eraser for the final wipe which I do when I clean my car/truck windows. When you've cleaned the glass as best you can use the eraser (dry) and wipe with a little pressure. You'll notice that the more you wipe the less resistance you feel as you remove any remaining streaks/residue. Works like a charm!

Happy heating!

Steve

 

[Czech]

You might want to lightly sand the face of the stove where the gasket meets the stove front. If there are any burrs here they will hook the gasket and pull it apart. As has already been said, no ammonia if you use glass cleaner, stick with vinegar based cleaner.

 

[Scoop]

Over 25 years of wood burning and now a pellet pusher, I have always used a razor blade to clean the door glass. For some reason I have always had smokey glass no matter what air wash system was installed.

I simply take a utility knife blade and take a couple of swipes across the stove at about a 35 degree angle. This is the same way I would clean burned on guck on a ceramic cook top. I now used a paint scraper that has a razor blade on the front of it. I've never used liquids or ash.

Crazy or what??

 

[itworks]

Another pellet pusher chiming in. Based on another thread I started to use damp newspaper to clean my glass. Works better, easier, and cheaper than Rutland's Glass Cleaner for Stoves and Fireplaces, or any other product I've used in the past. Another victory for recycling and Mr. Cheapo.

 

[Lobstah]

To your original question...you're referring to the fiberglass gasket that seals the door to the stove. When the gasket is applied, it frequently has little pieces sticking out from the "rope". When those get hot, after awhile they get brittle and fall off. It doesn't mean the gasket is disintergrating...it's getting "trimmed" sorta

And I still think it's funny that folks get so obsessive about perfectly clean glass

I'm with Scoop...little window scraper works great when I clean the ashes out.

Jim

 

[imacman]

To your original question...you're referring to the fiberglass gasket that seals the door to the stove....... Jim

No, he's talking about the gasket that seals the front glass sections to the door frame. My '05 Astoria is doing the same thing a little....no big deal.

 

[Augmister]

Just replaced the polywog door gasket on my two year old Quad Castille. Think the ammonia Windex got to it. Using the vinegar version and avoiding getting any on the rope. Clean it only once a week

 

[itworks]

Just replaced the polywog door gasket on my two year old Quad Castille. Think the ammonia Windex got to it. Using the vinegar version and avoiding getting any on the rope. Clean it only once a week

Try a cheap (probably free) experiment instead of either Windex product. Damp newspaper works superbly for me and other posters to the forum.

 

[pduby]

macman- you are right - the gasket that seals the front window sectionws. The dealer came out last week to replace, and asked if we used a knife to clean the window because the gasket was disintegrating - NO! Said he hadn't seen a gasket that bad. - he brought wrong gasket to replace this - figured this out once the old gasket was out. He "put" the old gasket back and new one on order... 4th repair since october on new stove: installed incorrectly/then reinstalled, air leak, ash pan leak, remote replacement, circuit board replaement and now gasket - new stove. We are strongly considering a replacement. Took photos last night of how much ash this stove produces in 24 hours ----- over 6 CUPS ----- will post the pics. Stove has to be THROUGHLY cleaned each night - 1+ hours. Dealer says 'this is normal'.......reallllly

 

[imacman]

Took photos last night of how much ash this stove produces in 24 hours ----- over 6 CUPS ----- will post the pics. Stove has to be THROUGHLY cleaned each night - 1+ hours. Dealer says 'this is normal'.......reallllly

Well, I don't think cleaning your stove every day is normal. I do mine about every 3-4 days. Excessive ash could be due to the brand of pellets your using....what are they?

BTW, I see a lot of discussion on what people are using to clean their glass. I use the "high tech" approach....some water on a paper towel. It gets the glass 99% clean, and any stubborn stains come off with a little ash on the wet paper towel.

 

[Lobstah]

645899,
How hot are you running your flame?...I cut mine back to where I have just a few embers (fly ash) coming out of the burn pot every now and then...reduced my ash buildup considerably. I was running TOO much air through the stove, and while it wasn't popping pellets out of the pot, it was pushing embers out before they were completely burned.
What was the repair for the ash pan leak?

Jim