Fisher GrandPa door gap/defect?

[930dreamer]

Hello, I finally completed my Fisher install, but I can see flames through the top and bottom of the doors while closed. Looks like the edge is ground at an angle, with the air draft caps closed it still burns fine with the air draw through these spaces.I hope these pictures help. Thank you.

 

[coaly]

Are the hinge plates welded to the angle iron corners (normal) or to the front plate of stove? (not common but do exist)
If welded to angle iron, make sure it is tight against stove and not flexing outward, or bowing away from stove front allowing the hinge pin holes to be farther apart than they should be. Picture a pipe clamp across the stove front pulling hinge plates towards the center, closing gap in door. If that seems fine, they were probably welded in that position and not much can be done without relocating them.

The stoves were sat on their back and the doors were sat on the stove to position hinge plates on stove front. The doors may have been a bit too far apart. The doors should touch in the center. If they are too tight, you have to open both doors a bit and close them together. That's how snug this one fits. Notice center of door seam.



Only the '76 doors with round seal are critical with the gap. The later doors that use channel iron seal overlap better.

 

[930dreamer]

Looks like the hinge is welded to the front plate. I'll post some better pics when I return home. Thank you.

 

[coaly]

Looks like it is welded to the angle iron. There were some made on the east coast wider than the norm, (Dunn Brothers) and used these bent looking hinge plates. Yours is normal.

Notice the larger space between door and angle iron corner increasing the width of stove. The door seam isn't as critical on this one as yours since it has an overlap top to bottom.

 

[930dreamer]

Thank you!

 

[930dreamer]

Here's a good pic during a burn of the upper and lower gap.

 

[coaly]

I measured my left '76 door. With door open, it is 12 5/8" overall. That is inside from hinge edge to overlap edge. That measurement is entire door height top to bottom except for the notch at top which is 1 5/8 down from top and the bottom notch which is 1 3/4" notch height from bottom. The overlap portion of door that goes under the right door is 3/8". That 3/8" piece fits inside the cast "notch" of the right door making a tight fit the entire door height. I put a flashlight inside the stove and closed doors and have no visible light up and down the door seam. My door edges also comes together tight giving it the full 3/8 overlap top to bottom ;

Here's a '76 Grandma with door seam wider than my '76 Grandpa shown above that fits tighter, but no light visible. That's about the max spacing.


Your space seems excessive. I'd remove one side hinge pins when cold and slide the door towards the center until tight against other door. A flashlight inside will show IF the space tightens up. Then you can see how far off the hinge pin hole is. If that's the case, you have a couple options to cure it.