Gasket cement recommendations

[msjones2452]

So, my dealer thinks that my door gasket needs to be replaced. On the latch side the gasket appears to have been "stretched" during manufacture. I've removed all of the washers and as long as I work the gasket with my fingers between loads it will pass the dollar bill test - barely! But, the gasket is almost completely flat and nearly even with the outside edges of the channel. On the hinge side where the two ends of the gasket come together they appear to have been "saturated" with the original cement and are hard/crusty. They also do not completely fill the channel and have a small space between the two ends.

At any rate, the dealer gave me a new gasket and a tube of the Rutland gasket cement - the black stuff. A co-worker that is also a wood burner said not to use that stuff because it dries very hard and is extremely difficult to remove later. He said to use the "red high temp. silicone". Looking at my gasket, it kind of looks like they may have used red stuff originally but w/o removal I can't tell.

 

[DAKSY]

Actually, I've found that the RTV silicone is more difficult to remove than the Rutland Gasket Cement,
& I have probably replaced the gaskets in a hundred doors over the years...
If you have a cast iron door, I wouldn't hesitate to use either one.
If you have a Gold or Nickel-Plated door, the gasket cement will not hold as well as the RTV.
As far as installing the new gasket, I always start between the hinge posts, & I make sure I don't
stretch the gasket at all when working my way around the door channel. Also, don't cut it to length until
you have made it all the way to the start point. That way it can't be too short.

 

[graycatman]

Actually, I've found that the RTV silicone is more difficult to remove than the Rutland Gasket Cement,
& I have probably replaced the gaskets in a hundred doors over the years...
If you have a cast iron door, I wouldn't hesitate to use either one.
If you have a Gold or Nickel-Plated door, the gasket cement will not hold as well as the RTV.
As far as installing the new gasket, I always start between the hinge posts, & I make sure I don't
stretch the gasket at all when working my way around the door channel. Also, don't cut it to length until
you have made it all the way to the start point. That way it can't be too short.

The bottom of my door gasket was loose so I used the black Rutland stuff a couple of days ago. It seems to hold fine, but boy-o-boy was it hard to get out of the tube! I was able to get only a couple of dabs out no matter how hard I squeezed. Oddly, the stuff that came out was soft, like toothpaste, so I don't know why it didn't just flow out of the tube.

FWIW, I see on the other site someone has called to our attention that Woodstock is making a cement which they say runs smoothly.

 

[Woody Stover]

the dealer gave me a new gasket and a tube of the Rutland gasket cement - the black stuff. A co-worker said to use the "red high temp. silicone". Looking at my gasket, it kind of looks like they may have used red stuff originally

They used the silicone on my Buck 91 so that's what I've been using. I wouldn't try it on a cast door that gets hot, only a glass door where heat isn't transmitted to the frame where the gasket channel is. I've been using an angle grinder with a cable-twist brush wheel to clean the gasket channels. You still have to clean the corners by hand, but it's a lot quicker overall.

I used the black Rutland stuff....was it hard to get out of the tube!
someone has called to our attention that Woodstock is making a cement which they say runs smoothly.

Yeah, when the black stuff settles out, or gets old and dries out, you may as well just get a fresh tube...if you can find one! I've been meaning to try the Woodstock gasket glue and furnace cement....

 

[msjones2452]

Thanks for the info, I guess I'll try the Rutland since I have it and it was free. The dealer actually gave me two new gaskets so I guess if I screw something up I always have a second chance. Now, I just have to wait for the weather to warm up a little bit so I can shut the stove down for a day!