Heritage 8022 gaskets

[orlkc]

I noticed a persistent buildup in the lower bottom corners that doesn't burn off with a hot fire during the first week of use this fall, and thinking it might be time to replace the gaskets. Dollar bill tests are inconclusive -- a full width bill doesn't budge anywhere, but smaller angled sections do pull freely right in the corners. If it's marginal, I'm inclined to proceed anyway since the weather is nice enough that I won't want a working stove again for at least another week or three, and if I bungle it and need a second attempt I'd rather not do so mid-winter.

I have an OEM gasket kit on hand (also have an OEM glass kit on hand, though not sure I need that yet), but I didn't see instructions on how to get the doors off. Anyone done this before? It looks like the door mechanisms changed quite a bit over the years, so that the approach is likely rather different for the different heritage generations (I have the 8022 version).

 

[orlkc]

Looks like the side door descriptions in here are close enough to what I need, even though that's for the newer model:

(broken link removed to http://hearthstonetech.com/download/i/mark_dl/u/4011670632/4634340706/TDS90-58230%20Heritage%208023%20Gasket%20Replacement%20Instructions.pdf)

 

[orlkc]

I got the gaskets replaced today. It was definitely time, as the old ones disintegrated as I was pulling them out of the channels. Three years of use on the old set.

Mostly went as planned, though I ended up not following the instructions around how to get the side door off. I wasn't able to get any of the screws that hold the door slider plate on to budge, and didn't want to risk stripping them. So instead, I pushed the hinge pin out all the way and then angled the sliding plate out of its track.

I don't know how well the new gaskets work yet, but will see soon enough.

To cure the gaskets, do I need to start with small break-in fires first, or is that only for the beginning of season start ups?

 

[orlkc]

A couple fires with the new gaskets made a big difference. The buildup on the lower corners of the glass is gone, and it seems I need to relearn what primary air setting to use during startup. I guess that means it was leaking more than I noticed before.

For next time I do see that I'll need to do a better job where the two ends meet to avoid frayed ends, and it looks like I got a drop of glue to bleed through onto the knife edge in one spot, so that will presumably be the spot to fail early. I found a suggestion in the big thread a couple years back (the one talking about all the various kinds of RTV and whether those were a good idea for gaskets) to close the doors on a piece of wax paper the first time. I'll try that if I remember.