PE Alderlea T5 - door and window gaskets

[pma1123]

Hi all,
I performed my pre-season maintenance on my PE Alderlea T5 by pulling the baffle, sweeping the chimney, and replacing the door & baffle gaskets.
With only 5 splits in the firebox, I lit it up and shut down the air once things got going. But it seems the air control is not controlling the air intake the way it normally does; stove is basically running away and going north of 700F stovetop on just 5 splits. This isn't normal, based on 3 prior years of running the T5.
Since this I cleaned the stove out, put stove cement on the ash door (I don't use it anyhow) and gave it another try; same result with runaway stove.

Wondering if I should suspect my door window gasket as a potential air leak now that the stove is a few years old? Where else should I look to verify I don't have uncontrolled air leaks?

 

[Woody5506]

I don't exactly think that's not normal for 5 splits of wood in that stove, depending on wood type and how seasoned it is. If you shut the air all the way down, are the flames still roaring or do they slow down and hover around the firebox in that oh so awesome hypnotic way?

 

[begreen]

This happened to me last year with a door gasket replacement. Was the door gasket a PE OEM gasket or aftermarket? I found that only the OEM worked correctly. It was kind of a goldilocks situation. Rutland (too loose and soft) and Meeco (too firm) did not seal as well and I had too much air getting to the fire. Put in the expensive OEM gasket using red RTV and the stove works great again.

 

[pma1123]

I should also state that I am burning 3 year CSS & top covered maple, good and dry.

For Woody5506, normal stove operation I can affect a major change in the burn with the air control lever, and currently it goes from raging inferno (when open) to just slightly less than a raging inferno when the air control is closed; stove top continues to climb into the red zone. Normally this stove is very controllable even when loaded up to the baffle, unless doing something crazy like reloading onto a bed of hot coals.

BG, you bring up a very valid point for my situation. In the past couple gasket changes I have used the PE OEM gasket kit on the door, and at the end of the burning season last year the stove was still controllable. When I went to my local PE dealer this season for supplies, they assured me the bulk white stove door gasket they had on a roll in back was indeed the same as the black stuff in the PE gasket kit and to enjoy the money savings.

Your point on the non-OEM door gasket is very valid, I will say the new door gasket does put pressure doing the dollar bill test, but you can feel a difference in the gasket density just based on the feel of the door latch. And a visual inspection of the door glass flat rope gasket...it looks fine. Also, aside from sweeping the pipe and a new baffle gasket, the door gasket is the only thing that changed since last season.

My next step is to order a PE door gasket kit and report my findings...

Thanks guys for checking in.

 

[begreen]

Sounds very similar to our situation last year. Our wood is nice dry doug fir. With the non-OEM gasket I could not confidently load the stove full. The fire was getting too much air. I had to run small loads only. As soon as the OEM gasket was put in place, the stove burned correctly.

 

[Woody5506]

I'm a novice burner with the same stove so on that note thank you for posting about your issue, now I know not to mess with cheaper gaskets for this stove when the time comes!

 

[FarmerDan]

We seem to be on the same trajectory with our PE stoves in Wisconsin! Our gasket is falling off but looks salvageable. Thanks to this post, I'll try to use some of that RTV glue, and I'll circle back and let you folks know how we're doing.

@pma1123 how did your gasket work go, especially with the cold we've been having in the past few weeks, did you have any over-firings?

 

[pma1123]

Confirming all is well with a new PE (OEM) door gasket! We've had many weeks of near-zero temps and the
stove is back under control and operating the way it should be.

I agree Farmer Dan, glue your existing gasket back on the door instead of trying to replace with aftermarket door gasketing.

 

[madison]

FarmerDan et al.

Just make sure to clean out the old glue residue from the channel and use the RTV VERY sparingly when reapplying the gasket - or you will end up with mess. Masking tape can help keep the the gasket in place when rehanging the door. I would also suggest temporarily putting masking tape around the door frame where the gasket (and potential excess RTV) may smooze out onto the frame.

-also be remember to refit the door hanger screws and door latch after removing and replacing the door from the stove body. ( "dollar bill test")

And I will ditto Begreen and others there is a difference in the porosity of the OEM and other types of gaskets.

 

[FarmerDan]

when rehanging the door

To be clear, you recommend taking the door off when repairing/regluing the gasket? Thanks!

 

[begreen]

If just regluing an area you can leave the door on. After gluing take a sheet of newspaper, place it in the area of the regluing and close the door on it. Let sit for at least 12 hrs to set up.

 

[madison]

To be clear, you recommend taking the door off when repairing/regluing the gasket? Thanks!

Agree with Begreen, but if REPLACING the gasket I do not think you could do it properly without taking the door off

 

[FarmerDan]

Update: I've been able to secure the door gasket with the RTV red glue, worked very well. I'm still having some run away overfirings on the stove. After everyone's comments, I'm pretty sure it's the glass gasket that wraps around the glass in the door. The local dealer, however, reports that I can only buy a new gasket with the glass itself, making this fix prohibitively expensive.

It sounds like everyone here recommends the OEM parts, but I can't shell out a couple hundred bucks for a new glass insert with a gasket if my glass is in perfect shape. Just the tiny rope that goes around that has the problem. Any tips using aftermarket parts, folks? Insight much appreciated!

 

[begreen]

Try burning thicker splits, with little space between them and turn down the air sooner.

 

[bcrtops]

Update: I've been able to secure the door gasket with the RTV red glue, worked very well. I'm still having some run away overfirings on the stove. After everyone's comments, I'm pretty sure it's the glass gasket that wraps around the glass in the door. The local dealer, however, reports that I can only buy a new gasket with the glass itself, making this fix prohibitively expensive.

It sounds like everyone here recommends the OEM parts, but I can't shell out a couple hundred bucks for a new glass insert with a gasket if my glass is in perfect shape. Just the tiny rope that goes around that has the problem. Any tips using aftermarket parts, folks? Insight much appreciated!

1) You can buy the glass gasket (after-market) from the ceramic glass suppliers. You can find them online by doing a search. Get the flat glass "tape" with the self-adhesive. I doubt, considering how the glass is held in on the T5, that it is leaking -- is the glass loose? Can you move it easily?
2) I have installed a new gasket very successfully without removing the door. The high-temp silicone is sticky enough to make this fairly easy. Won't work with the gasket cement -- take the door off & install flat.
3) OEM glass & gasket? You have to be kidding! That is one of the issues with PE & their horrible supply chain -- incredibly over expensive parts. (And, a lot of their parts come only in "kit" form, like this glass "kit", making them even more hideously expensive). Their gasket kit is 5-6x the cost of what it should be. I have had good success using aftermarket. If using the white low-density stuff from a hardware store, you need to go 1/16" over size recommended. The black rutland gasket has been good to me -- just don't stretch it. The local PE dealer does not even stock door/window gasket OEM-- just sells the generic stuff off a roll, & are not interested in even selling the OEM stuff. (PE does not make their gasket, nor their ceramic glass -- they buy the stuff from other manufacturers. Then they double to cost to the warehouse/supplier, who doubles the cost to the dealer, who doubles the cost to you, hence, $10 worth of gasket costs you $80 & $100 ceramic-glass window will cost you $400.)

 

[Sprinter]

This is just a FWIW comment. My stove is a PE Super 27 (basically the same thing). The edge that seals the gasket is a "knife-edge" style, as opposed to the rounded type on some other stoves. My observation is that the knife edge is so efficient at sealing the gasket, that very little force with the door handle is necessary to seal the gasket very nicely. Some may say that the knife edge may be wearing the gasket down, but I don't see that as long as you are gentle with it, and that is good enough anyway.

I've found that just a slight push on the handle is all that is necessary to seal. My gasket is showing nearly no wear after 5 years and is showing no air leaks. I've also seen some threads where the door handle bearing wears out prematurely. I often wonder if the owners are pushing down on the handle much harder than is necessary.

Maybe that will help some folks that are having such issues. These gaskets should really last a long time with some care IMO.

 

[bcrtops]

The T-series stoves do not have a "knife" edge gasket. They do have a "knife" edge, more or less, but the gasket seals to the flat face outside of the "knife" due to the cast iron door design on these stoves. I am going on yr. 10 with this stove & the 2nd gasket replacement -- would only have been a one time replacement, but I had issues with the hinge on my stove, that overly squished gasket #2 & had to replace it.

If the gasket is getting bad and wore, I have always had soot form on the windows near the leaking area when fire burns low -- usually outside lower edges of glass. The air-wash has to compete with the air coming in around the door, hence soot develops.

 

[Sprinter]

The T-series stoves do not have a "knife" edge gasket. They do have a "knife" edge, more or less, but the gasket seals to the flat face outside of the "knife" due to the cast iron door design on these stoves. I am going on yr. 10 with this stove & the 2nd gasket replacement -- would only have been a one time replacement, but I had issues with the hinge on my stove, that overly squished gasket #2 & had to replace it.

If the gasket is getting bad and wore, I have always had soot form on the windows near the leaking area when fire burns low -- usually outside lower edges of glass. The air-wash has to compete with the air coming in around the door, hence soot develops.

Thanks for the correction. I assumed the T5 doors were the same. I still stand by my comments, but lets just leave it for the Super 27's then.

 

[bcrtops]

Thanks for the correction. I assumed the T5 doors were the same. I still stand by my comments, but lets just leave it for the Super 27's then.

Yes, I think all the other PE design stoves have the "knife" edge gasket. The door design overall is much better on your stove than the "T" series (my opinion). A much heavier hinge & better sealing system.

 

[Sprinter]

Yes, I think all the other PE design stoves have the "knife" edge gasket. The door design overall is much better on your stove than the "T" series (my opinion). A much heavier hinge & better sealing system.

I often wish I had gone with the T5 for it's features, but that's off topic, and I really, really like the basic PE design.

 

[begreen]

Yes, I think all the other PE design stoves have the "knife" edge gasket. The door design overall is much better on your stove than the "T" series (my opinion). A much heavier hinge & better sealing system.

No complaints about the sealing with the T6. The original gasket on our stove did it's job well for 8 years. Personally I like the flat face seal a little better than the knife-edge, but both get the job done.

 

[FarmerDan]

Hey folks, thanks for the feedback so far. I'm confident that something on our stove is leaking air, as our burning habits haven't changed, and we've had some unpredictable fires recently. FWIW, our first couple fires back in 2015 got out of control, but that was me being a newbie and our old house being extra drafty due to remodeling. Things are tighter now on the house-side of things, so I gotta believe that there's a bad gasket. I'm pretty sure I messed up the glass gasket when I was fixing the door (got a little curious about it and broke it...). See the photo attached of the frayed gasket.

@begreen - I'll take your advice for now and cut the air supply much quicker than I've been doing it.
@bcrtops & @Sprinter - Pretty sure our T6 has a knife-like edge that have have helped to fray the gasket. Could've just been a lemon of a gasket to begin with? What do you think? See photo attached. I'll look up some aftermarket places to investigate the flat tape, thanks for the tips!

Any other thoughts are appreciated. Thanks again, pals!

 

[begreen]

No, the T6 gasket contacts the face outside of the welded window frame on the stove body. You can see the imprint on the stove body. It's much narrower than the 7/8" knife-edge gasket used on the Summit.

Is that an OEM PE gasket?

 

[FarmerDan]

No, the T6 gasket contacts the face outside of the welded window frame on the stove body. You can see the imprint on the stove body. It's much narrower than the 7/8" knife-edge gasket used on the Summit.

Is that an OEM PE gasket?

Yep, that's the original that came with the new stove in 2015. I'm taking @bcrtops advice, and looking up aftermarket tape gaskets for the glass. What dimensions would you recommend?

 

[jackatc1]

I purchased flat black self stick glass gasket at
www. chimneysweeponline.com for $20 on 2/11/16
Plus shipping.