Replaced door gasket, but still seems loose

[yooper08]

Looking for some help and wisdom. I replaced my door gasket this season (after the first season) since I could pull a piece of paper on the top with the door closed. Tested the seal again today and I can still pull a piece of paper out. Everywhere else is tight.

So, in replacing the gasket, was there some unknown trick or something I could’ve done differently or what could be wrong? What can I do about it now?

 

[DAKSY]

Did you follow the instructions in the manual EXACTLY?

Here they are:

4.1.2 Replacing the Door Gasket It is important to maintain the gasket in good condition. After a year or more of use, the door gasket will compress and become hard, which may allow air to leak past it. You can test the condition of the door gasket by closing and latching the door on a strip of paper. Test all around the door. If the paper slips out easily anywhere, it is time to replace the gasket. Use the correct replacement gasket that you can purchase from your retailer. The diameter and density of the gasket is important to getting a good seal. Place the door face-down on something soft like a cushion of rags or piece of carpet. Remove the old gasket from the door by pulling and prying it out with an old screw driver. Then use the screwdriver to scrape the old gasket adhesive from the door. Now run a 1/4” (6 mm) bead of high temperature silicone in the door gasket groove. Starting from the middle of the hinge side, press the gasket into the groove. Do not stretch the gasket as you place it. Leave the gasket about 1/2” long when you cut it and press the end into the groove. Tuck any loose fibres under the gasket and into the silicone. Close the door and do not use the insert for 24 hours.

If you stretched the gasket AT ALL, you effectively decreased the diameter & that will compromise the sealing action.
If that's what happened you will have to replace it again.

If you DID follow the gasket replacement instructions TO A TEE, you may have another option...
I didn't see any adjustments on the door handle assembly, but if there are multiple flat washers between the locking mechanism & the door, maybe if you removed one & tried that, you may get a tighter seal.

 

[yooper08]

Yeah I followed that. The new gasket is the SBI replacement, too.

There isn’t an adjustment mechanism for the latch unfortunately.

Just seems strange that it’s loose in the same area on the upper door with a new gasket after 1 year on the original gasket. From what I gather, these should last at least a few years. Not saying the new gasket is already shot, just wonder if there’s something else.

Is there some way to fix it without creating a gap elsewhere around the door? Something like very thin sheet metal applied with some furnace cement?

 

[xman23]

I don't know your stove, but I assume it's a standard gasket install. First double check you got the correct diameter. It's real hard to tell what size they are. This is key, no stretching it out as you drop it in. For me that means pushing it together. I think you can easily reduce the diameter 3/16 by just holding the rope a little tight.

If it's loose now, it's not going to get better. I would redo it.

 

[yooper08]

I really don’t think I stretched it out since everywhere else around the door is just fine. It’s also the OEM replacement part. I read the manual as well as the package, which also says don’t stretch it out. I did everything to a t because I didn’t want it to go bad after 1 season like the original.

I think I’m going to reach out to SBI on this one. I’m really leaning on something’s up with the face of the insert, just seems weird to me. They’ll probably tell me the same thing you guys have but I’d really prefer not to have to do it again.

 

[yooper08]

Alright, here’s some pics of the gasket. Maybe this will help with how well I did. Granted, this was the first stove gasket I’ve done.

 

[DAKSY]

Looks good to me.
When you pull a dollar bill out is there ANY drag on it?
Does it pull out freely?
How was your wood burning?
Did you have long lasting fires?

 

[yooper08]

I used newspaper but there’s little tension compared to the other three sides where I can’t even pull it out. I wouldn’t say it comes out freely but it’s definitely easy to pull.

Burn times seem ok but feel they could be longer. Had the same complaint last year that I felt like I should be getting slightly longer burns (was hard to get to 8 hours) and this was one of the things that was IDed. I have control over the fire, that’s never been an issue, so I don’t think a whole lot of air is leaking in. What would be some good signs of air leakage at the top?

 

[DAKSY]

***What would be some good signs of air leakage at the top?***

With a fire burning, hold a cigarette, incense stick or even a freshly blown out candle or match near the edges of the door.
If there is a leak in the gasket seal, smoke will be drawn into the firebox.

 

[yooper08]

Thanks. I’ll try that tomorrow morning.

 

[Highbeam]

It's twisted! Not sure it matters but...

 

[yooper08]

How do you figure that?

 

[yooper08]

Well, tried a candle, a couple matches, and an incense stick. Didn't seem to be pulling air in, the smoke was drawing up towards the convection jacket (no fan on). Now it smells like lavender incense

 

[Highbeam]

How do you figure that?

Look at the grain of the gasket, along the top you rolled it as you set it into the RTV. Surely if you twisted it 5 times it would scrunch down the diameter but one twist is probably okay.

 

[yooper08]

Look at the grain of the gasket, along the top you rolled it as you set it into the RTV. Surely if you twisted it 5 times it would scrunch down the diameter but one twist is probably okay.

Ah, see what you're saying.

 

[kennyp2339]

Also you might get lucky and have a better seal than you think due to the fact that once the metal warms up it expands ever so slightly.

 

[yooper08]

I loaded some larger splits earlier tonight, will see what’s left when I wake up.

Some people say when they close down the stove, all they get is secondary, no primary. How true is that really? I get lazy yellow flames that seem to start just above the wood.

 

[yooper08]

Well, 10 hours later had some coals/embers I was able to relight off of with some kindling. So that went fine, didn't have the firebox packed tight with wood either. Is there a thing as packing it too tight?

 

[DAKSY]

I loaded some larger splits earlier tonight, will see what’s left when I wake up.

Some people say when they close down the stove, all they get is secondary, no primary. How true is that really? I get lazy yellow flames that seem to start just above the wood.

Those lazy yellow - sometimes "dancing" flames ARE your secondaries.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

I am going through this with my Castine right now. I can pretty easily pull a dollar bill out of the entire hinge side of the door. I just replaced the gasket and certainly did it correctly based on manufacturer and hearth advice. However the stove burns nearly perfectly, and certainly better than before I replaced the gasket. I say 'nearly perfectly' because there is typically a slight bit of build up on the glass on the hinge side of the door.

I think kennyp is correct and that some sort of metal expansion happens during heating that causes it to seal better. Others have also said that with the new graphite gaskets, the seal doesn't have to be as tight as regular/high density gaskets to prevent leaks.

The point is, I would likely drive myself crazy trying to somehow get the entire door to pass the dollar bill test but have come to accept that if the correct procedures were followed, and the stove burns correctly, I'm happy.

 

[yooper08]

Those lazy yellow - sometimes "dancing" flames ARE your secondaries.

That’s what I’ve always understood but wanted to make sure it wasn’t an air leak since it looks more like primary combustion.

 

[Woody Stover]

in replacing the gasket, was there some unknown trick or something I could’ve done differently?

If the stove's not sucking too much air now, I would leave it. But next time, you could bunch up the gasket slightly where it is loose, or put more silicone under that section to elevate the gasket in that area.

 

[Highbeam]

That’s what I’ve always understood but wanted to make sure it wasn’t an air leak since it looks more like primary combustion.

I have to disagree. There is always air being fed through the primary and secondary air injection systems as well as the doghouse air. A modern non-cat stove is full of these "leaks". The leaks just provide oxygen that may support combustion as either primary or secondary.

Sometimes you have things choked down enough that the secondary (smoke burning) fire can cascade down towards the wood. If the flame is touching and originates from the fuel then that has got to be considered primary combustion. The primary and secondary can switch on and off independently depending on so many factors.

Primary combustion is like a campfire. Only flames that touch the wood.

Secondary combustion is burning smoke that is not connected to the wood.

 

[illini81]

I have to disagree. There is always air being fed through the primary and secondary air injection systems as well as the doghouse air.

I am new to woodburning, so forgive my ignorance, but I thought primary air and "doghouse air" were the same thing? I thought "doghouse air" was just a slang term for primary air. You're saying that there is an additional way for air to enter a noncat stove, other than primary air and secondary air?

 

[Highbeam]

I am new to woodburning, so forgive my ignorance, but I thought primary air and "doghouse air" were the same thing? I thought "doghouse air" was just a slang term for primary air. You're saying that there is an additional way for air to enter a noncat stove, other than primary air and secondary air?

Not all non-cats are exactly the same but on most of them, including the NC30 and my old hearthstone heritage, the single air control you can operate determines only the amount of air sent to the airwash at the top of the door. That relatively cold airwash air washes down the glass and into the actual belly of the fire to support primary combustion. At the bottom of the loading door is a hole that pops out of a little bump called the doghouse, that hole shoots unregulated full throttle air into the fire as well so is supports primary combustion.

The secondary air system is almost always unregulated full throttle air into those tubes on the top of the firebox. This air gets really hot before emerging and when it does, the air supports secondary combustion of the superhot smoke that didn't get consumed by the primary fire.

There are often several holes in the outer stove body that allow air into the stove. My NC30 has four. On all stoves, except the PE as far as I know, the primary air control lever only partially closes the air wash.

Sound good folks?

Funny things happen inside of a non-cat since they burn cleanly by burning very hot and in the presence of an abundance of oxygen. Closing the primary air control just means that the secondary air system will flow more to satisfy the vacuum.