Well, Cross Another Off Of My "Firsts" List.... PE Door Glass...

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Dix

Minister of Fire
May 27, 2008
6,685
Long Island, NY
So, Monday night the temps here were dropping into the mid 30's (F). Even though I have the AC's in the windows :mad: I said to myself "fire off the PE, keep the chill out, let the OB take care of the lower level, if needed". :)

Start coal bed, gleefully go outside, and bring in some firewood. Load 3 splits on decent bed of oak bark & lumber scraps. Face temp of the PE @300F. Temps climb to 400F, burning nicely. Temp climbs to 450F, shut air 1/2 way down. Normal "up ticks" coming from the PE. No firewood near the door glass, stove was cleaned out, and boost baffle removed, and stove thoroughly cleaned for summer.

Leave room, go to kitchen. Fill dogs water bowl. Hear a semi metallic loud BANG/BAM from stove room. Know it's from the PE, know it!!! Say "WTF" to myself. Brain engages. Not an up tick, never heard that noise from that stove before, baffle fell down? Nah, probably not.

Return to den, stove cruising@ 500F, secondary's super engaged. And then I notice that the fire through the glass is distorted.

*pics taken next night*

Look from behind Old Man Sam's ear, down to his front paw.

IMG_0011.jpg IMG_0013.jpg

Talked to Tom Oyun AKA The Chimney Sweep. New door glass ordered, and I can replace it myself ;)

I'm glad it was June, and not November :p
 
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You ordered from WA state? No local dealers?

Wow. Did Tom offer any explanations? There are lots of old timers that don't want a window for this very reason yet we all tell them it doesn't break unless you hit it.
 
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Tom gave me advice, and I ordered from an online website. It will be here next week.

Buying WD40 this weekend :)

Tom said it happens. That he had come into the shop that morning, and it was cool, so he fired off a gas stove to warm the place up, and BANG/BAM, on a brand new stove.
 
I always thought about buying a spare for my Regency. Almost like insurance that it will never crack!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
Yes, mine cracked across the corner for absolutely NO reason. Cold stove, mid-summer. PE won't stand behind the glass no matter what their warranty states. Buy from online sources -- PE replacement glass is a total ripoff.
 
Yep, ordered on line last night. It shipped this morning. Be here by Wednesday.

I'm sure it's a stock item, it's a uniform size.
 
I've often wondered about doors without glass. If I ran off a thermometer I wouldn't need glass, but I set the primary off the fire's activity.


Wasn't it the Elm stove that had a Pyrex pie plate for the glass?
 
Will glass ever catastrophically fail, as in blow out? Or is it designed to crack like above and remain in place?
 
Will glass ever catastrophically fail, as in blow out? Or is it designed to crack like above and remain in place?

It's not actually glass. It's not likely to crack due to thermal shock (this is the stuff "glass" cooktops are made of), but mechanical forces can still crack it. That could be due to the frame that it's in putting too much pressure on it, or more commonly, due to the door being used as a loghammer. (Dix?) ;lol

I've never broken such a thick piece as a stove window, but thinner pieces can crack into small pieces like glass if it gets hit with something.

My recent reading has led me to a couple apocryphal stories about stove windows blowing out due to burning unventilated bamboo segments, but I have never seen a first hand account. (Bamboo does pop as the sealed segments burn, though, sounds like fireworks.)
 
It's not actually glass. It's not likely to crack due to thermal shock (this is the stuff "glass" cooktops are made of), but mechanical forces can still crack it. That could be due to the frame that it's in putting too much pressure on it, or more commonly, due to the door being used as a loghammer. (Dix?) ;lol

Couple of whaps with Aunt Esther's purse :p

New glass arrived yesterday. I'll start the process this weekend :)