What do you think, is replacing the door gasket really that critical?

[JTT1]

First observations/question/thought- I've had a stove with a gasket that started showing a couple light gaps (top rt corner vicinity by the handle and another about mid way down the same side). I really haven't noticed a difference other than perhaps shutting down the air a little lower than I did with a perfect gasket. It appears that closing down the air a little more is simply offset by the little bit of air that's coming in from the gasket area. Sound plausible?

Second question/thought- Why do people replace the whole gasket at once? If there's only one main area (usually near the door handle from what I've seen) why not simply replace that area with a foot of rope as opposed to pulling out the hole thing? A few closings of the door will squish the new rope to match the old so it seems like a waste of time/rope to replace some that's perfectly fine.

I know somebody's ready to slam these observations/thoughts but maybe not?

 

[cycloxer]

1. Yes

2. Because it's half-a$$ed

 

[DAKSY]

Why do people replace the whole gasket at once?

Why do it more than once? If it wears out in certain areas, ALL areas should be replaced.
It's fire & CO in your house, man, keep em in the appliance where they belong...

 

[BrotherBart]

Personally I don't think door gasket tightness is as important as it was with the old stoves. Hell the new stoves have unregulated secondary air holes on them and various forms of them feeding air at the front of the stove to keep you from being able to close them down completely. A small leak in the door gasket pales in comparison.

As to keeping fire and CO in the stove, how ya gonna keep CO from coming out of the primary air intake, EPA hole in whatever form it takes, and the secondary air intake?

 

[DAKSY]

As to keeping fire and CO in the stove, how ya gonna keep CO from coming out of the primary air intake, EPA hole in whatever form it takes, and the secondary air intake?

Point taken. Any leaks would tend to draw air movement into the stove anyway,
as long as the chimney was drafting correctly...
I still think the gasket should be COMPLETELY replaced if parts of it fail...
Mizewell TRY to keep the wood burning as long as you can...

 

[JerseyWreckDiver]

When mine started getting bad enough several years ago it became really difficult to regulate the fire. When there was enough in there to cause a serious draw it would get unbearably hot. I was opening windows in January. I replaced the gasket (the whole gasket, cause... that's the way I do things) and it was fine again. That was several years ago and it's just starting to act up again.

If the secondary air would have that effect then why does it not just counteract shuting down the combustion air all together? I think the secondary air hole on my VC Vigilant is located that the draft from the chimney will take it up and not allow it to get to the fire.

 

[staplebox]

1. When that door gasket gets bad enough you'll loose control of the stove. It'll be like leaving the door cracked at start-up except when it runs out of control and you have the door shut and the air shut down it won't slow down. Take pictures of your red stove and post them here; don't let your insurance Co. see them though.

2. I'm a cheap Yankee but damn. Thats like asking why you'd wash both hands if only one was dirty. Gaskets are cheap and if you're digging in there you might as well do the whole thing. Watta you gonna do - date stamp each piece as you go? Less seams mean fewer chances of an air gap. See #1.

Good Luck.

 

[littlesmokey]

If ten bucks and a half hour of your time is an issue, you shouldn't be using a stove. Yes it's important to have a good fit on the door, and yes it's very cheap and easy to replace the gasket. I buy material by the foot and use a gasket adhesive that lasts years i the fridge,(the one in the shop). If you start losing control of your stove, you are out of luck. The "unregulated" secondaries, really are regulated as they will only admit X-amount of air, that is a controlled amount built into the proper operation of the stove. A blown gasket is not part of that formula.

 

[firefighterjake]

Hmmm . . . I look at it this way . . .

a) gaskets are pretty cheap
b) installing gaskets are pretty easy
c) the gasket is part of the stove
d) when I have the door open even a little bit I notice a big change in the fire and its behavior vs. when the door is snug and closed
e) it's not like I have to replace the gaskets every year

For these reasons when my gasket no longer passes muster I will be springing for the repair . . . and repairing the whole kit and caboodle . . . heck, I may even go with the OEM gaskets from Jotul since many folks say they last five years or longer even.

 

[sbk12rs]

Hmmm . . . I look at it this way . . .

a) gaskets are pretty cheap
b) installing gaskets are pretty easy
c) the gasket is part of the stove
d) when I have the door open even a little bit I notice a big change in the fire and its behavior vs. when the door is snug and closed
e) it's not like I have to replace the gaskets every year

For these reasons when my gasket no longer passes muster I will be springing for the repair . . . and repairing the whole kit and caboodle . . . heck, I may even go with the OEM gaskets from Jotul since many folks say they last five years or longer even.

I just did mine on my QUAD 3100 ! A night and day difference .
Today is the first major burn for the season

 

[Chettt]

Longer burn times would be the only reason.

 

[vvvv]

if ure in CA & stove aint overfiring, no new gasket needed? elsewhere? tight gasket blocks air infiltration from theoretically inappropriate locations

 

[Jags]

tight gasket blocks air infiltration from theoretically inappropriate locations

Exactly - air entering in from unwanted places will reduce the air going into wanted places (secondary's)

A tiny leak may be undetectable, but I ain't gonna get any better.

 

[adrpga498]

1. Yes

2. Because it's half-a$$ed

Ditto. Just changed mine on a 9 year old Castine (2door model). Easy fix $7.00 & 45 minutes done deal. Kit came with 7' of gasket and doors needed 6.5 along with epoxy.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Yes. It is a cheap fix that makes the stove operate as it was intended to operate.

 

[precaud]

tight gasket blocks air infiltration from theoretically inappropriate locations

Bingo. The closer to the draft source (chimney outlet) a leak is, the more it will rob air from other "downstream" sources in the stove. So on most stoves, leaks at the window will upset the air intake balance in the stoves the most.

When I got my Quad 2100, the door gasket was installed very poorly, with big leaks at the corners (see pic). Removing and reinstalling it make a big difference.

 

[DanCorcoran]

"I know somebody’s ready to slam these observations/thoughts but maybe not?"

Well, you got that right!

 

[firefighterjake]

HehHeh . . . I was all set to post a reply . . . and then realized I had already posted a reply all the way back in 2009 . . . the funny thing is I was going to pretty much write out the same reply.