What is the reason behind the gasket joint?

[NewStoveOwner2020]

Hello, quick question for you gurus.

I noticed twice when operating the wood stove that in the off chance wood falls towards the glass that I see embers come out of the front of the stove.
This seems odd to me as the stove should be sealed and the door was in the locked position. When inspecting I see that my gasket does not go all the way around the door at the bottom. I can nearly fit my pinky in the gap.

The manual shows this to be correct but I find it strange, does anyone happen to know why this gap is left there?



Stove: Napolean S20

 

[begreen]

The gasket joint does not have a gap, which is exaggerated in the illustration to show its location. Is there a small chunk of wood in your gasket? That should be removed.

 

[NewStoveOwner2020]

The gasket joint does not have a gap, which is exaggerated in the illustration to show its location. Is there a small chunk of wood in your gasket? That should be removed.

No that is like a paper like susbstance that has been there since the install. Over time it has burned down a little. It initally was a band over the whole gasket.

 

[begreen]

Ah yes, it's a joiner. If the seal is poor at that location try to carefully clean it out and then gently fluff up the gasket in that area.

 

[NewStoveOwner2020]

Ah yes, it's a joiner. If the seal is poor at that location try to carefully clean it out and then gently fluff up the gasket in that area.

Perfect so no need to replace it (even at the expense of the fireplace installer?) I had worried it had been cut too short prior to install / had been defective.

 

[begreen]

Hopefully not if the rest of the gasket is in good shape.

 

[Woodcutter Tom]

I had a similar situation. The ends of my door gasket were taped. During the first low heat fire the tape melted and stuck to the stove frame. The door was difficult to open. I ended up with the gasket ends sticking to the stove frame and that resulted in a small gap. It was enough for air to leak through. I ended up plugging the gap with some spare gasket material I had and some high temp RTV. Without the plug, air leaked through and the glass became very dirty across the bottom. I have a replacement gasket. When I install it I may put the joint at the top of the door. I feel that then any air that may leak would mix with the air wash air and not cause the glass to get dirty.
I don't have a pic of the repair.

 

[Mark N MO]

The manual for our Buck 91 says to start in the lower right corner, the one closest to the hinge pins. This gives a 90° edge for the other end of the gasket to butt up against. A dab of red hi-temp silicone on the end helps it to adhere. Also to replace annually. Last year I had to replace the door latch. Due to wear on the latch face, it wasn't sealing tightly. I was surprised at the amount of material that had worn off from 12 winters use.