finally clean glass

[jkupcha]

I’ve always (last 4 years) had a problem keeping my glass clean. Our Napoleon High Country has such a big firebox (4.5cu feet) that the glass just never seems to get hot enough to burn off any smoke/creosote. Anyhow this year I have tried a new technique that has really been working well. I start the fire and let it get up to temp with the doors ajar until the glass gets very hot(maybe 20 min). I sacrifice some btu’s going up the chimney but when I do shut the doors the glass is so hot it stays clean. No expert here but to me it seems that the hot glass does not accumulate the smoke particles like cooler glass does. (anybody have info on that?)
And when I say dirty glass I mean dirty. Not just some soot that you can wipe away with a paper towel but in years past I would need to use newspapers and ash to scrub the soot and make a paste that slowly takes it off after rubbing hard. So the clean/hot glass trick is really worth it to me.

I am jealous of the people who can start up and shutdown and get soot on the glass but then just burn it off with high temps. Amazing to me because I have one of those cheap mag thermometers stuck to the doors and even with temps on the front doors showing 450-500 degrees it still never burns anything off. Now before someone tells me thats overtemping the stove remember this is a zeroclearance fireplace so its designed for those types of temps. Anyway with super dry wood (2yr) and this new technique my burning experience is sooo much better. - enjoy pilotjoe

 

[laynes69]

Some airwash systems work well, and others poorly. I would guess the larger the glass the harder it is for the airwash to work. I've tried to take readings on our glass but its too hot for me to even try. We have a good sized door and it stays clean.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Is That Miracle Glass?

Interesting... What kind of glass are you using?

Most ceramic glass that truly tolerates high heat will eventually become impossible to clean because the glass becomes impregnated and nothing will clean it clear, even high heat. You can rub it all day with anything, and it will never become transparent.

 

[laynes69]

From what I have read, don't use anything with ammonia in it. Something with the heat from the fire it can etch the glass.

 

[greengiant]

I used to get black on the glass the first two years I burned when the wood was not seasoned enough. By now, anything I burn has been blocked for 6 months, then split and covered for 12 months +, mostly 18 months. Since some stacks are deep, and not in much sun or wind, I think they dry slowly (northeastern hardwoods).

That said, if I shut the draft down on the stove and simmer the fire, it will put some black on the glass. It has always come off with some glass cleaner, mixed with ash and newspaper though. It will never burn itself off with the airwash, once on though. Currently, the glass has a light haze on the lower 2/3 of it, but still can see through fine-I haven't washed the glass since November (which was about the last time it was cool enough to do it). Good Luck!!

 

[SpiralAcacia]

Can someone please explain the AIR WASH thing?

Hey, didna want to start a new thread so thought I'd revive this one...

Got a friend asking me of what to look for when buying a used wood stove... And specifically about not getting a sooty glass...
So me, I have a full metal door on my stove and I couldn't help him. :dunno:

So how do those "Air wash" vents keep the glass on the stove door clean?
If I was to build a stove from scratch how would I go planning it? Principals, pics, resources, anything will be appreciated...

:wave: Thanks - and a Merry Xmas to you all !

SA

 

[Patrick62]

graveyard thread

Hey, didna want to start a new thread so thought I'd revive this one...

Got a friend asking me of what to look for when buying a used wood stove... And specifically about not getting a sooty glass...
So me, I have a full metal door on my stove and I couldn't help him. :dunno:

So how do those "Air wash" vents keep the glass on the stove door clean?
If I was to build a stove from scratch how would I go planning it? Principals, pics, resources, anything will be appreciated...

:wave: Thanks - and a Merry Xmas to you all !

SA

My mother has a small insert with the air wash system on it. It is a way that the air tight stove pulls some air from in thru jets (think smaller version of the air door at the grocery store) that keeps the "dirty" air from getting to the glass. Some work good, some not so good. Her method was to leave a film of pure dish soap on the inside of the glass. The soot collects on that, then with a wet paper towel she can wipe it off very easily. Then re-apply a film of soap and let it dry.

 

[brenndatomu]

Exactly. Air comes in above the door, cold air falls, so it make a fresh air curtain across the glass keeping the smoke from getting to it.
BTW, I don't think the soot will burn off once the glass gets dirty. Just use a damp rad dipped in cool ashes to clean the last of the crud off after you scrape the worst of it off with a new razor blade. Makes cleaning the glass a couple minute job!

 

[Mac88]

Sooty glass is an intermittent problem with us. Mrs just cleans it off with water and a paper towel. Our circa 1988 stove still has the original glass.

 

[mbbushman]

Interesting how different stoves are at keeping the glass clear. I have a small Seefire stove that I've been using three winters so far, and the glass is still as clear as when I started using it. I occasionally get a bit of soot buildup if a log rolls back against the glass overnight. But a day or two of burning and it all disappears by itself, no scrubbing required.

 

[savageactor7]

Yes clean glass does has its charm.

Thanks to the self cleaning air wash the glass on our Quadra-Fire 4300 stays reasonable clean. Also we burn well seasoned wood, a few splits at a time, always at WOT...never ever choke down if one of us is in the house.

Occasionally when leaving the house we'll load it up and at the suitable time choke down the primary air for a longer burn for our dogs. Then when we get home we observe a white frosting on the glass. That will burn off OK but if the stove is sufficiently cooled we'll wipe the glass clean with bottled water and a paper towel so it becomes clean clean like how you like your windshield on the car to be.

Our well has hard water so we were advised not use that water on the stove glass...the minerals in the water would permanently cloud the glass over time.

...and I can remember foolishly telling the wife ...'you want to trash our fully functional Shenandoah box stove just so we can look at the fire?'...

 

[Mac88]

WOT!!! Jeez, we're damped down to around 450 on the griddle and it's still 78 in the house, with 3 windows open.

 

[kodiak]

No suggestions regarding keeping the glass from getting smoked, but for cleaning it I've found that basic oven cleaner works exceptionally well.

 

[Ayatollah]

Like has been mentioned here above, a handy razor blade acts like a squeegee to shave off any stubborn soot. I'm not going to strive for a point of perfection in burning that will keep the soot from even forming on the glass when a few swipes with a razor will make it clear in a minute or two.

 

[SpiralAcacia]

Exactly. Air comes in above the door, cold air falls, so it make a fresh air curtain across the glass keeping the smoke from getting to it.
BTW, I don't think the soot will burn off once the glass gets dirty. Just use a damp rad dipped in cool ashes to clean the last of the crud off after you scrape the worst of it off with a new razor blade. Makes cleaning the glass a couple minute job!

So this is it?
The air has to enter through an elongated vent ABOVE the glass - drops down over it & so separates it from the carbon particles?
Do you mind posting a pic?
Thanks for all the replies, guys.

SA

 

[PEKS]

A damp paper towel dipped into some cold ash, then wiped on the glass works great..
It creates a paste, removes the black, wipe down with a clean towel, done.

 

[v8titan]

In the manual that came with my Jotul Oslo it talks about cleaning the glass periodically as preventative maintenance against permanently clouded glass. If i recall it said that if fly ash was not removed for long periods it would etch the glass and cloud it. My stove is 8 years old and only has very light clouding in a small area where soot would build on overnight burns with very low air input.

I think the message is that you should clean the glass periodically to avoid permanent clouding.

 

[PEKS]

In the manual that came with my Jotul Oslo it talks about cleaning the glass periodically as preventative maintenance against permanently clouded glass. If i recall it said that if fly ash was not removed for long periods it would etch the glass and cloud it. My stove is 8 years old and only has very light clouding in a small area where soot would build on overnight burns with very low air input.

I think the message is that you should clean the glass periodically to avoid permanent clouding.

Good point..
Regular Cleaning is much easier than waiting until it's caked on..

 

[brenndatomu]

So this is it?
The air has to enter through an elongated vent ABOVE the glass - drops down over it & so separates it from the carbon particles?
Do you mind posting a pic?
Thanks for all the replies, guys.

SA

Yeah, you have the idea. I suppose a diagram of the exact airflow pattern would vary slightly depending on the exact model of stove, but yeah, they (mfg's) are all doing basically the same thing (air wash) to keep the glass clean.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Like has been mentioned here above, a handy razor blade acts like a squeegee to shave off any stubborn soot. I'm not going to strive for a point of perfection in burning that will keep the soot from even forming on the glass when a few swipes with a razor will make it clear in a minute or two.

That's all I've done with my Squire stove for the past 20 years or so. I just shave off the soot.