How to clean stove glass?

Git101

I've recently bought a multifuel stove and after a very short time the glass on the doors has gone black. It's a tar like build up on the inside.
Does anyone know how to clean this? The usual window cleaning products don't work.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

Doctor DooM

Git101 wrote: »

I've recently bought a multifuel stove and after a very short time the glass on the doors has gone black. It's a tar like build up on the inside.
Does anyone know how to clean this? The usual window cleaning products don't work.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

Once again I would recommend you give astonish cream a shot, it tends to be rather good in situations like this. Did you already give it a shot?

Git101

I don't think that we tried that. I'll have to check with the missus. She says that she has tried everything that is available.
Thanks

Eurorunner

What fuel are you using? Some are 'dirtier' than others. Turf (which i'm using) probably the worst. Like you, only have the stove for a short while but used window cleaner the first couple of times, and worked fine - but not on the last occassion.
Best thing to do is put on a good strong clean fire - and that should clean it off.
As regards prevention, make sure any of the fuel is not placed real close (or even in contact with the glass) when topping up the fire as this will definitely lead to heavy tar buildup. Also, as much as possible, adjust the aire intake so that its burning clean ie. not smouldering.

Did see some sachets of some product or other in the local hardware shop - its supposed to 'clean' out the soot out of the stove. Not sure if this includes cleaning the door glass - but was only a couple of quid. Might be worth trying..

justmum

I find that the best stuff to use is a little of lemon juice and baking powder, I know it is not conventional cleaner and all, but works for me on almost anything.

Git101

Eurorunner wrote: »

What fuel are you using? Some are 'dirtier' than others. Turf (which i'm using) probably the worst. Like you, only have the stove for a short while but used window cleaner the first couple of times, and worked fine - but not on the last occassion.
Best thing to do is put on a good strong clean fire - and that should clean it off.
As regards prevention, make sure any of the fuel is not placed real close (or even in contact with the glass) when topping up the fire as this will definitely lead to heavy tar buildup. Also, as much as possible, adjust the aire intake so that its burning clean ie. not smouldering.

Did see some sachets of some product or other in the local hardware shop - its supposed to 'clean' out the soot out of the stove. Not sure if this includes cleaning the door glass - but was only a couple of quid. Might be worth trying..

We have been burning timber with a small amount of coal thrown in the odd time. The build up started before we burned any coal so I guess that it must be the timber causing the problem.
I have had a reduced air flow from the bottom vents and a larger flow from the top vents. I was told that was the correct way to burn timber. Maybe I need more air from the bottom to burn the timber faster/hotter.

CJhaughey

Take an old rag rip it in half and dampen it in water.
It doesn't have to be dripping just damp, dip it in the ash tray and use it to wipe the creosote off the glass, you need a good coating of ash to perform the cleaning properly.
Use the other half of the rag to polish it dry.
I don't burn coal so I can't say what that ash does for cleaning but wood ash has a lot of silica in it which is a great cleaner for the creosote.
What moisture content is the wood? has it been cut and split long?
You really want to be burning dry timber in a stove to avoid excessive buildup in the flue.
I would aim for 15-20%MC as a good figure.

Dizzyblonde

We had one of these years ago and found a Stanley glass scraper worked really well, especially if you wet the glass first.

Carlow52

If u decide to stick with any of the 'chemical' cleaners, please make sure that they dont get on the sealing cord as a number of them are known to corrode the cord over time and the glass can drop out.

The other point is that under no circumstances should any kind of abrasive be used as it will score the glass and therefore weaken it..
Will try the CJH idea in the morning!

crosstownk

I bought a stove a couple of months back and I have the same problem. I usually burn timber (lots of it lying around after the some recent building work). I find the stove glass always gets blackened - usually when I'm letting it burn out at the end of the night. I use a standard glass gleaner and sponge with one of those scouring pads attached. I clean the glass before I light it (that's daily in the current cold weather). I'd imagine the longer it's left the harder it will be to remove. So maybe the answer is to clean it regularly.

bandit197

Its much easier to clean it regularly. Just give the glass a rub with some newspaper and water when you are cleaning out ashes. Works a treat.

jack of all

I use a small bit of white vinegar on a kitchen towel and find this removes any gunk, although I use more smokeless fuel than timber so build-up is not a problem. I do think you need to have a good hot fire burning to avoid residue building up on the glass and your chimney! I find the Eco Brite smokeless fuel vey good.

Git101

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll give them try.

Git101

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll give them a try.

dlambirl

How did u get on OP?

Hunter do a spray for cleaning the glass. Spray it on , wait a minute and then wipe it off

Carlow52

dlambirl wrote: »

How did u get on OP?

Hunter do a spray for cleaning the glass. Spray it on , wait a minute and then wipe it off

As I posted already there is an issue with some sprays attacking the 'rope' material used to seal in the glass, the 'rope' fails suddenly, invariably letting the glass fall out and break.

If u must use a spray, put it on a cloth and rub it on the glass

Git101

With it being so cold this week I didn't have a chance to clean the glass. The stove gets fired up as soon as I get home.

Tried a few suggestions this weekend.

Results so far has been:
1) Wood ash with water rubbed onto the glass was ok but I think that the tar like build up was just too much for this solution.
2) Wood ash with vinegar was mush better but again just not strong enough for the job.
3) Bicarbonate of soda with water, made into a paste, worked best of all. It did take some elbow grease but worked really well.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions.

crosstownk

Carlow52 wrote: »

If u decide to stick with any of the 'chemical' cleaners, please make sure that they dont get on the sealing cord as a number of them are known to corrode the cord over time and the glass can drop out.

The other point is that under no circumstances should any kind of abrasive be used as it will score the glass and therefore weaken it..
Will try the CJH idea in the morning!

FWIW, the sealing cord on my stove (Stanley Oisin) is corroding. I've used some ALDI/LIDL glass cleaner to my bad :mad: The glass is loose and the cord is frayed and hanging down in places.

How do I go about replacing the seal - any experts out there?

fmcc

take out glass sand down the grove if there is any dirt there then replace with new stove rope and use a thermic blue to bond into place should all be available from a stove retailer.

Carlow52

Git101 wrote: »

With it being so cold this week I didn't have a chance to clean the glass. The stove gets fired up as soon as I get home.

Tried a few suggestions this weekend.

Results so far has been:
1) Wood ash with water rubbed onto the glass was ok but I think that the tar like build up was just too much for this solution.
2) Wood ash with vinegar was mush better but again just not strong enough for the job.
3) Bicarbonate of soda with water, made into a paste, worked best of all. It did take some elbow grease but worked really well.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions.

IMO: none of these are good because they all have the risk of scratching the glass and thus weakening it.

Just because a piece of glass such as 'Pyrex' can withstand high temperatures does not mean it is 'hard'

You dont clean ur reading glasses with a paper tissue as tha tissues contains fine silica sand

Same for wood ash.


I find that if I burn timber on its own, the tar burns off once the flames die down

cathy01

Is it normal to have to clean the glass every day.I only got my fire , which I love but the glass is pitch black a few hours after lighting it.You cant even see the flame through it.
The smoke comes off the door when we open it rather then coming back down from the chinmey.If you know what I mean.What am I dong wrong.

crosstownk

cathy01 wrote: »

Is it normal to have to clean the glass every day.I only got my fire , which I love but the glass is pitch black a few hours after lighting it.You cant even see the flame through it.
The smoke comes off the door when we open it rather then coming back down from the chinmey.If you know what I mean.What am I dong wrong.

What do you burn? If it's timber, are you sure it's dry and not freshly cut?

You may have a draught problem. With my stove I sometimes have to open the back door of the house for a few minutes to get a good updraught. Once the flue is warmed then the stove burns for hours without blackening the glass. Th glass becomes discoloured once I let the fuel burn out at the end of the night.

cathy01

yep its the draft, Im nearly certain.Got a guy in today to put a chimney cowl on and he put it on the wrong chimey.Hope to have him back tomorrow?cathy

WMT

crosstownk wrote: »

FWIW, the sealing cord on my stove (Stanley Oisin) is corroding. I've used some ALDI/LIDL glass cleaner to my bad :mad: The glass is loose and the cord is frayed and hanging down in places.

How do I go about replacing the seal - any experts out there?

Basically you just take the top 2 glass clips out and loosen the bottom 2,
take out the glass, take the old thermo tape off, (it might leave some of the sticky side on the glass but try to remove as much as you can), replace with new thermo tape ( it's 8mm white thermo tape which can be sourced at your local dealer) and the re-place your glass and tighten up the glass clips.

Hope this helps

WMT

crosstownk

WMT wrote: »

Basically you just take the top 2 glass clips out and loosen the bottom 2,
take out the glass, take the old thermo tape off, (it might leave some of the sticky side on the glass but try to remove as much as you can), replace with new thermo tape ( it's 8mm white thermo tape which can be sourced at your local dealer) and the re-place your glass and tighten up the glass clips.

Hope this helps

WMT

Thanks, WMT!

I haven't replaced it yet as it still works fine but I'll replace it soon now that the weather is improving and I won't be using the stove. It look handy enough - 4 phillips head screws and a new cord plus a bit of cleaning as you outlined.

Once again - thanks.

Since I discovered that the cleaning fluid was doing damage, I just clean it the next day when it's cold with normal kitchen paper. I burn small amounts of coal and wood and it never blackens the as long as I don't let the fire die down. Once it cools to any extent the glass blackens.

dlambirl

I use vinegar on a sponge (the yellow and green ones) every day before i light it and it comes off a treat. If there is a little more on it i use the hard bit of the sponge but it just wipes off. My glass hasnt gone pitch black though just slightly brown.

Carlow52

dlambirl wrote: »

I use vinegar on a sponge (the yellow and green ones) every day before i light it and it comes off a treat. If there is a little more on it i use the hard bit of the sponge but it just wipes off. My glass hasnt gone pitch black though just slightly brown.

The vinegar will eventually corrode the seal and the hard part of the sponge will put tiny scratches on the glass running the risk of a catastrophic stress failure.

As I have noted earlier in this thread, heat resistant glass is not necessarily hard wearing: just look at any Pyrex type dishes that have been cleaned with the green sponges

sooty_soupy

You will find that as long as you are burning just wood, the ash when mixed with water produces a wonderful natural chemical called potassium hydroxide. Surprise Surprise it is the chemical often found in glass cleaner products bought from the shop.

Coal ash is too abrasive and as Carlow has said, will damage the glass, but more importantly will make it porous so you will have a continued problem.

Another tip Clearview told me recently was to get a pair of heat resistant gloves, (they supply a pair free of charge with every stove, and I think Stovax do too among others) Bring the hot burning fuel to the front of the fire and place the fresh fuel to the back minimising the condensing issues of the coole glass and moisture within the firebox.

Here to help

David

aniolar

Eurorunner wrote: »

Best thing to do is put on a good strong clean fire - and that should clean it off.

Thank a million Eurorunner. I'm new to stoves and glass was always spotless until I threw in a pizza box - un-cleanable tar like deposits next day! The good strong fire worked. The lesson is only burn proper fuel. Might be worth reading this as dirty glass could be the least of our problems: http://hearth.com/what/guidelines.html

Scorpio Girl

i use one of them sponge pads, yellow and thick on one side and green and thin on the other. put some jif on the green side, clean glass and dry with kitchen towels. works every time.

BennyLava

a mix of ash and water on a scrunched up bit of kitchen towel works a treat, do it on our stove every few days, easily removes any buildup

stackerman

CJhaughey wrote: »

Take an old rag rip it in half and dampen it in water.
It doesn't have to be dripping just damp, dip it in the ash tray and use it to wipe the creosote off the glass, you need a good coating of ash to perform the cleaning properly.
Use the other half of the rag to polish it dry.
I don't burn coal so I can't say what that ash does for cleaning but wood ash has a lot of silica in it which is a great cleaner for the creosote.
What moisture content is the wood? has it been cut and split long?
You really want to be burning dry timber in a stove to avoid excessive buildup in the flue.
I would aim for 15-20%MC as a good figure.

+ 1
You just need to take your time with it and it will come off.

emg74

Scorpio Girl wrote: »

i use one of them sponge pads, yellow and thick on one side and green and thin on the other. put some jif on the green side, clean glass and dry with kitchen towels. works every time.

Totally agree with this

Use the LIDL Cream Cleaner on a damp "knitted" cloth - Rub all over the glass. Rinse out the cloth and clean glass again. Dry off with a kitchen towel.

The glass has never been cleaner... Shame it took me almost 10yrs to find this out.

I do it every day before I light the fire - takes no length and I love looking at the fire through the clean glass:)

stackerman

emg74 wrote: »

Totally agree with this

Use the LIDL Cream Cleaner on a damp "knitted" cloth - Rub all over the glass. Rinse out the cloth and clean glass again. Dry off with a kitchen towel.

The glass has never been cleaner... Shame it took me almost 10yrs to find this out.

I do it every day before I light the fire - takes no length and I love looking at the fire through the clean glass:)

If you do this for a prolonged period of time, the glass seal will disintergrate.

Can be expensive to replace.

emg74

I always apply the cleaner to the cloth and just ever rub onto the glass - not onto the door. Thanks for advice anyway

paddy147

A spray of WD40,simple as that.

purplerain1

I too had this problem and had tried all types of cleaners.What i found to be best is a small spray of mr muscle oven cleaner(the one in can)onto a bit of tissue and wipe over glass then wipe over with a damp tissue comes off easily and glass will be spotless.Dont spray straight on glass.Ido this before i light stove and it takes no more than 30 seconds.

SargentDuck

Brown Vinegar LIFTED the dirt for me. I couldn't believe how quick it came off, smelly but quick an and easy!

kam3qnwvebf4jh

My wife discovered the other day that baby wipes of all things work a treat. Before that i used to go at it with wet newspaper and ashes but it took much longer and was messier.

paddy147

Danny Prehistoric Shore wrote: »

My wife discovered the other day that baby wipes of all things work a treat. Before that i used to go at it with wet newspaper and ashes but it took much longer and was messier.

Seriously??baby wipes???

Must try that so.:)

Do the baby wipes have any bad affect on the stove glass rope though??

celticbhoy27

+ 1 for baby wipes, job done in seconds

SargentDuck

Hob Cleaner is is my new found friend when it comes to cleaning the stove glass!!

Carlow52

SargentDuck wrote: »

Hob Cleaner is is my new found friend when it comes to cleaning the stove glass!!

all this stuff silently weaken the material the glass in bedded in over time and one day u will close the stove the glass will fall out and break and SWMBO will...

in addition the chemicals score and weaken the glass, just because it is heat proof does not make it scratch proof, in fact the opposite...

aido76

+1 for baby wipes. Hope they are not causing harm to the glass and rope!. Infact I find baby wipes are great for cleaning most things around the house. It gets all the grease and grime off things and then just give what ever you are cleaning a wipe with a clean cloth afterwards and its clean.

paddy147

Carlow52 wrote: »

all this stuff silently weaken the material the glass in bedded in over time and one day u will close the stove the glass will fall out and break and SWMBO will...

in addition the chemicals score and weaken the glass, just because it is heat proof does not make it scratch proof, in fact the opposite...

Hense why Im asking about any effect on the glass rope.

arandale

I have a Nestor Martin kerosine stove for the past few years and no bother, always kept it a 1 as it got too warm otherwise.

Lately the glass get black after a while and when it goes cold i remove cinders from the bowl, i don't know whats wrong, i haven't cleaned the chimney flue since i put it in and was wondering if i should brush it , is this is the cause. Please Help.

JMSE

We're using cif every morn and the green side of a scouring pad, have the stove 3 weeks now and the cleaning was very hard at the start and now its a piece of cake. I put this down to the fact that we are polishing the glass to a finer and finer degree each time, and before the glass ever falls out, we will have worn a hole right through it :rolleyes:

inovo

CJhaughey wrote: »

Take an old rag rip it in half and dampen it in water.
It doesn't have to be dripping just damp, dip it in the ash tray and use it to wipe the creosote off the glass, you need a good coating of ash to perform the cleaning properly.
Use the other half of the rag to polish it dry.
I don't burn coal so I can't say what that ash does for cleaning but wood ash has a lot of silica in it which is a great cleaner for the creosote.
What moisture content is the wood? has it been cut and split long?
You really want to be burning dry timber in a stove to avoid excessive buildup in the flue.
I would aim for 15-20%MC as a good figure.

This works and i find is the best way to clean it. Was going to post it but said id have a bit of a read first.

Brianne

We spray on windolene each morning and find that very good. Is that mild enough to use?

sooty_soupy

I would be inclined to tell you all to change your stove to a double glazed stove that does exactly what it says on the tin, and give you the "clearview" you are aspiring to have, but that would be in the ideal world ;-)

The problem you are all facing here is that the single glazed stove manufacturers claim to have an AIRWASH system designed to "help" to keep the glass clean, and as you are finding this technology is very much a hit and miss. As the cooling effect of your room acts on the outer of the glass, any moisture left in the fuel will condense on the inner side of the glass, which causes the tars and creosote to build up. The airwash system will help to burn this off, but only when you are blazing the back side off the stove, which means when you run the stove slow, as it is designed to do, the glass blackens again quickly. We have three Clearviews burning at our showroom and they never need anything more than dusting, in over 3 years.

As a registered chimney technician and instructor for almost 23 years here in the North, I have been repeatedly asked how to keep glass clean on other stove brands. The simple answer is to make sure the fuel you use is VERY dry, and it also helps to load the fresh fuel to the back of the fire, away from the door glass. Stove gloves help with this, by physically puling the burning fuel to the front of the firebox, to allow fuel to be loaded to the back. Make sure if you are putting logs on the stove that the core of the wood is facing the two side tiles. If there is moisture coming out of the core of wood, then if this is coming out towards the glass you have no chance of keeping it clean. This is the reason manufacturers normally tell you what log length the appliance takes. Also try blazing the stove for a minute before introducing fresh fuel to heat the glass, and then continue to run the stove high for about two minutes after loading the fire with fresh fuel which will help evaporate dampness out and drive it up the chimney, so it doesn't get a chance to condense on the window.

Wood ash is the only type of ash you can use successfully without damaging the surface of the window. If you are using scouring pads, or chemicals with abrasive properties, or coal ash, you will destroy the surface of the glass, which will make it porous and you will be heart broken with it. When you burn wood, you are left with a product called potash, which gets its name from the high levels of potassium in it. When this is activated with water you get Potassium Hydroxide which is an alkaline cleaning agent, ironically the same product that many commercial glass cleaner has in it. The ash is almost like a talcum powder which is not as abrasive. Anything that attacks the surface of the glass is your enemy, such as glass or chemical cleaners. Just a little common sense on how to fuel the fire, what you are burning and how you care for the stove will prove to be beneficial. Wood ash can also be used for many other cleaning jobs such as bathrooms, sinks, taps, floors, getting sticky residue off…try it from now on before reaching for chemicals and you will be staggered. People used to use it for making soap and cleaning their teeth. It is also brilliant for pulling oil drips out of tarmac drives.

Our showroom DOES NOT sell glass cleaner. Clients would be advised properly on how to deal with the problem if they have Stovax, Charnwood, Jotul, Stanley, Mulberry, Morso, Horseflame, Olymbrol to name but a few when people have become disillusioned with all this AIRWASH story. Often when they see how a beautifully a Clearview stove burns, which is all we sell, they elect to choose one when it comes time to replace their appliance.

Who said you can't learn something every day. Our website www.cdsf.co.uk has lots of information on stoves and flue systems etc.

Have a good one.

sooty_soupy

arandale wrote: »

I have a Nestor Martin kerosine stove for the past few years and no bother, always kept it a 1 as it got too warm otherwise.

Lately the glass get black after a while and when it goes cold i remove cinders from the bowl, i don't know whats wrong, i haven't cleaned the chimney flue since i put it in and was wondering if i should brush it , is this is the cause. Please Help.

The chimney should be swept every 6 months to a year as it is the artery for the combustion products to escape. If it is restricted, the smoke will back up and stain the glass. It is also worth noting that if you are letting the fire go out, it helps to leave the airwash fully open, although I believe you have a more fundamental problem.

Anyone who sells stoves to the public, trying to flog you with a big stove, claiming you can always turn it down needs hung drawn and quartered. If you are running your stove too low all the time because you can't cope with the heat, you are asking for problems. The chimney will clog up constantly causing a performance problem, which in turn means your airwash doesn't function as well as it should, and you are now suffering from the aftermath of the wrong stove being supplied. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BUY A SMALL STOVE AND BURN IT HOTTER THAN BUY ONE TOO BIG FOR THE ROOM. And that is coming from someone that sells stoves. There are too many idiots on the high street selling these units and haven't got a clue.

I am constantly being phoned or people calling in to see us up here in the North and it nearly always is to advise on issues such as this, or simply they want a solution in the form of a different stove, and cut their losses. It really isn't fair what these idiots are doing to the unsuspecting general public.

Good luck.