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