Door Glass.

 
oldwhisky
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Post by oldwhisky » Sun. Nov. 01, 2009 12:34 pm

I burn both wood and bituminous coal or combo of both depending on the weather in my vigilant II . My door glass gets a little dirty sometimes. I was wondering what is the best method of cleaning door glass on a hot running stove? I've used oven cleaner with great success when cold, but I wouldn't think it would be wise to use when the doors are hot . What do you think?
Also one other question I would like to ask is. Can you use the spark screen used on vermont casting woodstoves to run with doors open, on the vigilant II?


 
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jpete
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Post by jpete » Sun. Nov. 01, 2009 12:50 pm

I just crumple up a piece of newspaper and wipe the glass then throw it in. It won't get it perfectly clear, but it gets most of the stuff off.

 
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dlj
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Post by dlj » Sun. Nov. 01, 2009 1:06 pm

oldwhisky wrote:I burn both wood and bituminous coal or combo of both depending on the weather in my vigilant II . My door glass gets a little dirty sometimes. I was wondering what is the best method of cleaning door glass on a hot running stove? I've used oven cleaner with great success when cold, but I wouldn't think it would be wise to use when the doors are hot . What do you think?
Also one other question I would like to ask is. Can you use the spark screen used on vermont casting woodstoves to run with doors open, on the vigilant II?
I've never cleaned the windows hot so I can't comment on that. I run a vermont Resolute and when I'm burning wood, I use the spark screen when I want it to look like a fireplace. Works just fine for me....

dj

 
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Freddy
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Post by Freddy » Sun. Nov. 01, 2009 1:22 pm

Straight edge razor blade?

 
Pete69
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Post by Pete69 » Sun. Nov. 01, 2009 2:08 pm

I use a dry piece of extra fine steel wool. Wipes fly ash and soot off with a few swipes. When used dry it doesn't transfer the heat to your hands. Takes 30 seconds to wipe clean every other time I load the stove.

 
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jpete
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Post by jpete » Sun. Nov. 01, 2009 2:32 pm

Good idea Freddy, I'm going to give that a shot now. :D

 
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009to090
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Post by 009to090 » Sun. Nov. 01, 2009 2:38 pm

For the creosote from wood on hot glass, only a straight-edged razor blade. for a cold stove, I use Fast-Orange or Go-Jo on a paper towel.

For flyash on a hot stove, the razxor blade works also, but not really necessary, just need something to wipe the fly ask off the glass. It really doesn't 'stick' to the glass. I even vacuum it off sometimes (with a fireplace vacuum, of course).


 
ken
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Post by ken » Mon. Nov. 02, 2009 9:39 am

I made a cover out of sheet metal to fit the door opening with a handle in the center. I would open the door , cover the hole with it. On a DV you have no problems with few cracks around it. Let the window cool off and clean it. But after plenty of cleanings I just gave up. :mad: It's was useless. The razor blade did get it clean to , but it still screwed up in a day. If I want to see the burn , I just crack the door couple inches and enjoy it for awhile. :D

 
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Cap
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Post by Cap » Mon. Nov. 02, 2009 9:23 pm

I used white and sometimes red car polish ( compound ). But it may takes its toll on the glass in four or five years but again that's all you may get anyhow out of a transparent door panel.

 
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EasyRay
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Post by EasyRay » Tue. Nov. 03, 2009 11:20 am

I use a single edge razor blade but after 4 seasons with this stove and a large glass door it still leaves some etchings on both sides of the glass. I have an extra door and glass kit all assembled and ready, just in case the glass cracks or breaks all I have to do is pull 2 hinge pins and remove the old door and replace with the new door and glass. This way I can keep using the stove without shutting down.

 
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wlape3
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Post by wlape3 » Tue. Nov. 03, 2009 12:18 pm

I used the razor blade technique and it still looks good after a few days.

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Tue. Nov. 03, 2009 3:51 pm

oldwhisky wrote:... 8<... Also one other question I would like to ask is. Can you use the spark screen used on vermont casting woodstoves to run with doors open, on the vigilant II?
I ordered the Viglant screen when I purchased my 2310. It fits the arch and side but there's a small gap at the ash lip. When ever I used it for a wood fire with the doors open, nothing ever escaped through the small opening. If it was an issue, a piece of metal or black gasket could be added to fill it if it concerns you.

There's enough suggestions on this and other threads to resolve the glass cleaning question. I have burned wood in mine and the glass blacks out in short order. I only burn anthracite coal. After a few days of a good hot clean hard coal fire, the glass is clean from creosote and soot. To clean the fly ash on the go, I leave the doors open while I perform a complete shake. The glass is still quite warm at this point. I then damp-wet two doubled paper towels with household white vinegar and wipe both panels down. The water will steam off. I follow this with a clean water wipe, again using doubled towels. If there's any moisture, I wipe it dry with a dry one. I've done this for 7 seasons. That sounds like the life span most expect for glass life but I'm not sure about this statement. The glass is getting krazed in a few places but are presentable enough when a fire is going. There's also a little clouding in places that I think the razor treatment will solve because I can scratch through that with my fingernail.

 
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Post by grizzly2 » Thu. Nov. 05, 2009 5:49 pm

My Hitzer has ceramic glass, which I belive most if not all late model stoves have. You are supposed to be able to put cold water on it no matter how hot it is and it will not crack. I have not thown ice water on mine to test it, but I have washed it with a wet paper towel when the glass was hot. No problem, but watch out for the steam generated. Clear water seems to clean it (to my low standards) quite nicely. :)

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Fri. Nov. 06, 2009 7:33 am

Pete69 wrote:I use a dry piece of extra fine steel wool. Wipes fly ash and soot off with a few swipes. When used dry it doesn't transfer the heat to your hands. Takes 30 seconds to wipe clean every other time I load the stove.
Pete69, What is extra fine: 000000 (6"oght") or 0000? Do you see any minor scratching from using it over a period of time?

 
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Post by Pete69 » Fri. Nov. 06, 2009 9:35 am

I used 0000 extra fine finish coat steel wool. It didn't even leave minor scratches. I tried all other methods mentioned above and found that this worked the best for me. The first month I ran the stove I was using newspaper and wet paper towels. neither method completely removed the film, and the glass started to get etched in the corners where the buildup was the worst. After I started using the steel wool, the glass would come perfectly clear every time with no film. After a couple uses, the wool becomes impregnated with fly ash, and becomes even finer.
At the end of the season one of my children helped me cure the etching problem that had occurred before I started using the steel wool, by smashing the glass with a belt buckle, attached to the end of a belt they were swinging around.

Edit: I don't know all the different kinds of glass, or what glass was used on my stove that didn't scratch, but the pyrex that is on the top doors of my new/old cook stove that I bought this summer is scratched a lot from people scrubbing it in the past.
Last edited by Pete69 on Fri. Nov. 06, 2009 9:55 am, edited 2 times in total.


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