Hitzer 354 double door: Glass Retainer Design

Not really hip on the glass retainer design. I hop it’s different on newer double door models.

Of course, the picture is sideways again. No idea why this forum does that. I have pictures from other threads that are upright in a thread and sideways in another. Phone orientation makes zero difference and I’ve tested it to no avail.

Anyway...
If you can see the sideways picture the glass retainer screw and screw clip I am pointing at fell on the floor while cleaning creosote off of glass this morning from my coal starting burn. It will barely stay in the hole by itself. I knew the screw was stripped. It’s a Phillips screw and is original. I have slightly larger replacement screws that I got at Hitzer that are hex head, but I need to take a look at the website to see what size they are because I forgot. They look like 10-32 but I want to be sure.

The current Phillips screws are extremely short and I know I have at least some drilling room. Problem is I can’t find a tap to allow me to tap to the bottom of the hole. I forget the name of that style tap. Bottom tap maybe? I’ll have to Google it. Found some, just none small enough.

Rather than just two glass retainers to hold the glass in I’d like to see a couple top and bottom, or better yet, a full surround type retainer.

Is there any issue drilling a mildly hot door and tapping it as far as screw and screw hole getting sloppy because of contraction and expansion?

If so, I suppose I could cover that side door opening with foil and let door hang open to cool or even remove it, then drill and tap it. Would be nice to let them hang. Then I could drill deeper holes and tap them replace all the screws. I usually put anti-seize on threads at start-up each year.

Bottoming Taps are easy to break, do not see any reason you could not go up one thread size (I do not own that stove - though)
A bottoming tap has almost no taper at the end because it is designed to thread all the way to the bottom of its reach. Only 1 to 1.5 threads will be tapered.

Bill,
Doesn’t matter if it is your phone or the forum that’s the problem…

You need to download pictures to a photo editor first to rotate or orientate as desired…then “save” in that orientation.
Upload “that” image then to the forum to Post the corrected picture and all is good.

Hey Bill make sure your anti-seize can withstand 800-900deg.

Graphite blended in is very good for high temps.

steveleslieg wrote: ↑

Sun. Nov. 21, 2021 12:08 pm

Bottoming Taps are easy to break, do not see any reason you could not go up one thread size (I do not own that stove - though)
A bottoming tap has almost no taper at the end because it is designed to thread all the way to the bottom of its reach. Only 1 to 1.5 threads will be tapered.
rotate.jpeg

Bottoming taps...that’s what I was thinking of. Couldn’t recall the name but what I looked for. Store didn’t have my size. Have to look elsewhere.

McGiever wrote: ↑

Sun. Nov. 21, 2021 12:54 pm

Bill,
Doesn’t matter if it is your phone or the forum that’s the problem…

You need to download pictures to a photo editor first to rotate or orientate as desired…then “save” in that orientation.
Upload “that” image then to the forum to Post the corrected picture and all is good.

Let me try to explain this better.

I can rotate and orient them correctly from my phone and save them to my phone that way already. I have taken pictures with phone upright, phone turned right, and phone turned left with lens in upper right hand corner of you were watching me take a photo.

I have already successfully posted photos from my phone that were taken with the phone upright and sideways. Those photos were previously pulled from my phone and then successfully and correctly added to my posts here on the forum.

I have since pulled the same pictures from my phone (ones that had posted upright here already) to post in new threads. Sometimes they same successfully and correctly oriented photo from those thread will post sideways in a new thread and sometimes that same picture will be upside down. That is, one photo...correctly oriented from my phone album and correctly posted in one thread will often present 3 different orientations on this forum. Doesn’t sound like an phone orientation problem to me unless I am misunderstanding what you are saying.

McGiever wrote: ↑

Sun. Nov. 21, 2021 1:00 pm

Hey Bill make sure your anti-seize can withstand 800-900deg.

Graphite blended in is very good for high temps.

Thanks, Larry. I just looked. What I used was Permatex brand small tube. Didn’t say the temp on that tube.

However, I just looked at my other new tube and it is good to 1600F, but I already forgot what brand...just walking from garage to the house. Old age is catching up with me. LOL!

Hoytman wrote: ↑

Sun. Nov. 21, 2021 1:40 pm

Let me try to explain this better.

I can rotate and orient them correctly from my phone and save them to my phone that way already. I have taken pictures with phone upright, phone turned right, and phone turned left with lens in upper right hand corner of you were watching me take a photo.

I have already successfully posted photos from my phone that were taken with the phone upright and sideways. Those photos were previously pulled from my phone and then successfully and correctly added to my posts here on the forum.

I have since pulled the same pictures from my phone (ones that had posted upright here already) to post in new threads. Sometimes they same successfully and correctly oriented photo from those thread will post sideways in a new thread and sometimes that same picture will be upside down. That is, one photo...correctly oriented from my phone album and correctly posted in one thread will often present 3 different orientations on this forum. Doesn’t sound like an phone orientation problem to me unless I am misunderstanding what you are saying.

Bill, it’s like you didn’t read what I was saying…read it again.

I can make my photos come out right every time regardless of any special phone aiming tricks.
I assure you it is NOT the forum changing anything.

I and others here can open others images here and rotate them in editor and repost them correctly so that proves that it works 100% of the time.

Your album is NOT a photo editor…I’m talking a 3rd party photo editor.

HTH

Yes, I understood you.

I am saying there should be no need for the extra steps, that’s all. Those steps aren’t needed on the other forums I am on and apparently only on occasion here. It’s random, that is what is crazy.

I am saying the issue does not take place when posting the same pictures to other forums. The same pictures have “never” once oriented wrong on other stove related forums.

Remember, many here have mentioned having this same issue...even after first seeing their pictures oriented correctly the first time they posted them. Yes, your way eliminates it and I understand that. I used to use photobucket and things like that. Got tired of photos disappearing on forums which is what happens when you run out of room in photobucket and need to remove pictures for more space.

Still, no reason...regardless whether I had phone oriented correctly or not, it doesn’t seem to matter. All have posted at least once correctly here. Then they’ll turn up sideways to the left, next time to the right, next time upside down. That’s doesn’t seem like it’s the phone, the camera on the phone, the camera orientation when the picture was taken, or the orientation in the photo gallery or album when uploaded to the forum.

Not arguing or complaining, just trying to clarify from my end.

Billy, why are you still trying to re-invent the wheel???????????????? LOL If your destiny is to do so, I'd personally wait till next Spring--write it down so ya don't forget my young friend!!! Your glass is secured much more seriously then my HITZER 50-93 & has worked well for 15 yrs.--(I did change that gasket once)-- Just an old farmers thoughts!!

freetown fred wrote: ↑

Sun. Nov. 21, 2021 3:40 pm

Billy, why are you still trying to re-invent the wheel???????????????? LOL If your destiny is to do so, I'd personally wait till next Spring--write it down so ya don't forget my young friend!!! Your glass is secured much more seriously then my HITZER 50-93 & has worked well for 15 yrs.--(I did change that gasket once)-- Just an old farmers thoughts!!

I won’t forget. Heck, it’ll fall into the stove the first time I try to wipe the outside of the glass off. It’s actually sticking out half the thickness of the glass on that side...so we might be getting some “natural secondary air” through there. LOL! Just means I don’t open that door spinner. LOL!

I can just be careful, and hope none of us bump it while tending and my son and wife freak out rather than remaining calm and grabbing it, putting it back in with the other two screws.

I brought this up because it doesn’t take much to push the glass into the stove should I try wiping the outside off. Most you old farmers don’t worry about that. LOL! Most screw threads are loosely holding window in...dang near stripped I mean. Not by me though. I keep them lined with anti-seize and just finger snugged with screw driver....since getting the stove. I’m also aware of Larry’s comments on glass needing room to expand like steel...why I barely snug them. The pictured door has issues with glass screw holes being loose.

I knew they were loose and in need of fixing before I fired the stove, but I never had them fall out before.

Get a hand file and some scrap metal. Work up a bit of filings and roll your screw to get a good coating on the threads. Insert. Repeat as needed to get enough friction to hold. That band aid should hold for awhile as long as you don't press your nose up against the glass looking at the fire too often. Stop touching the glass. If you must, use a fine horse hair brush or metal ash vacuum to clean your glass.

Sounds good. I’ll try that. Front of glass is clean. I just put new gaskets on. Inside got dirty with coal starting fire.

Did not get a chance to try the metal filings idea for a temporary fix.

Just as I thought was going to happen, well...it happened. The glass clip, retainer and screw fell completely out of the door tonight while tending. I guess I didn’t hear it land on the ash lip and being dark in here at the time of tending I didn’t see it either.

My son came out of the shower and noticed a slight smell in the room and just happened to turn the dining room light on and seen the parts laying on the ash lip. Glass was still in the door but on that side definitely was not sealing and that side was nearly out of the inset it was sitting in.

There should have been at least to clips holding each retainer and there will be when I am done.

Not sure why we even smelled it. I did notice it after my son mentioned it, but running low and pulling -.03”WC with OAT at 24F I wouldn’t have thought we would smell it. IAT 71.

CO monitor (plugged in a receptacle about 4ft high) and seven feet (8ft) across from the stove was reading “0”, so we’re good there. Two other CO/Fire Alarms (above door mounts) are quiet.

Dogs crate is across the room in front of the stove as well about 6-7 ft from the stove, maybe a little further away at an angle to the stove.

I moved the stat 1/4 number lower, slightly opened the damper and closed the door spinners. She’s glowing red off of front grate.

This has to be fixed tomorrow. Didn’t have a chance today. Will go to hardware and get a tap, if I can find one. Might have to go with bigger screws which will work better anyway.

Not sure much I can do but shut it all the way down if necessary and open damper more, but we should be fine through the night without having to do that. Seems the smell has went away some since placing the window retainer and clip/screw back in it’s place and gently closed the door...gently.

I’ve got a new set of screws that I got from Dean. Instead of Phillips, the new set is hex head and slightly larger. Going to go find a bottom tap this morning.

Although the pipe is running cool, even at tending, it could be a slight smell I’m getting from the new pipe. Just after tending this AM it got to about 175F, the rest of the time it’s under 115F and often at 100F, so I’m sure that isn’t hot enough to completely burn off that new pipe. Heck, the wood fire had the pipe near 300F and it still wasn’t hot enough to burn it off. I’m suspect that it’s pipe smell, but I have my doubts too.