# Why does my glass smoke up so easily



## jmccown (Dec 14, 2007)

I have the englander stove. Seems like I can clean it and it will black in just a few hours. Do I need a new gasket or something?


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## webbie (Dec 15, 2007)

I have a different brand, but my glass gets dirty pretty fast and stays that way - when I burn it really hot it self cleans to about a 50% degree, but I just leave it dirty! Then again, if company was coming I might clean it....

There might be a problem - contact Mike here on the board (he works for englander)...but, as I say, it may be the nature of the beast...or at least some of it.


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## Shane (Dec 15, 2007)

Black sounds a little off.  I'd check your gaskets etc.  The windows arent' going to stay perfectly clean but black build up usually indicates an air leak problem.







That is a picture of my window after 2 or 3 days of continuous use.  I use the thermostat on/off setting alot during the day but at night I will turn it to manual and let it run on low or med depending on how cold it is and if the stove is cycling or not.

wow now that i look at it my hearth is really dirty, perhaps I should have tidied up a bit before posting


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## Jabberwocky (Dec 15, 2007)

with my old 10yr old Thelin, that dirtied within 12 hrs, with my new stove (Mt Vernon AE) it stays clean for a week.  So, I ask the opposite question.  Why does my glass stay so clean?  Does it have to do with airflow? With newer glass? Higher quality glass? Better pellets?  Better air fit?


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## hearthtools (Dec 16, 2007)

Shane said:
			
		

> Black sounds a little off.  I'd check your gaskets etc.  The windows arent' going to stay perfectly clean but black build up usually indicates an air leak problem.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


and your paint is pealing off the door.


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## Shane (Dec 16, 2007)

It does need a paintjob.  So does my truck.  They still both work though.


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## stoveguy2esw (Dec 16, 2007)

jmccown said:
			
		

> I have the englander stove. Seems like I can clean it and it will black in just a few hours. Do I need a new gasket or something?



if your glass soots up in a couple hours you have an airflow issue, i need more info , what model, mfg datye , and hookup information, glass sooting after several hours , a day or two is commone in some models, but not a few hours, get in touch with me or call my shop at 800-245-6489 we are opeen on saturday from 9-12 eastern during the heating season for folks who (like me still do an honest weeks work)  but get in touch and let me or my staff help, we will get you straight


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## stoveguy2esw (Dec 16, 2007)

Webmaster said:
			
		

> I have a different brand, but my glass gets dirty pretty fast and stays that way - when I burn it really hot it self cleans to about a 50% degree, but I just leave it dirty! Then again, if company was coming I might clean it....
> 
> There might be a problem - contact Mike here on the board (he works for englander)...but, as I say, it may be the nature of the beast...or at least some of it.



web, you have an air problem as well especially if you have a reputable brand unit (im sure you do) maybe i can help you too, pellet stoves do not soot glass that fast normally, there is an underlying cause and its costing you BTU"s gimme a shot at it, bet i can clean it up  with a little "local knowledge and hopefully the right brand


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## jmccown (Dec 17, 2007)

Here is a link to a thread that has all my information about my stove, even a picture of my stove. It was when I first got the stove. Of course it is cleaner now. 

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/5412/

As far as hookup it is pretty simple - 3" triple wall out the wall through thimble, cleanout tee, 6' section up and out. I have a fresh air inlet ran from the outside as well. I keep it clean. The gasket kinda looks worn.


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## eernest4 (Dec 19, 2007)

I have a pel-pro pellet stove. My glass gets gray after 4 - 6 hour continious burn  and after 
12 hours usually is some shade of  black. 

Around 24 hr continious burn ,(approximately 3/4 bag of pellets consumed) it has a really black band of about 3 inchs wide from 1/2 ways up the grass to 3/4 ways up the glass.

I am running the stove with the primary air 1/3 open to 1/2 open to keep a bright & lively flame, almost a blow tourch flame, & to cut back on the sooting of the window. On a lower air setting,it soots up much more and much sooner.

I clean out the stove at the end of every bag because unburned pellets popcorn onto the ashes on the inside floor of the stove and then during shut down cycle, red glowing pellets may land/ popcorn out of the firepot & end up igniting the not burned pellets laying on the inside floor of the stove. These pellets will smolder all through even the longest shut down cycle & I sometimes end up with a burning pellet smell in the room & have to manually program in 3 or 4 shut down cycles, end to end , until these burning pellets on the inside floor of the stove stop smoldering.

It is quite agrevating & troublesome, to say the least & makes black glass seem like the least of my problems.

I anyone has any ideas about how to stop this or even a better way to deal with the on going problem, I am all ears.


>
It is way inconvient to have to clean out the pellet stove more than once each day, because it is two hours without heat, On hour waiting for dead ashes & 1 hr cleaning, if I need to scrape the fire pot out with a puddy knife. If i only brush off the fire cup, i can clean in 30 minutes,
including a windex job on the black glass.

I use a 8 gal wet/dry vac with 1 .5 gal of water in the vac tank to help catch ashes & extinguish any live sparks and 3 vac filters in place simoustainiously; air filter type,foamtype & paper bag type. The paper bag stops any ashes that dont fall into the water & the foam & air cleaner filters protect the vac motor.


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## hearthtools (Dec 19, 2007)

See this 
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/12660/


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## eernest4 (Dec 19, 2007)

So, the moral of that story is to always check the exhaust vent pipe, even if you have to unscrew the vent termination, 1/4 twist and look down it with a good flashlight. With my pellet stove, when I do that, I should be able to see the conbustion fan motor's squerill cage rotor's vanes.

 It is NOT GOOD ENOUGH ---- to MEERLY ,just go outside the house and say, yes there is hot air comming out the exhaust vent when the stove is running.

OK ,I get it now!

        In case you didn't click the link, the stove teck found out, after 2 hours of testing and comming up with not finding the trouble via his test instruments, that rats had built a nest in the 3 in s.s.exhaust vent, overnight, during an off cycle of the stove. Only visual inspection would serve to find the trouble. kudos to the stove teck, that was a rough diagonosis & a good warning for the rest of us to heed.

That one could drive most people around the bend! ;-P


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## hearthtools (Dec 19, 2007)

eernest4,
You are close

The Stove was Brand new.
the same location had the same model stove in the same vent. WORKED GREAT
we took it out to install in a customers home.
Put a NEW stove in the same location.
The stove ran like crap.
The Rats nest was IN THE Combustion chamber and Blower from Storage
NOT FROM OVER NIGHT
It has nesting material inside the stoves panels near both blowers
Im going to take the firebrick out after the stove cools and see if there is any more crap in the Ash traps behind the firebrick


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## eernest4 (Dec 20, 2007)

HOLY COW!
dAMED!
Them there rats are just no good!
In the combustion blower area.
I hope they burned up when you started the stove.
serve em right!
I aways mistrused them speed reading lessons I took!


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## stoveguy2esw (Dec 20, 2007)

eernest4 said:
			
		

> I have a pel-pro pellet stove. My glass gets gray after 4 - 6 hour continious burn  and after
> 12 hours usually is some shade of  black.
> 
> Around 24 hr continious burn ,(approximately 3/4 bag of pellets consumed) it has a really black band of about 3 inchs wide from 1/2 ways up the grass to 3/4 ways up the glass.
> ...



eernest , you are runnning too much air, thats the popcorn effect , back the air down a touch , you should find a balance where you do not get as much popcorning and still stay moderately clean with the window.


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## stoveguy2esw (Dec 20, 2007)

jmccown said:
			
		

> I have the englander stove. Seems like I can clean it and it will black in just a few hours. Do I need a new gasket or something?



have you gotten in touch with my tech department yet? just asking. want to make sure we got you fixed   (call it a follow up)


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## TheSmith (Dec 20, 2007)

speaking of rats in the blower motor, how about rags? I never thought to look into the exhaust output untill I had worked with Mike on the phone.sure enough there was a rag in there, brand new stove too that was a floor model display.DOH!


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## petejung (Dec 20, 2007)

I've got an Englander 25PVDC, too. I need to clean my glass every time I stop and retart the stove, which is every day.  I am paranoid about getting ash buildup down under the burnpot where the clean air intake is, so I scoop that out now every day (since using the ashy Pennington pellets, anyway).  I find that the glass gets dirty mainly at startup and shut down, when you get the most smoke, and usually in one corner of the glass more than another.  I can burn for 36 hours (longest I've ever run it) and it won't get any worse, until I go to shut it down.  Sometimes the glass will get covered up with fly ash a bit, esp. on a long run with the Pennington pellets.

I don't think I'm having a problem, but wanted to share the info with others who may be concerned with glass dirtying...

Of course, if it looks like I have a problem, someone holler at me so I can get it fixed!   Thanks!


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## hearthtools (Dec 20, 2007)

AgtSmith said:
			
		

> speaking of rats in the blower motor, how about rags? I never thought to look into the exhaust output untill I had worked with Mike on the phone.sure enough there was a rag in there, brand new stove too that was a floor model display.DOH!



We took the Firebrick out and found more
The Mouse Decided to make a home in the stove behind the firebrick
It pulled at the KOAWOOL out from the back brick and stuff it in the exhaust passages.
I will post photos Later.


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## tinkabranc (Dec 21, 2007)

Oh my!

Imagine the reaction of a customer if they received a new stove with those
"extras" in it that you have found.  
EEK!


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