# Stove Door Glass Cleaning Remedy



## blueflame75 (Dec 12, 2009)

I have tried a few different products (aerosol cleaners, dawn, ash) to clean my stove door glass over the last 2 or 3 months, retail cleaners are becoming to expensive. So, the other night in basement i happened to see i had some Simple Green and decided to try it. I sprayed my glass and let it sit for about 5 minutes, no dilution. Then I took a nice new razor blade and literally cleaned the glass in less than 10 minutes as the pictures show. I then wipe it a few times and then clean it again with some Windex to make it clear as new. I have tried this little trick a few times now and it seems to work quite well, and it's cheap.


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## bogydave (Dec 12, 2009)

Good "tip & trick"
Thanks

Mine stays clean in the middle & cleans up 90% when i run it on high for a couple hours.
But the right & left lower corners dirty back pretty quick when on anything but high.


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## Jack Straw (Dec 12, 2009)

My glass never gets that bad. It looks to me like your burning green wood or at to low of temps.


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## WES999 (Dec 12, 2009)

I agree with Jack, I have the F1100, next size smaller than yours. Usually there is only a grey haze
that wipes off easily with a damp paper towel. Sometimes I may get a dark spot if a log roles up against the glass but this comes off with a ash on a damp paper towel.
Probably need dryer wood and/ or to burn hotter.


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## savageactor7 (Dec 12, 2009)

burrrrrrr blueflame...how can you let the stove go cold in weather like this? Next time in the morning when the stove is the coolest use a wet paper towel to clean off the glass...make sure you're wearing leather gloves. If you have well water use bottled water or you could permanently haze the glass...that's what someone here told me to do and it works. One minute=DONE!


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## wahoowad (Dec 12, 2009)

Yeah, you are obviously shutting down your primary air too quickly. The only time my glass gets anywhere near close to your glass is when I put in a full load before bed and am too tired to give it a good 20 minutes or so of full air to get it going.


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## blueflame75 (Dec 12, 2009)

This particular example that i gave i was burning some trash wood so the glass dirtied (is that a word up more than usual. Under my normal burning conditions i am left only a thin film or haze. my Simple Green trick was for heavy cleaning. I should have mentioned that earlier in my first thread. 

What temperature do you all like to burn at?


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## freeburn (Dec 12, 2009)

Doesn't a razor blade tend to leave scratches on the "glass", since it's not technically glass but ceramic? I also read that etching the glass weakens it since glass and ceramic is scored in order to cut it.


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## ksting (Dec 12, 2009)

Try Cerama Bryte. Ceramic Cooktop Cleaner.  Makes my glass shiny shiny!!

http://www.ceramabryte.com/


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## savageactor7 (Dec 12, 2009)

*What temperature do you all like to burn at? * Someone's usually home here so we're always burning for heat...hardly ever for longevity. 

So 500°+ ...we're raking coals forward and reloading at 450°. Most of the time all we have in there is 3 splits in different burn stages...at night a few more but still we're burning wide open throttle. When you get older it's harder to rack up more than 3 hrs at a time anyway so reloadings no problemo.


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## Valhalla (Dec 12, 2009)

Clean it easily with wet/damp newspaper on the cold glass. Use some
ash for the stubborn spots. 

Causes: stove design, operating tempertures or wood
moisture content. Sometimes, a bit of all!


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## btuser (Dec 12, 2009)

I like the Rutland stuff.  It won't clean when the glass is tha bad but a quick hot burn will clean off everything but the corners and then I just rub with a paper towel + buff.  Every Feb Home Depot puts fireplace stuff on sale for almost 75% off.  I got a bunch of chimney rods (good for other stuff too), brush, firestarter and some glass cleaner last year for peanuts. One bottle has lasted me  a year and a half, but honestly I don't get too picky about cleaning the glass unless company's coming over.  I figure if the glass is getting too dirty its a good indication what the rest of my system is suffering.

I also got a firewood ring for $10 which is one of my favorite things.


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## jadm (Dec 12, 2009)

I converted to cold ashes as a glass cleaner once I read about it here.  Works like a charm. ;-)


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## John the Painter (Dec 13, 2009)

ksting said:
			
		

> Try Cerama Bryte. Ceramic Cooktop Cleaner.  Makes my glass shiny shiny!!
> 
> http://www.ceramabryte.com/


Use it with paper towel or a shamee?


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## Valhalla (Dec 13, 2009)

perplexed said:
			
		

> I converted to cold ashes as a glass cleaner once I read about it here.  Works like a charm. ;-)



Yes cold ashes, as hot ones are a little hard to hold! LOL
Just stick the wet newspaper in them. 

Almost instantly cleans stove glass. Glad you like it too!


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## kenny chaos (Dec 13, 2009)

With glass that dirty I'd be more worried about creosote in the flue.
Trash wood or not;
Don't be tight, burn it right.


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## ROBERT F (Dec 13, 2009)

Yep, just wipe it with your dirty ash!


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## blueflame75 (Dec 13, 2009)

My home is 3yrs old 1500sqft ranch and is airtight. If i burned at a constant clean burning temp(400-600 degrees) i would be run out of the house, and that's with junk wood. So occasionally i have a burn that creates soot. The next burn i will burn at max temps to clean my stove completely out per advice from my stove installer. It was 6 degrees last night and inside was and still is 76 degrees. I can't wait to get my Bio-Mass Burning Stove Tax Credit back in April. I will be using the casheola to build some type of shelter for my wood next winter. Tarping my wood pile is the pits.


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## pellet repair (Dec 13, 2009)

use double 00 steel wool will not scratch glass , water or class cleaner works good with it


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## blueflame75 (Dec 13, 2009)

00 steel wool...haven't tried that.


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## Haybale (Dec 14, 2009)

I have used the newspaper trick just a few times to clean the glass if we were having company over or something.  For the most part mine stays pretty clean except for maybe the lower corners once in awhile.  My glass only got like BlueFlamers once when I loaded up before bed, was too tired and shut the air down too far too quick.  After a hot burn the next day it cleaned itself though.  

As for burning temps, I have a hard time burning it really hot also unless I want to start opening windows in our house.  We have not had a ton of days in the single digits with howling winds yet though either so nice to know I have the extra heating capacity still when I am going to need it.


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## firefighterjake (Dec 14, 2009)

Valhalla said:
			
		

> Clean it easily with wet/damp newspaper on the cold glass. Use some
> ash for the stubborn spots.
> 
> Causes: stove design, operating tempertures or wood
> moisture content. Sometimes, a bit of all!




+1 . . . couldn't have said it any better myself.

Last year I tried all kinds of stuff before finally realizing that about the only thing better than not getting the glass all gunked up by running the stove hot enough and not using unseasoned wood was to go with the wicked cheap and easy method of using wet newspaper and ash when needed. 

Folks have all kinds of tips and tricks and I have no doubt that the oven cleaner, razor blades, Simple Green, Soylent Green, Rutland Spray, Roofing Cement, etc. or what have you work . . . but I guess my feeling is that you really can't beat free newspaper from my local weekly, water from the tap and some ash . . . I mean . . . it's about as cheap as you can get . . . and more importantly it works well. 

I will say however that while I generally only swipe the glass when the fire has gone down to low coals, I don't wait for the glass to go cold . . . although I am careful to not get burned and don't use freezing cold water on the sometimes warm to hot glass. Typically I use only two sheets . . . and this year not much ash.


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## gpcollen1 (Dec 14, 2009)

That razor blade will haze that 'glass' eventually, me thinks.  I rarely clean mine as a bit of grey and ash do not bother me.  I know how my fire is burning without staring to see the flame/fire.  I usually only clean it if we are having company - at the wife's request.


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## GeneralBill (Dec 16, 2009)

CTwoodburner said:
			
		

> That razor blade will haze that 'glass' eventually, me thinks.  I rarely clean mine as a bit of grey and ash do not bother me.  I know how my fire is burning without staring to see the flame/fire.  I usually only clean it if we are having company - at the wife's request.



Sharp blades can be pretty ragged at the edge. Well, most every blade looks quite ragged and dull as long as you zoom in enough. The burrs and lumps can cause micro scratches. You can buff (i.e. further sharpen) the razor on both edges by just running it at a small angle along your tightened Levi pants leg (or equiv.). Run the last several swipes on the same edge that will touch the glass. This will bias that edge to a non marring curve. 

This sounded ineffective when I first heard it - but the years have proven it true!

- Bill


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## blueflame75 (Dec 16, 2009)

Bill_in_CV said:
			
		

> CTwoodburner said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Now that i've had some feed back on what possibly can happen if i use razor blades to clean my stove door glass (i'm a newbie) I will try other methods described in these posts. Thanks for all the input. I'm not one to be PC about anything so

Merry Christmas All


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## Valhalla (Dec 16, 2009)

Yup, the Oslo pretty much cleans it's own glass. 

Norse magic!


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## sandie (Dec 20, 2009)

I get black glass but it clears up totally with 500 degree fire which I burn at for 15 or so minutes.  What I want to know is if the glass is black is the flu with creosote? AND if so does it burn up like the black on the glass or no?  I never let it get hotter than 650 and that is for a minute or so when I see it, I bring down the primary air control a bit.  What is a good cruising temp?  I have been using somewhere near 400 but that will allow black on windows so does that mean it is not running hot enough? OR wood is still too wet?  I have ordered 1/2 cord of kiln dried wood( highly recommended to me by a friend so trust it is really kiln dried)  so will see if that improves the blackening of window but like a say it clears itself.


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## firefighterjake (Dec 21, 2009)

sandie said:
			
		

> I get black glass but it clears up totally with 500 degree fire which I burn at for 15 or so minutes.  What I want to know is if the glass is black is the flu with creosote? AND if so does it burn up like the black on the glass or no?  I never let it get hotter than 650 and that is for a minute or so when I see it, I bring down the primary air control a bit.  What is a good cruising temp?  I have been using somewhere near 400 but that will allow black on windows so does that mean it is not running hot enough? OR wood is still too wet?  I have ordered 1/2 cord of kiln dried wood( highly recommended to me by a friend so trust it is really kiln dried)  so will see if that improves the blackening of window but like a say it clears itself.



The dreaded black gas usually comes from one of a couple of things . . . wood is laying right up against the glass for an extended period of time (this sometimes happens with me and my overnight fires if a round rolls up against the glass) or if the wood is not as seasoned as it should be . . . oh yeah, it also could be damping the fire down too much too soon . . . and come to think of it, if this was an older stove it could be caused by a faulty gasket. As mentioned there are many, many ways of cleaning this up . . . and perhaps doing what you are doing is the simplest -- simply burn hot enough and the black will bake off.

Just because the glass is or is not black does not mean the flu is thick with creosote . . . although truthfully, if you often have black glass you might want to consider checking the chimney since I would guess that your fuel is either not as seasoned as it should be . . . which I suspect is the most common factor here for folks with this problem. Personally, I would err on the side of caution and check your chimney and have it cleaned if needed since the only two ways creosote clears up is either a) with a chimney brush or b) with a chimney fire. For the record, I would prefer option A.

I can't tell you what a good cruising temp for your stove would be . . . they often vary. My Oslo likes 450-550 temps . . . but some stoves like it cooler or even hotter. What I might suggest is finding out what a good cruising temp is for your stove . . . I would suspect 400 might be just a tad too low . . . but as I said, that may be plenty hot enough for your make/model. You might also not want to turn down the air control on your stove quite so much . . . and see if that helps clear up the problem . . . if your wood is marginal in terms of seasoning sometimes you can give the wood a little more air . . . it may not be as efficient, but may result in a better, cleaner burn.


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## mayhem (Dec 21, 2009)

Straight vinegar on a paper towel takes that crap right off.  Follow it up with a shot of Windex and you're done.

Haven't tried the ash on newspaper trick yet, have to the next time I run into that situation.

Unseasoned wood will definitely do this though.  Toss in a few nice dry pieces and run it wide open for a bit...it'll burn that gunk right off there.


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## sandie (Dec 21, 2009)

This may seem like a dumb question but how does one know what temp the stove LIKES to cruise at?  What does it mean to LIKE to cruise? Does it mean that is the temp it stays at when burning well? That could not be it since we control the actual temp by air controls etc so what is meant by "find out what temp  your stove likes to crusie at?"  Confusing I guess.  Had it burning all day yesterday and when it dropped to about 300-400 or so I would then add some big splits and it would burn for a few hours and I would add more.  Am I supposed to get it up to 500 for a while then down to ??? for a long while and until it dies down in temp but red hot coals and then reload? IF do it that way will the temp of the room seesaw?  I was trying to keep the room as warm as it would go which seemed to be about 68 degrees, the rest of the house was on thermostat at 62 and this stove did not seem to warm anything but this room so furnace cut on and off as the house went below 62 etc.  I am hoping once the blocking plate is in and hte stove is pulled out into room more than the heat from stove will be more and will get a fan to blow it around to rest of house if need be so will not be blasted out of the sun room where it is now.  68 was very comfortable but would like the rest of the house to equalize.  I do not burn overnight yet.  Waiting for good dry wood, wood I have which was Kiln Dried(huh) was soaking wet and still is so I place the pieces near stove for a couple of days and it dries out and then I use it and I have some other that is pretty dry actually. Getting a drop soon I hope although the storm may have put kibosh on it.


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## Valhalla (Dec 23, 2009)

Sandie,

"Likes to cruise?" Well it has a lot to do with stove design,
flue configuration, your fuel and the weather. 

My guess since your model is not too far away from my old
Defiant, it is about 500 - 600 F on the main stove or
griddle top. Use a stovetop thermometer at all times.  

Getting to know your stove is kind of like learning from 
experience how your pickup will pull a certain grade or 
4 wheeler will pull in the mud. It all takes your being there! 

Burn it, enjoy it and learn as you go!


PS Read and search Hearth.com for lots info
on your stove and it's care and feeding.


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## firefighterjake (Dec 23, 2009)

[quote author="sandie" date="1261440368"]This may seem like a dumb question but how does one know what temp the stove LIKES to cruise at?  _*Well my stove talks to me and tells me what temp it likes to cruise at . . . well, it doesn't really talk to me . . . the doctor says those are just the voices in my head and I should ignore them.  In all honesty, what I suspect many of us mean by the term "cruising temp" is the temp (and it is generally a range of temps) where the stove will reach a set temp to produce heat and it will generally do so with sustained secondary combustion . . . in other words it is a high temp, but not so high to damage the stove, and it is a temp where the stove will just chug along for a long time with the secondaries firing off.*_ What does it mean to LIKE to cruise? _*Well I like to cruise . . . I particularly liked cruising in the Carribean . . . however, in this case, again I suspect most folks use this term to mean the temps at which the stove has a long, sustained secondary action and the heat is just pumping out.*_ Does it mean that is the temp it stays at when burning well?_* I would say yes . . . and no. For me the "cruising temp" is not a fixed number, but rather a general temp (i.e. 450-550) where I find the stove's secondary actions are working great, the temp will stay at that point for a long time, etc. Of course, this temp cannot stay right at here indefinitely . . . the fuel will eventually burn up . . . and adding more fuel too early will result in over-coaling, inefficient and just not that good of an idea*_. That could not be it since we control the actual temp by air controls etc so what is meant by "find out what temp  your stove likes to crusie at?"  _*Well, actually you are partially right here. I control the temp with the air controls to be sure . . . but also in my choice of wood (i.e. size, amount and species) and when I reload the fire. For example, normally I will add 2-3 splits when the wood has coaled up to the size of golfballs or plums . . . but if it's cold out I may add the wood earlier in the coaling stage. *_Confusing I guess. _*Many things associated with wood burning can be difficult to nail down . . . and even now I learn . . . which is just one reason why I hang out here at hearth.com. *_ Had it burning all day yesterday and when it dropped to about 300-400 or so I would then add some big splits and it would burn for a few hours and I would add more.  Am I supposed to get it up to 500 for a while then down to ??? for a long while and until it dies down in temp but red hot coals and then reload? IF do it that way will the temp of the room seesaw? _* There are a lot of factors here . . . in my own case, as I said I generally wait until the coals are the size of golfballs, plums, maybe even apple sized before I reload. The stove top temp is typically around 200-300 at this point . . . although to tell the truth I now pay more attention to the condition of the coals rather than the temp of the stove. At this point I reload, turn the air up, the wood catches on fire and I turn down the air and when I've reached the cruising temp -- where the secondary action is going strong -- I leave it alone until I reach the coaling stage again. Yes, the temp on the stove will go up and down . . . but rather than describing it as a see-saw action (which is what I experienced when I had a camp with a hot air furnace -- one minute I was cold, the next I was sweltering -- I would say the stove top temp is more like a gentle wave that starts out far out to sea before eventually cresting on shore and then slowly receding back into the ocean . . . and the temps in the room should be relatively even -- in other words, when I'm running my stove during the day I generally will not see a huge swing in temps in the room . . . unless of course I'm restarting a fire in the morning after a long overnight fire . . . in which case I may see a drop in those 6-8 hours of 8-10 degrees*_) I was trying to keep the room as warm as it would go which seemed to be about 68 degrees, the rest of the house was on thermostat at 62 and this stove did not seem to warm anything but this room so furnace cut on and off as the house went below 62 etc.  I am hoping once the blocking plate is in and hte stove is pulled out into room more than the heat from stove will be more and will get a fan to blow it around to rest of house if need be so will not be blasted out of the sun room where it is now.  68 was very comfortable but would like the rest of the house to equalize. I do not burn overnight yet.  Waiting for good dry wood, wood I have which was Kiln Dried(huh) was soaking wet and still is so I place the pieces near stove for a couple of days and it dries out and then I use it and I have some other that is pretty dry actually. Getting a drop soon I hope although the storm may have put kibosh on it.[/quote


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## firefighterjake (Dec 23, 2009)

sandie said:
			
		

> This may seem like a dumb question but how does one know what temp the stove LIKES to cruise at?  What does it mean to LIKE to cruise? Does it mean that is the temp it stays at when burning well? That could not be it since we control the actual temp by air controls etc so what is meant by "find out what temp  your stove likes to crusie at?"  Confusing I guess.  Had it burning all day yesterday and when it dropped to about 300-400 or so I would then add some big splits and it would burn for a few hours and I would add more.  Am I supposed to get it up to 500 for a while then down to ??? for a long while and until it dies down in temp but red hot coals and then reload? IF do it that way will the temp of the room seesaw?  I was trying to keep the room as warm as it would go which seemed to be about 68 degrees, the rest of the house was on thermostat at 62 and this stove did not seem to warm anything but this room so furnace cut on and off as the house went below 62 etc.  I am hoping once the blocking plate is in and hte stove is pulled out into room more than the heat from stove will be more and will get a fan to blow it around to rest of house if need be so will not be blasted out of the sun room where it is now.  68 was very comfortable but would like the rest of the house to equalize. _* I suspect a blocking plate and fan pointed towards the room will do wonders . . . I know in my case without a fan the room gets quite warm and then gradually, very slowly, the rest of the house over time will warm up. When I use a fan it really warms up the house much faster and moves the heat better . . . although there are some rooms in the house which are still on the cool side*_. I do not burn overnight yet.  Waiting for good dry wood, wood I have which was Kiln Dried(huh) was soaking wet and still is so I place the pieces near stove for a couple of days and it dries out and then I use it and I have some other that is pretty dry actually. Getting a drop soon I hope although the storm may have put kibosh on it.


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## webby3650 (Dec 27, 2009)

blueflame75 said:
			
		

> My home is 3yrs old 1500sqft ranch and is airtight. If i burned at a constant clean burning temp(400-600 degrees) i would be run out of the house, and that's with junk wood. So occasionally i have a burn that creates soot. The next burn i will burn at max temps to clean my stove completely out per advice from my stove installer. It was 6 degrees last night and inside was and still is 76 degrees. I can't wait to get my Bio-Mass Burning Stove Tax Credit back in April. I will be using the casheola to build some type of shelter for my wood next winter. Tarping my wood pile is the pits.


Are you sure you are going to get cash back? As I understood it you would only get a credit off of what you owed the government, if you already break even or get a rebate, this credit would be of no benefit.


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## sandie (Dec 27, 2009)

THAT is correct, it is a Tax CREDIT not a Tax REBATE, and so it is a credit up to 1500 dollars at most(you would need to spend $6000 on stove etc., not installation) on your tax return. It is a percent of your purchase.  IF you were to buy $6000 on a stove(unlikely) and you owed a thousand on taxes, then you would have $1000 written off not you get $1500.00, it is a write off up to $1500.  People have misunderstood this and the stove stores have not done anything to straighten it out since they have sold many a stove with people thinking they will receive money in return for buying a stove, NOT.


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## tonelover (Dec 28, 2009)

Simple Windex and a paper towel is all it ever takes for me.


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## sandie (Dec 29, 2009)

I have used some stuff bought at the stove store that is a blue thick liquid which works very well but is expensive  like $7.95 for about 6 oz, so used wet newspaper with dry ashes from the stove and it works very well so will be doing that from now on!!  Totally free. Totally easy.


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## billb3 (Dec 29, 2009)

Mine tends to grow back at the end of a burn and then flake back off with a reload.
Usually stays clear towards the center, dark at the edges. 
As long as what's coming out the chimney is clear, I'm happy.


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## pen (Dec 30, 2009)

sandie said:
			
		

> THAT is correct, it is a Tax CREDIT not a Tax REBATE, and so it is a credit up to 1500 dollars at most(you would need to spend $6000 on stove etc., not installation) on your tax return. It is a percent of your purchase.  IF you were to buy $6000 on a stove(unlikely) and you owed a thousand on taxes, then you would have $1000 written off not you get $1500.00, it is a write off up to $1500.  People have misunderstood this and the stove stores have not done anything to straighten it out since they have sold many a stove with people thinking they will receive money in return for buying a stove, NOT.



The only reason I get back money from the gov't every year is because I overpay them during the year.  

So you are saying that the only way I can get money back through this program on the purchase of a stove is if I've held back on paying my taxes until the end of the year?

Doesn't make sense. 

My apologies for getting a bit off topic.

pen


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