Am I doing something wrong(black glass)

[flyingpig]

You may want to try changing from laying wood N/S to E/W. Wood tends to outgas on both ends. Also as other said, you will need to have the stove up to it's temp before cutting back the primary air.

 

[Dieselhead]

I'm gonna try one gasket diameter size bigger and see if it helps. If not, I'm popping the glass out of the non-seal door, tack welding a 'ridge' onto the lip that goes over the other door's gasket, and re-installing the glass. Sounds like a lot of work but I have the tools and know-how to do it, it shouldn't be too bad. Worse part of the job will be re-installing the glass in the door while trying to re-use the old gasket.....

Hopefully the thicker gasket will do the trick. I'm going to talk to the dealer that sold me the stove and see if he has anybody else having this seal problem.....

let me know how you make out with that, same issue here maybe shoot me a PM incase this thread gets lost. Thanks

 

[Hogwildz]

Just a thought, but how close are you loading the end of the splits to the door? I have been cutting my stuff to about 16" although it will take near 18 or so. but with the splits loaded N-S and real close to the glass it will off gas out the ends against the glass. Of course here it usually burns off though. Interested to see if you can seal between your double doors or not.

 

[ScotO]

Just a thought, but how close are you loading the end of the splits to the door? I have been cutting my stuff to about 16" although it will take near 18 or so. but with the splits loaded N-S and real close to the glass it will off gas out the ends against the glass. Of course here it usually burns off though. Interested to see if you can seal between your double doors or not.

in the NZ 3000, and the Quadrafire 7100, you load the splits longways so the end of the splits are nowhere near the glass..... in my stove, it's definitely an air leak at the center gasket.

When I get a thicker replacement gasket, I'll post my results on this thread.

 

[Greg D]

in the NZ 3000, and the Quadrafire 7100, you load the splits longways so the end of the splits are nowhere near the glass..... in my stove, it's definitely an air leak at the center gasket.

When I get a thicker replacement gasket, I'll post my results on this thread.

Hi Scotty,

My name is Greg, and this is my third winter burning with my Quadrafire 7100 FP. Just curious- did you ever resolve the glass getting smudged up issue? I am experiencing the same problem. Another question: I have experimented loading wood both directions E/W and N/S- is there a reason you prefer to burn E/W? It seems that I can pack the splits tighter when I load N/S and I don't have to worry about one rolling down onto the glass. The smaller length of the slpits (12-14in) also seem to season better for me. Always trying to learn and improve.... Thanks.

 

[ScotO]

Hi Scotty,

My name is Greg, and this is my third winter burning with my Quadrafire 7100 FP. Just curious- did you ever resolve the glass getting smudged up issue? I am experiencing the same problem. Another question: I have experimented loading wood both directions E/W and N/S- is there a reason you prefer to burn E/W? It seems that I can pack the splits tighter when I load N/S and I don't have to worry about one rolling down onto the glass. The smaller length of the slpits (12-14in) also seem to season better for me. Always trying to learn and improve.... Thanks.

Hi Greg, I haven't changed out that gasket yet. Been too busy to do anything with that stove, trying to get the trim and floor in that room so we can get moved into it. My glass still gets black, but not as bad as it was. I did a small modification on the door latch on my Napoleon, and it helped alot, but still leaking air at the center gasket. When I get around to changing out that center gasket I'll post my results.....

Make sure your wood is super SUPER dry, and I found that smaller splits seem to do much better in regards to not making the glass black. I have found that my fireplace likes to be good and hot before you shut the doors down, and when you get it good and hot it seems to NOT blacken the glass as badly.

 

[Woody Stover]

But what surprised me once though was burning some pine boards up that had been laying around here for like 20 years..man did they burn..I mean hot..real hot.
Seems like I could only cut the air all the way and do the cat run or just add a little more air then it was like the gates of hell.

Thing is even that very seasoned pine smoked my glass on low burn.
I'm guessing from the wood out gassing so fast.

When I throw on some Pine, I see black smoke coming off of it. That smoke is probably loaded with pitch. If I put a piece too close to the glass, it will be gunked over in no time...

 

[Greg D]

Hi Greg, I haven't changed out that gasket yet. Been too busy to do anything with that stove, trying to get the trim and floor in that room so we can get moved into it. My glass still gets black, but not as bad as it was. I did a small modification on the door latch on my Napoleon, and it helped alot, but still leaking air at the center gasket. When I get around to changing out that center gasket I'll post my results.....

Make sure your wood is super SUPER dry, and I found that smaller splits seem to do much better in regards to not making the glass black. I have found that my fireplace likes to be good and hot before you shut the doors down, and when you get it good and hot it seems to NOT blacken the glass as badly.

Thanks for the response. I can relate to working towards the end goal of finishing a project. This past summer I finished building our house (a 5 year "journey"). Each year gets better as far as the quality and quantity of wood that I have prepared and the results in the fireplace. Good luck.

 

[Mitch Newton]

When I first started burning, I was following the advice here on the forum to get it good and hot then then damp it down completely in small steps for a long overnight burn . I was getting some darkness on the glass. I started leaving the air controls open slightly, maybe 1/8 to 1/4 and never get black glass anymore. I think all stoves/fireplaces/inserts have their own way to burn best.

 

[bag of hammers]

I think all stoves/fireplaces/inserts have their own way to burn best.

Agree. Taking a step further (apologies for the cheesy metaphor) - "Burns are like snowflakes - no 2 are exactly the same"

*groan....*

But it's kinda true. Even on the same stove, things can vary. If the big splits I stack in at the end of the evening are cooperating (e.g. some beautiful big maple blocks with no bark left on them, stacked in there tight but still lighting off nicely), I know I can shut it right down for the night. The last few burns where I shut the air off completely like that left nothing on the glass. I'm getting more of these lately. Then, sometimes I get a knarly chunk that has some attitude in it - I might leave the air open just a bit to get the same effect. Contrast with a few rounds stacked N/S with ends close to the glass (as Hogwildz mentioned) - that seems to leave some blotches on the glass even with some good air going in. There are a lot of variables.

 

[Blue2ndaries]

Hi Scotty,

My name is Greg, and this is my third winter burning with my Quadrafire 7100 FP. Just curious- did you ever resolve the glass getting smudged up issue? I am experiencing the same problem. Another question: I have experimented loading wood both directions E/W and N/S- is there a reason you prefer to burn E/W? It seems that I can pack the splits tighter when I load N/S and I don't have to worry about one rolling down onto the glass. The smaller length of the slpits (12-14in) also seem to season better for me. Always trying to learn and improve.... Thanks.

Hey Greg, this has been my 4th (and best) year heating w/our 7100FP mainly b/c my wood supply is now 2-3years CSS and from all the collective wisdom on this forum. As everyone has already mentioned well-seasoned wood is key.

As for the black glass, I have actually not experienced much of it at all and that's even with the primary air down/all the way left to the "click" or even past that to full close. Though we are now in "shoulder season" here in OR, my middle-of-winter routine is burning 24x7, which entails 3-4 splits thruout the day as needed (by my wife at home) and then my overnight burn is me loading it to the gills around 10pm on good bed of coals, typ. w/large splits of oak arranged E-W as I cut my splits at 18"-20". I do not typically use the ACC, I just move the air control to the right until it is at mid-point just before it engages the ACC spring. I let the stove take off for about 10min and secondaries are going well. I slide air control all the way down, even to close sometimes and secondaries are really running. This will go on all night and when I wake up to reload ~6am, there are enough coals to get it going again w/o kindling or using the ACC, just a few small splits.

I clean the glass w/a damp paper towel and ash every couple of days or so, but there is rarely any black on the glass. I do find some black if/when a split falls against the glass in the middle of the night or as some mentioned when I stick in a shorter split N-S on the side of the box and it's really close to the glass.

The 7100 can effectively heat a house. The key is well-seasoned wood. Feel free to ping me and I can try to send pics of my routine, air settings, coal bed, glass, etc.

 

[tfdchief]

OK, I will probably get burned by all (pun intended), but I have burned wood for 40 years and it is my experience that if you burn real hot, the glass doesn't get dirty. But the air wash has tons to do with it. I don't care how seasoned your wood is, the glass can still get dirty (all my wood is well seasoned and has been for 40 years) In my old stove (no air wash), the glass stays clean ONLY when I burn real hot all the time. Normal burning cycles and the glass slowly gets dirty (again, no air wash). In my new stove, burning the same way. the glass stays relatively clean (air wash). Although it even gets dirty in the lower corners sometimes. I guess what I am trying to say is if you have fire, there are going to be deposits from combustion on the glass (and other surfaces) unless the air wash is so good, that it keeps the gases produced by combustion from touching the glass. OK, maybe I have been around fire to long.....just expect a little soot when the fire burns even on my face OK, blast away

 

[embers aplenty]

I'm gonna try one gasket diameter size bigger and see if it helps. If not, I'm popping the glass out of the non-seal door, tack welding a 'ridge' onto the lip that goes over the other door's gasket, and re-installing the glass. Sounds like a lot of work but I have the tools and know-how to do it, it shouldn't be too bad. Worse part of the job will be re-installing the glass in the door while trying to re-use the old gasket.....

Hopefully the thicker gasket will do the trick. I'm going to talk to the dealer that sold me the stove and see if he has anybody else having this seal problem.....

Word of caution, be extra careful when reninstalling the glass. Would be a good time for a new gasket for it if needed. Just barley snug the screws. You can always snug them a bit more after burning a few fires to let it settle in.

What I'm getting at is, That $150 crack down the middle will really pi$$ you off. This happen to me when I had some plating done on an extra stove door I aquired. Sure knocks the fun out of whatever the other good was you just accomplished.