Constantly sooty glass.

[kversch]

it seems like whenever I burn over night or well I'm at work for the day. When I come back to the stove I find very brown soot covered glass. This is usually the times when I have the air almost all the way cut back. Is this a sign that the secondays are stopping befor they maybe could if I wasn't cutting the air so far back? The soot typically burns off with the next fire but if I can prevent it from happening some that would be cool.

Is there anything that can be done to help to prevent some of this?

 

[xman23]

For me, Before I am going to choke down for the night. I get a real hot stove and a bed of coals. Then load her up and choke her down. Yours is not hot enough and your smoldering. Also if the woods wet it won't burn,

 

[webby3650]

That's normal. Your stove has 3 points of entry for the combustion air. Primary air is front and center at the bottom of the door, air wash above the door, and the secondary air tubes. When you reduce the air to low, it kills the air feeding the primary as well as the air wash. All the air allowed on low is being fed through the secondary air tubes. So when you run on low the glass gets dirty, this is perfectly normal on a non-cat stove when trying to achieve long burns.

 

[kennyp2339]

also "big" night loads disrupt the air wash until it burns away.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

We run a Lopi Revere insert and don't have sooty glass for the most part. We do load it full and choke it down overnight, and as long as we're using good wood loaded properly, we don't have problems. Occasionally we'll get a wetter piece in there, and it will make things brown in places, or we'll have something too close to the glass, and that will create a spot. I would not say that "constantly sooty glass" is normal on my stove.

Do you know the moisture content of your wood? You could certainly be choking it down too much if your wood isn't seasoned well. Is it loaded very close to the glass?

I think you had a thread on hot stove and flue temperatures, and you started cutting the air back earlier to control that? Is the sooty glass new since then, or was it going on before?

 

[begreen]

The sooty glass could indicate incomplete seasoning of the wood.

 

[toddnic]

It is likely that your issue is not having seasoned wood.... Just a few percentage points regarding a higher moisture content can cause this to happen to glass. Having a lesser moisture content in your wood will take care of this problem.

 

[ckr74]

I think a lot of it depends on the wood stove design. I'm running an Englander 30 and haven't found a way yet to keep the glass from sooting. Once the white haze gets on it you're done and it won't burn off.

 

[begreen]

White haze is ash deposits or etching. That is not the same as a brown creosote stain.

 

[ckr74]

I may be wrong but when the brown stuff burns off it leaves a white haze or soot. This may be what the op is experiencing. The glass is not etched but it looks like it.

White haze is ash deposits or etching. That is not the same as a brown creosote stain.

 

[Sprinter]

Okay, one by one:

The most probable initial cause is insufficiently dry wood, but there is only one way to know for sure, and that is with a moisture meter properly used to measure the moisture in the middle of a fresh split. Toddnic and others already addressed that.

Frankly, I've never experienced anything like the "white haze" that has been mentioned here and before. If the haze can be wiped clean, then it must be a deposit of ash or chemical, etc.

If the haze is not easily cleaned, it must be an etching from an abrasive cleaner or chemical.

This is not the first thread regarding an etching-like haze, but the first year I've seen them. Makes me wonder what's going on there.

But to address the OP, look at the wood first. I almost never get a sooty window anymore, even with long burn times, but I sure did the first year with marginal wood. Also, make sure your stove is burning nicely and the secondaries are burning well before you turn the air down. Sometimes it takes an experienced eye to be sure.

 

[begreen]

Frankly, I've never experienced anything like the "white haze" that has been mentioned here and before. If the haze can be wiped clean, then it must be a deposit of ash or chemical, etc.

We get a few a year. This one was recent/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/cant-get-glass-door-clean.158808/

 

[Sprinter]

Yes, that one was recent. I just don't get it. Sorry. I just have never seen a plausible explanation for what has been described so far, but that may only because of my limited experience. Sooty, yes, white etching, no, especially when described as being in the middle of the window.

 

[webby3650]

Yes, that one was recent. I just don't get it. Sorry. I just have never seen a plausible explanation for what has been described so far, but that may only because of my limited experience. Sooty, yes, white etching, no.

I see etched glass on a regular basis. It's very very common outside of this site. Most people just look at a stove like a heater, and that's it.
No need to clean it up, or even clean up around it.

 

[Sprinter]

I see etched glass on a regular basis. It's very very common outside of this site. Most people just look at a stove like a heater, and that's it.
No need to clean it up, or even clean up around it.

Thanks. But why etching? Is it because the glass never gets cleaned until it's too late? Maybe that's it. I didn't think that ordinary deposits would cause etching.

 

[begreen]

Yes, that one was recent. I just don't get it. Sorry. I just have never seen a plausible explanation for what has been described so far, but that may only because of my limited experience. Sooty, yes, white etching, no, especially when described as being in the middle of the window.

Look at the linked threads I provided in that thread. They go into multiple explanations from wood being too close to the glass that may have high sulfur content etc..

 

[Sprinter]

Okay, I usually read any links. I guess I missed those. Makes more sense, thanks.

 

[webby3650]

Thanks. But why etching? Is it because the glass never gets cleaned until it's too late? Maybe that's it. I didn't think that ordinary deposits would cause etching.

It's because people simply fail to clean the glass. Then they let their stove rip on a regular basis, the ash build up actually melts into the ceramic glass, making a grey haze. It takes a while for this happen, it's not a one time event.

 

[Sprinter]

It's because people simply fail to clean the glass. Then they let their stove rip on a regular basis, the ash build up actually melts into the ceramic glass, making a grey haze. It takes a while for this happen, it's not a one time event.

Geez, no wonder I haven't experienced that. Thanks for the explanation (and to begreen).

 

[kversch]

Wood seems to be ok. 2-2.5 year out cut split stacked. The splits I've split down periodically to check so far are all reading in the 19-20%. But it is very posible that some could be a bit higher.

What I seem to notice that may go along with this is the "chunky" coal/charcoal that seems to stay in the very back of the stove. The reminents of the back most splits.and a little bit to the far left side of the stove. Everything else in the stove seems to burn down completely to small hot coal or ash except this area of the stove.

It does seem very posible that it is just a air issue that I'm cuttting it down a bit too far but I would rather have that then risk leaving to much air and it taking off when I'm not home. I try to never leave the house or go to be till a good set of secondary's are burning

 

[kversch]

I think you had a thread on hot stove and flue temperatures, and you started cutting the air back earlier to control that? Is the sooty glass new since then, or was it going on before?

Yea I do have that thread too. I've seemed to get a Handel on the hot stove issues. I did have the sooty glass issues previously but it seems like I'm having it more now.

 

[Jeffm1]

it seems like whenever I burn over night or well I'm at work for the day. When I come back to the stove I find very brown soot covered glass. This is usually the times when I have the air almost all the way cut back. Is this a sign that the secondays are stopping befor they maybe could if I wasn't cutting the air so far back? The soot typically burns off with the next fire but if I can prevent it from happening some that would be cool.

Is there anything that can be done to help to prevent some of this?

I wonder if adding a couple of feet in height to your chimney might help improve draw?

 

[Dobish]

i have pretty constantly sooty glass on my stove as well. When the cat is going, and i turn the air down all the way, it will smolder a bit. When i let it get up to 650º, it will burn off after an hour or so, and every so often I will burn it hot and clean it off.

 

[begreen]

Yea I do have that thread too. I've seemed to get a Handel on the hot stove issues. I did have the sooty glass issues previously but it seems like I'm having it more now.

Sounds like you have to get Bach to the basics. (love spell check)

 

[gmhowell]

Almost never an issue with the stove.
Probably either wood
-moisture content
-a lot of times it happens when you choke the air off then it goes away when you get her hot again
-door gasket needs to be replaced
Usually just the wood though