PSA: check your screws / Q about tightness of door

[firenightdance]

PSA: check your screws, especially when your "gasket" (in quotes because it wasn't) seems loose when in fact it's the damn stove door handle.

It's already a fun week (stranded because rural road/driveway is ice) and I was getting a fire going. Closed the door, closed the latch and heard "thwink!" Then handle was loose. Well, yeah...of course the handle screw popped out and into the fire. Panicked a bit thinking of uncontrolled fire for the next 2-3 hours (just loaded up the firebox!) so I pulled out whatever logs weren't burning and started assessing. Found out what happened, and long story short, I managed to somehow find a M6 10mm screw in the house (so THAT'S why I never throw anything out) and fixed it. Nothing like working on a very hot stove to wake you up!

Q: I had removed one of the latch plates to make the door tighter, and now the door is REALLY tight, like you have to muscle it closed a bit. Is this dangerous? If I add the plate back, it feels like it's not making a good seal. I'm in a Goldilocks situation.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Would a thinner shim make everything happy?

 

[Todd]

Remove another shim and do the dollar bill test. I replaced my door gasket this year and it felt like it wasn’t as tight a seal as before but the dollar bill test passed. I need to check my handle screw though, thanks for the heads up.

 

[firenightdance]

Remove another shim and do the dollar bill test. I replaced my door gasket this year and it felt like it wasn’t as tight a seal as before but the dollar bill test passed. I need to check my handle screw though, thanks for the heads up.

Stove's hot now so I can't really do it but not a bad idea. I have a feeling it's too loose...or will be after having the door this tight for 24 hours. You really have to muscle the handle closed. Not ideal.

 

[firenightdance]

Would a thinner shim make everything happy?

It would be good but I just don't have the ability to do that right now...shop is torn apart (for drilling holes into shim) and literally can't leave the house b/c of iced drive.

 

[VermontCrapstings]

When I took one shim out it felt super tight despite feeling loose with the shim in. The gasket will compress quicker than you think especially with heat. I ended up taking a second shim out the next week.

 

[firenightdance]

When I took one shim out it felt super tight despite feeling loose with the shim in. The gasket will compress quicker than you think especially with heat. I ended up taking a second shim out the next week.

You know I reverted to all shims and dollar bill tested and it passed - so for now, all are back. I'm surprised I didn't compress the crap out of the gasket having it so tight for a week, but it seems to be OK.