How To Replace Your Stove Glass

The video above is instructional and describes how to replace your stove glass and seals along with tips on how to avoid glass breakage. The below video has no commentary but shows a full clean, teardown and replacement of stove glass and seals. 

 

Over time, the glass on your wood burning stove can become damaged, cracked or even shattered. Replacing the glass on your wood burning stove is not only essential for the stove's efficiency, but also for your safety. Here we go through step by step how to replace your glass.

Turn off your stove and allow it to cool down completely. This will prevent any burns or injuries during the replacement process.

Step 2: Remove The Door (If Possible)

If possible, remove the door from the stove to make things easier. Depending on the model of your stove, this may require unscrewing the hinges or lifting the door up and off the hinges. If you can't remove the door, that's ok. It can be worked on while it's still attached to the stove.

Step 3: Protecting The Door

If you've removed the door, lay it on a soft surface such as a blanket or towel to prevent any scratching or damage.

Step 4: Removing Fixings

Check to see if the fixing clips holding the glass in place are held using bolts or screw fixings. Using a screwdriver or socket set, remove any screws or bolts that are holding the retaining clips in place. Take note of their position, as you will need to reattach them once the new glass is in place.

Over time, the screws and bolts can seize. If this is the case, start by applying penetrating oil and then try to loosen them again.

A customer also reported that the empty (no drill bit inserted) chuck of a hammer drill placed against the bolt heads/fixings and operated at medium speed on the hammer setting for about 15-20 seconds worked. The vibration from the drill loosened the bolts, making them easy to undo.

If this fails, you may need to take the door to a machine shop to get seized screws or bolts removed and replaced. In the worst case, the existing fixings can be drilled out and the holes can be re tapped.

Step 5: Removing The Glass

Carefully remove the old glass from the door. If the glass is cracked or shattered, be cautious to avoid any sharp edges.

Step 6: Checking Rope And Seals

Check the seals around the glass and door. Are they frayed or hard? If so, they'll need replacing. Some discoloration and flattening of seals will occur curing normal use and this does not indicate a damaged seal.

The glass seal you have may be a round rope seal (sitting in a groove behind the glass) or a flat bedding in tape (forming a border around the edge of the glass).

To replace worn or damaged seals, remove the old rope or seal and clean any old glue and debris from the groove it sat in.

When replacing the door seal or a round rope glass seal that's seated in a groove, apply a generous amount of glue to the groove. Press the new rope into the groove, placing the joint where the two ends of the rope butt together in the middle of the lower edge of the door.

If your glass has a flat, self adhesive seal around its edge that's in need of replacement, this can be removed and any residue adhesive cleaned off. Replacement flat seals can be found here and here.

To fit this type of seal, remove the backing and apply the seal to the edge of your glass panel, creating a border around the perimeter of the glass. The edges of the seal should be prised around the edge of the glass so that it's cushioned on both sides. A video demonstration of this can be seen here.

Our full range of seals can be found here.

Step 7: Clean The Door

Clean the door and remove any debris. This will ensure a smooth surface for the new glass and that any new glass seal has a clean surface to bond to.

Step 8: Measure The Glass

Measure the dimensions of the old glass and purchase a replacement that is the same size and thickness. Our measurement guide can be found here.

Step 9: Replace The Glass

Carefully place the new glass into the door, making sure it fits correctly and is centered. Ideally you will want 1-2mm of clearance between the edge of the glass and the upstanding edge of the metal surround that it fits into. The glass expands slightly during heating, so a tight fit will cause the glass to expand into the metalwork and lead to cracking or breakage.

Step 10: Tighten The Fixings

Reapply the fixing clips and tighten the screws or bolts that you removed earlier to hold the glass in place. Make sure to only do the screws or bolts up finger tight. Any tighter and you risk the glass being pinched and cracking during heating. It is very important that the glass is able to expand and contract without being impeded. Optionally, you can coat the threads of the screws or bolts with copper grease to allow for easy extraction next time you need to remove them.

Step 11:Reattach the door to the stove if it was removed.

Step 12: Finally, light a small fire in the stove to ensure that the new glass is properly sealed and functioning.

Replacing the glass on your wood burning stove is a straightforward process that can be done with the right tools and a bit of care. By following these steps, you can ensure that your stove is operating efficiently and safely for many years to come.