Fireplace/woodstove gasket

[ning]

If you haven't replaced your wood stove's door gasket - typically some braided fiberglass thing - in a while, consider it.

We didn't really realize ours needed replacing until our cat started having serious asthma attacks. Once we put 2+2 together we realized that there was more wood smoke scent in the house when the fireplace was running than there should've been.

Replacing the gasket was simple; pulled the door off, scraped the old gasket & cement off (ok it didn't want to get scraped off and I used a wire wheel), put new cement on, put the new gasket on that.

The difference? I can't smell wood smoke in the house at all. Cat can breathe. Shutting the wood stove air intake down makes logs last all night; they weren't, before.

Check your gaskets. They shouldn't be ironed completely flat and you shouldn't be able to smell smoke in the house.

 

[etpm]

If you haven't replaced your wood stove's door gasket - typically some braided fiberglass thing - in a while, consider it.

We didn't really realize ours needed replacing until our cat started having serious asthma attacks. Once we put 2+2 together we realized that there was more wood smoke scent in the house when the fireplace was running than there should've been.

Replacing the gasket was simple; pulled the door off, scraped the old gasket & cement off (ok it didn't want to get scraped off and I used a wire wheel), put new cement on, put the new gasket on that.

The difference? I can't smell wood smoke in the house at all. Cat can breathe. Shutting the wood stove air intake down makes logs last all night; they weren't, before.

Check your gaskets. They shouldn't be ironed completely flat and you shouldn't be able to smell smoke in the house.

Thanks for posting this. I was looking at the gasket on our approximately 16 year old wood heating appliance (it's not a stove or a fireplace) the other day and noticed it was kinda flat. My cats apparently are not affected but sometimes I can smell a whiff of smoke. Time for me to really check the gasket and replace it if necessary.
Thanks,
Eric

 

[goeduck]

Dollar bill test is helpful. Close the door on a dollar bill and see if you can pull it out. It should be snug. It does not have to be an actual dollar, any paper strip will do. Go around the door and test it fully.

 

[gasman1075]

Dollar bill test is helpful. Close the door on a dollar bill and see if you can pull it out. It should be snug. It does not have to be an actual dollar, any paper strip will do. Go around the door and test it fully.

When I used to teach for Vermont Castings I used that trick but always with someone else's dollar bill !

 

[cqaigy2]

And if it catches on fire, you have a fire in your stove.

I replaced mine this year. I started smelling smoke last year and figured it was time.

 

[CalG]

Strange, The two stoves we use to heat our home pull air IN through leaky door seals. The burn rate increases, but I never see/smell wood smoke.

 

[ning]

Strange, The two stoves we use to heat our home pull air IN through leaky door seals. The burn rate increases, but I never see/smell wood smoke.

Mine leaked smoke only when damped down and burning slowly, not when the fire was roaring.

 

[Oaktree]

Strange, The two stoves we use to heat our home pull air IN through leaky door seals. The burn rate increases, but I never see/smell wood smoke.

Same here. I wonder if the OP has poor draft. About the only time I get smoke in the house is operator error (ie-forgetting to open the damper before opening the door).

I generally replace the gaskets every 2-3 years.

 

[goeduck]

Agree, a good strong draft should prevent smoke from entering the room. A stack blockage could do that or not hot enough stack. That said, some of the newer stoves don't have much "head room" due to the added baffling for EPA ratings so the "top" of the burn area is practically the top of the door. Doesn't leave much room for the smoke to pool up in the top of the stove.

 

[deezler]

Good thread Ning. I replaced my door gasket a few years ago and found it quite easy and nice peace of mind to get a tight feeling seal again - figure I will do it every few years or so as preventative maintenance.

And if you want to be additionally extra sure, buy a basic carbon monoxide meter and have it plugged in somewhere near your woodstove. I have one of these plugged in directly next to our stove. It should read ZERO, always. Your existing combo smoke detector/CO alarms will typically only go off at ~400ppm, which is actually quite a high level. Headaches, asthma, child brain development, and many other symptoms and issues can arise from persistent CO exposures of levels much lower than 400ppm; no bueno.

https://smile.amazon.com/Nighthawk-Operated-Monoxide-Digital-KN-COPP-3/dp/B00002N86A/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1PYW8S9W8FDF8&keywords=carbon+monoxide+detector+plug+in+wall&qid=1671479635&sprefix=carbon%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-7