Door Glass Etching

Hey guys...

Been awhile ..a year since I started running my stove after hurricane Sandy. I am very pleased with the performance of my Harman TLC 2000. Last year was my first season burning (anything) coal. Once I learned how to start and run the thing is was smooth sailing all Winter. I was a little sad to see Spring come . Anyway to my question... I have some etching on my door glass. I read somewhere (after the fact unfortunately) you should never use ammonia based cleaners to clean the glass. I may have done this once or twice. I have since switched to using EasyOff Oven Cleaner which works great by the way. So now I have some hazy etching in the middle of the glass. Is this a cause for concern? Should I have a spare on hand before entering this Winter season? I realize you cannot see the door. I will post pics later tonight but there are no cracks just a hazy etching of what appear to be surface micro fractures. You can still see through the glass and this effect is only in the center of the glass. If I should need to order a spare, does anyone know of a good source (besides the dealer) for the glass?

Thanks in advance.

We have a Hitzer about 5 years old the glass was etched to the point you could not distinguish anything looking through it, Inner surface really rough with tiny hairline cracks. Replaced it not sure if it was weakened or not but for about $75 it wasn't a big deal as far as cost. Replacing it on the other had was a project.

When I first started burning, my Mark I glass became crazed & hazy after a couple seasons of burning. Always used Windex to clean it. Bought a Mark III brand new, and that one did the same - maybe took a bit longer. I cracked that glass after an epic explosion while reloading a bituminous fire, so bought a new one - Shott/Robax - same as OEM on Harmans. That one I cleaned only with plain water ...and it did the same thing, except where the gap was largest for the air wash.

So, in other words, if you can keep your glass from getting hot, this won't happen. Fat chance on a STOVE ..

are they using over their at Harman for door glass? 1 season and its starting to haze N craze on you I've always found it pretty cheap and easy to find a local glass co. who stocks 3/16 ceramic.... bring them a pattern and have them cut it for you. we should all have spare glass, spare shaker handle, spare ashpan in the closet anyways (get it, don't use it until you need it). In the case of a stoker you should add about 12 more parts to the closet

Thanks for the replies guys. I got distracted last night and forgot to snap a pic of the glass. I did give it a quick clean last night before starting a wood fire (wife was cold). The etching is not too bad but noticeable and like I said before you can still see through. I do have a local glassier I should give him a call and see if he has ceramic glass and what the cost would be. The TLC just has a large rectangular piece so should be pretty simple.

This is my 7th season with my TLC 2000. After the first season I bought a complete door assembly. I have yet to use it but it came with gasket and the glass, gasket already on the door, new handle, and hinge pins.
If my glass breaks all I have to do is take out the 2 hinge pins and change doors.

Ive been burning my older Harman Mark 3 for 3 years now and I havenvt noticed any change in the etching. It has some small hairline etches in it but nothing severe.

Just the nature of the beast it seems, no matter what we try--sometimes we get the bear,

The stove I used prior to the one I have now, didn't have any glass.I used it for decades and it worked fine. I must admit I do enjoy looking at the blue flames in this stove so I guess too much etching would interfere with my enjoyment. I just give the glass a quick once over every day with triple zero steel wool, it only takes 30 seconds.

My only concern was the large size of the glass. I wanted to have a quick and easy backup plan in case it broke and so I got a complete door replacement. Two minutes to make a change and I'm done.

Too much thinking on my part can be dangerous sometimes.