Help Replacing Glass in Keystoker

Can anybody help me with the proper procedure for replacing the glass in my Keystoker GT? I replaced the glass last year because the original glass was really deteriorated and then got a crack in it. I bought Neoceram and installed it, but at the end of the season it cracked too. I had used gasket cement to adhere the glass to the gasket but now I am wondering if that is what caused it to crack. Maybe the cement made it too tight. I read some things in the forum about replacing glass and some suggested using just the metal strips to hold it in place with no adhesive. They said the draft would make negative pressure that would keep the smoke from leaking out. That might be ok for a manual stove but that doesn't sound right to me for a stoker. I am afraid the combustion fan would force smoke out around the glass especially since my stove vents out the back near the floor instead of out the top. The glass isn't cheap so I want to make sure I do it right this time. It's also getting cold and I need to get it burning again.

Thanks!

Your stove is running under a negative pressure, even though it is a stoker,, the draft in the chimney is greater than the input from the combustion fan. The only time your stove may be under a slight positive pressure is when you are first starting the coal fire, and the chimney is not warm yet..

So I would recommend installing the glass very gently in the door, and let the glass 'float', being held in place by flexible metal tabs or clips. You have already seen that the door and heat stresses the 'glass' to the point that it cracks.. So you need to set the glass in a way that there will be no stress on it.

Greg L

i bought new glass. it came with the gasket stuff that has sticky on one side. I put it on the glass. my door has flimsy metal tabs to hold it in place. I also cut a pc about 1 inch of the gasket and put it under the tab. I think it was the Romax co. , theres a thread on glass people. check there.

The sticky side of the gasket goes on the edge of the glass and then the gasket is folded down over both sides of the glass. This way you have gasket,glass,gasket and then the metal clip which will be putting pressure on the gasket and not the glass.

stuff they sent me was only 1/2 inch wide. the lady at the glass place told me to do it that way.

It would still work the way you have it but I would be concerned about it bunching up when you turn the corners and causing the gasket to not fit flat against the door and possibly putting some stress on the glass.

i used 4 pcs per window. I cut them to fit.

You should be OK then. You have a flat gasket and some gasket material between the metal clips and the glass.

Thanks a lot guys. I will do it that way and post back to let you know how it goes.

Andy

Andy, the window glass gasket should be 11/16" wide and the edges should be thicker than the middle. The thin part in the middle helps it fold over the edge of the glass. There is nothing wrong with the way you have it. It just takes longer to install than folding over the edge.

Thanks Rick. I'm hoping to get some new gasket ribbon at lunch today.

Andy

Here's how I did mine: Post by europachris - Finishing Refurb of Keystoker

I adhered the gasket to the DOOR with gasket cement and made new stainless clips (and used stainless screws with hi-temp anti-sieze on the threads) to assemble it . Worked great on my door style, which has changed a bit on the newer stoves.

Just about ready to fire it up for this season and the glass is still good to go, although it is starting to get a bit etched.

Chris

Ok, I got the window gasket and put it on the glass and installed it in the door. It was so much easier and better than the way I was trying to do it. But in my defense this isn't the way the glass was installed in the door when I got bought the stove new. The flat gasket was cemented in the door but it did not wrap around the glass. That is why I was doing it wrong.

Thank you all for your help!

Andy

Like I said, your way would have worked fine. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
Glad you got it taken care of.