If you’re getting a bit fed up with soot build up on the inside of your wood burning stove glass then here’s what we advise to do to clean the glass.
Why Does Soot Build Up On The Wood Burning Stove Glass?
In our experience, this soot situation occurs due to the wood stove burning conditions being slightly off kilter. It’s usually because there is not enough air reaching the fire and it’s not getting hot enough.
There are several reasons why the wood stove is running at a lower temperature than it could and should be. The most likely one being that the wood is not seasoned or dry enough. The best wood has a 20% or less level of moisture content. Wood that has over this is categorised as being ‘green’ and will not burn as well. The slow burning fire that smoulders will let off soot filled smoke and that is what is ending up on your glass and spoiling your view of the flames.
Another reason that the fire might not be burning well is because there is not enough air entering the stove. This will result in a suffocated fire and more smoke than necessary. As the smoke builds in the wood stove, it will make soot collect on the door. This result also typically occurs when people build up their wood burning stove fire at night before bed in the hope that it will last throughout the night. However, without the right mixture of air, the smoke will build and tarnish the glass.
Older stoves are more prone to building up soot on the glass door as they weren’t manufactured with an ‘airwash’. If your older stove is giving you this issue, then it could well be a signal that it’s time to purchase a modern model. With this you’ll gain a far more efficient heating result.
How to Clean Your Wood Burning Stove Glass
If you cannot fix these fire issues for now, here’s what you can do to clean the glass in your wood burning stove:
The hottest burning stoves will in effect be self-cleaning. You can get the soot to be burnt off by opening the air vent so that the fire will roar and burn off the soot. The older model wood stove may not burn hot enough to burn off the soot, in which case you’ll need to clean it off the glass manually when the stove is cool.
The best way to manually clean off the soot is to use newspaper. Roll it into a ball, dip it into water and then dip it into the ashes in the fire. Now rub the newspaper onto the glass and they will be removed. Now use a piece of ‘clean’ newspaper to polish the glass.
We hope this information has helped. If you do decide to replace your older wood burning stove, check out our latest models here.
