Cleaning the glass

[stannn]

For folks who do have a log burner with a boiler, cleaning the glass is a fact of life because of the reduced combustion temperature. I have had a 12kW Clearview 650 for 15 years now and it heats the whole cottage plus warm water. It has been a wonderful investment. The deposits on the glass can be hard to shift but I find that cream cleaner such as W5 (Lidl) or Jif is very quick. Crumple some newspaper, add a small amount of W5 to it and wipe the glass vigorously. Then use a clean sheet of newspaper to wipe off the mess. Now use the paper to re-light the fire.
Happy new year.
Stan

[Billy]

I use a Stanley blade (new) in a window scraper, this gets all but the worst off.  I have half a bottle of the propitiatory stuff that came with the fire 8 years ago.  It gets used when things are too bad for the scraper.  A good burn with some decent wood gets most of the sooty stuff off.  I burn tut most of the time so I just puts up with the murky glass.

billy
 

aint it mild, worryingly so, what?

[ecogeorge]

For stubborn stains or where you've shut the air right down for a long time I use the tool that came with our flat ceramic induction hob -just like a window scraper but nice metal handle.
Really noticed the improvement in keeping the glass clean when I replaced the gasket around the glass making the airwash system more effective as that was the only entry for the air. Efficiency of the fire improved as it also burned hotter with the correct airflow.
rgds George.

[clockmanFR]

I just don't clean. Life's to short.

Every now and then a household member will accidentally leave the grid open to get a new charge burning and all that black stuff soon burns off!

[clivejo]

Try this -

1) Dampen and roll up a sheet of newspaper (or couple of sheets depending on the size)
2) Get some nice white ash and mix with water into a paste (fresh ash is best)
3) Use the damp newspaper to rub the paste into the glass (the paste should cut into any stains and remove)
4) Use dry sheets of newspaper to remove dirty and bring to a shine.

[norfolk.enchance]

Try this -

1) Dampen and roll up a sheet of newspaper (or couple of sheets depending on the size)
2) Get some nice white ash and mix with water into a paste (fresh ash is best)
3) Use the damp newspaper to rub the paste into the glass (the paste should cut into any stains and remove)
4) Use dry sheets of newspaper to remove dirty and bring to a shine.

The best and most efficient by far IMHO.  Being a bit sad I clean the glass when ever I light a fresh fire from cold.

Happy New Year to all.

[stannn]

Wood ash on damp newspaper does work very well. However, I once managed to pick up a bit of grit on the paper and scratched the glass badly. There was also the issue of carrying dripping sheets of damp paper from sink to fireplace and then spilling wood ash on the hearth. Then the wet paper has to be disposed of. It is just a cleaner and faster process with W5 and I do not get my hands wet or dirty. Used neat, it shifts the most stubborn material fast. That matters because kneeling makes my knees hurt.
Stan

[DonL]

I too clean the glass every time - it's worth it to be able to see the flames well.
I use a similar method to Clivejo but a bit simpler I think.
Take two pieces of kitchen roll, damp one of them. Clean the window with the damp one, where there are bits you can't get off just dip the damp kitchen roll in the white ash in the stove and use this to get them off. Clean off the window with the dry piece of kitchen roll.
Two minutes - no problem  

[dimogga]

Damp kitchen roll is a bit messy ... Spitting on a bt of newspaper and then gently dabbing it in the ash does the trick.
Not very ladylike though

[Baz]

After I make my morning tea I go to light the fire. If the small jam jar of water I keep by the stove is empty I have the tea to fall back on. I only use the ash if plain damp paper doesn't work which is normally just the corners. I don't use dripping quantities though because the paper only works for the first few moments while the wood fibres are still dry and stiff enough to be a gentle abrasive.
I have a small 6 in high soft topped stool to sit on for all fire activities including stoking, warming up after being outside or for drying gloves on. I think it's been in front of the fire for 3 or 4 decades now.

[wookey]

I've been told that if you clean the glass too much it gets scratched and eventually cracks. None of you enthusiastic cleaners had this problem?

We clean ours once/yr whether it needs it or not :-)

[Billy]

The only thing that has damaged my glass is the child of m' daughter.   

Surely nice clean glass allows the heat out more readily?  It appears to be hotter when it's clean or is that my wishful thinking?   

billy
 

[cliffski]

This is a good opportunity to give a thumbsup to clearview stoves. We have two, and very very rarely need to clean them at all, They very rarely get some slight dusting, but cleaning it off is always trivial. Worth factoring in when choosing a stove.

[DonL]

I've been told that if you clean the glass too much it gets scratched and eventually cracks. None of you enthusiastic cleaners had this problem?

We clean ours once/yr whether it needs it or not :-)

Aarow Stove installed for 6 years and main heating source for the last three years and back boiler added two years ago. The original glass is still in and totally unmarked.

If we fire it fairly hard with good dry wood the window remains clean; but in the real world when we have to burn willow sometimes, or when you turn it down and try to keep it in when you're out or overnight, it gets dirty. I find it easier to clean it most days rather than letting deposits build up and get burned on.

[Tigger]

We have a boiler stove so invariably the glass does get a little dirty now and again. 

I've found the easiest way to clean is with a damp/wet J-cloth soon after I've lit the fire.  When the glass is cold it can be a bu**er to get clean but once warm it's much easier.  The trick is getting it just right though, wait too long and the glass is so hot that I get my fingers 'steam cleaned'

Agree with comments posted above, when it's a bit tricky to remove just add a bit of fine ash to the cloth.