How do I clean the glass on a pellet stove?

Jessie
by Jessie

The glass on the door of my pellet stove door turns black after about a month of use. So when I turn off the pellet stove to clean and vacuum the fan part, I use vinegar to clean the glass on the door. (windex doesn't cut it like vinegar does) In about 2 weeks the soot blackens it. Is there something I could clean the glass with that won't let the soot cling to it? I live in New England and my pellet stove heats my house but I would like the ambiance of seeing the fire in the stove.


  4 answers
  • William William on Jan 12, 2020

    Burn a hot fire. More soot will build up if the fire is kept at a low temperature for a long time. When the stove gets up to a higher temperature, it will burn off any soot that may have accumulated during the warm-up time. Scrub the glass with a little superfine steel wool. Only clean the glass when the stove is cold. You can use a degreaser with the steel wool. Wipe the glass clean with a dry rag. Only burn dry pellets in your stove. If you burn damp pellets, a lot of steam will be produced; the smoke will condense on the window causing it to fog over with residue. This will also happen if you use low-grade pellets. Keep your drafts open until the fire is hot. This will help draw the sooty smoke out of the stove instead of letting it circulate while the stove warms up. Once the stove produces a strong, hot flame, close the drafts to keep the heat from escaping. Check your air filters to make sure they have not become clogged with debris that restricts the air flow. If the air flow is blocked, the fire will never burn hot enough to burn off the soot.


    https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/how-dirty-is-normal-for-pellet-stove-glass.4097/

  • Redcatcec Redcatcec on Jan 12, 2020

    Hi Jessie,


    Here's a reference with cause and effect for your question, hope this helps you:


    https://www.hunker.com/13415604/how-to-reduce-soot-build-up-on-glass-in-pellet-stoves

  • Mogie Mogie on Jan 12, 2020

    We have a good friend who is a chimney sweep and his solution is to use any glass cleaner and then dip the wet towel into the ashes and clean the window again. The ashes have a natural coarseness and cut threw that burnt on mess. That is how I clean my wood stove all the time and it works great!

  • Sharon Sharon on Jan 12, 2020

    I would use Dollar Tree Awesome Degreaser to clean the glass. Ashes plus water - lye.