FAQ

Once you have purchased the new gasket material and gasket cement, follow these steps to install your new gasket.

1. Remove the old gasket from the door and thoroughly clean out the channel where the new gasket will be going. You may need to chip out any residual gasket cement. This can be done with a flat headed screw driver.
2. Kneed the tube of gasket cement well before opening. The gasket cement contains both a liquid and solid which must be well mixed prior to application.
3. Lightly dampen the new door gasket. This is best done using a sponge so that you don’t over dampen the gasket.
4. Place a bead of gasket cement (approx. ¼” wide) along the entire channel where the new gasket goes.
5. Tuck in any loose ends of the gasket. If the gasket has an inner core, pull out approx ½” of the core, cut it off and discard it. Then take the outer portion of the gasket and turn the edges into where the core once was. This will give you a fairly clean end.
6. Starting in the middle of the bottom of the door, press the gasket firming into the gasket cement being sure not to stretch the gasket as you go.
7. When you have worked the gasket all the way around the door channel, slightly overlap the glued end of the gasket and cut off the excess gasket.
8. Again, tuck in any loose ends on the freshly cut gasket material and butt it tightly up to the glued end of the gasket.
9. Once the gasket is glued all the way around, take the door and place it back on the stove and close the door on the stove. This will help to maintain pressure on the gasket until the cement is set.

After the end of each heating season you should perform complete maintenance on your wood or pellet stove. One of the routine maintenance items is to check your stove’s gaskets to see if they are in need of replacement.

You should replace any gasket which is loose or fraying. If the door gasket(s) looks okay, it still may need to be replaced. To test the door gasket, follow these steps:

• Take a strip of standard writing paper (like this sheet), approximately 2″-3” wide
• Place the paper between the stove opening and the door, and close the door on the strip of paper
• With the door closed, see if you can pull the paper out
• Repeat this on all sides of the door
• If the paper pulls out easily, it is time to replace your gasket
• If it takes a lot of tugging, or if the strip of paper tears, your gasket is still good and does not need replacement

If you find that your door gasket is in need of replacement, you will need to know the size of the gasket. You may be able to find this information in your stove’s owner’s manual. If the size is not listed in the manual, it is best to bring the door with you when you come to purchase the new gasket material as there are many different sizes of gasket and the difference may be subtle.

If your gas stove’s or fireplace’s glass is sooting up, the burner needs to be adjusted. This is normally done at the time of installation and as part of the annual servicing. If your stove or fireplace has not been serviced in the last year, call Mountain Comforts at (559) 683-7205 to make an appointment.

Pellet stoves and inserts require some weekly maintenance, but should be professionally serviced (including having the venting cleaned) annually for both safety and and to maintain performance. If it has been more than a year since you had your pellet stove or insert serviced, call Mountain Comforts at (559) 683-7205 to make an appointment.

Most manufactures recommend that you have your gas stove or fireplace professionally serviced annually for both safety purposes and for proper operation of the appliance. If it has been more than a year since you have had your gas stove or fireplace serviced call Mountain Comforts at (559) 683-7205 to make an appointment.

Remotes are powered my two sets of batteries: those in the hand held remote and those in a receiver box somewhere near or in the appliance.

Batteries need to be replaced at least once every two years and sometimes more often. When replacing the batteries be sure to replace them all.

Gas is clean, easy and requires no work for the homeowner. With the new gas vent technology, a gas stove can be placed in almost any place you would want. The flames and heat distribution from the new freestanding gas stoves, inserts, or fireplaces mimics wood heat in quality, quantity, and aesthetics.

When used to zone heat the part of the house you stay in the most, these gas appliances will save on your overall heating costs.

An insert is a wood , pellet, or gas burning addition to an existing fireplace. It is usually added to an older, inefficient fireplace to improve both performance and looks.

For a wide variety of inserts click on the fuel and check out all the manufacturers there.

When I look at the joints of the pipe on my wood stove, I can see that the there isn’t a tight fit. Should I try to caulk this? Won’t the smoke come out there when the stove is going?

When a chimneyis drafting (i.e. when it is hot enough for the air in it to raise) the smoke will not only go up, but air from the room will be drawn into the spaces where the pipes join. If the smoke comes out there, you either don’t have the fire hot enough to provide draft or the chimney is plugged.

The most common cause of a plugged chimney is a build up of creosote on the chimney’s spark arrestor. A quick look at the
chimney top should tell you if that is the problem.

When stoves lose efficiency, there are a number of possible causes:

1. The wood you are burning contains too much moisture, is not as solid or the same type as you formerly used. Compare seasoned wood performance before you blame the stove.

2. The gasket around the stove door may not be making the tight seal it used to. When it leaks air into the firebox, more heat is drawn up the chimney and doesn’t get transferred into the house where you need it.

3. If the stove uses a catalyst, the catalyst may be exhausted, and need to be replaced.

Wood stoves only smoke when there is not adequate draft in the chimney to take the smoke up and out of the stove. The most common cause of bad draft is a plugged spark arrestor (the screen that surrounds the chimney cap and stops large sparks from landing on the roof or ground and starting a fire).

Here in the foothills and mountains of the Sierras, all chimneys should be equipped with a spark arrestor for safety. Once the spark arrestor gets dirty, the chimney accumulates creosote and soon there is no place for the smoke to escape, but back into the room.

Another cause of smoking, when the stove is first started, is the lack of enough heat being generated to start the draft. The chimney is full of heavy, cold air and needs a large burst of heat to reverse the draft and let the smoke rise. Using a good fire starter rather than paper and kindling will give you the heat required and not smoke.

Wood is a renewable resource. At this time, wood heat is the most cost effective way to heat when you live in the Sierras. In large cities, this may not be so, but
for our customers, wood is available at resonable prices. However, wood heat requries active participation of the user and may not be your best choice. Be sure
to look at all the other heating choices before you make up your mind.