How to replace cracked glass on a wood-burning stove

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Is the glass cracked in the door of your wood-burning stove?

If so, there’s no need to go to the expense of buying a new wood-burning stove. Instead you just need to replace the glass.

The important thing is that you do something: the glass is coping with the extreme temperatures that your stove generates. If you spot any breaks, holes or cracks, then the glass will be weakened. It’s best to replace it as soon as possible rather than risk the whole thing shattering one day.

How to replace glass in your wood burner

1. Clean the door. The inside of the door is likely to be covered in ash and dirt, so it’s worth brushing it down before you go any further.

2. Remove the door. This is not essential, but it’s usually easy to do and, if it’s possible with your appliance, it will make replacing the glass far more straightforward. Removing the door is usually as simple as lifting it off its hinges, but consult your stove’s manual to confirm the best way of doing this for your appliance.

3. Place the door face down on a surface on which you’re happy to work. Bear in mind that the surface is likely to get dirty despite your best efforts to clean the door.

4. Release the glass. Again, the way to do this varies between different stoves, but you will usually find a metal catch that is screwed or bolted to the door. Simply loosen these – either by moving the catch to the side or, if necessary, undoing the screw or bolt – to allow the glass to be removed. Obviously, these catches have to be fairly sturdy to begin with, and that’s before your stove starts leaving tar deposits, so you might find they are bit tough. In this instance, a drop of WD40 and the help of a pair of pliers should do the trick.

5. Carefully remove the glass. As you start to loosen the catches, remember that the glass may come free at any point. Take particular care with the cracked section of the glass.

6. Check the stove rope. The seal between the glass and the door is usually formed by stove rope. This might have become broken or frayed over time. You can find replacement rope in our stove fitting materials section.

7. Fit the new glass. Place the replacement stove glass on the door on top of the fire rope. Then move the catches back into place, tightening any screws or bolt that you loosened during the removal process. Be careful not to over-tighten though, as this could cause a crack in your new glass.

Buying replacement glass for a stove

We stock a range of stove glass kits.

See if the glass you need is available right now.

11 thoughts on “How to replace cracked glass on a wood-burning stove

  1. Hi I bought some glass for my stove from you about a 3weeks ago cost £52 and now it is cracked again,I bought my stove from you about a year ago and that glass cracked,I can’t say that I am happy about this as £52 is a lot of money and the stove is only a year old, now I have to try a get some glass as the weather is getting cold. Agnes from bristol

  2. Thank you for your instructions however we are having trouble loosening the 5 screws on the clamps which hold the glass in place. We’ve tried soaking with WD40 with no success.

    • Put your screwdriver in the screw head, (usually a cross head )and gently tap with a hammer. This will loosen it in the grooves where soot has collected. its then easy to remove.

      • I put new glass in my stove door first burn
        It started to crack I put fire rope as a gasket
        And gasket glue in gaps could that be the reason is it got to have a bit of gap between glass door door is cast stove still. Regards Peter Riddington

        • Hi Peter

          If it cracked so soon after changing, it might be that the screws were overtightened.

          In terms of the rope and glue, make sure you remove any old glue beforehand, then place the rope so that it sits evenly without any gaps or being squashed.

          Thanks,

          Gr8Fires

  3. I have replaced glass in wood burners many times, but the one I now own has not got slotted screw heads, do I need a special tool to remove the glass.?

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