The rope seal used to seal the woodburner door to the stove will need to be replaced when it shows signs of wear or if it has becomes flattened and fails to make a good air tight seal. You can test the seal with a strip of paper by closing the door and feeling the resistance when you pull on a 1 inch strip of paper - it should offer a reasonable resistance. If the paper is too easy to pull out then you will need to replace the rope. The door seal will influence the efficiency of your stove as woodburners need to draw air in through the bottom inlet vent and pass exhausted air and smoke directly up the chimney. Air flow between the door seal and the stove will reduced the efficiency of the stove by taking air in above the fire and pass toxic fumes into the room.
There are tens of thousands of stoves on the market and you may inherited a stove that has an unknown manufacturer so you might need some help in choosing the correct seal. If you know the make and model then you might be able to refer to the manufacturers specifications, if not the following information BELOW may help, otherwise give us a call.

Your door rope seal will most likely sit in a groove in the metal of the door - if it does then measuring the width and depth of this groove tell you the thickness of rope you will need e.g. if you measure 12mm wide and 10mm deep then order 12mm rope. Another method is to remove part of the rope and round it back into shape by rolling it between your fingers, now measure the diameter which will be the size you need to order.

If your glass suffers from a build up of black or brown deposits mainly around the edge of the glass, then look to replace the seals. If the problem persists even after replacing the seals this could be caused by an uneven rope seal groove (the groove into which the rope sits) - an uneven U shaped groove will create high and low points and allow for a gap between the glass and the rope and allow air to enter via the gap and cause the black / brown deposits. This is a manufacturing error and you should look to get the door replaced.

To test if there is a gap(s) then tear off a length of paper and test whether it will slide through the gap.

There are various types of seals for sealing your wood burner stove glass. If your glass seal is rope then replace if frayed or damaged. If your seal is a tape then change if worn or frayed. If your seal is ladder tape they you will need to replace every time you replace your stove glass as it will be glued around the edge of the glass. If you discover that your stove glass is sealed with fire cement or heat resistant silicone, then in most cases this is not the correct seal so clean off the fire cement and replace with the right rope, ladder tape or tape.

Replacement rope is either soft or firm - soft rope is what it says and will compress more than firm rope and is specified by some wood burning stove manufactures to be used as the door seal. You can test your existing rope by squeezing it between your fore finger and thumb. If it flattens by at least half, then the chances are it will be soft rope, whereas firm rope is harder and more difficult to flatten. Your stove manufacturer might also be able to tell you or it might be specified in your user manual. Firm rope is more common than soft rope.

There are a few stove glass seals to choose from including thermal rope, ladder tape, self adhesive tape, ceramic fibre seal, black overbraid, black P-section bead and self adhesive ladder tape which is the replaces the old fashioned U-channel.
Please refer to your user guide or stove manufacturer for which glass seal your stove uses or the following information may help. Otherwise call us or take a photo and email us: sales at forstoveglass.co.uk.
The most popular glass seals are self adhesive thermal tapes and self adhesive ladder tape. The self adhesive ladder tape wraps around the edge of the glass. The self adhesive backing makes it much easier to fit. Thermal tape is applied to one or both sides of the glass to create a tight seal. For non self adhesive you will need to secure with .

is a flat woven heat resistant used to create a seal between stove glass and the inside of the stove door. It is supplied in various widths and has a 2mm depth. The self adhesive type we supply is easier to use as you don't need to use heat resistant adhesives which can be messy. Good seals are vital in that they prevent harmful chemicals from escaping for your wood burner.

is a flat heat resistant fabric that wraps around the edge of your stove glass. This is now used in place of the U shaped channelling that is no longer available.

has a rectangular cross section used to seal stove glass to the door of your wood burner. It is a delicate substance so you might prefer to use thermal tape.

is available in various thicknesses mainly used to seal stove door to stove body (usually between 8mm and 12mm in diameter) and also sealing between the glass and the door - this is usually about 3mm in diameter.

Still need help? Then call us on 0800 246 1810