Gasket Inspection
The door gasket on your stove keeps harmful carbon monoxide gas from filling your home; it also helps your stove burn more efficiently. Keeping up with gasket maintenance will help keep your family safe and use less fuel.
When working with fiberglass gaskets, wear a long-sleeved shirt, pants, eye protection, dust mask, and gloves. The fibers will cause irritation and rash. Be careful not to breathe in any fine fibers that are floating in the air.
Gaskets come in a wide array of colors, sizes, and styles but the inspection is similar for all of them. There are several ways to tell if you should replace your door gasket. First, a visual examination can show obvious problems: gaps between the ends, loose sections, tears, crystalized sections, or excessive fraying are all good reasons to replace your gasket.
Another popular test is the “dollar bill test.” For this test, you close a dollar, or a piece of paper, in the door and latch it; if you can pull it out easily, your gasket has become compressed or is too thin and needs to be replaced. This test should be done around the circumference of the door. Another test involves closing the door of an unlit stove and putting a weak flame, like a candle or butane pocket lighter, near the door seal. Run the flame slowly around the door seal, and if the flame leans toward or away from the seal, you need a new gasket because air is flowing to or from the stove.
