You may have seen stoves in other peoples houses where the window glass is blackened up. This is caused by a build up of tar on the glass and indicates that the wood being burner is not dry enough – less than 20% moisture – or that the fire is not hot enough before being throttled back.
Every stove has an optimum operating temperature – which will be specified in the stove’s operating manual. Everytime you light the fire you should bring the stove up to this temperature before throttling back. This will work to keep the glass clean and also clean out any potential build up in your chimney.
Every stove is different – you should check your stove’s operating manual to see what cleaning products are effective at cleaning that stove’s glass, and if using any particular product will affect your stove’s warranty.
Airwash
Stoves with a built-in ‘airwash’ feature are designed to keep the window glass clean by creating a barrier of preheated air between the glass and the fire, preventing tar from settling on the window.
