Window in RMH

Hi All

It is nice to be able to see the flames in a woodburner so I was wondering if it is possible/ desirable to have a window in the burn chamber.

aman

I have seen people use a Pyrex pie plate for that purpose, cobbed in in a location that allowed a view of the flame but was out of the direct heat. It looked to be working well.

A window would be great. to date we haven't found a glass that will handle the heat and cold. all of them just shatter... well except the ones that blow up.

The pyrex will work, it just needs to be designed correctly to place it out of the line of fire.

Could you have a vent that draws an air wash over the surface of the glass to a, keep the glass clean and b, keep it cooler?

I believe that Ernie is correct in that any installation in the firebox will result in too much heat or thermal shock. The way I've seen it done successfully is to create a "viewing tunnel" from the side or back of the feed tube, about 1' long, to the window. That way you are looking into the bottom of the feed tube, but the glass is a long way from the heat and out of the path of air. I think that as the clay dries it will be hard to get a great seal, but a little airflow into the burn from there shouldn't be a problem.

What about if the window was in the front of the feed tube so the flames are being drawn away from the glass.

Would you even see any flames though?

aan

Has anyone tried the natural Mica windos used in some wood stoves?

http://www.reliancemica.com/stovemica.htm