Fitting new stove door rope tips?

[Hudds Lad]

Looking for any top tips etc. for replacing the rope on a Morso Squirrel.

 

Long story is J got the marina to service the stove last year so we could run it straight away when we went out last winter. We popped down for a weekend and noticed after a day that the riddler mech was fitted incorrectly, so when we got back we told the office who were very apologetic and sorted it straight away. Also noticed the door was harder to latch but worked ok, so we lived with it thinking a better seal could only be a good thing. Think we only ran the fire another couple of times (say 12-14 days max) the rest of the winter with no problems.

Cut to this year, we had a bit of rust on the stove top so figured we’d sort that before it gets colder. Wire brushed it down and gave it a coat of stove paint which needs baking off for 20mins once dry. Didn’t manage to run the fire that weekend as it was too warm, so back down this week and we’re out for a few days cruise. Moored in Rugby and figured we’d open all the doors and bake off the stove paint. Fire starts coming up to temp and the paint is releasing its fumes nicely when all of a sudden there’s a loud “crack”, must be the wood i thought, then there’s another “CRACK”. The stove glass has gone  

So damped down the fire and let it go out, whilst doing this more cracks appear. On closer inspection, and now with the assisstance of grating shards of glass, it seems the stove rope is too thick and when shutting by the latch it flexes the door which i’m guessing has stressed the glass enough for it to finally break.

 

So, tomorrow we’re turning and heading back towards Braunston and will drop into Midland Chandlers to get some new rope of the correct diameter. Luckily we have a spare glass and some rope glue. As i’ve not done this before I was looking for any tips on the job, tools required, etc. Think we’ll then head to Napton and moor up so i can do the repair, then we can either celebrate or commiserate in the Folly  

[Timx]

The glass does crack with time, doubt it’s the door rope.getting the new glass in is a bit tricky with new rope, and getting the sliding catches to hold it in. Use pliers to slide them back in to place.

[jonathanA]

Yes i agree with timx I'm struggling to see how the door rope could cause the glass to break unless your slamming the door shut and jumping on the catch...

Sometimes getting  the clips that hold the glass off can be a pain. I seem to recall having to drill out the screws that hold them in.

Be careful not to over tighten the fixings holding the glass clips in place so as not to risk cracking the new glass.

 

I think there are a few you tube videos on morso repairs.  Some better than others but worth an hours research. 

[DShK]

If I recall the rope you'll buy is too thick (even the "correct" rope). I believe you can pull the core out and it will fit well then.

Edited September 28, 2023 by DShK

[tree monkey]

Use plenty of penetrating fluid, leave it to soak, use more and leave it to soak

 

Unscrew retaining clips, hope they come out otherwise it gets messy.

 

Remove the old rope.

 

Scrape the recess with an old screwdriver or other appropriate scrapey thing.

 

Wire brush the recess, clean out all the debris, wipe it down with some sort of solvent to finish.

 

Apply the rope glue as per instructions.

 

Install new glass and newly cleaned retaining screws ( I add a thin smear of copaslip).

 

Panic about exactly how tight the screws should be and whether you will crack the glass.

 

Panic or swear or both because the door is now an absolute bugger to close and convince yourself the new door rope is far too thick, decide to ignore it and sigh with relief when you realise the rope compresses over time and the rope is the correct size.

 

Clean up, find greasy smears of fire muck and dust everywhere for days.

 

Buy a second hand door so when the glass cracks in winter you don't have to panic 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

There are two rope seals that need to be replaced on the squirrel door. The door glass uses a self adhesive flat fibreglass seal. Remove the old glass and seal and stick the new seal down with its built in adhesive. Place the new glass on top and rotate the retaining clips with a pair of pliers on to the glass. Don't try loosening the screws on the clips, as you'll just break them, unless the stove is brand new. Got to disagree with @tree monkey on this. 

For the door to stove seal, there are two types of rope seal, hard and soft. A squirrel stove needs the soft sort to make the door easy to close. Most rope sold is of the hard sort. If you are unsure, then buy the stuff that Morso sell, as this will be right, though it is expensive. I have installed the hard sort by mistake in the past and this required a lot of effort to close the door. The pressure, I think, lead to the glass cracking, though they do break eventually just at random. It is a good idea to have a spare stove glass available on board.

For fitting the door seal, preparation is the most important thing. Getting all the old seal, glue, rust and soot out of the grove and take it back to metal. Lots of scraping with an old screwdriver.

[tree monkey]

43 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

There are two rope seals that need to be replaced on the squirrel door. The door glass uses a self adhesive flat fibreglass seal. Remove the old glass and seal and stick the new seal down with its built in adhesive. Place the new glass on top and rotate the retaining clips with a pair of pliers on to the glass. Don't try loosening the screws on the clips, as you'll just break them, unless the stove is brand new. Got to disagree with @tree monkey on this. 

For the door to stove seal, there are two types of rope seal, hard and soft. A squirrel stove needs the soft sort to make the door easy to close. Most rope sold is of the hard sort. If you are unsure, then buy the stuff that Morso sell, as this will be right, though it is expensive. I have installed the hard sort by mistake in the past and this required a lot of effort to close the door. The pressure, I think, lead to the glass cracking, though they do break eventually just at random. It is a good idea to have a spare stove glass available on board.

For fitting the door seal, preparation is the most important thing. Getting all the old seal, glue, rust and soot out of the grove and take it back to metal. Lots of scraping with an old screwdriver.

 

It's a valid point, but it's worth making the effort to unscrew the clips, if I remember correctly my last glass replacement had one clip that just wouldn't budge but having the others free made the replacement a doddle.

 

 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

1 minute ago, tree monkey said:

 

It's a valid point, but it's worth making the effort to unscrew the clips, if I remember correctly my last glass replacement had one clip that just wouldn't budge but having the others free made the replacement a doddle.

Our experiences differ. Each to their own. I sheared off one of the screws on a year or two old stove trying to budge it at not very much torque. Had to drill it out and tap a new hole in the door, M6, up from M5. A lot of people won't be able to do that and end up having to buy a new door. Expensive

[Guest]

The only way I could get the glass out of our Squirrel on the boat was to move two (from memory) of the clips to one side with pliers. They just wouldnt come out. Then carefully moved them back to secure the glass.

 

On our Charnwood at home I took all the screws out when it was fairly new and re inserted with Copaslip to ease future removal and glass replacement.

[Hudds Lad]

I replaced the glass, screwheads are kippered already so didn’t even try. Plenty of WD40 on the bottom clips and then rotated off the glass with adjustable wrench, old bits removed and new glass installed.

Removed old rope, much scraping and wire brushing. Bead of adhesive applied and new rope put in, left it for 20mins as per instructions then put door back on and attempted to close. Not a chance, catch is about three inches away from being able to engage even with force

This was 8mm rope thats supposed to be whats required. It’s quite stretchy, are you supposed to stretch out before sticking in?

[blackrose]

I use the 1cm wide self adhesive flat glass rope tape for the window seals. I've used it for door seals before too.

[BEngo]

Squirrel door stove rope is, or should be 7 mm.  Size matters and 8mm is too big for the hinge side, so it won't close, especially if there has been any rust build up in the groove.

You can get away with 6 mm, but you may  have to push the locking handle right down to get a proper seal.

If you can, take the glass out then needle gun or angle grinder disc brush round the door to stove seal  groove.  That makes the groove the full depth again.

 

Dont force the door to close.  They are surprisingly flexible and ths glass will break, again.

N

[Jen-in-Wellies]

7 hours ago, Hudds Lad said:

I replaced the glass, screwheads are kippered already so didn’t even try. Plenty of WD40 on the bottom clips and then rotated off the glass with adjustable wrench, old bits removed and new glass installed.

Removed old rope, much scraping and wire brushing. Bead of adhesive applied and new rope put in, left it for 20mins as per instructions then put door back on and attempted to close. Not a chance, catch is about three inches away from being able to engage even with force

This was 8mm rope thats supposed to be whats required. It’s quite stretchy, are you supposed to stretch out before sticking in?

I've always laid the rope in naturally, with no tension on it. Was the rope Morso's own brand, or after market? I'd suspect it of being too hard/dense. When you cleaned out the groove, did you start to see shiny metal? Any rust will decrease the depth a surprising amount. A wire brush on its own probably won't do it. Needs attacking with an old screwdriver blade, or the like.

[Slim]

On 29/09/2023 at 01:20, tree monkey said:

Use plenty of penetrating fluid, leave it to soak, use more and leave it to soak

 

Unscrew retaining clips, hope they come out otherwise it gets messy.

 

Remove the old rope.

 

Scrape the recess with an old screwdriver or other appropriate scrapey thing.

 

Wire brush the recess, clean out all the debris, wipe it down with some sort of solvent to finish.

 

Apply the rope glue as per instructions.

 

Install new glass and newly cleaned retaining screws ( I add a thin smear of copaslip).

 

Panic about exactly how tight the screws should be and whether you will crack the glass.

 

Panic or swear or both because the door is now an absolute bugger to close and convince yourself the new door rope is far too thick, decide to ignore it and sigh with relief when you realise the rope compresses over time and the rope is the correct size.

 

Clean up, find greasy smears of fire muck and dust everywhere for days.

 

Buy a second hand door so when the glass cracks in winter you don't have to panic 

If it gets "tricky" and the studs shear carefully drill the stubs out and through the door. Tap to the smallest size possible and insert bolts from the outside to a suitable depth (I used a dab of thread sealer).Cut off the bolt head flush with the outside of the door. I did mine years and years ago. I used stainless steel nuts and bolts and subsequent glass replacement was simple and straightforward.   

[ditchcrawler]

47 minutes ago, Slim said:

If it gets "tricky" and the studs shear carefully drill the stubs out and through the door. Tap to the smallest size possible and insert bolts from the outside to a suitable depth (I used a dab of thread sealer).Cut off the bolt head flush with the outside of the door. I did mine years and years ago. I used stainless steel nuts and bolts and subsequent glass replacement was simple and straightforward.   

The strange thing is I have a wood burner in our house and changed the glass, much to my surprise the glass fixing screws came out easily. I was expecting problems. Do you think its because its a 100% wood burner and not multi fuel ?

[DShK]

10 hours ago, Hudds Lad said:

I replaced the glass, screwheads are kippered already so didn’t even try. Plenty of WD40 on the bottom clips and then rotated off the glass with adjustable wrench, old bits removed and new glass installed.

Removed old rope, much scraping and wire brushing. Bead of adhesive applied and new rope put in, left it for 20mins as per instructions then put door back on and attempted to close. Not a chance, catch is about three inches away from being able to engage even with force

This was 8mm rope thats supposed to be whats required. It’s quite stretchy, are you supposed to stretch out before sticking in?

 

As I said above, you need to pull the core out.

[Tony1]

 

Not sure if this will be any help, but there seem to be a few youtube videos that might have tips/tricks etc- heres a couple of examples:

 

 

 

 

 

[Slim]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

The strange thing is I have a wood burner in our house and changed the glass, much to my surprise the glass fixing screws came out easily. I was expecting problems. Do you think its because its a 100% wood burner and not multi fuel ?

Could be. My Squirrel always ran on smokeless. 

[Hudds Lad]

On 30/09/2023 at 11:37, DShK said:

 

As I said above, you need to pull the core out.

If i had seen a core to remove, i would have done, the rope in the kit seemed hollow. 🤷‍♂️

 

Anyway, i've brought the door home where i have tools and time and will start again and give it a good refurb.

I'll buy new screws and clips, new glass webbing, proper Morso rope, and go at it with the dremel to get it really clean before starting.

[BEngo]

Also get a tube or tin of copper grease and apply liberally to the screws when doing final assembly.

 

You may find it effective to partly grind the heads off the screws.  This normally gets them red hot which loosens  them and the stub can be unscrewed with a Mole grip. Buy A2 or A4 stainless hex socket cap head replacement screws ( the use an Allen key type) rather than morso standard items.  IIRC they are M5 as standard.

N

[Hudds Lad]

31 minutes ago, BEngo said:

Also get a tube or tin of copper grease and apply liberally to the screws when doing final assembly.

 

You may find it effective to partly grind the heads off the screws.  This normally gets them red hot which loosens  them and the stub can be unscrewed with a Mole grip. Buy A2 or A4 stainless hex socket cap head replacement screws ( the use an Allen key type) rather than morso standard items.  IIRC they are M5 as standard.

N

Ordered a small tube of Copaslip as @tree monkey recommended  

 

I was going to try cleaning the heads as best i could, and soaking with WD40, if they won't move i was going to try cutting a new slot with the dremel.

Hex sockets sound a good idea  

[ditchcrawler]

On 30/09/2023 at 12:00, Tony1 said:

 

Not sure if this will be any help, but there seem to be a few youtube videos that might have tips/tricks etc- heres a couple of examples:

 

 

 

 

He would have done better if he had used penetrating oil like Plusgas, standard WD40 is not a release oil

[Tony1]

1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

He would have done better if he had used penetrating oil like Plusgas, standard WD40 is not a release oil

 

Thanks, I'll remember that when the time comes to service mine

[Jen-in-Wellies]

On 30/09/2023 at 11:36, ditchcrawler said:

The strange thing is I have a wood burner in our house and changed the glass, much to my surprise the glass fixing screws came out easily. I was expecting problems. Do you think its because its a 100% wood burner and not multi fuel ?

I'm guessing more sulphur in smokeless fuel than wood, hence more SO2 when burnt and corrosive acid when combined with some moisture.

[Tonka]

3 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

He would have done better if he had used penetrating oil like Plusgas, standard WD40 is not a release oil

WD40 do a penetrative oil