Why Your Wood Stove Door Won’t Close (And How To Fix)

Wood stove doors are designed to keep the heat inside the house. When they don’t close properly, it can be a major issue for homeowners because of all the extra heat loss. Fortunately, there is an easy solution! In this blog post, we will discuss why wood stove doors won’t close and provide tips on how to fix them.

Wood stove doors won’t close?

Here are some reasons why wood stove doors won’t close.

The gasket doesn’t fit the door opening, or is dirty and worn out.
There’s too much air getting into the firebox through that gap between your door and its frame.
Your draft inducer is plugged up with soot (or you don’t have one).
You’re using more than a 20″ log length in your stove/insert, which creates an excess of coals near the top lid of your woodstove; make sure to use only 18″-20″ long logs on the bottom, smaller ones at the top for best results.

The door is too small for the opening

A wide variety of wood stove door sizes exist to accommodate different opening widths. If your current doors are too small for the existing opening, then it is time to replace them with new ones that fit.

The flange around the door opening is too small to accommodate your existing doors.

If you have a space that is less than 16″ wide, then this could be causing problems with closing your old wood stove doors. Newer models should fit through openings as narrow as 14” because of their ability to flex and pivot into position once inside the firebox. Check for spaces wider than 18 inches if you suspect there might be an issue in this area.

If the gap between walls or other obstacles on either side of the fireplace exceeds 24 inches, it may not be possible to install new wood stove replacement parts without professional help due to structural limitations within your home’s framing system itself.

A damaged hinge can issue when trying to close a door.

If the hinges are bent or broken, then it is unlikely that you will be able to shut your wood stove door without some degree of difficulty. Even if they appear structurally sound at first glance, give them a close inspection before determining whether or not replacement parts might be needed for other reasons as well.

A warped wooden floor can create problems with closing doors and keeping air infiltration under control.

Wood floors that have been exposed to moisture over an extended period should also be inspected closely because their ability to support weight may change drastically depending on how bad the damage has become after exposure to water and excessive humidity levels in the surrounding atmosphere for such a long time frame (typically more than three years). Inspecting these areas thoroughly prior to replacing a door is the only way you can be certain that new doors will have an easier time closing and staying shut.

A poorly fitted firebox opening might also prevent your wood stove replacement parts from working properly because of their inability to fit correctly into place.

Even if proper measurements were taken before installation, most doors come with small gaps around them for insulation purposes. Wood stoves require these spaces in order to work as intended without creating hot spots within the overall heating system itself where issues could arise due to uneven temperatures or excessively high levels of heat being released under various conditions. If it seems like they are too wide after everything has been put together, then tightening up screws on either side may help somewhat this problem cannot truly be fixed until new doors are in place.

An improperly sized stove pipe can also prevent your new wood stove replacement parts from working as intended because of the large gap that exists between where it connects with the firebox and ultimately when it reaches its destination point outside on top of your roof or within some other type of exterior fixture used for this purpose instead.

This is especially true if you have chosen to install a kit designed for an existing opening but fail to take into consideration how much space actually needs to be available at all times due to the necessary insulation around these areas (at least six inches). Keep this in mind before making any purchases even if you think they will work properly initially; chances are, most kits will not function correctly without proper support overall which means that additional parts might be needed in order to get everything situated correctly.

Door hinges are loose or broken

Hinges hold the door in place and help it open and close correctly. If they become too worn, damaged, or aren’t tightened down properly when you install them, your wood stove doors won’t stay closed while cooking with a fire inside of them. Even if there is no visible damage on the hinge itself, tighten up all screws that connect to the hinge every once in a while during installation for best results.

In addition to tightening any screws which may have come loose over time, make sure that none of these points touch one another: *The three sections*of the top plate (the ceiling), the bottom plate (floor), and side plates (walls). Any contact between these parts will cause a door to stick shut.

*The side plates*, the top plate, and the bottom plate have screws that connect them together in every hinge setup. Check these connections regularly for any sign of weakening or loosening.

When you install wood stove doors, it is best practice to check all hinges before using your appliance again; this ensures everything will be working properly while cooking with a fire inside! If there are signs of wear on any part of the hinge, make sure you replace those parts before continuing use of your wood-burning oven or fireplace insert.

On top of checking hinges during installation and making adjustments as needed (if necessary), manufacturers also recommend replacing worn-out hinges at least once per for maximum performance from their appliances.

The door latch is not catching properly

The door does not sit flush against the wall of the firebox
The fireplace opening is too small to accommodate the woodstove door.
It is normal for the door to be loose. This will not affect the performance of your stove.

Door Gasket

One of the most common issues with wood stove doors is that they won’t close. This can be caused by several things including overfilling, lack of airflow, or a door gasket replacement. Overfilling your firebox will cause ash to build upon the bottom and top of your cast iron grate which prevents it from closing properly.

If you have too much airflow into the firebox then this could also prevent it from shutting all the way down as well because there is not enough weight pushing against the draft controls trying to shut them off completely so keep in mind how large your load size is for optimal results when looking at closed doors!

Finally, if you are experiencing this issue I highly recommend out our website about different door gasket materials and when to replace them before they begin to break down over time.

Door Latch Issues

A stove door latch that doesn’t close is most likely caused by a stripped-out screw hole. You may have to replace the whole door, or just repair it with epoxy or super glue. If you do this, be sure not to use too much since the excess will cause the door not to open/close properly which can also cause issues!

Another potential issue is that the door may not line up with the blower, thus causing it to be prevented from closing. If this happens you will need to adjust your latch accordingly or get a new one. Sometimes there might just be something in between two of these parts which cause them not to close together properly, so removing and cleaning out any debris could help!

Damaged Door

If you have a damaged door on your wood stove, the replacement may be one of the most important parts of your home. If it won’t close properly or if there is any major damage to it, this could cause a fire hazard and affect how well your stove works. To avoid these problems, take some time to find out what kind of doors are available so that you can pick one that will work best in your house.

How To Fix A Wood Stove Door That Won’t Close

When a wood stove door won’t close, there are typically two reasons. The first reason is that the hinge pins or bolts need to be tightened and secure in their holes. This can happen if you recently moved your woodstove from one location to another as the dry air inside of it may have loosened those hinges after time spent traveling without being used.

Another common issue for doors not closing properly is caused by heat expansion over time which causes them to warp slightly but only enough so they no longer sit flush with each other when closed completely. In this case, do NOT attempt to force open the door even though it feels like it just stuck shut – any pressure exerted will cause severe damage, potentially your glass window on top of the stove, so just wait it out.

If you have attempted both of these solutions unsuccessfully to get your wood stove door closed properly, then chances are there is something wrong with either the hinges or latch itself which will require professional repair service. It may be that they need tightening but more likely than not they will actually need to be replaced entirely if enough heat has warped them over time.

Stove Door Gasket

A stove door gasket is a strip of material that goes around the edge of your wood stove or insert. The purpose of this strip, which typically has an adhesive backing, is to seal the space between the floor and bottom (and top) lip on your firebox. This helps ensure you get maximum efficiency out of your hearth appliance by keeping air from seeping in through these cracks and reducing draft conditions inside the unit.

When looking for replacement doors make sure to check with OEM suppliers like Hearthside before buying generic products online because there may be subtle differences in size and fitment depending on what brand and model you have! You want something that’s going to fit snuggly when it arrives so it won’t slide around and potentially fall off.

Fixing A Stove Door Handle

A stove door handle may break if it is not installed properly. This can leave your door unable to open or close fully. Fortunately, the fix for this particular issue is quite easy and requires only a screwdriver to complete. If you are having trouble closing your door it might be that one of the springs has broken or become loose from its anchors on each side of the oven door frame.

There are screws near where these springs have been attached which will need removing so you can access them more easily. Once they have been removed there should be some sort of clip holding down both ends of the spring, remove the clips with pliers before continuing further in order to avoid damaging them while trying to detach them quickly proper tools! The next step is to attach the springs back onto their anchors on each side of the oven door frame. If they are broken, you will need to replace them before continuing further.

Once this task is complete go ahead and put your stove screws back in place and remove any clips holding down the ends of the spring which you had removed earlier in order to access it more easily. Once all four have been replaced be sure that both sides are secure & snapped together properly with no parts dangling or loose! This should fix your problem when closing doors on a wood stove but if not consider replacing them entirely for better results over time as well as greater longevity since these are components made from steel wire rather than iron bands like many other models use today.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to fix a problem with your wood stove door for safety reasons. If the issue is not addressed in a timely manner, you could have an unsafe house and make life difficult when trying to build up heat inside on cold winter days. It’s also possible that if left unattended long enough, there may be permanent damage done which will need professional attention like replacement of parts or complete installation of new equipment. This can get expensive and complicated so address this right away!