Caulking for Wood Stove Pipe
A wood stovepipe carries the fumes from the combustion of the wood into the chimney and outdoors. The mating joint between each section of pipe is made to self-seal. In some cases that seal may not be tight enough. When this occurs, cold air will enter through the joints. The cold air will prematurely condense the hot vapor into a solid called creosote. Creosote build up within the chimney causes air disturbances and inhibits the draw of the stove. Caulking the mating joints will increase the draw of the stove and reduce the build up of creosote. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Rubber gloves
- Old clothes
- Wire brush
- High-temperature woodstove pipe caulk
- Paper towel
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Instructions
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Wear rubber gloves and old clothes. The high-temperature caulk is difficult to remove from hands and clothing due to its particular adhesive qualities.
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Clean each mating surface of the wood stovepipe with the wire brush. Scrub the interior fitting male joint as well as the exterior mating female joint. The surface does not have to be a shiny metallic finish, but must be as clean as possible so the caulk will adhere to the metal.
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Run two thin beads of the caulk around the male end of the stovepipe, 1-inch apart. The male end is the portion of the pipe that will fit inside the female of the next section of stovepipe.
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Smooth the two beads of caulk with your rubber-gloved index finger. The layer of caulk should be approximately 1/16-inch thick.
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Slip the male end into the female end of the next piece of stovepipe. Remove all excess caulk that oozes over the mating surface. Wipe the excess onto a paper towel.
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Continue to the next mating joint of the stovepipe in the same fashion. Dispose of all paper towels, rubber gloves and empty caulk tubes according to the package directions. Allow the caulk to cure for at least 24 hours or longer according to package instructions.
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Tips & Warnings
Use only high-temperature stovepipe sealant. Not all sealants are rated for stovepipe use, as lower temperature caulks may emit dangerous toxic vapors when exposed to very high temperatures.
