Cleaning the Tee (Pics attached)

[ylomnstr]

So I'm going on my 2nd year with my St. Croix Hastings stove. Last year, I burned 3 tons, and I plan to do the same this year. The problem is that my tee leaked smoke pretty good when I first installed it, so I had to use silicone and aluminum tape to pretty much wrap the whole tee up so that it wouldn't smoke. Now, I'm a tad concerned on how I'm going to get it off to clean it. I used aluminum tape aroudn where the T connects to the stove too. I'm fairly sure I can get that off and remove the T from there, but how can I get to clean the bottom of the T since I sealed that up pretty good? I can take pics tonight if it will help. Just looking for some suggestions here. Thanks.

Rob

 

[Panhandler]

Use a piece of flexible garden hose or half inch plastic tubing fitted into a shop vac to get to bottom of tee.

 

[tinkabranc]

Try an oil filter wrench (strap wrench) to twist the Tee cap loose.

 

[geek]

I was wondering the same on my new install for the basement, having the pipe in my hands before install I could not remove the tee cap, so I can imagine doing this while the pipe is all installed and reaching behind the stove....
is that a pull out cap or it has a twist ?

.

 

[imacman]

......is that a pull out cap or it has a twist ?

I wonder if all brands of pipe are the same? ....you didn't say which you have, but anyway, the t-Cap on mine (Dura Vent Pro) was a little stiff the first time I removed it too. Have another person hold the T firmly, and use a strap wrench that Tink mentioned above.

 

[Xena]

how can I get to clean the bottom of the T since I sealed that up pretty good?

Rob you say you sealed it up pretty good so I'm guessing you
mean that you sealed up the cleanout cap? Can you explain?

 

[ylomnstr]

I used silicone and tape to seal the bottom of the T so that it wouldn't smoke. Here are some pics.

IMG_2453 shows how it's connected to the rear of the stove. Basically any joint on the T leaked, so I sealed the joints with silicone and used the tape which I then spray painted black. My concern is that if I have to do this every year, and I can't get all of the tape off, I will end up with a really lumpy looking T after a few years.

 

[Xena]

That looks like you either don't have an appliance adapter, or something
funky going on there where the stove/adapter meets the T, which probably
accounts for some of your leakage. If you sealed up the cap with
silicone good luck removing it without butchering it and the T.

Here's a pic of the pipe to appliance adapter to stove on my st croix btw.

 

[orangecrushcj7]

I installed mine with the clean-out tee and the 3' of vertical rise inside the house, then went thru the wall to terminate. After the first few weeks I came to the conclusion that Simpson Duravent leaks like a seive. I had siliconed the joints with the initial install. Then I tried applying more silicone to all the outside of the joints. After that I wrapped all the joints with foil tape. That was the only way to seal it entirely. I had to remove the cleanout 3 or 4 times over the season for cleaning, and each time i would have to peel off the foil tape at the cleanout, and use a strap wrench to remove the cap. It came off pretty easily. I would then resilicone and tape after re-assembly.

 

[geek]

......is that a pull out cap or it has a twist ?

I wonder if all brands of pipe are the same? ....you didn't say which you have, but anyway, the t-Cap on mine (Dura Vent Pro) was a little stiff the first time I removed it too. Have another person hold the T firmly, and use a strap wrench that Tink mentioned above.

mac,

I have the Simpson Dura-Vent Single Tee With Clean-Out Tee Cap - 3PVP-T (in black), once you remove for cleaning do you also use silicone?

 

[imacman]

mac,

I have the Simpson Dura-Vent Single Tee With Clean-Out Tee Cap - 3PVP-T (in black), once you remove for cleaning do you also use silicone?

I did not use silicone, as I thought from the beginning that it would make removing the cap difficult.

I opted for the aluminum boiler tape like Xena showed in her pic. Wrap all the joints tightly with it, and spray black with high heat paint only the areas that are visible.....much easier to remove than when using the silicone. I only use the silicone to seal the appliance adapter to the stove exhaust outlet (mainly because the rear body panel is in the way of doing a neat job w/ the tape).

BTW, once I remove the tape, I can twist off the cap by hand.

 

[Clay H]

I never remove the cap, as stated above, use a shop vac and if the hose isn't long enough to reach the T, fabricate one with something like a soft garden hose and snake it through the outlet.
Takes less than a minute. My shop vac hose is 4' and thats just long enough to reach from the outlet to the T. An old swimming pool hose makes an excelent vac hose.

 

[tinkabranc]

If Duravent is notorius for leaking, guess I must have gotten lucky.
No leaks on my XXV.

I got everything siliconed with the exception of the Tee cap as this is
the only piece in the pipe that gets opened for cleaning.
No tape needed either.

 

[richkorn]

I never remove the cap, as stated above, use a shop vac and if the hose isn't long enough to reach the T, fabricate one with something like a soft garden hose and snake it through the outlet.
Takes less than a minute. My shop vac hose is 4' and thats just long enough to reach from the outlet to the T. An old swimming pool hose makes an excelent vac hose.

Wish I could do that - tough to do when 'T' vents up 25 feet of flex liner to top cap.

 

[Clay H]

I never remove the cap, as stated above, use a shop vac and if the hose isn't long enough to reach the T, fabricate one with something like a soft garden hose and snake it through the outlet.
Takes less than a minute. My shop vac hose is 4' and thats just long enough to reach from the outlet to the T. An old swimming pool hose makes an excelent vac hose.

Wish I could do that - tough to do when 'T' vents up 25 feet of flex liner to top cap.

Use a 25' swimming pool hose duct taped to you shop vac hose.

 

[HEMI]

I never remove the cap, as stated above, use a shop vac and if the hose isn't long enough to reach the T, fabricate one with something like a soft garden hose and snake it through the outlet.
Takes less than a minute. My shop vac hose is 4' and thats just long enough to reach from the outlet to the T. An old swimming pool hose makes an excelent vac hose.

Wish I could do that - tough to do when 'T' vents up 25 feet of flex liner to top cap.

Use a 25' swimming pool hose duct taped to you shop vac hose.

this method of yours might work but i'm sure it doesn't completely clean out the cap, I can probably take off the cap empty it and have it back on and you diidn't turn on the vac yet.

 

[CONCORDE]

[quote author="tinkabranc" date="1253043222"]If Duravent is notorius for leaking, guess I must have gotten lucky.
No leaks on my XXV.

SDV pellet vent is a good product, but the quality of the vent cannot compensate for a faulty installation. In posts here under this topic, the question has been asked a couple of times whether the appliance adapter had been used (as the instructions direct). Have not seen a positive reply here.

The adaptor is often left out. When it is included, some will take a short cut by attempting to tape it rather than seal it as directed with silicone. Trying to fill a sloppy fit with excess silicone just makes a big mess that will likely still leak. Trying to seal up with foil face also does not work well. Even if you can get it to seal, the glue on the tape will gradually start to dry out over time and begin leaking. You can do it cheap (then have to do it all again later), or you can do it right the first time.

Should also mention that Simpson has two different sytems out there. The old style of pipe with rope gaskets must be sealed at all joints with silicone. If the stove manufacturer is OK with it, the new Simpson product (pelletvent pro) only has to be sealed at the appliance adaptor and on slip section joints. I am of the opinion that the stove manufacturer's directions override those of the vent manufacturer. If the stove install instructions say to seal all joints -- then I say to seal all joints.

Regards,

 

[Clay H]

this method of yours might work but i'm sure it doesn't completely clean out the cap, I can probably take off the cap empty it and have it back on and you diidn't turn on the vac yet.

Yeah its real important to get it spotless inside. :blank: I could give a rats azz if its spotless inside, the goal is to remove ash buildup in it and this is what a shop vac is made for.
I have to pull my insert out to access the T so pulling it off to clean is a big job.

 

[HEMI]

this method of yours might work but i'm sure it doesn't completely clean out the cap, I can probably take off the cap empty it and have it back on and you diidn't turn on the vac yet.

Yeah its real important to get it spotless inside. :blank: I could give a rats azz if its spotless inside, the goal is to remove ash buildup in it and this is what a shop vac is made for.
I have to pull my insert out to access the T so pulling it off to clean is a big job.

well you didn't mention that you had to go through all that to get at the tee now did you?.....now I can see why you do it that way. give your stove a so so clean and you will soon see how many ratz azzes you give...good luck with your shop vac

 

[Clay H]

this method of yours might work but i'm sure it doesn't completely clean out the cap, I can probably take off the cap empty it and have it back on and you diidn't turn on the vac yet.

Yeah its real important to get it spotless inside. :blank: I could give a rats azz if its spotless inside, the goal is to remove ash buildup in it and this is what a shop vac is made for.
I have to pull my insert out to access the T so pulling it off to clean is a big job.

well you didn't mention that you had to go through all that to get at the tee now did you?.....now I can see why you do it that way. give your stove a so so clean and you will soon see how many ratz azzes you give...good luck with your shop vac

We're talking about cleaning the vent pipe T...why would you need to clean it so well? Get the soot buildup out and the ash and its all good.

 

[mnkywrnch]

Member no pane has the best picture of cleaning a vent pipe that ive seen .
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/36445/
looks to me that its cleaning real good.

 

[CONCORDE]

;-)

Yup, I am sure that will be really popular with the next door neighbours

 

[imacman]

;-)

Yup, I am sure that will be really popular with the next door neighbours

If he even HAS any neighbors....it looks from the pic like he's out in the boonies. :lol:

 

[mnkywrnch]

;-)

Yup, I am sure that will be really popular with the next door neighbours

I clean my stove by this method twice a season, my neighbors are fairly close just have to pick the right day to do it.BTW with this method of cleaning I didnt take the cap of my cleanout until the end of the year cleaning and there was no ash or soot in the pipe at all.

 

[smoke show]

:lol:

;-)

Yup, I am sure that will be really popular with the next door neighbours

If he even HAS any neighbors....it looks from the pic like he's out in the boonies. :lol:

I have neighbors....30 acres of soybeans this year. :lol: