Tee to Stove Collar Fit

In the long process of ordering a new liner kit. After lots of research I decided on an armor flex with a custom Tee from Olympia. My fireplace is a very tight fit for a normal Tee, hence the custom Tee. My question is how tight do you want the fit between the snout and stove collar? I'm under the impression it should be air tight otherwise cold room temperature air finds its way into the exaust.

When I insert the new Tee into the stove collar I can insert it all the way and still wiggle it up and down a few inches. Is this too loose?

Smoked said:

Just to be sure, the body of the tee moves up and down with the snout in the collar or the snout has free space to move up and down in the collar? Both mine required crimped appliance connectors at the collar. But I have to extend the snout on both anyway.

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It is both the body and the snout that moves. The body moves up and down 6 inches or so. The snout is obviously a lot more snug but I would imagine any sort of movement will allow cold room temperature air into the exhaust. I like the idea of the snout being too big to fit and crimping a little at a time until the perfect fit is complete.

begreen said:

Usually there is a small section of stove pipe between the tee and the stove collar. Is there room to put one in here, even if it is only 4-6"?

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I could cut the snout with my dewalt grinder and attach a 4-6" section stove pipe. I always thought the Tee was the general connection to the stove collar. What's the benefit of adding another adapter piece?

webby3650 said:

It's very common for the snout to mount directly into the flue collar on a hearth install. I like to wrap a piece of gasket around the snout before it goes in, preferably flat window gasket that already has adhesive on it. If there's not room for gasket you can use furnace cement.

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This sounds like it might work. Is the window gasket removable? I would like something that I can take apart for cleaning. I imagine I could get one of these at home depot? Any specific type of window gasket that I should be looking at? Would a thin rope gasket work that came from woodstock? I have an extra one of those hanging around.