Exhaust Thimble

[thebigo]

We had a free standing accentra installed with a 4'' dura-vent and an indoor cleanout. There is a 'T' immediately after the stove, one end of the 'T' is directed towards the floor and serves as the clean-out; the other end of the 'T' rises and takes a 90 degree turn before running through the wall. The exhaust is 4'' dura-vent and the thimle at the end of the exhaust is labeled 'horizontal cap'.

In the past I have always pulled the cap, run a 4'' round brush through the exhaust, then run the leafblower on the exhaust and then pulled the internal clean-out. The horizontal cap includes four 'teeth' measuring about 1'' in circumference; the cap is pressed onto the exhaust pipe and then rotated to engage four corresponding circumferential grooves.

I cannot remove the thimble / horizontal cap this year. It will not rotate, it was last removed sometime time last summer.

Any ideas on removing the thimble? I was thinking about drenching it with PB Blaster one warm day to try to loosen. Any reason to avoid adding a lubricant when reassembling? I was thinking of using cooking spray.

The stove was installed summer of 2011 and has burned somewhere in the range of 150 bags. Mostly purchased at lowes but the stove is kept very clean.

 

[imacman]

Try the PB blaster for a day or two....keep spraying it. Then get yourself a strap wrench and try using that.

If you DO get the cap off, coat the end with Anti-seize available at any auto parts store. Probably don't need the Hi-temp as the cap temp is probably pretty low, but wouldn't hurt to have the Hi-Temp handy for the interior "T" cleanout cap....that should be coated too.

BTW, the cap is not a "thimble"....a thimble is the part that mounts in the wall and the pipe goes through it to the outside.

 

[DexterDay]

Yep.. Use a Strap wrench or a Very LARGE Oil Filter wrench.

On 3" vent. A standard oil filter wrench works awesome.

 

[iceguy4]

Yes to the PB blaster...the best one I have used...and give it time. also with nuts and bolts HEAT will make a world of difference at the time of the" take apart"