Any tips for keeping stove pipes black?

[PA Fire Bug]

Each year I spray my stove pipes with a fresh coat of high heat black paint. As the pipes heat over time, the black turns to gray. At the hottest area near the stove, the paint eventually wiped away when I wiped the pipes with a damp cloth. I use a magnetic thermometer on the pipe to monitor the temp. Does anyone have any tips for keeping the pipes nice and black other than painting them more often? Thanks for the tip about using some ash with a damp cloth to clean the glass. The ash worked great.

 

[begreen]

What sort of temps are you seeing on the magnetic flue thermometer?

 

[remkel]

What sort of temps are you seeing on the magnetic flue thermometer?

Yeah, sounds to me like you may be running a little too hot if the paint is wiping off.

 

[pen]

I had this problem for years until I switched to brush on high heat paint. 3 years on the pipes with that brush on paint now and they are still black. Haven't had it wipe off w/ a damp rag like I did w/ the spray on stuff either.

pen

 

[PA Fire Bug]

What sort of temps are you seeing on the magnetic flue thermometer?

The temp. rarely goes past 475. The thermometer is about 10 inches above the stove top. I try to keep the temp. in the white zone which is from about 275 to 475. The thermometer brand is HomeSaver - someone was thinking when they named it.

 

[begreen]

Well, it is not likely to be overheating then. When you wipe it down, and paint comes off is it right to bare metal? If that is the case it sounds like a bonding issue. This could be contamination of the metal or dissimilar paints.

 

[nate379]

475*?. The pipe ~12" from the top of my stove gets maybe 150* at the very most. I can still put my hand on it with the stove in inferno mode.

 

[greythorn3]

475*?. The pipe ~12" from the top of my stove gets maybe 150* at the very most. I can still put my hand on it with the stove in inferno mode.

sounds like your buring way to cold. better sweep that chimney before its to late.

 

[Jags]

475*?. The pipe ~12" from the top of my stove gets maybe 150* at the very most. I can still put my hand on it with the stove in inferno mode.

Sounds like you have double wall pipe.

 

[oldspark]

475*?. The pipe ~12" from the top of my stove gets maybe 150* at the very most. I can still put my hand on it with the stove in inferno mode.

Sounds like you have double wall pipe.

I hope so for his sake.

 

[nate379]

Of course. Single wall pipe is not allowed in a house. I assumed that was the case for most everywhere else?

 

[oldspark]

Of course. Single wall pipe is not allowed in a house. I assumed that was the case for most everywhere else?

Huh, single wall stove pipe is used every where.

 

[BlankBlankBlank]

Black shoe polish with a spit and shine. At the end buff it out real good. Okay, on the serious note, during all my years of burning I've found that black stove pipe eventually turns greyish in color. All materials have their limitations. Steel stove pipe painted black is no exception. Some great suggestions may work, such as pen's suggestion of brushing on high heat paint. Or you might have to live with discolored pipe after you wear it in.

 

[Jags]

Of course. Single wall pipe is not allowed in a house. I assumed that was the case for most everywhere else?

From stove to ceiling box, single wall is a common application.

 

[Battenkiller]

From stove to ceiling box, single wall is a common application.

And it's an application that puts out about 2000 BTU/hr per linear foot at 400ºF. Hate to see that heat get wasted.

 

[charly]

Each year I spray my stove pipes with a fresh coat of high heat black paint. As the pipes heat over time, the black turns to gray. At the hottest area near the stove, the paint eventually wiped away when I wiped the pipes with a damp cloth. I use a magnetic thermometer on the pipe to monitor the temp. Does anyone have any tips for keeping the pipes nice and black other than painting them more often? Thanks for the tip about using some ash with a damp cloth to clean the glass. The ash worked great.

For years I used Armorall on my black stove pipe, which was double wall and my woodstove. Made it look new again. Seems to last for a month and then you just spray it on and wipe off the excess. Doesn't turn white or anything. I found this out when I painted my exhaust pipes on my Harley with high temp flat black. When I got caught in a rain storm I figured I'd have to repaint them to make them look good again, then tried the armorall, and to my surprise, the heat never turned the armorall white. They looked like I just painted them.

 

[oldspark]

Black shoe polish with a spit and shine. At the end buff it out real good. Okay, on the serious note, during all my years of burning I've found that black stove pipe eventually turns greyish in color. All materials have their limitations. Steel stove pipe painted black is no exception. Some great suggestions may work, such as pen's suggestion of brushing on high heat paint. Or you might have to live with discolored pipe after you wear it in.

Must have something to do with the brand of stove pipe, my 30 year old stove pipe on my old stove did not ever turn gray.

 

[jimbom]

From stove to ceiling box, single wall is a common application.

And it's an application that puts out about 2000 BTU/hr per linear foot at 400ºF. Hate to see that heat get wasted.

+1 Table 2-4 page 20 in Solid Fuels Encyclopedia has energy transfer tabulated for a range of temperatures.

 

[begreen]

It isn't wasted. It's helping the draft and keeping the flue clean. How many btus/ft does double wall emit?

 

[ScotO]

I use the Rutland black stove polish on my stove AND pipes twice a season.....put it on before a good fire and buff it off when the stove and pipe gets warm........just did it again last evening, looks like new and stays that way for months...use a pair of latex gloves so you don't piss the wife off when you pat her rearend before bed.....cause yer hands will be BLACK for quite a while if you don't...

 

[nate379]

No idea but the stove emits way more than enough already and since it's code for here don't think I'm switching any time soon. I'm pretty sure my walls are too close to the pipe to be ok with single wall too.

It isn't wasted. It's helping the draft and keeping the flue clean. How many btus/ft does double wall emit?

 

[sullystull]

I switched to a heavier gauge single wall pipe--I believe I went from 24 gauge to 22. The new pipe seems to be staying black. However, at the same time I switched stoves from the Dutchwest to the Oslo and that probably had more to do with it than the pipe switch.

 

[oldspark]

No idea but the stove emits way more than enough already and since it's code for here don't think I'm switching any time soon. I'm pretty sure my walls are too close to the pipe to be ok with single wall too.

It isn't wasted. It's helping the draft and keeping the flue clean. How many btus/ft does double wall emit?

Not sure why that would be code as long as the clearances are right.