Leaking connections

[mtnbiker727]

Last year I got all new pipes from the appliance adapter all the way to the outside. I put a bead of high temp silicone on the inside of the pipe connections before screwing them together, and had no smoke until now. It looks like the silicone is degrading/evaporating????

Should I disassemble all the pipe and reapply the silicone every year?

I don't want to goop up the cleanout, because then it's hard to open, but it's leaking as well.

I'm looking at high temp silicone tape... Lowe's has SharkBite brand. Is this type of thing a good idea?

 

[rich2500]

The silicone tape works great.

 

[jackman]

I use foil tape to seal the seams.

 

[vinny11950]

If the pipes were good last year, they should be good this year too unless something changed.

Did you move/disconnect the stove for cleaning? The seals can shift when you move the stove.

Don't just assume its the pipe joints, it could be the adapter, or the stove itself. Time to start investigating at night, with the lights off, turn on the stove, and when it's smokiest at start up in the burn box, start shining an LED flash light on the pipes, and around the stove. Hopefully you will see the wisps of smoke coming out of somewhere. Then you know where to focus at.

 

[zrock]

Agree if they were good last year they should be good this year unless you changed something. When is the last time you cleaned pipe could be getting plugged causing back pressure... Not sure what brand of pipe you are using but all the pipe i have seen is twist lock no screws required... I used foil tape on mine and 4 years no leak

 

[SidecarFlip]

I'd never put RTV in any of the interlocking joints, ever. All that does is make disassembly of the pipes impossible and you do need to take them apart at some point.

Foil tape (like HVAC tape) on all the joints and not red goo,

 

[mtnbiker727]

Not sure what brand of pipe you are using but all the pipe i have seen is twist lock no screws required... I used foil tape on mine and 4 years no leak

I twisted them together, no screws. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[mtnbiker727]

If the pipes were good last year, they should be good this year too unless something changed.

Did you move/disconnect the stove for cleaning? The seals can shift when you move the stove.

Don't just assume its the pipe joints, it could be the adapter, or the stove itself. Time to start investigating at night, with the lights off, turn on the stove, and when it's smokiest at start up in the burn box, start shining an LED flash light on the pipes, and around the stove. Hopefully you will see the wisps of smoke coming out of somewhere. Then you know where to focus at.

I have not moved the stove. The pipes have been good until about 2 weeks ago.

The pipe is leaking from the joint right after the appliance adapter, and where the cleanout cap connects to the T. When I put everything together last year there wasn't even a tiny wisp of smoke, I checked, repeatedly. (I had a bad experience with a "professional" installer putting screws where they didn't belong, hence the new pipe.)

The appliance adapter had red goo, the cleanout T did not, because I wanted to be able to get it off.

I just thoroughly cleaned the stove and pipe yesterday.

I fired up the stove just now and the cleanout cap still leaks profusely where it connects to the T. Prior to firing it up I took the cleanout cap off and checked the rubber gasket, which is still rubbery, and still in the track where it belongs.

The smoke only comes out when the stove is starting, and I leave it on "disabled" chugging along all night. My wife shuts it off in the morning and turns it back on midday for a few hours.

 

[masterofsense666]

Foil tape on all joints, except the clean out cap on tee. But, make sure the cap is fully
placed on and twisted to seal between openings. that is where I had intermittant leakage.