Questions about stovepipe elbows

[PA. Woodsman]

I remember years ago changing the 6" 90 degree elbow on the stovepipe and it now is faded in color of course from the heat and has some surface rust on it. Last season I took it to a stoveshop and asked about it and the guy there said it was still fine, so I just steel wooled it and slapped some stove polish on it. I am getting ready to inspect it again this season and asked a friend of mine who works in a stove shop about it and he said that it is pretty difficult for an elbow to rust out if you are burning wood, but coal can rust a hole through them due to coal gases being "acidic". Does this sound right? Have you replaced elbows before and how often, and have you ever had one rust out from burning just wood?

Thanks

 

[bholler]

I remember years ago changing the 6" 90 degree elbow on the stovepipe and it now is faded in color of course from the heat and has some surface rust on it. Last season I took it to a stoveshop and asked about it and the guy there said it was still fine, so I just steel wooled it and slapped some stove polish on it. I am getting ready to inspect it again this season and asked a friend of mine who works in a stove shop about it and he said that it is pretty difficult for an elbow to rust out if you are burning wood, but coal can rust a hole through them due to coal gases being "acidic". Does this sound right? Have you replaced elbows before and how often, and have you ever had one rust out from burning just wood?

Thanks

Just wood exhaust won't rust them out quickly. But add in a little moisture and they can rust pretty fast. Maybe 5 years in a damp basement. But there are plenty on coal stoves we replace every year.

 

[bholler]

And stop using stove polish paint works much much better

 

[PA. Woodsman]

And stop using stove polish paint works much much better

I'll give this a try instead. I'll look at it to make sure it isn't rusting through anywhere first of course. Yesterday I was touching up some spots on the stove where the porcelain finish peeled off, it's from 1993 and the top has many spots where the finish came off and I noticed a lot of surface rust on the elbow. I steel wooled a few sections and it seemed to come right off so I'll like I said take it off and look inside, I would imagine it would be easy to see if it rusted through but I doubt it if it is exterior surface rust but I'll check the inside out too of course.

Thank you

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I also remember when I replaced it many years ago there were screw holes already on the new elbow, now it looks like they don't come with any so you have to drill them in yourself or use self tapping screws? The pipe section where the elbow and the pipe meet is so tight I don't know why you would even need any screws there, it doesn't seem to be able to move?

 

[moresnow]

If there is any question simply replace it.