Stovepipe challenge: rear exhaust and through-wall flue

[Slopes_83]

Lots of detail below, so here’s the TL;DR: My stovepipe runs ~19” horizontally from the back of the stove to the flue in the wall - no verticals. I need a stovepipe setup that allows for easy removal to sweep the flue without moving the stove. Any and all help is appreciated!


Hi all,

I have a Jotul F600 CB Firelight (circa 2013) with a 6” rear exhaust. The stove pipe goes straight backward to the through-wall flue - a 18-20” horizontally run. In that space, I need an elbow, a 6-to-8” increaser, and an 8” single-to-double wall adapter (which connects through the thimble to the flue in the wall)

The stove pipe is more-or-less “sandwiched” between the stove and the wall. To make them removable for sweeping I need to leave the sections slightly loose. This allows me to push all sections tightly together to create just enough of a gap (~.5”) to rotate the elbow section 180 degrees and remove it (which allows me to remove the other sections).

This wiggle room (~1.25” total) is how I can remove the pipe, but it means that when the sections are assembled they aren’t fully seated: each of the 3 joints has slightly less overlap than they ideally should. After I reassemble, I light a low fire and adjust the sections until I can’t smell a leak. Overall, this has worked but there is the inevitable event (e.g. if the stove cools too much during an overnight slow burn) where I can smell a small leak from one of these joints - not enough to be visible, but enough to smell in the house and be concerning. It’s very hard to fix a leak without creating a leak in a different section.

I need a solution that reliably eliminates leaks and still allows for removing the stovepipe for cleaning.

Other details:

• Moving the stove for cleaning isn’t a viable option. Beyond the practical difficulty (ie aligning pipe and moving a 450lb stove at the same time), the hearth is rough brick that can be damaged and makes it hard to get all 4 feet of the stove planted without rocking.
• I’d be open to repositioning the stove if needed. I can’t go much more forward b/c of code, but I could go left a little.
• While the top of my stove looks like it could open (i.e. access for sweeping), it’s bolted in place and the manual doesn’t say or imply it could be removed (e.g. it doesn’t suggest maintenance for this gasket). Even if it did come off, I’d rather find a way to remove the stove pipe. With ~ 3 feet of total horizontal run, I feel more confident I can clean well if I can see and reach everything.
• I have tried high-temp “caulk” in the pipe joints. This worked for leaks but removing it the next year was hard. It felt like cutting/scraping it out was putting more stress than I’d like on the in-wall flue pipe, which I can’t risk damaging.

Here are some ideas I’ve had:

• Very short telescoping pipe (if it exists this small?)
• Cutting the single-to-double wall adapter shorter and adding a small straight section. This would add a joint and spread the 1.25” “wiggle room” across 4 joints instead of 3.
• Tape? Does this exist and does it exist in black?

Does anyone have great ideas or solutions?

Thanks very much for any help or advice!