Imperial Stove Pipe Cleanout Tee/Cap Black 6"

A. Yes, the Imperial BM0090 is a 6 inch black cleanout tee supplied with its removable cleanout cap, so you do not need to buy the cap separately. The tee forms part of the vent run and the cap closes the cleanout opening underneath it. In use, the cap stays on while the stove is burning, keeping the vent sealed, and comes off only when the stove is cold, so you can clear soot and creosote from the vertical pipe without dismantling the run. Because tee and cap are made to fit each other, keep them together: a loose or mismatched cap can leak smoke into the room. If you ever lose the cap, replace it with one sized for the same 6 inch Imperial tee.

A. A cleanout tee gives debris somewhere to collect that you can empty, where an elbow sends it straight back into the stove. In a typical layout, the stove connects into the tee's side branch, the pipe continues up from the top toward the chimney, and the capped opening points down. Soot, creosote flakes and anything that falls down the vertical pipe drop into the bottom of the tee instead of onto the stove's flue collar. It also gives you a point to inspect and brush the vertical pipe from below. The arrangement is most common where a rear-exit stove connects to a vertical run or a wall thimble behind it, since that is exactly the spot where an elbow would otherwise trap debris.

A. To clean through the BM0090, let the stove and pipe cool completely, remove the cap and brush the vertical pipe so the debris drops into the tee and out of the opening. Lay a drop cloth and hold a metal container under the tee before you open it, since soot and creosote fall out fast. Brush from the top down or from the tee upward with a brush sized for 6 inch pipe. While the run is open, look for shiny, tar-like creosote or rust holes, both signs the pipe needs closer attention. Refit the cap firmly before relighting. NFPA 211 calls for chimneys and vents to be inspected at least once a year, and more often if you burn heavily or use green wood.

A. The BM0090 needs 18 inches of clearance to combustible walls and ceilings, the standard for single wall black stove pipe, unless your stove's listing or a listed heat shield allows less. That distance is measured from the pipe surface to anything that can burn, including wood framing behind drywall. If your layout cannot hold 18 inches, you have two choices: a listed wall shield that reduces the required clearance, or double wall connector pipe such as DuraVent DVL, whose stainless inner wall and air gap bring the clearance down to 6 inches. Double wall costs more but often lets the stove sit closer to the wall, which saves floor space in a small room.

A. No, the BM0090 is a single wall fitting and should not be mixed into a double wall stove pipe run. Double wall systems such as DuraVent DVL are tested and listed as complete systems, so every tee, elbow and length in the run must come from that same system to keep the listing valid. The reduced clearance you pay double wall pipe for applies only when the whole run is double wall; one single wall tee brings back the 18 inch requirement at that point. If you are building a double wall run and need a cleanout, choose the matching double wall tee from the same manufacturer, and keep the BM0090 for single wall Imperial runs.

A. No, the BM0090 and all single wall stove pipe stay inside the room, between the stove and the chimney. Single wall pipe gets far too hot to pass through framing, insulation or a roof deck. At the point where the vent leaves the room, the run changes to a listed chimney system such as insulated Class A all-fuel chimney pipe, joined with the correct adapter. Through a ceiling that means a ceiling support box or firestop; through a wall, a listed wall thimble; through the roof, the matching flashing and storm collar. Plan the cleanout tee below that transition, inside the room, so you can still reach the cap for cleaning.

A. The BM0090 fits 6 inch stove pipe and matches other 6 inch Imperial black pipe and fittings. Choose the pipe diameter from your stove's flue collar, not from the chimney: a 6 inch collar takes 6 inch pipe all the way to the chimney connection. Never reduce the pipe below the collar size, because a smaller pipe restricts draft and can push smoke back into the room. If your chimney is a different size from the stove, the change belongs at the chimney adapter, following the stove and chimney manufacturers' instructions. For stoves with other collar sizes, the Imperial black stove pipe range covers matching tees, lengths and elbows.

A. In a stove pipe connector run, the crimped ends point down, toward the stove. Each section then sits inside the one below it, so condensation and liquid creosote running down the inside of the pipe stay inside instead of leaking out at the joints and staining the pipe and wall. Secure every joint, including both ends of the BM0090, with three sheet metal screws evenly spaced around the pipe, and keep the seams of each length facing the same way so the run looks neat. A typical connector uses straight lengths from the stove, an elbow if the outlet and chimney do not line up, the cleanout tee at the base of the vertical section and an adapter at the chimney, all at one diameter.

A. No, pellet stoves are normally vented with pellet vent pipe listed for pellet appliances, not with single wall black stove pipe like the BM0090. Pellet stoves push exhaust out under positive pressure with a fan, so their vent has to be sealed at every joint, which is what pellet vent systems such as DuraVent PelletVent Pro are built for. Single wall stove pipe relies on natural draft and is designed to connect a wood stove to a chimney. Your pellet stove manual lists the vent type and diameter it accepts, usually 3 or 4 inch, and following it is a condition of the stove's listing. Pellet vent systems include their own cleanout tees.

A. Before ordering the BM0090, confirm four things: a 6 inch flue collar, a stove that allows a single wall connector, room for 18 inches of clearance, and access to the cap. Check the collar size in the stove manual or by measuring the outlet. Make sure the manual permits single wall connector pipe, since some stoves specify double wall. Measure the distance from the planned pipe route to the nearest combustible wall and ceiling. Finally, check that the base of the vertical section leaves enough room under the tee to remove the cap and hold a container. If any of these is uncertain, Rural Energy support staff can help you plan the complete run before you order.