Please educate me about...joints ???

[smallhagrid]

(NO - not THAT kind of joint !!!)

I have stuff that will soon need joining.

A small barrel to a larger one and the larger one to the exhaust outlet.

I do know about tabbing sheet metal joints, and in places that are not burning hot I can use metal tape to seal joints.

My query is to find out if there is a better way that I am unaware of to do such things.

Please educate me if there is ?!?

Thanks.

[mannytheseacow]

Hello Hagrid! How is your progress coming? You might be right on track with the sheet metal tabs. You could also try welding if you have the skills and access to the equipment. I don't. I generally use the tab method when I can. I don't have much other advice here but hate to see your question unanswered.

One thing I can help with, they sell stove cement in tubes at the hardware store. You can put one in a caulk gun and seal joints with it---- don't waste your money on this!!! IT DOESN"T WORK!!! I've got suckered into it more than once and what I ended up with was a joint that was sealed for a week maybe at most. It doesn't seem to expand and contract with the metal and eventually just cracks and breaks off.

[smallhagrid]

Hi Manny and Thanks !!
The giant refrigerator is now out of the target room, so I can begin my work on this.
Moving that thing by myself was quite an adventure - one which I hope not to repeat !!!

The nasty old box stove has been stripped down to just it's base - and now I am trying to pinpoint how I'll build on top of that.

There is some older, thick stovepipe left over from when I changed stoves, so I may just have to cut/tab/tape that.
(I do have a welder, but severe limitations on being able to use it as the garage is filled with hay bales as is the attached barn.)

What I am heading for will not have any sort of bench or extreme thermal mass.
All this would be alot easier if I could just surround everything with cob.

My goals are simply these:
1. Get heat into the center of the place, nearest to the wet walls;
2. Get increased efficiency.

The way I see it - even the simplest RMH absolutely MUST be more efficient than any box of fire connected to a chimney and sending 50-80% of the heat from that fire directly outside, unused.

One problem this will get rid of is that in order to get any decent heat from way up front of this place to the center of it where it is most needed - the room with the (newer, airtight) log stove has to be drastically overheated - and I am not OK with that.

Thanks for the tip about that cement.
Many years ago I tried to seal up a box stove with it and watched in dismay as it fell right off - thanks for reminding me of this.

Best Wishes to All !!!