Knico stove safety

[Loversofthepark]

new to hot tenting but just purchased a 10x10esker and knico Alaskan Jr stove. My question is does the fitted stove chimney stacks have to be screwed together. Fiddling with screws does not sound fun in -30c but if it's a must then so be it. Also what do people use to reflect heat back from the surrounding stove area.

[Mewolf1]

I don't screw my stove pipe together, but I am hyper vigilant to insure it doesn't wiggles apart. You'll likely get alot of helpful answers here, and opinions on this topic.
The reflective aspect varies also.
Kent

[Snowbound]

Screws are not necessary. You will want some sort of additional brace to support it other than the stove and stove jack so gravity or wind don’t pull it over. Many people use a bi-pod of two sticks and some bailing wire. Others rig guy ropes up to the tent and down to the ground and a large hose clamp or other means to secure the ropes to the pipe. Also, (this may be obvious but I’ve seen it many times at the WCS) the telescoping pipe does not just slide out like a light saber toy. You have to take each piece apart and inset the crimped end into the next larger pipe section.

As for reflectors people use anything from nothing at all, aluminum flashing, welding blankets, reflectix insulation, you name it. I have settled on one piece of carbon fiber welding blanket under the stove. Like anything, experiment at home before you rely on it in the field.

[Heavy Duty]

I don't screw mine together however I know people who do. I would run the pipe how they are just keep the seam facing up.

I built a few mods to my kni-co alaskan Jr. and one of them is a soft fabric reflector that wraps on the back two walls of the stove leaning up against the tent. The fabric is aluminized fiberglass weld/head shielding material. I sewn in 12ga solid copper wire in the hem to give it some level of structure while having the ability to be flexible.

[awbrown]

I also don't screw my piping together. It fits snug enough by itself. I do support the pipe outside of the tent due to the angle. I use aluminum sheets for reflectors. One between the rear of the stove and the other on the side to keep heat away from my sleeping bag. I also have a reflector under the stove (from Snowtrekker).

[Undersky]

Awbrown's pic is a good set-up, I think.
Inexpensive aluminum oven liners work great to reflect heat, and are super lightweight to carry around.
Usually one goes under the stove.
Another goes behind the stove from the back edge of the bottom of the back stove legs up to and overlapping the bottom of the stove jack - a short piece of steel wire can be used to hand that reflector from the stove pipe.
A third can be leaned loosely between the stove and the woodpile, and a 4th can be leaned against the "people side" of the stove if there is too much heat coming off that side, or if a flammable item has to be placed too close to the stove on that side.
Back on the toboggan or sled all 4 nest together and get loaded directly on top of the sled and under any soft gear, or under a wannigan, or under the stove itself.
BV uses office alligator clips to hold multiple reflectors together - brilliant!

[Bothwell Voyageur]

I think the stove pipe is vertical on the Esker so that makes things easier for you. Buy a pipe crimper if you’d like your stove pipes to fit more deeply in to one another. I think most problems occur at the stove end when the snow below melts so taking the steps others have listed should see you right.

[Azettek]

I also don't use screws to keep the pipes together - just secure the outside pipe with a 2 stick bipod + wire, and secure the stove inside. It has worked for me for years with no issue, but as those above have also indicated, vigilance is important - especially in blustery conditions.
As I just posted in another thread re: Stove pipe support / retainers, I do sometimes consider if I should come up with something more secure, but I'm not certain it is necessary.