Installing a Flashing Kit in a older Tipi or Touring Tent
See the blog post all about How To Install A Wood-Burning Stove In A Canvas Tent here.
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So you want to use a wood-burning stove inside your tent? You’re in the right place! Once you’ve experienced the cosiness of a ‘hot-tent’ set up, you’ll be glad you persevered with the installation process.
While our new range of Homecamp Classic Bell Tents come with their own purpose-built stove flap (epic!), older (pre 2022) tents, including our Tipi and Touring Bell Tents, will require you to cut a hole in your tent before installing a flashing kit to use with your stove.
What is a Flashing Kit?
A flashing kit or stove jack consists of a heat resistant silicone sleeve that is secured to your tent with two stainless steel rings and wingnuts. The silicone sleeve protects the tent from hot flue pipes touching the canvas. For extra safety we recommend using a Double (or Triple) wall pipe section at the point where the chimney pipe exits the tent.
The beauty of using a flashing kit is that you can control the position of the stove inside the tent, however it does come with a seemingly daunting task of cutting a hole in your beautiful new tent! Luckily there is a fail safe way of installing the kit that will make this process a breeze.
Follow these easy steps you’ll be hot-tenting safely in no time.
What you’ll need:
- Quality canvas tent
- Flashing kit
- Quality camp knife
- Marker
- Wood burning stove with pipe sections
- Double (or triple) wall pipe section
- Fireproof mat
- Carbon monoxide alarm
*Note – Our Tent & Stove Bundles include everything you need to create a quality hot-tent set up from start to finish.
Step 1: Get the stove in position
When positioning the stove inside your tent, make sure you have enough distance safely away from the tent wall. It will depend on the size of your tent and stove but usually, around 50cm to 80cm is ideal. Ultimately you want to be able to have enough room to move around the tent safely without the hazard of being too close to a hot stove – for example, having a stove closer to the centre of your tent is more efficient at heating your tent but less efficient for managing space.
Step 2: Mark the exit
Take your time to measure where you would like your stove to stand, and consequently where your flue will exit the tent. We strongly recommend using a double wall pipe section at the point of exit. It’s a good idea to first set up your stove outside the tent to measure the height from the bottom of the stove feet to the midway point of your double wall pipe, this will help guide where you will cut the hole.
Once you have decided where the hole will be, unscrew the bolts from the kit and hold one of the stainless steel rings (or the rainproof plate as pictured) against the canvas, marking where the holes are located, this will be where the screws will go. Rainproof plates are included in our tent and stove bundles.
Step 3: Make the cut!
It’s go time. Let’s secure the flashing kit to the tent. With a sharp craft knife, make small holes in the screw marks with the knife. Clamp the two rings on either side of the canvas with the silicon on the outside. Push the bolts through and screw into place. Now that the kit is secure, cut through the tent around the inside of the ring making a neat hole, before pushing the flue sections through the flashing kit from the inside. Your stove will now be securely in place and ready to light up.
Step 4: Fire it up!
Add your flue pipe sections to complete the assembly of your stove and light it up! Please note, new stoves often burn with a dark smoke on first use this will diminish with subsequent burns.
When not in use
What do you do with your flashing kit if you want to cook outside, or perhaps don’t intend to bring your stove on a short trip? Sealing up your stove jack when you’re not using your tent stove is easy using a Flashing Kit Rainproof Plate.
Further reading