Every bend is draught you no longer have

Flue elbows, and what each one costs in draught

An elbow turns the pipe, and every turn costs draught. That is the figure nobody publishes and the one this shelf is really about: a 90° bend takes noticeably more out of a flue than two 45° bends achieving the same offset, and a run with three bends behaves differently from the same length run straight. The published figures are the angle — 15°, 30°, 45° and 90° are the standard steps — the diameter, which must match the run, and the wall gauge, which matters more here than on straight pipe because the outer radius of a bend is where soot and condensate collect. Two design choices separate models. The adjustable elbow is a segmented bend that can be set anywhere between roughly 0° and 90°, which solves the case where the spigot and the wall sleeve do not agree; it costs a little more draught than a fixed bend of the same angle because of the joints. And the inspection door: a bend with a hinged hatch is the access point for sweeping the horizontal section, and on a run with any bend at all it is the difference between sweeping from inside and not sweeping at all. We compare angle, diameter, wall thickness, material, coating, joint, cleaning opening, fuels and standard.

These parts, set out figure by figure

1. 

   Kolor Stove Pipe Elbow 90°, Ø 120 mm

   The cheapest elbow on this shelf — and the only listing in this family that tells you to have the system fitted by a specialist.

   Angle

   90°, rigid

   Diameter

   Ø 120 mm, with 100, 110, 130 and 150 mm also listed

   Wall thickness

   Not published

   Material

   Steel

   Coating

   The maker does not state it.

   Joint

   The maker does not state it.

   Cleaning opening

   The maker does not state it.

   Fuels

   Solid fuels — wood, coal, brown coal · Workshop, barn, store

   Standard

   Stated that the pipe system should be fitted by a qualified specialist or installer · The features also give a pipe length of 1,000 mm, which belongs to other items under the same title

   Amazon reference

   B0BVM4S7FH (one reference across 1 Amazon marketplace)

   EAN

   5902539398861

   • The only listing in this family to say the system should be fitted by a specialist
   • Names the fuels it is for, including brown coal
   • A multi-variant listing: the published features describe several different articles at once

   Best for: A workshop or an outbuilding, where the elbow is a component rather than a piece of furniture

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2. 

   BirnePower FAL Stove Pipe Elbow 90°, Ø 120 mm

   Fire-aluminised steel at 0.6 mm, laser-welded — and the only listing in this catalogue to publish how much length each joint costs.

   Angle

   Approximately 5 cm, stated — the only such figure in this catalogue

   Diameter

   The maker does not state it.

   Wall thickness

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   0.6 mm fire-aluminised (FAL) steel sheet, black spray-lacquered · Stated that it may discolour at high temperatures · Laser-welded, frost- and freeze-thaw resistant, each element shortenable

   Coating

   The maker does not state it.

   Joint

   Drawn push-fit, each pipe tapered at one end

   Cleaning opening

   The maker does not state it.

   Fuels

   Oil, gas and solid fuels

   Standard

   Tested to EN 1856-2 · Stated that fire-aluminised pipes are only conditionally suitable for the visible area

   Amazon reference

   B0CP64R7TH (one reference across 2 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   5902808469445

   • Publishes the length lost at each push-fit joint, which nothing else in this catalogue does
   • States plainly that the material is only conditionally suitable for the visible area
   • Fire-aluminised steel is a utility finish, not a living-room one, and the maker says so

   Best for: A run behind a stove or through a utility space, planned properly because the joint loss is published

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3. 

   rg-vertrieb Rigid 90° Elbow, Ø 160 mm

   Two millimetres of steel in a rigid right angle, rated T600 and soot-fire resistant, in a solvent-free lacquer.

   Angle

   Rigid 90°

   Diameter

   Ø 160 mm — the largest on this shelf

   Wall thickness

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   2 mm steel sheet

   Coating

   Solvent-free Senotherm environmental lacquer in black, stated to cure almost odour-free on first firing

   Joint

   Drawn push-fit, tapered at one end

   Cleaning opening

   The maker does not state it.

   Fuels

   All solid fuels

   Standard

   EN 1856-2 / DIN 1298, approved to 600 °C (T600) · Stated soot-fire resistant

   Amazon reference

   B07LBL3WVP (one reference across 2 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   5902808419921

   • Publishes a temperature class under a named standard rather than a bare figure
   • Two millimetres of steel, the heaviest gauge on this shelf
   • Rigid, so it cannot absorb a misaligned chimney connection

   Best for: A visible run where the chimney socket is directly above the stove collar and the angle is exactly ninety degrees

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4. 

   Tecnovis 90° Elbow Without Door, Ø 150 mm

   A rigid 2 mm DC01 elbow stated without a door, offered in black or cast grey with the colour references printed.

   Angle

   Rigid 90°, stated without a door

   Diameter

   Ø 150 mm

   Wall thickness

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   Steel sheet DC01 (St12), 2 mm · Black 702.284 or cast grey 702.288, with references printed

   Coating

   Heat-resistant Senotherm lacquer

   Joint

   Push-fit through drawn ends

   Cleaning opening

   The maker does not state it.

   Fuels

   For connection to stoves and use in the living and visible area

   Standard

   Not published

   Amazon reference

   B0F3W4VJTS (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4057054123779

   • States explicitly that it has no door, so the buyer is not left guessing
   • Names the steel grade as well as the thickness
   • No cleaning door, so the pipe comes apart to clear the bend

   Best for: A visible run being assembled in one colour, where the reference numbers matter as much as the part

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5. 

   Möck Adjustable Stainless Elbow 0–90°, DN 130 mm

   Stainless 1.4404 at 0.6 mm, adjustable through the whole range from nought to ninety degrees, and fitted with a cleaning opening.

   Angle

   0 to 90°, adjustable

   Diameter

   DN 130 mm

   Wall thickness

   0.6 mm

   Material

   Stainless steel 1.4404 — the acid-resistant grade · Brand manufacturer, made in Germany

   Coating

   The maker does not state it.

   Joint

   The maker does not state it.

   Cleaning opening

   With a cleaning opening

   Fuels

   The maker does not state it.

   Standard

   Five · Not published

   Amazon reference

   B07TXJ6G1L (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4260638056749

   • Adjustable across the full range, so a misaligned connection can be met exactly
   • Stainless 1.4404, the acid-resistant grade used at the cold end of every flue in this catalogue
   • Nought point six millimetres, against 2 mm on three elbows on this shelf

   Best for: A connection that is not quite square, where the flue runs cool and an inspection hatch is wanted

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6. 

   FIREFIX Pellet Pipe Elbow 90°, Ø 80 mm

   The pellet elbow: Ø 80 mm in 1.2 mm steel, with a rubber seal already fitted and a temperature class stated to 200 °C.

   Angle

   90°

   Diameter

   80 mm

   Wall thickness

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   Steel, 1.2 mm, Senotherm black

   Coating

   A rubber seal already fitted, stated

   Joint

   The maker does not state it.

   Cleaning opening

   None, stated · Without a door, stated

   Fuels

   Pellet stoves and pellet fire sites

   Standard

   To 200 °C · Tested and approved to DIN EN 1856-2:2009

   Amazon reference

   B075QCX8R9 (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4017537638206

   • Arrives with its seal fitted, which is what a fan-driven pellet flue requires
   • Publishes a temperature class rather than a bare number
   • No cleaning opening, on the part of a pellet flue that fouls fastest

   Best for: A pellet appliance whose flue turns, where the joint has to be sealed rather than merely pushed together

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7. 

   raik Three-Part Rotatable Elbow 0–90°, Ø 120 mm

   Three parts rotating steplessly from nought to ninety, in 2 mm steel, with a cleaning door and the build height published.

   Angle

   Approximately 26 cm — the only such figure on this shelf

   Diameter

   120 mm at the non-drawn end

   Wall thickness

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   Three parts, rotatable steplessly from 0° to 90° · Alloyed steel sheet, 2 mm

   Coating

   Factory-baked Senotherm, stated to avoid odour at the first firing

   Joint

   Drawn at one end, for pushing further lengths on

   Cleaning opening

   An integrated cleaning opening with a door, so soot and ash come out without dismantling the pipe

   Fuels

   Stated compatible with common single-wall 120 mm systems for solid-fuel stoves except pellet stoves

   Standard

   The maker does not state it.

   Amazon reference

   B00TU83W0S (one reference across 2 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4260405760152

   • Publishes the build height, which is the space the elbow actually occupies
   • Rotatable across the full range, and in three parts rather than two
   • A three-part rotating joint has two more seams than a fixed elbow

   Best for: A connection that is neither square nor reachable, where the bend also has to be cleanable

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