2012-2013 Blaze King Performance Thread(everything BK)
- Thread starter rdust
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
- Status
Yeah, you keep talking about how deep your box is. Personally I prefer a deeper box to a bigger box. But most important is the seal.
I tried to use it in the spring when I cleaned out the stove, I wasn't impressed.
I don't have much trouble when I clean mine out. I have a 5 gallon ash bucket with a lid. I move the hot stuff to one side with my poker, take a few shovel fulls out, move the hot stuff back to the other side and take a few more scoops out. I always keep the bucket covered and only open it enough to sneak the shovel in, that seems to reduce the ash flying around.
I don't like the ash can in the house. Full size coal shovel into the stove and walk it right out the door before it goes in the can.
It can't be due to fire safety! No way no how is walking a full size coal shovel through the house safer than an ash bucket with a cover.
Anyone recall a video from about 3-4 years ago of a fellow in his shop showing off his new Blaze King. Shut down the damper and placed his hand into the vent. Was impressive. I am jealous of all you BK owners. I shoudda woudda coudda ordered a BK when I installed a new stove here 5 years ago. I didn't and know I am burning twice as much wood for less heat.... sigh.
S&W, nice to see you back.
Ash can gets filled up, then outside for a few weeks, until the next time I need to empty the stove. Dump the exsiting contents in the ash pit, then clean the stove and repeat.
SWITCH-- diff. direction--
I have one of those Cat. temp. probes that tells you the "actual" temps., vs. the -active-inactive- probes.
With the blower off I can keep a stable temp. for a long time, say 1500 on the Cat. probe.
With the blower on, I can do the same thing, but for a shorter duration. But...
Since the air is passing over, and cooling the top of the stove, AND cooling the probe in the process, if the probe is maintaining 1500
what do you think the actual Cat. temp. really is? And does this shorten the life of the Cat.?
Ash can gets filled up, then outside for a few weeks, until the next time I need to empty the stove. Dump the exsiting contents in the ash pit, then clean the stove and repeat.
SWITCH-- diff. direction--
I have one of those Cat. temp. probes that tells you the "actual" temps., vs. the -active-inactive- probes.
With the blower off I can keep a stable temp. for a long time, say 1500 on the Cat. probe.
With the blower on, I can do the same thing, but for a shorter duration. But...
Since the air is passing over, and cooling the top of the stove, AND cooling the probe in the process, if the probe is maintaining 1500
what do you think the actual Cat. temp. really is? And does this shorten the life of the Cat.?I have seen that vid., thought it was a lil' silly to me.
Pick up a BK Princess and cut your losses, next spring of course. We're looking too mild to mess with this year.
Not sure if it's the one you're looking for but the one of the BK site shows that.
With the t-stat closed and well into a burn do you guys see any flames at all?
I now notice some real small flames now and then coming off the wood even after hours into a burn that I don't remember seeing before.
Door seems to pass the dollar test ok.
I'm 3 hours in right now and the ir temp is 550 in front of the probe...cat is bright orange but I have seen it brighter.
All seems fine but I do see some flames here and there...small but there.
I now notice some real small flames now and then coming off the wood even after hours into a burn that I don't remember seeing before.
Door seems to pass the dollar test ok.
I'm 3 hours in right now and the ir temp is 550 in front of the probe...cat is bright orange but I have seen it brighter.
All seems fine but I do see some flames here and there...small but there.
HC- my full load of Aspen tonight has zero flame, but plenty of red-hot on the splits. T-stat is at 2, which is pretty much closed for my stove.
I'm not a good example though, my full load of wood tonight may go 50lbs., full box but lowered density of wood. I'll still get 12hrs.+, but most others will do better.
Your wood will vary.
I'm not a good example though, my full load of wood tonight may go 50lbs., full box but lowered density of wood. I'll still get 12hrs.+, but most others will do better.
Your wood will vary.
It can't be due to fire safety! No way no how is walking a full size coal shovel through the house safer than an ash bucket with a cover.
I have done it all three ways and it has gone out to the can waiting outside the door for 3 years now, but the path to the door is non-flammable. The ash pan should have been an oven and I never found a way to cleanly dump the ash in the bucket in the middle of the living space. But hey, to each his/her own.
Good to be back with the sane people Beetle-Kill...I work in the energy industry but have heated exclusively with wood at both our houses since I found Hearth
Attachments
![[Hearth.com] 2012-2013 Blaze King Performance Thread(everything BK)](/talk/data/attachments/83/83001-d1042cfeacb31b6a4786647338d233c1.jpg?hash=jpl0zh5GGI)
S&W, nice to see you back.
Ash can gets filled up, then outside for a few weeks, until the next time I need to empty the stove. Dump the exsiting contents in the ash pit, then clean the stove and repeat.
SWITCH-- diff. direction--
I have one of those Cat. temp. probes that tells you the "actual" temps., vs. the -active-inactive- probes.
With the blower off I can keep a stable temp. for a long time, say 1500 on the Cat. probe.
With the blower on, I can do the same thing, but for a shorter duration. But...
Since the air is passing over, and cooling the top of the stove, AND cooling the probe in the process, if the probe is maintaining 1500
I bought a Condar cat probe with numbers as well and It's probably a good guide but like you said the accuracy is effected by the blower and even the radiant heat coming off on the stove top. I'm not too worried when I see the higher temps but I still try and keep it under 1600. I bet these temps on the Condar probes could be reading as much as 100-200 degrees higher when it's up in the higher 1500+ range. I think the only way to get an accurate cat temps is to install a thermocouple but then you have an ugly wire to look at.
Well, I think I am going to order a new CAT for my stove.. Mine is very sluggish, does NOT glow these days (even with a very high cat temp), and doesn't seem to be performing well. I really can't manage a good stove top temp (400 is where I typically need to be) without active flames. Wood was 2 years old (CSS) when I moved it to the barn--2 years go. At first, I attributed it to higher shoulder season temps but we have had a few good cold nights (20's) here and its still not acting right. I can't help but think it is probably related to my door being crooked for 2 years and allowing cold air to directly attack the CAT. Either way, I am just going to order one from Firecat and replace this one.. If this one is still good, but just dirty somehow I can clean it and keep it for a spare. Wish me luck!
Jason
Jason
I've been just leaving my t-stat at #2, reload in bypass for 10 min, reengage and I get a slow lazy flame for hours along with clean glass. It also gives me a good 12-13 hour burn on a 3/4 load of Oak. If I go just a tad below #2 the flames go out, glass gets black on the sides and the stove burns forever.
I have needed to run the stove at higher settings recently, right at #2 which is 50% throttle for several hours. At first there are some flames, maybe a couple hours but then it goes to cigar burn mode and I get a significant glow but no flame. So I don't even get flames at higher settings. I can't imagine how a woodstock can have flames for the majority of the burn without overheating.
Sure is a different animal, ain't it? I usually wake up an hour or so before everybody else, and go crank it up so they are toasty when they get up. Even with a bunch of wood in there, all I usually get is a brighter glow and a 550-600 stovetop. Sometimes some blue flame at the back of the box. After the first couple of hours, there surely isn't much to see.
Right now I'm running at the "n" in normal, I use the fan when it's colder(20's) no fan when it's warmer(30's). This is right where my T-stat will close on my stove after the stove is warmed up during my burn in. With the fan on low I'll get some occasional flames with the fan off I see no flames.
Do those with OAK see a difference in burn characteristics when you turn the fans on? I do almost immediately, but I wonder if it has more to do with the fact that the intakes for the blowers is right next to the intake for the thermostat.
No visible difference in the firebox, the stat surely has to stay open longer but nothing happens immediately. We notice the noise, and the house temp rises faster due to increased output. I only use the fans when trying to add 10 degrees to the house, to catch up quicker. Then I shut them off as the noise is bothersome.
The air wash plate is different. It has holes drilled all the way across so it acts kind a like a secondary air tube right in front of the cat. You can still snuff out the flames in a Woodstock but there's more chance of a stall because there's no t-stat to give a little boost air when needed.
Get your dollar bill out on a cold stove and check. I replace the gasket every couple of years just to make sure. The door latch on mine broke when I tried to ajust it.
I like the easy of the BK latch but it doesn't seem the material used holds up well. I adjusted mine last year but used extreme care after reading multiple posts about people breaking them.
- Status
Similar threads
