2013-2014 Blaze King Performance Thread(everything BK)

[ian105]

Looking at getting BK stove (chinook 30). Love the idea of long burn times and the ability to regulate the heat output as needed. One of the big questions I havnt been able to find an answer to is does that come at the expense of the "view" You know sitting in front of a hot stove with a fire to look at. From what I have seen the flames basically go away. Is it possible to have a nice flame show when its cranked up on high? Would only be a few hours a day when I get home from work, which would work good b/c would be getting the house back up to temp. Poked around on youtube and just found the normal "cat burn" videos of how it goes when its low and slow. Can someone take a video of what their stove view looks like on high after initial startup - which it appears you get a decent flame show from?

 

[rdust]

The draft has been my first guess all along as well. We shall see!

My Ashford update:
Got 4' of extra chimney put on yesterday. The stove puts out a lot more heat now!
Last night I put it on 1.5 out of my max setting of 3 and the cat stayed active all night which is a big win!

Awesome to hear! These stoves are draft sensitive, it's amazing what a few feet of chimney can do when it's right near the edge. I wish I could say I hate being right but I'd be lying.

 

[rdust]

I think your right! I turned it to its lowest setting after the stove was keeping the room constant and the temp went up pretty quick! After all this time in a 50 degree house 68 is too hot



Chimney is now 19 ft from stove top. I do have a bend in it to get it a couple inches more away from the wall.
Everything seems to be working much better!
The stove is doing its funky catalytic magic and making us toasty!

Thanks for sticking with us and not throwing in the towel! I know it's frustrating when you spend all that money and the results are less than acceptable.

 

[blueguy]

Well, after sitting at home all afternoon yesterday waiting on the cable guy freight company, my Sirocco 30 finally arrived:



The crate contained only the firebox; the pedestal, blowers, convection deck and door were all separately boxed on top of the crate.

I managed to get the pedestal mounted using my engine crane, and the Mrs and I got it positioned on the hearth pad last night using a fridge cart, but the first firing will have to wait until this afternoon after I get home from work. My Excel Ultrablack doesn't want to fit the whole way home into the stove collar like it did on the 1450 (it seems to be bottoming out on the flare on the inner pipe that would sit in a lower section, plus my "self tapping screws" wouldn't pierce the collar), so I am going to hit the stove shop to pick up an appliance adapter, provided they're even open today due to the storm.

All in all though, I am pretty excited to get this thing fired up. I'll start a separate thread with all the pics later on

 

[Zanimal]

The house got warm very quickly this morning!
Last night I loaded it around 10 pm and set it to 1.25. The cat was in the inactive zone but the house did not even drop 10 degrees.

Added a couple fresh splits on top this morning and had to turn it down almost right away because there was so much heat

 

[jeff_t]

Well, after sitting at home all afternoon yesterday waiting on the cable guy freight company, my Sirocco 30 finally arrived:



The crate contained only the firebox; the pedestal, blowers, convection deck and door were all separately boxed on top of the crate.

I managed to get the pedestal mounted using my engine crane, and the Mrs and I got it positioned on the hearth pad last night using a fridge cart, but the first firing will have to wait until this afternoon after I get home from work. My Excel Ultrablack doesn't want to fit the whole way home into the stove collar like it did on the 1450 (it seems to be bottoming out on the flare on the inner pipe that would sit in a lower section, plus my "self tapping screws" wouldn't pierce the collar), so I am going to hit the stove shop to pick up an appliance adapter, provided they're even open today due to the storm.

All in all though, I am pretty excited to get this thing fired up. I'll start a separate thread with all the pics later on

Looking to it forward it.

I'm sure you probably looked, but where the bottom inside of my flue collar is welded to the stove, is, well, um, not what I would exactly call 'welded'. There were some pretty big pieces of bubble gum stuck in there that I had to grind down to get the appliance adapter to fit properly. My stove was built in '06, so hopefully things are a little better, but I know I'm not the only one with this experience.

 

[jeff_t]

The house got warm very quickly this morning!
Last night I loaded it around 10 pm and set it to 1.25. The cat was in the inactive zone but the house did not even drop 10 degrees.

Added a couple fresh splits on top this morning and had to turn it down almost right away because there was so much heat

Glad it is working better for you, but something still ain't right.

 

[Gareth96]

I live in SW ohio.. just got my first price quote for a BK Princess Parlor of $3600 + tax. I heard about east coast gouging, but isn't that REALLY high? Is there somewhere that I can buy one and have it shipped for much cheaper?

 

[Highbeam]

Looking to it forward it.

I'm sure you probably looked, but where the bottom inside of my flue collar is welded to the stove, is, well, um, not what I would exactly call 'welded'. There were some pretty big pieces of bubble gum stuck in there that I had to grind down to get the appliance adapter to fit properly. My stove was built in '06, so hopefully things are a little better, but I know I'm not the only one with this experience.

I had to grind out a huge blob of weld inside mine too before the appliance adapter would set down properly. The adapter is tapered and if you cant set it down into something round then it wont seal and since these stoves are already draft sensitive, you will want to fix the blob. I used my die grinder, like a dremel tool.

The bk requires an appliance adapter. My hearthstone was cast iron and was not compatible with an adapter.

 

[Highbeam]

I live in SW ohio.. just got my first price quote for a BK Princess Parlor of $3600 + tax. I heard about east coast gouging, but isn't that REALLY high? Is there somewhere that I can buy one and have it shipped for much cheaper?

Yes, very high. My ultra is fully loaded and was much cheaper. Looks like the east coast penalty is alive and well still.

 

[rdust]

Glad it is working better for you, but something still ain't right.

I agree, shouldn't be seeing a big drop like that over such a short period of time. A higher t-stat setting may help with that with it. If it gets the room too hot while you're in it leave it turned down and when you head to bed turn it back up.

My tv is in my family room and when I have a fresh load in I usually turn it down or leave the blower off early in the burn if I'm getting too hot. When I head to bed or leave the house I'll turn it back up or turn the blower on.

 

[blueguy]

I had to grind out a huge blob of weld inside mine too before the appliance adapter would set down properly. The adapter is tapered and if you cant set it down into something round then it wont seal and since these stoves are already draft sensitive, you will want to fix the blob. I used my die grinder, like a dremel tool.

The bk requires an appliance adapter. My hearthstone was cast iron and was not compatible with an adapter.

A quick post about the adapter - I've had a bit of a chance to check out the stove adapters for the Ultrablack and the stove end is actually 1/8" shorter than the amount of inner pipe on the slip section that is currently seated into the collar. Spoke to two different WETT installers, and both said it should be GTG as long as the flare is seated on the collar top. At this point, it's solely a point of aesthetics (the bottom of the double wall sits above the top of the convection deck), but I am going to drill pilot holes into the collar and secure it. In the spring, I will start looking at other options. To be clear, the flare on the inner pipe that would seat against a pipe below it is seated on the collar

FWIW, one of the first things I did last night after getting the stove body out of the crate was look for the weld spatter / blobs in the collar, and it looks like BK may have fixed the QC issue on this part of the stove. My build date is 2013.

More later

 

[alforit]

The house got warm very quickly this morning!
Last night I loaded it around 10 pm and set it to 1.25. The cat was in the inactive zone but the house did not even drop 10 degrees.

Added a couple fresh splits on top this morning and had to turn it down almost right away because there was so much heat

1.25 is pretty low for the Ashford...........The lowest I have set mine is about 1.40.

Are you charring your wood pretty well on reload ? ( Good flames for about 10 to 15 minutes on reload ) And after you close your bypass and set your t-stat does the cat dial rise up to about the 11 o'clock position or more ?

Also , Did you get another t-stat from the BKVP ? He said he had one with him for you when he was going back east .
It might need to be replaced

 

[Zanimal]

I agree, shouldn't be seeing a big drop like that over such a short period of time.

Why is that? I turned the thermostat down for the night.

I'm pretty thrilled with how the stove is working now.

Did you get another t-stat from the BKVP ?

No. The dealer and I agreed that there was no indication that my thermostat was malfunctioning.
I do agree that charing the wood more seems to help.

 

[rdust]

Why is that? I turned the thermostat down for the night.

I'm pretty thrilled with how the stove is working now.

The rest of my post did state a higher t-stat setting would probably help the temp drop. A stat setting near 1 for me this time of year is a no go, the house would be too cold for it's inhabitants.

Regardless, I'm happy to see the stove is working much better now.

 

[privatejoker75]

Looking to it forward it.

I'm sure you probably looked, but where the bottom inside of my flue collar is welded to the stove, is, well, um, not what I would exactly call 'welded'. There were some pretty big pieces of bubble gum stuck in there that I had to grind down to get the appliance adapter to fit properly. My stove was built in '06, so hopefully things are a little better, but I know I'm not the only one with this experience.

I have a Chinook 20 and the first fire with it last October was a very smokey experience thanks to very bad "weld" in this same spot. The stove pipe wasn't hitting the bottom thanks to that weld. It took me literally 30 seconds with a dremel to fix it. I love the stove otherwise, but i'm not sure how something like this could pass any sort of quality control before being shipped.

 

[Highbeam]

I have a Chinook 20 and the first fire with it last October was a very smokey experience thanks to very bad "weld" in this same spot. The stove pipe wasn't hitting the bottom thanks to that weld. It took me literally 30 seconds with a dremel to fix it. I love the stove otherwise, but i'm not sure how something like this could pass any sort of quality control before being shipped.

This begs the question of how many stoves are running with their appliance adapters setting on that blob of weld and bot seated down into the taper which is how you get the seal on these stoves. I'm afraid we have a bunch of installers that think that so long as the adapter enters the flue collar and bottoms out on something that it is gtg. Easy to check, just look or reach up through the bypass and verify that the tapered snout of the adapter has entered the cat chamber and is in contact all around.

I set the adapter first by itself so i could make sure it was right before setting the convection deck and then the rest of the connector pipe o the chimney.

Do you smell smoke during the burn cycle? Is your draft weak? You'd be wise to check this joint pronto.

 

[privatejoker75]

This begs the question of how many stoves are running with their appliance adapters setting on that blob of weld and bot seated down into the taper which is how you get the seal on these stoves. I'm afraid we have a bunch of installers that think that so long as the adapter enters the flue collar and bottoms out on something that it is gtg. Easy to check, just look or reach up through the bypass and verify that the tapered snout of the adapter has entered the cat chamber and is in contact all around.

I set the adapter first by itself so i could make sure it was right before setting the convection deck and then the rest of the connector pipe o the chimney.

Do you smell smoke during the burn cycle? Is your draft weak? You'd be wise to check this joint pronto.

I thought the same thing. I don't blame the installer though since this was delivered in summer and i basically just told them to plop it down and cut the pipe but not to get to picky about it.

We smelled smoke 2 seconds after lighting it and it was only about a 1mm gap from the "rib" on the pipe to the collar of the stove. Once i ground that blob down it fit perfectly.

 

[Parallax]

I'm a newbie with a Blaze King question. The wife and I are pricing out the Ashford with installation. So far, it's looking like $5k (tax included) will get us the stove in brown enamel with the fan installed with SS2 Metalbestos (whatever that means) triple wall chimney (double wall from stove to ceiling), including roof brace kit. It does not include the hearth pad because I can install tile way cheaper than the $600 they want for the pad.

Here's my question. Is it worth an extra $154 for the enamel side shelf? Is a side shelf useful and, if so, why? I'm not seeing why one would want this feature.

Also, how does $5k sound for this stove, installed?

 

[privatejoker75]

Sounds like a lot to me but i don't know what the base price is for the Ashford. Our Chinook 20 was $2300 delivered and with pipe cut to fit.

 

[Highbeam]

[quote="Parallax, post: 1671458, member: 3063get ]I'm a newbie with a Blaze King question. The wife and I are pricing out the Ashford with installation. So far, it's looking like $5k (tax included) will get us the stove in brown enamel with the fan installed with SS2 Metalbestos (whatever that means) triple wall chimney (double wall from stove to ceiling), including roof brace kit. It does not include the hearth pad because I can install tile way cheaper than the $600 they want for the pad.

Here's my question. Is it worth an extra $154 for the enamel side shelf? Is a side shelf useful and, if so, why? I'm not seeing why one would want this feature.

Also, how does $5k sound for this stove, installed?[/quote]
I would opt out of the shelf. You can always get it later if you miss it. Some old vc stoves had a shelf for things like warming mittens. I suggest that if you've never had a shelf, you wouldn't miss it.

 

[Parallax]

[quote="Parallax, post: 1671458, member: 3063get ]I'm a newbie with a Blaze King question. The wife and I are pricing out the Ashford with installation. So far, it's looking like $5k (tax included) will get us the stove in brown enamel with the fan installed with SS2 Metalbestos (whatever that means) triple wall chimney (double wall from stove to ceiling), including roof brace kit. It does not include the hearth pad because I can install tile way cheaper than the $600 they want for the pad.

Here's my question. Is it worth an extra $154 for the enamel side shelf? Is a side shelf useful and, if so, why? I'm not seeing why one would want this feature.

Also, how does $5k sound for this stove, installed?
I would opt out of the shelf. You can always get it later if you miss it. Some old vc stoves had a shelf for things like warming mittens. I suggest that if you've never had a shelf, you wouldn't miss it.

Thanks.

 

[Parallax]

Sounds like a lot to me but i don't know what the base price is for the Ashford. Our Chinook 20 was $2300 delivered and with pipe cut to fit.

The stove in brown enamel with the fan is coming in at $3200. I'd previously been quoted $2400 for the stove without enamel and without the fan (by someone else). $800 does seem like quite a bit for those two features. The guy who gave the $2400 quote is coming to our house later this week to make his bid, so we'll see what he quotes for the souped up version of the ferd.

 

[fire slave]

This begs the question of how many stoves are running with their appliance adapters setting on that blob of weld and bot seated down into the taper which is how you get the seal on these stoves. I'm afraid we have a bunch of installers that think that so long as the adapter enters the flue collar and bottoms out on something that it is gtg. Easy to check, just look or reach up through the bypass and verify that the tapered snout of the adapter has entered the cat chamber and is in contact all around.

I set the adapter first by itself so i could make sure it was right before setting the convection deck and then the rest of the connector pipe o the chimney.

Do you smell smoke during the burn cycle? Is your draft weak? You'd be wise to check this joint pronto.

Do all BK's, need an adapter ? I have Oliver McLeod projet double wall telescopic stove pipe connected right to the stove. I noticed they didn't go right flush to the stove top. And there was holes pre drilled in the collar of stove. But they didn't use those , just drilled new ones.

 

[Highbeam]

Do all BK's, need an adapter ? I have Oliver McLeod projet double wall telescopic stove pipe connected right to the stove. I noticed they didn't go right flush to the stove top. And there was holes pre drilled in the collar of stove. But they didn't use those , just drilled new ones.

All double wall installations that I've seen have used an adapter. The taper is different on the adapter vs. the end of a normal double wall section. The appliance adapter is smaller on the tapered end than a section of double wall.

I don't use screws to hold double wall to the stove, it is often debated here whether they are necessary on an all vertical installation.