2014-2015 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)#2

[Calentarse]

Thanks for your posts, Calentarse; it's good to know my wife and I are not alone. This has been really frustrating.

I can only imagine trying to figure all this out and having a child in the house. There are so many times I can't stand it, much less a baby. Funny thing is, my wife doesn't care. I'm like, "do you smell smoke?" and sometimes she's like, "yea maybe." I must just have a heightened sense of smell.

Parallax, do you have double wall? Also, if you lift your top off and put your nose down to the stove after a fresh reload, cat active, 30s outside and tstat set on 2, where is your odor coming from exactly? Around flue pipe? Up front above door somewhere?

 

[Calentarse]

Did you VC also have this smoke smell issue in this house?

Yes, it came from the back of the stove though from close to the pipe connector. Come to find out, the cast iron had a crack down low on that side so I can't be sure exactly what it was. That stove did produce the SAME EXACT SMELL as the new BK though. I think webby has chimed in on here hitting the nail on the head. I'm chasing an irreparable problem that burners of cat stoves with sensitive noses experience. All of these stoves that have a downdraft or cat set up tend to not be air tight and when there are slower drafts, they weep faint smoke smells out of the point of least resistance.

Highbeam (I think) has also made a good point about heating a SMALL home with wood. Difficult. It only makes problems that might be otherwise overlooked that much more noticeable.

 

[Tenn Dave]

Yes, it came from the back of the stove though from close to the pipe connector. Come to find out, the cast iron had a crack down low on that side so I can't be sure exactly what it was. That stove did produce the SAME EXACT SMELL as the new BK though. I think webby has chimed in on here hitting the nail on the head. I'm chasing an irreparable problem that burners of cat stoves with sensitive noses experience. All of these stoves that have a downdraft or cat set up tend to not be air tight and when there are slower drafts, they weep faint smoke smells out of the point of least resistance.

Highbeam (I think) has also made a good point about heating a SMALL home with wood. Difficult. It only makes problems that might be otherwise overlooked that much more noticeable.

I was thinking that if you had the same exact problem with two different brands of stoves, it would indicate that the problem was related to your individual setup/house variables, and not the stove itself. But I have to strongly disagree about all cat stoves leaking a faint smoke smell into the house. Maybe some brands, but certainly not all. I have a cat stove and it never leaks a smoke smell into the house except if I do something stupid like try loading it when there are active flames and smoke in the firebox, or turn the air completely off to soon and create a back puff. When I first purchased my stove it did have a smoke smell issue, but the manufacturer solved the problem and issued a fix which completely solved the problem. My point is that it is not normal to have smoke smells in your home during the active burn cycle. If you do, there is a problem and it must be fixed. Ask BKVP if it is normal for the Ashford to have a faint smoke smell issue. If it is, then you will just have to live with it. Hang in there - I'm sure you will get this problem resolved.

 

[Parallax]

I can only imagine trying to figure all this out and having a child in the house. There are so many times I can't stand it, much less a baby. Funny thing is, my wife doesn't care. I'm like, "do you smell smoke?" and sometimes she's like, "yea maybe." I must just have a heightened sense of smell.

Parallax, do you have double wall? Also, if you lift your top off and put your nose down to the stove after a fresh reload, cat active, 30s outside and tstat set on 2, where is your odor coming from exactly? Around flue pipe? Up front above door somewhere?

We have double wall. I'll have to lift off the top and see if I can figure out with my nose where the smell is coming from. Didn't think to try that.

 

[Tenn Dave]

We have double wall. I'll have to lift off the top and see if I can figure out with my nose where the smell is coming from. Didn't think to try that.

Try using the tube from an empty roll of paper towels. Put one end up to your nose and the other end run along the stove area you want to check. It will help funnel the smell and pinpoint it. Breathe in through the tube.

 

[bobdog2o02]

Try using the tube from an empty roll of paper towels. Put one end up to your nose and the other end run along the stove area you want to check. It will help funnel the smell and pinpoint it. Breathe in through the tube.

And after your done you can make funny noises with it

 

[Tenn Dave]

And after your done you can make funny noises with it

OK, that works to........

 

[Calentarse]

I was thinking that if you had the same exact problem with two different brands of stoves, it would indicate that the problem was related to your individual setup/house variables, and not the stove itself. But I have to strongly disagree about all cat stoves leaking a faint smoke smell into the house. Maybe some brands, but certainly not all. I have a cat stove and it never leaks a smoke smell into the house except if I do something stupid like try loading it when there are active flames and smoke in the firebox, or turn the air completely off to soon and create a back puff. When I first purchased my stove it did have a smoke smell issue, but the manufacturer solved the problem and issued a fix which completely solved the problem. My point is that it is not normal to have smoke smells in your home during the active burn cycle. If you do, there is a problem and it must be fixed. Ask BKVP if it is normal for the Ashford to have a faint smoke smell issue. If it is, then you will just have to live with it. Hang in there - I'm sure you will get this problem resolved.

Agreed, perhaps not all cat stoves have this issue, just all that webby and I have owned anyway.

Called BK already and they can't troubleshoot with me as I have single wall pipe.

 

[Tenn Dave]

Agreed, perhaps not all cat stoves have this issue, just all that webby and I have owned anyway.

Called BK already and they can't troubleshoot with me as I have single wall pipe.

Webby is a wealth of information and certainly knows tons more about BKs and stoves in general then I do. I have learned a lot from reading his posts.

 

[Calentarse]

We have double wall. I'll have to lift off the top and see if I can figure out with my nose where the smell is coming from. Didn't think to try that.

What you and I have in common is a mild climate. From everything I've read of yours, 20s and below is cold for you, no? It's above these temps when we operate them at a med to low op temp that smoke finds its way out. That's why I'm scared to put money into double wall; it may not fix this issue. Or, it might and I'd have a better pipe in the end. Win win I guess. Any prospects for solving your problem? Does increasing draft (turning tstat to high or really cold out) lessen the smell?

 

[rdust]

Sorry to all those that have read my situation more than once and roll your eyes, but rdust, I'm hoping single wall pipe in the house is to blame and this issue will go away when I put in double wall. I'm weary though bc there are people who smell it who have double wall too.

My post wasn't aimed your direction, I quoted Parallax. I have not followed your situation, I hope the double wall works out well for you.

 

[Parallax]

Try using the tube from an empty roll of paper towels. Put one end up to your nose and the other end run along the stove area you want to check. It will help funnel the smell and pinpoint it. Breathe in through the tube.

Another great idea; thanks. Jumping off from that, I can take the mask and tube from my cpap machine and use it to sniff out the leak (so long as don't burn the plastic hose).

 

[BKVP]

I was thinking that if you had the same exact problem with two different brands of stoves, it would indicate that the problem was related to your individual setup/house variables, and not the stove itself. But I have to strongly disagree about all cat stoves leaking a faint smoke smell into the house. Maybe some brands, but certainly not all. I have a cat stove and it never leaks a smoke smell into the house except if I do something stupid like try loading it when there are active flames and smoke in the firebox, or turn the air completely off to soon and create a back puff. When I first purchased my stove it did have a smoke smell issue, but the manufacturer solved the problem and issued a fix which completely solved the problem. My point is that it is not normal to have smoke smells in your home during the active burn cycle. If you do, there is a problem and it must be fixed. Ask BKVP if it is normal for the Ashford to have a faint smoke smell issue. If it is, then you will just have to live with it. Hang in there - I'm sure you will get this problem resolved.

Smoke smells are not by any normally associated with our products.

 

[Parallax]

Smoke smells are not by any normally associated with our products.

Chris, I tried to reach you today. They said you're out of the office for three weeks. Need help figuring this out. The dealer is a super nice guy but I don't think he has any idea what's causing the problem.

 

[bobdog2o02]

Chris, I tried to reach you today. They said you're out of the office for three weeks. Need help figuring this out. The dealer is a super nice guy but I don't think he has any idea what's causing the problem.

May I suggest a private message.

 

[Parallax]

Will give it a try.

 

[Poindexter]

Has anyone ever cleaned anything noted worthy out of a BK intake? I got a long hair cat. I personally shed about as much hair as two short haired cats, and I am chasing a draft issue.

My tentative plan is to let the stove burn out again, take the cover off the thermostat housing tomorrow and get busy in there with something to see if my stove maybe has a hairball.

 

[claybe]

For those of you dealing with this smoke smell, I get a burning smell when I make a pretty drastic change in my tstat. I am assuming that turning the tstat down fast changes the draft and there is a little leaking through the back of the stove connection. I have been having some spillage when I open to load it as well. I haven't changed anything from last season to this season (except the wood obviously) so don't know what might be causing these two things???

 

[shoot-straight]

i have 2 45's about 10 inches above my ashford (offset to one another, so the pipe continues up). BK says you need 2' before making any bends, preferably 3'. i asked chris what the risks were and he said my house could wind up smelling like jerky. so i assumed it was a draft issue. on still, damp days i can get faint smoke smell out of mine if its turned down too far. again, its draft im pretty sure.

 

[ambull01]

I should probably take the time to read this whole thread to find my info but it seems like a lot of the posts are off topic. Could someone point me to a thread that details how well a BK heats a drafty house on a long burn? I know it can achieve insanely long burn times but I'm not sure if it's while heating a home to 40,50, 60+ degrees.

 

[Dieselhead]

Describe your house (year, style, Square ft, insulation, windows,)

 

[shoot-straight]

I should probably take the time to read this whole thread to find my info but it seems like a lot of the posts are off topic. Could someone point me to a thread that details how well a BK heats a drafty house on a long burn? I know it can achieve insanely long burn times but I'm not sure if it's while heating a home to 40,50, 60+ degrees.

thats a loaded question. im on the shore too. 2000sq feet. new construction, well insulated, but leaky as heck and subject to alot of wind. my ashford does fine 90% of the time. could not keep up last night however on a normal burn setting. normal for me is 3 loads a day.

i need to use the blower in my situation, it drastically shortens my burn.

 

[ambull01]

thats a loaded question. im on the shore too. 2000sq feet. new construction, well insulated, but leaky as heck and subject to alot of wind. my ashford does fine 90% of the time. could not keep up last night however on a normal burn setting. normal for me is 3 loads a day.

i need to use the blower in my situation, it drastically shortens my burn.

Oh yeah you're only about 30 minutes away from me.

I have a 2400 sq ft Victoria style house. Built in 1891 lol. Just bought it in April so still not too sure about insulation but I assume 0 in the walls. Windows are ancient. I didn't think a house could be well insulated and leaky.

Last night was down right cold for these parts. What's the normal temp your Ashford is able to keep your house? Three loads a day doesn't sound like it's keeping to the whole insanely long BK burn time mantra.

 

[Dieselhead]

Bk long burn times happen in shoulder season, I load my big King 2x a day in anything beow 30's heating 2900 sqft new construction. It did good last night when it was 4 deg out here. Will hold the house at 70 not even turned all the way up, blowers do have to be going though.

 

[ambull01]

Bk long burn times happen in shoulder season, I load my big King 2x a day in anything beow 30's heating 2900 sqft new construction. It did good last night when it was 4 deg out here. Will hold the house at 70 not even turned all the way up, blowers do have to be going though.

Okay thank you! Finally an honest answer! Although your house is fairly large so I guess results may vary. On another site I frequent there's a guy that's all gung ho about his BK King Ultra and claims insanely long burn times in downright frigid temps. His house is supposedly drafty too and claimed the stove is able to keep his house in the 70s. I just couldn't believe that kind of performance.