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

[tarzan]

I just use my saw bar as a guide. Much easier for me to lay the bar across it and minus two to four inches depending on bar length of course, than to eyeball 16"

Once I cut a few using the bar as a reference though I get better at just eyeballing it and use the bar less.

 

[rdust]

What length are you guys with kings cutting your splits to? For the most part I'm 18". The bottom part of the stove is kinda irritating, I think it needs 17 or less but the rest of the stove can take 20" guessing. 17 is an odd annoying number to me, makes all the math difficult. I've been cutting 6' logs throwing in truck and then bucking 4 18" pieces. Plus 18" helps me figure my cords as well.

Those brick retaining tabs are a pain in the butt!

I shoot for 17 when I'm cutting my own. I get a lot of tree service wood so I end up with a bunch of shorter stuff since they cut random lengths. With as much variation as I have I usually have enough short stuff to fill the first row then the longer stuff fits fine on top.

As far as the cord calculations I don't worry about an inch one way or the other. I figure in the end with some being longer and some being shorter it all works out. The amount used is only for me to reference from year to year so it doesn't have to be perfect as long as the process is the same year to year. I stack in 24' single rows around 4' high and figure an average split length of 16" so one row is close enough to one cord for me.

 

[NinjaTech]

Do any of you very knowledgeable folk know much about the type of firebrick that's in our stoves from the factory? I had a couple on the side walls that cracked and one that wouldn't hold together and started crumbling apart. The local stove shop only had (from what I have read on here in other posts) the older high density, less insulating firebrick, the heavy ones that weigh about 2-3 times more than the factory ones. I'm sure the few I have replaced so far won't cause any issue at all but if I continue using these eventually will the lower insulation value affect the efficiency of the stove by letting too much heat out of the lower part of the firebox? I have noticed the new bricks don't stay clean and white after a burn like the factory ones do, they all have a layer of black soot on them so I'm guessing they are not maintaining their surface temps like the more insulating bricks do.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Also, if I should stick with the factory low density firebrick does anyone know a good source for them?

 

[TX-L]

Lots of good info here: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/regular-and-light-weight-firebrick-differences.92242/

Different brick types definitely have different properties, for different applications. Short (and easy) answer is: Replacement bricks should be what the stove manufacturer specifies.

 

[Usernamemustbeunique]

Okay guys. I am almost done asking my dumb questions. Started with the flue length and my last one was about the oak pallets....so far I am too short with my current flue and the oak pallets are a bad idea due to paint and zinc.

So....before I actually install my sirocco 20, how big of a OAK diameter will be sufficent or what is the rule of thumb with these blaze kings. I am having a box built to drop straight through the floor...just want to know if I should go 3" or 4" pipe off the tail of my box. Just so you know I am planning to update my entire chimney system to a minimum of 12' from the flue collar.

Bring it!

 

[Calentarse]

Okay guys. I am almost done asking my dumb questions. Started with the flue length and my last one was about the oak pallets....so far I am too short with my current flue and the oak pallets are a bad idea due to paint and zinc.

So....before I actually install my sirocco 20, how big of a OAK diameter will be sufficent or what is the rule of thumb with these blaze kings. I am having a box built to drop straight through the floor...just want to know if I should go 3" or 4" pipe off the tail of my box. Just so you know I am planning to update my entire chimney system to a minimum of 12' from the flue collar.

Bring it!

Does the BK only need a 12' chimney? My Ashford 30 was a minimum of 15' in the manual, I believe. Don't skimp on chimney height if you can help it...

 

[Highbeam]

Okay guys. I am almost done asking my dumb questions. Started with the flue length and my last one was about the oak pallets....so far I am too short with my current flue and the oak pallets are a bad idea due to paint and zinc.

So....before I actually install my sirocco 20, how big of a OAK diameter will be sufficent or what is the rule of thumb with these blaze kings. I am having a box built to drop straight through the floor...just want to know if I should go 3" or 4" pipe off the tail of my box. Just so you know I am planning to update my entire chimney system to a minimum of 12' from the flue collar.

Bring it!

Oooh, a 20 model stove. What made you choose that stove? The 30 model is actually able to run at lower outputs than the 20 with a burn time of 50% longer. The only reason I would consider a 20 model is if you absolutely can't live with the extra couple of inches of physical size.

How long will your OAK pipe be? I used 3" for my OAK to match the inlet pipe on the stove. Mine drops into the crawlspace under the house. I would recommend 3" pipe unless you run is really long and even then you could bump up to 4" after you've left the hearth area.

 

[HotCoals]

Yeah..
Go big or go home!
Unless your just a weekend warrior or want to see a fire now and them..then they all work for that. Cheers!

 

[tarzan]

Does the BK only need a 12' chimney? My Ashford 30 was a minimum of 15' in the manual, I believe. Don't skimp on chimney height if you can help it...

I have about 12' total height, all double wall. I was prepared to add if needed but maybe it's the drafty home or the West Virginia air, I don't know but my setup is working fine.

 

[drz1050]

I have about 12' total height, all double wall. I was prepared to add if needed but maybe it's the drafty home or the West Virginia air, I don't know but my setup is working fine.

Are you on the top of a hill? Is your house chimney the tallest thing around? (i.e. you're not surrounded by woods?)

How well a chimney drafts is largely dependent on the surrounding environment.

 

[tarzan]

Are you on the top of a hill? Is your house chimney the tallest thing around? (i.e. you're not surrounded by woods?)

How well a chimney drafts is largely dependent on the surrounding environment.

I live in a hollow surrounded by wilderness mountains. No joke.

 

[Wolves1]

With temps in the teens or low 20s what setting do most go with?

 

[bobdog2o02]

With temps in the teens or low 20s what setting do most go with?

Depends on setup, some get away with setting 1, others are up higher - 2.5

 

[webby3650]

With temps in the teens or low 20s what setting do most go with?

"Normal" or medium.

 

[rdust]

With temps in the teens or low 20s what setting do most go with?

I run mine on pretty much the same no matter what. Fans or no fans is what I use to regulate heat output. With that said usually on the lower edge of the normal zone.(just a touch below the "n" in normal). I find outside temps change the draft enough to change the temps at which the stove burns. When the temps dip into the minus I usually burn on the "n" or the "o".

 

[Usernamemustbeunique]

Oooh, a 20 model stove. What made you choose that stove? The 30 model is actually able to run at lower outputs than the 20 with a burn time of 50% longer. The only reason I would consider a 20 model is if you absolutely can't live with the extra couple of inches of physical size.

How long will your OAK pipe be? I used 3" for my OAK to match the inlet pipe on the stove. Mine drops into the crawlspace under the house. I would recommend 3" pipe unless you run is really long and even then you could bump up to 4" after you've left the hearth area.

I chose the 20 partly based on the dealers suggestion and partly because it is dam near the right size physically for the install spot and my place, I have about 1200 sqft. As long as I get minimum 8hr burns thats all I care about. Just want it to heat through the night and while I am at work.

 

[Rossco]

I run mine on pretty much the same no matter what. Fans or no fans is what I use to regulate heat output. With that said usually on the lower edge of the normal zone.(just a touch below the "n" in normal). I find outside temps change the draft enough to change the temps at which the stove burns. When the temps dip into the minus I usually burn on the "n" or the "o".

Fans vs No Fans = Cold vs Frikin Cold.

That's how I run mine and 100% agree on ambient temps regulating burns.

The difference with my stove set @ 2 vs set @ 2 & Fan is enormous.

 

[Parallax]

Blaze King just replaced my fans. The old ones had melted. The blades were plastic. The replacement unit arrived with metal blades. Someone figured something out.

 

[BKVP]

Blaze King just replaced my fans. The old ones had melted. The blades were plastic. The replacement unit arrived with metal blades. Someone figured something out.

Our supplier indicated that a small batch of fan blades may have had the wrong matrix. We have not heard of but a couple of such cases, so we had them supply metal blades until they sort out their issues.

The same blades are sold through out many industries, so we hve been suprised by hearing some of them warp. (Not melted correct?)

 

[kennyp2339]

I live in a hollow surrounded by wilderness mountains. No joke.

I never really understood what a "hollow" was until I saw it with my own eyes. I went to West Virginia a few years ago for that monster wind storm at the end of June to help restore the power. I think hollows are in Jersey terms "freakin awesome" it was some of the most beautiful country. Windy dirt roads and a zillion 1200' mountains everywhere. We stayed at Stonewall Resort for a couple weeks and ran the I79 corridor from Clay County to Williams town, again what a trip and great looking country

 

[tarzan]

Thanks Kenny. I'm just a little south of Clay county and remember that storm well. I was on the front porch and could here the wind coming across the mountains for at least 30 seconds before it got to where I was. As you could see, we're about 20 years behind the rest of the world and after living here all my life I am just as excited to see places like Jersey as you are to visit here.

I still have timber down from that storm I haven't got to yet.

 

[shoot-straight]

I am just as excited to see places like Jersey as you are to visit here..

ah, you country boys make me laugh. no one should be excited for jersey

 

[Tenn Dave]

ah, you country boys make me laugh. no one should be excited for jersey

Best beaches on the east coast

 

[kennyp2339]

Great mountains in the northwest, good farms in the southeast

 

[kennyp2339]

Hey I just read in another thread that some people were thinking about replacing there firebrick with soap stone. I was wondering if that would be a good idea to try with the princess. Remove the fire brick, install soap stove 1" 1/4 thick and add a top piece of soap stone, being that it would heat up the fastest. Its just an idea, I'm gonna need a six pack of beer tonight, my bk manual, and stare at the stove for sure. Also going to have to add some type of support bracket to hold the small stone slabs on the sides and hold the upper piece on top. Again this is just an idea.