2014-2015 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)

[drz1050]

Was there a post on how to "reset" the tstat in case it may have moved?

Quoted from BKVP:

"Turn the rod clockwise until the rod will turn no more and comes to a natural stop. This may require a small pair of pliers depending upon hand or grip strength.
Now turn the knob clockwise until the white line is pointing straight down to the 6 o'clock position. Tighten the hex screw using your allen wrench.
Our apologies for this having come loose. It doesn't happen very often at all but it does a few times each year."

 

[forkedhorn]

Ok, so I have been a lurker here through the summer. You guys have really helped me out deciding which stove to get and I am proud to say I ended up with a princess. Weather here is really mild so the low and slow is a huge benefit. I have been lucky enough to get some 32 hour burns with enough coals to start a new load on less than a full box of semi seasoned oak and a short flue height (13' with two 90s) crazy! However with those slow burns I had some serious build up of creo on the inside. I decided to do the one hour clean out like BKVP has suggested and at 50 minutes I took a peek and seen the box that holds the cat GLOWING and the thermostat way past active! I didn't think it could go that far! I shut it down right away. Worried, I decided to ask the pros if I might have done damage or if that is normal for a new stove? Hopefully the pic I attached shows up. The needle was pointing at the "g" in king.

 

[HotCoals]

Ok, so I have been a lurker here through the summer. You guys have really helped me out deciding which stove to get and I am proud to say I ended up with a princess. Weather here is really mild so the low and slow is a huge benefit. I have been lucky enough to get some 32 hour burns with enough coals to start a new load on less than a full box of semi seasoned oak and a short flue height (13' with two 90s) crazy! However with those slow burns I had some serious build up of creo on the inside. I decided to do the one hour clean out like BKVP has suggested and at 50 minutes I took a peek and seen the box that holds the cat GLOWING and the thermostat way past active! I didn't think it could go that far! I shut it down right away. Worried, I decided to ask the pros if I might have done damage or if that is normal for a new stove? Hopefully the pic I attached shows up. The needle was pointing at the "g" in king.

The cat really likes to get hot for a few fires..maybe a week.
Don't worry too much about it.
Cheers!

 

[BKVP]

30hrs is impressive never mind 49.

Hard to believe there was any useful heat for the entire time.

My Thermo knob was slightly loose new, it would rock a few degrees either way. Tightened the grub screw and its perfectly fine.

The extra work on the thermo shaft and the requirment for 100% alignment is Gonna add another $50 to the price of a new stove I imagine.

Please make your check payable to: BKVP

 

[BKVP]

So your going to send us all updated thermostats right?

No that would be not necessary....but I might stop by with a file and put a flat spot on there for you. There is no retrofit...

 

[Rossco]

Please make your check payable to: BKVP

Already paid my dept twice over.

It's the next generation of BK owners who are gonna need a bank loan to buy a basic unit if 'Every flaw' was engineered out of a wood stove.

Then you will get the 'Cannot buy Pretty' Crowd.

 

[Doug Morford]

Thought I'd join this thread since I'm a new-to-me owner of a BKK KEJ-1101 now. I love the stove, and have easily been getting over 24 hr burns with it. I'm still learning though. Adding wood to hot coals has been leading to a VERY hot cat for about 4 hrs before it settles into a more even burn. The picture attached is a graph of some temperatures I've been monitoring. I had loaded it at around midnight, and didn't start recording temps till around 3am. The stove temps are on the left axis, and the outside/room temps are on the right axis. My goal is to tame these wild fluctuations caused by the thermostat opening and closing. I think it's just a matter of timing as I get the load going. I'll be closing the bypass on this next burn immediately, and setting the thermostat to just cracked open so it will close down pretty quick as it gets hot. Any thoughts?

-Doug

 

[tarzan]

Mine came loose again, I figured I just didn't tighten it enough. The alan key used to tighten it is so small I was worried about breaking it if I tried to tighten it too much. I just re set it and tightened it as much as I could.

Glad to hear you're changing how the thermostat knob fits. Any way for us to replace what we have for the new kind?

I did over torque mine. I now have two 1/2 knobs, waiting on the new one to show up. I will do something to see to it it stays put this time. Maybe flat spot the rod with a grinder.

I don't suppose exact calibration is totally necessary other than for the sake of setting discussions here. It would be nice though to have some reassurance the knob wasn't slipping out of place. Especially since the draft opening itself is covered so there's really no other visible reference

 

[tarzan]

Thought I'd join this thread since I'm a new-to-me owner of a BKK KEJ-1101 now. I love the stove, and have easily been getting over 24 hr burns with it. I'm still learning though. Adding wood to hot coals has been leading to a VERY hot cat for about 4 hrs before it settles into a more even burn. The picture attached is a graph of some temperatures I've been monitoring. I had loaded it at around midnight, and didn't start recording temps till around 3am. The stove temps are on the left axis, and the outside/room temps are on the right axis. My goal is to tame these wild fluctuations caused by the thermostat opening and closing. I think it's just a matter of timing as I get the load going. I'll be closing the bypass on this next burn immediately, and setting the thermostat to just cracked open so it will close down pretty quick as it gets hot. Any thoughts?

-Doug

Looks like your cat should be stalled around hour 5?

I only have a Rutland on my stove top but I don't see much temp. variation once load is established.

As an example, stove top was at 450*F from two hours before I went to bed last night until I went to bed. When I woke this morning, still at 450

 

[Doug Morford]

I have it set pretty low, 1.5. It definitely never stalled though. The cat thermometer hovered aroun 10:30-11:30 once it settled down. My temp probes might react quite a bit faster than a bi-metallic thermometer, so it might look worse here than it appears on a stove thermometer. From the graph, it really seems like the thermostat is always one step behind the cat.

 

[tarzan]

To be honest, I'm looking at the graph on an I phone through old eyes so it is hard for me to take it all in.

Until you pointed it out, I didn't pay much attention to the chimney temps. That is interesting.


Will be interesting to see what may change once you run the stove harder.

 

[blueguy]

Rusty...it was implemented 30 days ago...just working through stock...clever minds think alike!!

Here is another idea for the t-stat - what about a knob assembly that turns the shaft at a 90* angle for those stoves in an alcove or corner installation, i.e. something along the lines of the insert t-stat knob, but in the same location as the freestander? That way, when setting the t-stat in a corner or alcove install, one could look at the knob from the front of the stove instead of trying to manoeuvre around to try and look at the setting in the rear

 

[Highbeam]

Thought I'd join this thread since I'm a new-to-me owner of a BKK KEJ-1101 now. I love the stove, and have easily been getting over 24 hr burns with it. I'm still learning though. Adding wood to hot coals has been leading to a VERY hot cat for about 4 hrs before it settles into a more even burn. The picture attached is a graph of some temperatures I've been monitoring. I had loaded it at around midnight, and didn't start recording temps till around 3am. The stove temps are on the left axis, and the outside/room temps are on the right axis. My goal is to tame these wild fluctuations caused by the thermostat opening and closing. I think it's just a matter of timing as I get the load going. I'll be closing the bypass on this next burn immediately, and setting the thermostat to just cracked open so it will close down pretty quick as it gets hot. Any thoughts?

-Doug

Cool graph doug. I don't see a cat meter graphed so stovetop is literally stovetop? The two swinging lines that follow each other are flue and STT which makes sense since the thicker steel stove will be slower to heat than the flue gasses.

I sure do like how you can see the stat work. You got at least 13 obvious cycles. Compare that to the yahoo with a non-stat equipped stove that would have to get up and adjust his air setting 26 times in the same period. Some folks, okay one guy, thinks that the stats don't do anything on these stoves. Ha!

 

[Doug Morford]

Cool graph doug. I don't see a cat meter graphed so stovetop is literally stovetop? The two swinging lines that follow each other are flue and STT which makes sense since the thicker steel stove will be slower to heat than the flue gasses.

I sure do like how you can see the stat work. You got at least 13 obvious cycles. Compare that to the yahoo with a non-stat equipped stove that would have to get up and adjust his air setting 26 times in the same period. Some folks, okay one guy, thinks that the stats don't do anything on these stoves. Ha!

Yep, the probe is sitting right next to the cat probe on the stove top. And I agree about the thermostat. I've had the lid off so I can watch it, and it is very reactive. It definitely has a big effect on performance.

 

[tarzan]

Well, I'm not the guy who thinks the thermostat don't do much. In fact, I have no doubt it does.

But I am anxious to see the comparison when the outside temps drop even more and you run the stove harder, around 450 to 500*F. My guess is the peaks and valleys won't be as promominant as I think the draft will play a bigger role in maintaining temps.

 

[Doug Morford]

I completely agree with the higher setting smoothing out the curve. The equipment I'm using to measure temps is actually a controller for BBQs that turns a fan on and off to control the pit temp. On some of the lower temperature cooks I get these same oscillations, but if I turn it up a bit they smooth right out.

 

[Doug Morford]

I think a big part of it is that when the thermostat is turned down low, we don't get the full range of the air damper. Once the stove gets hot, it closes tight and it takes a bit of a temperature swing to open it back up. If the thermostat is turned up more, I'll probably get the full range of the damper and it will be able to react to temperature changes more quickly at the low end.

 

[Highbeam]

I think a big part of it is that when the thermostat is turned down low, we don't get the full range of the air damper. Once the stove gets hot, it closes tight and it takes a bit of a temperature swing to open it back up. If the thermostat is turned up more, I'll probably get the full range of the damper and it will be able to react to temperature changes more quickly at the low end.

You're right. If the stat is slammed shut and preloaded shut by a super low setting then the coil has to overcome that preload before the throttle blade can even move at all. So if you are unable to use the middle range of the stat then you may have never experienced thermosatic stove control.

 

[Rossco]

Here is another idea for the t-stat - what about a knob assembly that turns the shaft at a 90* angle for those stoves in an alcove or corner installation, i.e. something along the lines of the insert t-stat knob, but in the same location as the freestander? That way, when setting the t-stat in a corner or alcove install, one could look at the knob from the front of the stove instead of trying to manoeuvre around to try and look at the setting in the rear

Hey if 'Lego' can do it so can BK.

Options Options Options.

I'de offer a door shim kit @ 10 times cost etc.

 

[Doug Morford]

Upon reading through this thread a little more, it's interesting to see the differing opinions on the operation of the stat. I think what some are considering "not very active", does more to control the fire than one might think. On my start up from a few coals left with the cat still just active, I set my stat to 1.75 which opened the flap about 3/8". In my opinion, that's pretty much full throttle. The difference in resistance to air flow beyond this is probably minimal considering what would happen if the flap were to stay at 3/8" open through the entire burn (HOT!). I closed the bypass immediately, and just let the stat throttle it down as the cat warmed up. After 15-20 mins, the cat probe was at high noon and the stat had closed the air flap completely... good to go. After that, I set the stat to 1.5 and let it do it's thing. At that point, the peaks in my graph were being caused by the stat opening up only 1/16" to 1/8", which is apparently responsive enough to reign full control over the burn. I will agree though that outdoor temps/chimney design probably influence how reactive the stat is going to be.

 

[tarzan]

Upon reading through this thread a little more, it's interesting to see the differing opinions on the operation of the stat. I think what some are considering "not very active", does more to control the fire than one might think. On my start up from a few coals left with the cat still just active, I set my stat to 1.75 which opened the flap about 3/8". In my opinion, that's pretty much full throttle. The difference in resistance to air flow beyond this is probably minimal considering what would happen if the flap were to stay at 3/8" open through the entire burn (HOT!). I closed the bypass immediately, and just let the stat throttle it down as the cat warmed up. After 15-20 mins, the cat probe was at high noon and the stat had closed the air flap completely... good to go. After that, I set the stat to 1.5 and let it do it's thing. At that point, the peaks in my graph were being caused by the stat opening up only 1/16" to 1/8", which is apparently responsive enough to reign full control over the burn. I will agree though that outdoor temps/chimney design probably influence how reactive the stat is going to be.

I think your assumptions are close. I've had the cover off the T-stat for a few weeks now (since I broke the knob) and it seems that no matter how much heat I want from the stove the flapper always ends up near closed. Small amounts of movement from the thermostat controls the stove from there.

 

[05ramctd]

Hello all, the past couple of days I have been getting lots of coals. Yes I have been loading it up running at 2, and 3 for about an hour off and on. Any Ideas? Over night I burn it at 2 - 2.5 since its cold. During the day same and on 3 to burn up the coals.

 

[jeffsk7]

I would agree as well. My sr30. Burns fast and hot until about 1.75 then it is very touchy from that point.

 

[tarzan]

Hello all, the past couple of days I have been getting lots of coals. Yes I have been loading it up running at 2, and 3 for about an hour off and on. Any Ideas? Over night I burn it at 2 - 2.5 since its cold. During the day same and on 3 to burn up the coals.

It could be your wood but more likely it's just from reloading the stove before it completes its burn cycle do to the colder weather.

 

[Parallax]

I've no idea what goes on behind the scenes inside my stove and its thermostat. I just know it's an amazing little monster.

I seem to be figuring out how to deal with the cold weather. When we're home, I turn it up to 2.5 with the fan on and it blows through enough hot air to keep the house warm. If we need to heat up fast, I might run it even hotter. It uses up wood that way but I'm there to reload. At night and when leaving for work, I load it up, char the wood for a few minutes and then set the t-stat down to 2 (with the fan off). That keeps the box from burning down to cold ash. The house may be cool but it's warm enough to get it heated up quick in the morning or when we return home.

This is with temperatures running in the high 20s and low 30s. When it gets even colder, we'll see. But given that I'm still working with fir that's not really well seasoned, I think we'll be fine. Perhaps we'll need compressed wood bricks or dryer, harder wood. However, we're not supplementing and maybe we won't have to.