Loaded the stove with 6 splits this morning. I won't even get into the "big" stuff for the next year or two. Had some room for a filler or two but not needed for 12-15 hour loads.
2014-2015 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)
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Loaded the stove with 6 splits this morning. I won't even get into the "big" stuff for the next year or two. Had some room for a filler or two but not needed for 12-15 hour loads.
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NinjaTech
Burning Hunk
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Quentin2
Burning Hunk
Had the day off so was able to load stove during day. It was mid teens last night and low 20s today. Late last night I turned the stove up to almost 2 because I saw upstairs thermostat was trending down to 71. A perfect temp but I was guessing it was gonna slowly drop.
So I reloaded at 17 hours on a full bed of coals from the load in my previous pic. Downstairs is currently 76 upstairs is 72.
Just figured I would post a few days in the life of my freestander and show my "real world burns".
So I reloaded at 17 hours on a full bed of coals from the load in my previous pic. Downstairs is currently 76 upstairs is 72.
Just figured I would post a few days in the life of my freestander and show my "real world burns".
Quentin2
Burning Hunk
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Mine is just a very little bit discolored. I tried to take a pic, but it didn't even show up.
The bypass handle on my sister's stove was charred. Like, almost ready to burst into flame charred, and the door it's a little darker than yours.
That stove saw some serious abuse, but the only parts that were warped, cracked or otherwise melted were the bypass gasket retainers. I could tell part of the top had been glowing, at least once. But everywhere I put a straight edge, it was flat. I know BK doesn't use the thickest steel, and a stove of this bulk should weigh a lot more than 435 lbs, but apparently it's good enough.
The bypass handle on my sister's stove was charred. Like, almost ready to burst into flame charred, and the door it's a little darker than yours.
That stove saw some serious abuse, but the only parts that were warped, cracked or otherwise melted were the bypass gasket retainers. I could tell part of the top had been glowing, at least once. But everywhere I put a straight edge, it was flat. I know BK doesn't use the thickest steel, and a stove of this bulk should weigh a lot more than 435 lbs, but apparently it's good enough.
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
I don't think I can ever get tired of talking about this boring stove, I have a ton of smaller splits but with my large split load of ash the stove just seemed to put out hire heat with minimum coals, I know ash doesn't coal it ashes..lol but the stove seemed to like the bigger pieces, when I get deeper in the season I have more oak and maple, some of the pieces are large and some are small, I will just mix them, the only problem I have is some of the logs go up to 20"long so loading north and south is out of the question, as I type this I just figured out that I love having these dilemma's, this stove operates so good I cant complain and I need to complain about something lol
Joe, that will happen in the colder weather, I used to buy a few packages of eco bricks or I would put aside some pine splits to put on top of the coals and burn them down. The eco bricks would burn hot so I got good heat while burning the coals down at the same time.
I had this problem last winter in really cold weather, when I was burning gigantic oak splits. Seemed like the thing to do, but in reality I ended up with coals deeper than door level. Smaller splits of ash and elm would burn faster with fewer coals, and I could get a full load of splits going every twelve hours or so, to make max btus.
Poindexter
Minister of Fire
Similar to recent posters, I have been accumulating coals faster than they are burning off. I've been a pretty consistent +10dF to -10dF regime for a couple or three weeks now. Supposed to get up to +25dF tommorrow...briefly.
What I am finding with 12%MC spruce is low coals, very little ash and 11 hour burns on low to medium. Enough coals to restart easily without the house cooling off much, overall very happy.
Trouble is I am running out of spruce and having to get into my birch stash though it isn't really "cold" here yet. Most of my birch is measuring 15-16%MC. I have some pieces I am starting to recognize my eye and heft at ~20% that are going back out on the racks for another summer in the sun. The 15-16% pieces are burning real nice on high and make "better" coals than the spruce, but I don't want 'em, and I don't want to run the stove on high all the time because it just isn't "that" cold here yet compared to my insulation and my air seals.
I've been burning down the coals accumulated since last weekend for about four hours now. If I had made a level surface I would have had coals spilling out the door.
While I am home this w/e I am going to dig into my three year old pile to see if can find some 12-13% birch to see how that ashes. In the meantime, at zero degrees Fahrenheit average, 12%MC spruce ashes and coals a lot less in my firebox than 16%MC birch.
What I am finding with 12%MC spruce is low coals, very little ash and 11 hour burns on low to medium. Enough coals to restart easily without the house cooling off much, overall very happy.
Trouble is I am running out of spruce and having to get into my birch stash though it isn't really "cold" here yet. Most of my birch is measuring 15-16%MC. I have some pieces I am starting to recognize my eye and heft at ~20% that are going back out on the racks for another summer in the sun. The 15-16% pieces are burning real nice on high and make "better" coals than the spruce, but I don't want 'em, and I don't want to run the stove on high all the time because it just isn't "that" cold here yet compared to my insulation and my air seals.
I've been burning down the coals accumulated since last weekend for about four hours now. If I had made a level surface I would have had coals spilling out the door.
While I am home this w/e I am going to dig into my three year old pile to see if can find some 12-13% birch to see how that ashes. In the meantime, at zero degrees Fahrenheit average, 12%MC spruce ashes and coals a lot less in my firebox than 16%MC birch.
Quentin2
Burning Hunk
I think the only time my handle feels really hot is when I forget to either activate bypass on a new load or turn it down after charring. I've done it more then I'd like to admit. I'll start a new load crank it up hopefully for only ten minutes, forget about it then 20 or 30 min later I'll smell the stove pipe getting hot. I need the put a cheap timer on the wall next to stove.
Thanks for the advice Weatherguy and others. Kinda ironic, i stopped by TSC on my way to work today, before reading this, and picked up 5 bundles of Eco Bricks. They were on sale for $2.99
And yes, i also had coals so high i was afraid to open the door.lol. I am ok with the coals when i am home, you can rake those babies and get hours of heat.
I was kinda surprised to see Ash coal that much. I also think it's right on the edge of being dry enough. 17% to 20%, I have a bunch of Elm that was dropped,cut,split and stacked in the spring. I was surprised to see it at 20/22% already. Maybe i will try some, It has some thick bark on it.
Joe
my handle is charred just like that, Quentin2. I do let mine run strong and hot on reloads, though, to clean my glass. I usually run w/ the bypass open for 20 minutes. I've taken to putting a piece of foil on my handle because it does get mighty hot.
2nd season w/ my BKK and I am a very satisfied customer. I reload once a day and the furnace stays off unless it's in the single digits or colder out - my thermostat is set at 70 (would prefer to set it at 66, but there are too many females in my house
).
-john
2nd season w/ my BKK and I am a very satisfied customer. I reload once a day and the furnace stays off unless it's in the single digits or colder out - my thermostat is set at 70 (would prefer to set it at 66, but there are too many females in my house
).-john
Nice to see another Colorado BK enthusiast here Johnmy handle is charred just like that, Quentin2. I do let mine run strong and hot on reloads, though, to clean my glass. I usually run w/ the bypass open for 20 minutes. I've taken to putting a piece of foil on my handle because it does get mighty hot.
2nd season w/ my BKK and I am a very satisfied customer. I reload once a day and the furnace stays off unless it's in the single digits or colder out - my thermostat is set at 70 (would prefer to set it at 66, but there are too many females in my house
-john
Get ready for the snow tomorrow! This is my third season and my handles are not discolor wd at all. By the way, you can probably make your own. They unscrew fairly easily.
Quentin2
Burning Hunk
Guess that proves inserts don't get as hotNice to see another Colorado BK enthusiast here John
This is my third season and my handles are not discolor wd at all. By the way, you can probably make your own. They unscrew fairly easily.
I don't mind running it full blast with cat active cause hopefully it cleans the cat. When I leave it full blast with bypass open and forget it, just a waste of wood.
Wish we'd get some snow, dismal all across the state second year in a row.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
Do not make that assumption! His PI may not get as hot due to fuel, draft and other factors. My King handle is 13 years old and has discoloration. I have marginal draft but a female occupant that runs the poor King hot all the time! (House is 80F)
Quentin2
Burning Hunk
I guess the wink didn't convey the "just messing with you" like I hoped.
I'm sitting in a 80 degree room myself thanks to the king!
I'm sitting in a 80 degree room myself thanks to the king!
Quentin2
Burning Hunk
NinjaTech
Burning Hunk
If I ran mine hot enough to burn the handle, the entire door would no longer be silver, but a nice shade of blue..
1117 posts. This thread burns longer than a BK.
And triple the h.c. record for a thread. This thing is longer than a well rope.
At least it's one thread on a bunch of different crap that's sorta related, instead of a bunch of different threads on a bunch of different crap that's sorta related.
Gotta make moderation pretty easy, especially since everybody is mostly civil.
Poindexter
Minister of Fire
Reaches for soapbox...
I am not a shill for BK. BKVP was in town a couple weeks ago and bought me one, (one only) cold beer. Considering I paid close to $4350 to get my Ashford into my second floor living room with a fan kit on it, I don't owe BK a thing and they can jolly well buy me a few more beers over the years without me feeling like I owe BK a thing.
I burnt some 12% birch this weekend. So far this season I have burnt spruce at 15%, spruce at 12%, and various loads of birch at 20%MC, 16% MC and now 12% MC.
I observe that MC for MC birch makes more ash than spruce.
I also observe that birch has a little more heat in it per unit volume than spruce and makes more coals.
What blew me away was how running 12%MC birch gave me a smooth all night burn with the thermostat on medium but the next morning I had just a very few coals and a fine layer of ash.
If I had enough 12% birch to do it I could run this stove all week on hot reloads without the cat ever going inactive, burn down my coals Saturday morning in maybe an hour, and carry out half a drawer of ash.
Last week I did that, only with 16% birch. It took almost eight hours to burn down the coals, and three fresh drawers of ashes are in the steel can out in the yard.
Saying this as just another dude on the internet, and actively denying that anyone at BK put me up to this, if you aren't burning 12% MC wood I _strongly_ encourage you to take enough wood out of your shed for one weekend. Put it out on your seasoning rack (covered on top likely) for another summer, and save that one weekend worth of wood for the coldest weekend in January 2016.
I promise if you haven't run a load or three of 12%MC wood in your cat equipped BK you have no idea what this stove is really capable of.
/soapbox
I repeat a previous offer, I will trade my left testicle for five cords of white oak delivered to zip 99701 as green logs. Thinking about changing that "20%" number in my sig file to a lower number.
I am not a shill for BK. BKVP was in town a couple weeks ago and bought me one, (one only) cold beer. Considering I paid close to $4350 to get my Ashford into my second floor living room with a fan kit on it, I don't owe BK a thing and they can jolly well buy me a few more beers over the years without me feeling like I owe BK a thing.
I burnt some 12% birch this weekend. So far this season I have burnt spruce at 15%, spruce at 12%, and various loads of birch at 20%MC, 16% MC and now 12% MC.
I observe that MC for MC birch makes more ash than spruce.
I also observe that birch has a little more heat in it per unit volume than spruce and makes more coals.
What blew me away was how running 12%MC birch gave me a smooth all night burn with the thermostat on medium but the next morning I had just a very few coals and a fine layer of ash.
If I had enough 12% birch to do it I could run this stove all week on hot reloads without the cat ever going inactive, burn down my coals Saturday morning in maybe an hour, and carry out half a drawer of ash.
Last week I did that, only with 16% birch. It took almost eight hours to burn down the coals, and three fresh drawers of ashes are in the steel can out in the yard.
Saying this as just another dude on the internet, and actively denying that anyone at BK put me up to this, if you aren't burning 12% MC wood I _strongly_ encourage you to take enough wood out of your shed for one weekend. Put it out on your seasoning rack (covered on top likely) for another summer, and save that one weekend worth of wood for the coldest weekend in January 2016.
I promise if you haven't run a load or three of 12%MC wood in your cat equipped BK you have no idea what this stove is really capable of.
/soapbox
I repeat a previous offer, I will trade my left testicle for five cords of white oak delivered to zip 99701 as green logs. Thinking about changing that "20%" number in my sig file to a lower number.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
Will you trade your right testicle for another beer? On a serious note, I travel extensively and make the same offer of a drink to anyone that accepts.
This site is a community of wood burners that failed as stand up comics but have a genuine interest in seeing other wood burners successfully and SAFELY heating their homes. If anyone accuses any BK owner for being a shill for our company, no beer for them!
So now I will expand my offer, when I travel I post it here often. If you own Any wood stove and contribute to these forums and I am in your area, send me a pm and if he can sinc, I'll buy them a beer as well...must be over 18!
This site is a community of wood burners that failed as stand up comics but have a genuine interest in seeing other wood burners successfully and SAFELY heating their homes. If anyone accuses any BK owner for being a shill for our company, no beer for them!
So now I will expand my offer, when I travel I post it here often. If you own Any wood stove and contribute to these forums and I am in your area, send me a pm and if he can sinc, I'll buy them a beer as well...must be over 18!
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