2014-2015 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)

[BKVP]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would just remind each of you to please always include in your thermostat references (settings), surface temp references and cat temp references that not all installations are identical due to fuel density, moisture content and draft variability. As some of you also know, the bimetallic springs are different between each model (in multiple ways!) and the settings also vary by model.

Many of you are very knowledgeable and have been great in helping your fellow wood burners. However, there are many new to this forum and wood burning that see the forum "regulars" as the experts they are. We should not assume everyone knows what each of those with more experience knows.

Before I forget, Merry Christmas to everyone and may God bless you and your families with warmth, comfort and happiness during the holiday season.

 

[BrotherBart]

So you are saying that BKs work like all wood stoves?

 

[Quentin2]

Dang, that's twice now I've gotten in trouble.

 

[alforit]

Dang, that's twice now I've gotten in trouble.

No worries dude............Its all good

 

[kennyp2339]

Well lastnight I had a pretty good burn, 1.75 on the t-stat with a full load of cherry and ash, medium splits but I packed the firebox tight, the temp prob was at 12 o'clock when I loaded so I immediately closed the bypass, the prob creeped up to 2 o'clock before I went to bed, woke up at 5 am, really burned down during the night but still had a large pieces , temp prob was at 11 o'clock, no blower or fan on but the heat was fantastic, I guess with low burns you don't want the fan going, still experimenting though

 

[Rich2343]

My Princess crusies about 600* on the cat and 300* on the stove top. 17 ft of 2 wall pipe from the stove. Kiln dried wood. This will burn about 12 hrs. It will burn about the same time full or half full load. Stove pipe 16" up reads about 220* with the ir therm. Dollar bill check out good Looking to burn longer and hotter.

 

[tarzan]

Well, it's 25*F here at the moment. Still running the Princess on 1.5. Actualy at that setting the draft never opens for the first several hours of the burn so I could very well run on "0" for that time.

Been trying to get a 24 hour schedule but have been coming up an hour or two short every day so I loaded the stove half full at 5:00am this morning so I can load it just before bed time tonight.

Still hard to believe I'm thinking ahead to the next day's schedule whenever I load the stove!

Of course, every setup is different and your mileage may vary.

 

[BKVP]

So you are saying that BKs work like all wood stoves?

What they do is turn an unmetered (variable) fuel into a metered fuel by delivering the most even heat output from a given load of wood into a home. They do this with efficiently and cleanly.

And yes, like other wood stoves on the market, our stoves can be influenced in terms of performance by factors outside the control of our company.

 

[BKVP]

Dang, that's twice now I've gotten in trouble.

We don't issue demerits!

 

[kennyp2339]

What they do is turn an unmetered (variable) fuel into a metered fuel by delivering the most even heat output from a given load of wood into a home. They do this with efficiently and cleanly.

And yes, like other wood stoves on the market, our stoves can be influenced in terms of performance by factors outside the control of our company.

Wow awesome reply my friend

 

[Highbeam]

Well, it's 25*F here at the moment. Still running the Princess on 1.5. Actualy at that setting the draft never opens for the first several hours of the burn so I could very well run on "0" for that time.

Been trying to get a 24 hour schedule but have been coming up an hour or two short every day so I loaded the stove half full at 5:00am this morning so I can load it just before bed time tonight.

Still hard to believe I'm thinking ahead to the next day's schedule whenever I load the stove!

Of course, every setup is different and your mileage may vary.

My wood supply has drifted into more low btu white cedar/juniper/cypress and less doug fir for awhile plus our temps are staying low so I too am coming up short on the 24 hour burns. This morning I broke down and dropped to 12 hour cycles reloading on top of a partially consumed fuel load. Sure, it's ONLY 12 hours between loads but they are partial loads and the house stays warmer. 12 hour cycles are still very convenient when 24 is just a bit out of reach.

Loading my BK with the firebox still 1/4 full of burning fuel makes for some spilled smoke from the loading door. It seems no amount of open bypass cracked door action solves this. What works better is to cover the burning fuel with fresh fuel ASAP.

What tricks have you all found for keeping the smoke from leaking out of the loading door. Not interested in adding chimney height.

 

[R'Lee]

Interesting... I don't seem to have that problem at all. I do have the OAK tho, perhaps that makes a difference? My procedure for doing what you describe, turn the stat on "high", open bypass wait a few moments & slowly crack the front door. Then open it wide, fill till satisfied. Close door, close damper, turn stat back down. I have a VERY sensitive (*dont ask me how I know or about that seared roast beef ) ADT smoke & fire alarm not too far away... I have no issues.

 

[MMCM(SS)USNRet]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would just remind each of you to please always include in your thermostat references (settings), surface temp references and cat temp references that not all installations are identical due to fuel density, moisture content and draft variability.

How do you translate the standard-issue cat probe reading to actual cat temp? I think I read somewhere back towards the beginning of this thread that there's a Condar probe that has a temperature scale instead of "inactive/active". Is that what you're using to get cat temp or has someone taken the trouble to make up a conversion chart? I'm using a Condar stovepipe thermometer for surface temp readings.

Wish I had found this forum when I first bought my Princess. I had a bit of a learning curve moving to a steel stove with a cat and the info here would probably have saved me some heartache. I heated 2400 sq ft burning doug fir in a custom-built masonry Russian woodstove in Puget Sound for 20 years and wished I could have brought it with me when we moved here. Had the chimney swept once about 5 years in and the sweep told me I could go 10 easily. Not quite the same story with my BK...the stove is amazing, but there is considerably more concern with creosote burning beetle-killed lodgepole pine almost exclusively (LOTS of it here!) so I'm envious of all you hardwood burners that get a couple of tablespoons of brown dust when you clean your stack after a couple of cords!

 

[tarzan]

I don't have any tricks to keep the smoke from spilling out that you don't already know. i can handle the little bit of smoke better than the burning creosite type smell I get if I open the door on a large coal bed!

Mmmmm, I think the little white tick marks around the outside of the probe thermometer may correspond to approximately 500*F although some time back in this thread there was a post by Rusty Shackleford showing the difference in the face of the old vs. new numbered Condor probe thermometers. The temps were in different places leaving me to wonder if they changed something about the bi metal coil or just recalibrated the face.

 

[Dieselhead]

My Princess crusies about 600* on the cat and 300* on the stove top. 17 ft of 2 wall pipe from the stove. Kiln dried wood. This will burn about 12 hrs. It will burn about the same time full or half full load. Stove pipe 16" up reads about 220* with the ir therm. Dollar bill check out good Looking to burn longer and hotter.

Loaded as full as I can get it my King burns about the same as your princess, a load will last about 14 hrs. Stat around 2. I aim for 500° stovetop which is what is needed to keep the house at 70. I have no idea where these 24-40 hr reports of keeping the house warm comes from unless they live in a 500sqft super insulated house and run the stat pretty low.

 

[BKVP]

My wood supply has drifted into more low btu white cedar/juniper/cypress and less doug fir for awhile plus our temps are staying low so I too am coming up short on the 24 hour burns. This morning I broke down and dropped to 12 hour cycles reloading on top of a partially consumed fuel load. Sure, it's ONLY 12 hours between loads but they are partial loads and the house stays warmer. 12 hour cycles are still very convenient when 24 is just a bit out of reach.

Loading my BK with the firebox still 1/4 full of burning fuel makes for some spilled smoke from the loading door. It seems no amount of open bypass cracked door action solves this. What works better is to cover the burning fuel with fresh fuel ASAP.

What tricks have you all found for keeping the smoke from leaking out of the loading door. Not interested in adding chimney height.

Do you have black single wall pipe with any offsets or elbows?

 

[BKVP]

Loaded as full as I can get it my King burns about the same as your princess, a load will last about 14 hrs. Stat around 2. I aim for 500° stovetop which is what is needed to keep the house at 70. I have no idea where these 24-40 hr reports of keeping the house warm comes from unless they live in a 500sqft super insulated house and run the stat pretty low.

Or they live in a warmer climate, use different density fuel, have different RValues, more draft, clean out their stoves more often to hold more fuel, run fans, load only larger rounds not split.....etc....etc....

 

[tarzan]

My Princess crusies about 600* on the cat and 300* on the stove top. 17 ft of 2 wall pipe from the stove. Kiln dried wood. This will burn about 12 hrs. It will burn about the same time full or half full load. Stove pipe 16" up reads about 220* with the ir therm. Dollar bill check out good Looking to burn longer and hotter.

Could you get a couple arm loads of seasoned cord wood to try?

 

[Highbeam]

Do you have black single wall pipe with any offsets or elbows?

All vertical, all interior, simpson double wall stove pipe. No screen in my cap. No trees outside. This same chimney would suck a seagull off of a landfill with the non-cat hearthstone. Well, maybe not a big seagull.

I measure flue temps with a condar probe and they stay at 400 when on cruise settings until the wood runs out. So when I reload on the partial load and get smoke spillage, flue temps are 400. The coals glow bright and flame up when I open the stat and bypass even before I crack the door. Maybe I just need to spend more time with the door cracked? This seems to ignite more fuel and create more smoke and I'm a little leary of the hot cat sitting in front of that cracked door with cold air rushing in.

 

[Rich2343]

Or they live in a warmer climate, use different density fuel, have different RValues, more draft, clean out their stoves more often to hold more fuel, run fans, load only larger rounds not split.....etc....etc....

Mote Draft.... This will improve heat. Will this improve burn times.?

 

[shoot-straight]

Mote Draft.... This will improve heat. Will this improve burn times.?

Not in my Ashford! I have mega draft. 25' or so of insulated liner on a hill with no trees and the wind jowls. I actually have a turn damper on mine to use when its super cold and have lots of wind. My burns are short in comparison to others.

 

[Rich2343]

Not in my Ashford! I have mega draft. 25' or so of insulated liner on a hill with no trees and the wind jowls. I actually have a turn damper on mine to use when its super cold and have lots of wind. My burns are short in comparison to others.

Shoot-straight
I appricate the insight.

 

[shoot-straight]

Shoot-straight
I appricate the insight.

Again like bkvp said, every setup is different even of they are the same. If that makes sense.

 

[Quentin2]

Tarzan, u can look at my pic on the previous page I got a condor with temps and active/inactive line. I thought it was proportion to the non numbered units.

High beam, in warmer weather sometimes I get some spillage. I am a fan of cranking heat bypassing and cracking door for 5 Mississippis. I just assume the bypass is doing just that bypassing.

Disclaimer: your setup is probably different, etc. etc. etc.

 

[Rich2343]

Again like bkvp said, every setup is different even of they are the same. If that makes sense.

Yes except It's a machine. 400* stove top is 400* stove top .Out in a field or inside a meat locker. My thought is the differances would be a lot closer not so erratic.

Again like bkvp said, every setup is different even of they are the same. If that makes sense.