2015-2016 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)

[Highbeam]

What exactly are these homemade contraptions for?

Agree, I have no interest in sifting coals out. Mine burn all by themselves. The most I'll do is break them up and level them out with the BK poker so that the fuel load lays flat. More room for wood that way.

Maybe it's something that happens when you need to empty ash from the firebox but still have a load of fuel burning. My cat stays way active with even a small amount of fuel (coals). Due to climate and stove size relative to house size I can afford to let it the stove output fall slightly as the coals are consumed naturally.

 

[Poindexter]

For me it is about leaving the coals in the stove while getting ashes out. Mine has been running non-stop since August 25, save one shutdown to brush out the pipe in mid October.

I have pulled 15-20 gallons of ash out so far this year, but every coal I leave behind is more BTUs inside the envelope.

 

[Ashful]

Like a kitty litter scoop

That explains the burns on your cat's rump...

 

[rdust]

Agree, I have no interest in sifting coals out. Mine burn all by themselves. The most I'll do is break them up and level them out with the BK poker so that the fuel load lays flat. More room for wood that way.

Maybe it's something that happens when you need to empty ash from the firebox but still have a load of fuel burning. My cat stays way active with even a small amount of fuel (coals). Due to climate and stove size relative to house size I can afford to let it the stove output fall slightly as the coals are consumed naturally.

I'd like a coal sifter, it would allow me to separate the coals from the ash so I could shovel the ash out. Right now I separate the coals from the ash with a poker, it works but a sifter would be easier. I slide the coals to one side then shovel out the ash, move them back over then shovel the other side.

Of course I have yet to shovel any ash this year. Gotta love a stove with a big belly!

 

[webby3650]

Agree, I have no interest in sifting coals out. Mine burn all by themselves. The most I'll do is break them up and level them out with the BK poker so that the fuel load lays flat. More room for wood that way.

Maybe it's something that happens when you need to empty ash from the firebox but still have a load of fuel burning. My cat stays way active with even a small amount of fuel (coals). Due to climate and stove size relative to house size I can afford to let it the stove output fall slightly as the coals are consumed naturally.

Same here. I never ever need to wait on coals to burn down or even worse, remove coals from my stove or sift them out. Guess we're lucky?

 

[rdust]

Same here. I never ever need to wait on coals to burn down or even worse, remove coals from my stove or sift them out. Guess we're lucky?

I look at it as a way to keep coals not remove them. Sift them out of the ash and leave them in the stove. If you soft them to one side you can grab shovel full of ash anytime without getting heat producing coals.

 

[Rossco]

No Ash or coal issues here.

Glad Iam a member of the 'Softwood Burning Elite'

 

[Poindexter]

Focus on the coal fork issue!

I have been stewing on this all day and figger I might as well share to have the pot get stirred a little more.

What I have to do, year in and year out, is get the ashes out from under the hot coals on a routine basis. I shut down the stove to sweep every 4-6 weeks, but ashes have to come out a lot more often than that running 24/ 7/ 270.

At some particle size, I don't need to keep the coals, it's the ash I need to get rid of.

The claw is very much earning it's keep so far, I have loaded the stove three times with it and no end in sight. I use it to rattle the big coals clean so they are burning good, and end up on top of the smaller particles.

What I don't have is a quick way to separate moderate sized coals that I do want to keep in the stove from ash and smaller throw away sized coals.

I don't have to do the whole stove all at once. I find my stove does run better with at least half an inch of ash on the floor, up to level with the door lip on my Ashford 30 is fine.

What I think would work good for me is a way to get a drawer full of ashes through the plug every couple days, so the average ash depth in my stove stays between 0.5 and 2.5 inches.

I got some expanded metal from Lowes-Depot laying around, nominal openings are .75 x 1.5". I am going to cut some odd shaped piece out of it and fold it in two places so I have half a cube. When I stick in the ash bed it will have a bottom plane, a vertical back plane, and a vertical plane on the left. Once I lift and rotate a little bit CCW I'll have a colander or potato masher shape (kinda crude, but a rim with a pointy bottom) that I can shake a bit to get the ash to fall out of and leave me useful sized coals in the basket.

Tomorrow in my down time at work I'll be playing with scissors, scotch tape and scrap paper making prototypes. Maybe some paperclips too, I am thinking metal handle with a wooden grip on it. It has to be big enough to be worth using, but small enough to maneuver around in the stove box pretty good.

 

[Poindexter]

Glad I am a member of the 'Softwood Burning Elite'

I am cleared by the wife to join the club next year. Birch does have 10% more BTUs per cord than spruce, but birch is way more than 10% more trouble to get those BTUs. Looking to have eleven cords of processed spruce up on the racks to start seasoning the day it hits +33dF next spring.

 

[naptime]

I don't have to do the whole stove all at once. I find my stove does run better with at least half an inch of ash on the floor, up to level with the door lip on my Ashford 30 is fine.

Sounds like you would be better served by the BK King. You could let inches of ash accumulate in that guy before having to empty it - not a real problem in shoulder season.

This year (18%MC average in the woodpile) I am still loading every 12 hours, burning down coals for two hours DAILY and shoveling out ashes twice weekly. I came up with the tool on the right a couple days ago to deal with baseball to golf ball sized coals, the rest go away. I can say my woodpile looked "nicer" over the summer of 2015, but it hasn't proven to be worth it; I have burnt one cord this year, eight to go.

The manual for the A30 specifies 13% MC and I am living the difference.

Don't beat yourself up about it. August was wetter than usual (which is wet), and September was nigh 3.5 times normal precipitation for the month, and cooler than normal too. Not the best drying conditions leading into shoulder season. Pretty sure birch could use two seasons cure with that weather.

Again, with the King you could still do 12-hour reloads but not have to worry about the coals. Just load on top, or behind if you can.

 

[BKVP]

I am cleared by the wife to join the club next year. Birch does have 10% more BTUs per cord than spruce, but birch is way more than 10% more trouble to get those BTUs. Looking to have eleven cords of processed spruce up on the racks to start seasoning the day it hits +33dF next spring.

You have given me an idea!

 

[HighTon]

It's -6 F outside, 69 F inside 14 hours into a stove filled mostly with juniper. STT is 475. I'm still amazed by this stove in my second season with it!

 

[Rossco]

I am cleared by the wife to join the club next year. Birch does have 10% more BTUs per cord than spruce, but birch is way more than 10% more trouble to get those BTUs. Looking to have eleven cords of processed spruce up on the racks to start seasoning the day it hits +33dF next spring.

Man that's a great idea and we completely agree, the extra BTU's from certain species don't balance out with the extra dry time, re-handle, storage and rot potential.

We are fortunate here, we have an abundance of Fir and Larch (Thee best firewood) as well as Pine & Spruce.

The Fir / Larch grow in large stands. It's easy to Cut and split, drys in 12 month if green cut. Large stand wood result in arrow straight trunk wood.

I burnt some spruce last year, very happy with it, the stove loved the wood and so did my back, wish I had a few loads this season, we would be chewing away at it right now.

 

[BKVP]

The very best wood is.................let me reword that, The very best firewood is........

The load of trees that are delivered to your house 2-3 years ahead of schedule, allowing time to CSS and only pay what amounts to $40 a cord!

 

[Ashful]

Sounds like you would be better served by the BK King. ... Again, with the King you could still do 12-hour reloads but not have to worry about the coals. Just load on top, or behind if you can.

Yeah, but then you have to look at a BK King in your living room, which might completely kill the woodstove experience, for anyone with the sensibility to buy an Ashford.

I'm wondering why the complex implements, myself. I've played with the ash plug and emptying on my stove, but more than a month in to this season, I can say I have no real NEED to empty ashes, yet. They just seem to keep burning down and maintain a pretty constant level in the floor of the stove.

When it IS time to empty, assuming my new ash drawer gets the pan under the plug hole, I'm just going to pull the plug and slide a scrap of expanded metal (think home-made grate) over the plug hole. Use a stove hoe to drag the mess of coals and ashes across that, letting the ash fall thru and keeping the coals in the stove. Seems pretty dirt simple, and doesn't require me to get out the welder. In fact a scrap of expanded metal could be folded to drop into that plug hole, like a downspout guard.

 

[Usernamemustbeunique]

How do you remove that air cover again. I have the two robertson screws out but it won't come off....there is a safety torx screw as well....does it need to come out?

 

[Highbeam]

How do you remove that air cover again. I have the two robertson screws out but it won't come off....there is a safety torx screw as well....does it need to come out?

It'll be glued down in the back,towards the firebox, with silicone. Remove the two black screws and lift wiggle it up. The silicone just spooged out from assembly and makes no important seal.

 

[Usernamemustbeunique]

It'll be glued down in the back,towards the firebox, with silicone. Remove the two black screws and lift wiggle it up. The silicone just spooged out from assembly and makes no important seal.

Got it. Thanks. So much smoother now.

 

[Poindexter]

Contender

 

[webby3650]

Yeah, but then you have to look at a BK King in your living room, which might completely kill the woodstove experience, for anyone with the sensibility to buy an Ashford.

I'm wondering why the complex implements, myself. I've played with the ash plug and emptying on my stove, but more than a month in to this season, I can say I have no real NEED to empty ashes, yet. They just seem to keep burning down and maintain a pretty constant level in the floor of the stove.

When it IS time to empty, assuming my new ash drawer gets the pan under the plug hole, I'm just going to pull the plug and slide a scrap of expanded metal (think home-made grate) over the plug hole. Use a stove hoe to drag the mess of coals and ashes across that, letting the ash fall thru and keeping the coals in the stove. Seems pretty dirt simple, and doesn't require me to get out the welder. In fact a scrap of expanded metal could be folded to drop into that plug hole, like a downspout guard.

It is very simple. Once the plug chute is full and won't allow any more ashes to fall, shake the Ashpan back and forth using the ashlip. Repeat until the ash pan is full but not overflowing. I'm certain that the issues mentioned above about the Ashpan are because of not shaking down the ashes before pulling the pan forward while overflowing. It really works very well.

 

[BKVP]

Poindexter

What about a preformed sheet of expanded metal that is full width and depth with 1/2 x 1/2 frame. Comes up at a 90 in the front/back, following brick contour. Across the front, sitting on top of the front bricks a piece if 1x1, part of the frame. It has holes for a removable handle.

Back lip would have a hook...I'll get to that in a second.

Open door, insert handle, raise the entire device up through the ashes, shifting slightly once above the brick. Ashes and small items fall through. Move entire device up, coals in the basket, and the hook in the back hangs onto rear shield in stove.

Shovel out ashes, lower the basket onto clean brick and keep on burning.

I think I may build one this weekend for my King and see if it works!

 

[Rossco]

The very best wood is.................let me reword that, The very best firewood is........

The load of trees that are delivered to your house 2-3 years ahead of schedule, allowing time to CSS and only pay what amounts to $40 a cord!

Ha Ha Ha. Yeah. The Logs that leave saw dust everywhere when bucked. The rounds that leave bark everywhere when split. The wood that ooozzzes water out when the axe hits.

We don't CSS trees. We CSS 'Snags'

 

[Poindexter]

Poindexter what about a preformed sheet of expanded metal that is full width and depth...

I think it is worth a try. It would probably have to be some pretty good steel to live in the firebox forever. Course Blaze King has a stock of that to work from. Might be kinda heavy...

 

[Jeff in Maine]

CSS ? Please explain anything new to me just gotta know. As far as ashes I just shovel out into a covered steel pail and lug away cleaned the princess 2 times now have not used the ash pan at all. From what I see make a tool goof around trying to separate ash from coals knock through the hole fill the ash draw dump it into a pail and lug it out? I just shovel and lug save a step far as I can see. Great thread though just my .02 cents worth.

 

[BKVP]

Cut, split, stack. Once you burn a multitude of wood species you will find some cook down to ash quicker than others. It is possible, in very cold weather to load a stove, burn off most of the solid fuel and have very large and plentiful coal left that you cannot get more wood in to the firebox.

Walnut is just one example.....