2015-2016 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)
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Typically new hearth products are released officially in August or September.
We're still burning, at least one full load every other day. Burning more like a non-cat now. Heat the house up to 78 and then let it cool over the next couple of days to 63 before refiring. Temperatures are mild, in the 40s overnight but the stove is acting very differently due to the warmer average temperatures. I need to run the stove at 50% to avoid gooping up the firebox and getting smoke from the stack. My theory is that the stat opening at 50% during this time of year will allow less oxygen into the stove for combustion. It's also easy to snuff the cat by using the fans. The stove just feels lazy.
I'm also doing the 30 minutes on high with every single burn in an effort to establish a reasonable draft and to keep the goo from accumulating in the firebox. Seems to be working fine.
Anyway, I suppose most folks are done burning for the year already. We've got at least another month of this before shutdown.
I'm also doing the 30 minutes on high with every single burn in an effort to establish a reasonable draft and to keep the goo from accumulating in the firebox. Seems to be working fine.
Anyway, I suppose most folks are done burning for the year already. We've got at least another month of this before shutdown.
Still burning here, this might be the last week though. Still been at or near freezing every night.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
The thermostat is a temp setting, no? Seems to me that if the draft is weaker, the stove shouldn't burn as hot. Then the thermostat should open up more to maintain the stove temp, right? Maybe the thermostat is trying to compensate but once it opens up as far as it can, that's it. If so, that thermostat isn't as automatic as I thought it was....
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It works pretty damn good, poor draft caused by warm outside temps can interfere with it's performance. This is typically more an issue with a minimal height flue than the stat itself.
And I have a minimal height flue. All warm, vertical, double wall, ideal, but 12' tall which met the spec when the stove was installed. Now they seem to want 15'!
Running the loads with the stat at 50% really makes it obvious when the stat opens and closes. In the winter, at really low stat settings the stat barely opens so the effect on the fire is minimal.
Nothing is wrong, just things you notice when running on weak draft due to shoulder season.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
Still burning 24x7 here. Lows in the low 30s, highs in the 50s lately. Let it go out and cleaned the flue yesterday- all that super low daytime burning makes lots of flaky creosote.
Dieselhead
Minister of Fire
Does anybody know how the size of the Ashford cat compares with cats in other stoves with equivalent size? Just trying to figure out how the BKs get the extremely long burn times.
It really has nothing to do with the cat size. There's a lot of engineering that goes into these stoves. It all starts with the thermostatic air control..
jetsam
Minister of Fire
That's why you have to be careful breaking them in. The fumes can be intense until the pixies burn off. (You may safely disregard any high-pitched shrieking noises that may emanate from the stove during this break-in period.)
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
I think I'm done for the season, temps now into the 60's and 70's during the day, 40's at night, kind of sad to see it go, but winter here this year was a dud, I burned around 2 cords of wood and used about 60 gal of home heating oil for hot water production. Now its time to focus on selling this place and persuing my log cabin on the lake. Wish me luck, there will be lots of photo's of the whole journey
Fresh snow on the ground last night but I'm down to a 24 hour load cycle. I'm using only 3/4 full loads and have to use this thing called a match to light the stove every night. Weird stuff. I got so used to throwing a fresh load on top of a bed of coals all winter, that I almost forgot how to light a fire myself. I've burned the same amount of wood this year with the princess as I did last year with the homestead but the house was so much warmer all day and night. We kept the house above 70* with ease and Momma was way more comfortable. Love my BK!
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I may burn a little more as needed but overall we're just about done. I've burned about 3 2/3 cords, usually it's over 4. Only burned a cord of good wood(ash, oak) the rest was soft maple and a bunch of that was shorts and uglies.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Yes, but the shipping charges were killing me.
I'm here all night, folks. [emoji12]
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jetsam
Minister of Fire
I just went 24 hours without a fire 
Was 75 high, 65 low overnight. Will be back to burning tonight- 38 degree low! (Hooray!)
I am regarding the approach of the end of my first BK burning season with anticipation and mild dread- I have to haul my Princess insert out of the fireplace, install it properly (blockoff plate, insulation, cement board, liner insulation, flue extension to get to 15')- and then get it back in there by myself.
Given what I paid to have it installed last year, I am half tempted to call and ask them to come back and do it correctly; the other half says that I knew very well in advance what happens when you pay someone else to do work on your house, and I should accept the 'stupid tax' that I have rightfully paid.
Was 75 high, 65 low overnight. Will be back to burning tonight- 38 degree low! (Hooray!)I am regarding the approach of the end of my first BK burning season with anticipation and mild dread- I have to haul my Princess insert out of the fireplace, install it properly (blockoff plate, insulation, cement board, liner insulation, flue extension to get to 15')- and then get it back in there by myself.
Given what I paid to have it installed last year, I am half tempted to call and ask them to come back and do it correctly; the other half says that I knew very well in advance what happens when you pay someone else to do work on your house, and I should accept the 'stupid tax' that I have rightfully paid.
What is scirocco 25 and ashford 25. Are these mid between 20 and 30. Any improvements in these. Sound interesting. Will they cost more.
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