2016-17 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK) Part 2

[jetsam]

A true wood gasifier/combustor. All with a thermostatic proportional combustion controller and a catalytic converter. No microprocessors here. Very strange for the average person to observe in person. A slick thing about these BKs is once the cat is "lit" it is self-sustaining. Air tubes "wink-out" <1K F. This allows the stove to drop down to a very low temperature but remain nearly non polluting and able to burn longer and lower than any air tuber can ever possibly achieve. Bragging? "It ain't brag'ing if ya can do it!" Willy Mayes.

It could burn even lower with some added complexity: You collect some wood gas and tank it, then when the cat temp gets too low, you feed the cat (or run a small gas burner underneath it) with your wood gas.

This will never happen because this mod adds about 20x to the complexity of the stove, and ensures that the user will need to clean the tar out of the plumbing regularly, but think how low you could burn if you knew the cat would never go out.

You could do this far more simply with a natural gas/propane connection (leading to the possibility of a dual fuel stove).

It's more of a thought exercise than a practical idea anyway, since my old BK can already burn straight through 60 degree days, and I don't need it to be able to burn through 70 degree ones!

 

[kf6hap]

The ever more stringent EPA regs might require a smoke free start-up. Squirting propane into the cat-light it, get the cat hot then extinguish it and run it red until the combustion in the firebox catches up then kill the propane. It could be a dual fuel stove too.

 

[jetsam]

The ever more stringent EPA regs might require a smoke free start-up. Squirting propane into the cat-light it, get the cat hot then extinguish it and run it red until the combustion in the firebox catches up then kill the propane. It could be a dual fuel stove too.

I do not know what is to come, but I bet the BK engineers have already thought of this stuff, especially given what they have been up to lately:

 

[webby3650]

I do not know what is to come, but I bet the BK engineers have already thought of this stuff, especially given what they have been up to lately:

View attachment 196356

The new products do involve gas, not in a wood stove though...

There has been a few fireplaces over the years that had a gas option, either a log lighter or gas log option. It introduces a few problems, the biggest concern is explosion. It works in an open fireplace, not so much in a sealed combustion unit. The high possibility of user error that could turn deadly would be too great!

 

[kennyp2339]

Took advantage of a warmer Friday and cleaned the stove out, cleaned the chimney and vacuumed the upper cat chamber, I'm looked carefully and noticed I have a few cells that have collapsed / missing, but all in all the cat as a whole looks good, vacuumed the front of it also and shined a flash light into it, it doesn't look like a lot of fly ash is in there, hope my proformance improves, it seemed a little sluggish or not burning as hot as before

 

[Shayne]

rWe pick up our new princess at noon nov 23 and it was stoked and running by 7 that night, 10+ chords of hardwood ran through it non-stop. About 2 weeks ago we shut it down, adjusted the door and cleaned the cat whichs looks real good. The second time we shut it down my wife feather dusted the top of the stove and when we fired it back up and looked for the active zone we saw this:

Spoiler

Toke the tip of a small screw drive and can confirm that the paint is gold flake and that the finish is just pealing off. Would assume just a fluke defect and would be covered under warrently, just kinda in a bad location. The season is drawing to a close and we will go see our dealer in the off.

Let me speak to the policy nd some back ground........

....... Lastly, make all adjustments incrementally to the thermostat, no radical adjustments. I have worked for BK for 18 years and in that time I can attest to the fact that the lions share of combustors that are in tact and returned for warranty are in fact functioning properly.

could you please quantify incrementally. Is 2 hours 33% adjustment a small enough increment or would 20% be a better recommendation?

The thermostat knob will turn counter clockwise all the way back to the 7 or 8 o'clock position but anywhere under the 1:00 position will ensure the thermostat will not open on my stove. It's in the 50's here right now and supposed to touch 60* today. I loaded the Princess last night at around 8:00. By 8:00 tonight I will most likely be reloading on about 4 to 6 hours worth of fuel.

Now I understand that the dials are a real cluster as I have no 7 or 8:00 with my swoosh going from 12 to 6 oclock. Appears to me the only way to quanitfy every ones dial equally is perectage. Since mine turns from 12 to 6, 3:00 should be 50% 4:00 65% 2:00 35% and 2:30 40% working off 6 hour divisions, 2.5/6=41.6 => my tstat was 40% open. No matter what division you are running in your mind you can do some quick math to quanify it to a perecnt from 0 to 100% open so we all have a clue what each other is talking about. Just an idea that should work in theory. A 10 hour sweep would make that math pretty easy.

So at what percentage is your sweet spot?

Mine stays active no problems at 30% but this winter it was more around 50% for warmth.

Regards

 

[jetsam]

So at what percentage is your sweet spot?

I think tarzan's sweet spot is 100% for everything, not just stoves.

My BK on my (short) flue with my (subpar) wood will run down to about 20% on the dial on a warm day (lower will eventually stall the cat). 30% is good for a cool day with no fans. 40% is good for a cold day with no fan, or for a really cold day with low/medium fans. 50% is about as high as I ever normally run, though I will do 70-80% to heat up the house as fast as possible if I get behind.

I don't feel like I get a lot more heat output from 100% than I do at 80%, and anyway 80% is already at some risk of igniting passing dogs.

I think I'll be able to run that stove a bit lower next year, as my oak will be nearly fully dry (2 years CSS and covered).

 

[kf6hap]

20%=? o'clock? 20% of 360? Why not use o'clock-it is predefined for everyone. Per cent of a circle?

 

[twd000]

20%=? o'clock? 20% of 360? Why not use o'clock-it is predefined for everyone. Per cent of a circle?

I agree with using % throttle as a common reference for comparison. Every Blaze King stat goes from 0% to 100%. None of this clock face business, which depends on where you consider 12 o'clock, and which is different for inserts and free standing stoves. I tell my wife and other visitors feeding my stove while I'm at work, "set it to 40% open " and there is no confusion.

 

[Shayne]

I think tarzan's sweet spot is 100% for everything, not just stoves.

My BK on my (short) flue with my (subpar) wood will run down to about 20% on the dial on a warm day (lower will eventually stall the cat). 30% is good for a cool day with no fans. 40% is good for a cold day with no fan, or for a really cold day with low/medium fans. 50% is about as high as I ever normally run, though I will do 70-80% to heat up the house as fast as possible if I get behind.

I don't feel like I get a lot more heat output from 100% than I do at 80%, and anyway 80% is already at some risk of igniting passing dogs.

I think I'll be able to run that stove a bit lower next year, as my oak will be nearly fully dry (2 years CSS and covered).

Thank you, I have not tried 20% yet and find at 75% she torques up better than a 100%; always choke it down just a touch.

20%=? o'clock? 20% of 360? Why not use o'clock-it is predefined for everyone. Per cent of a circle?

If someone's dial goes from 7 to 4 and someone's 9 to 3 and 12 to 6 you may start to understand some confusion. The only way time would be possible is if everyone's went the same time segment on the clock face. However, for sure, everyone has 0 to 100%.

You think the stovetop thermometer is covered, 1st season?

Regards

 

[kf6hap]

Because of stove differences that makes sense so, I guess the % is that of the available arc angular travel. My thermostat has ~300 degrees of travel so if the setting is 40%, that is 120 (.4X300) degrees CW from the CCW stop.

 

[Highbeam]

I agree with using % throttle as a common reference for comparison. Every Blaze King stat goes from 0% to 100%. None of this clock face business, which depends on where you consider 12 o'clock, and which is different for inserts and free standing stoves. I tell my wife and other visitors feeding my stove while I'm at work, "set it to 40% open " and there is no confusion.

The thermostat internals are different between stoves and especially between stoves and inserts. The whole reason bk moved away from properly labeled thermostats to the swoosh is to prevent comparisons. Even for the identical stove, if one is on a 25' chimney the stat setting will not give the same results on the second stove on a 12' chimney.

 

[Highbeam]

Cat meter paint peeling ought to be covered. It's an emissions device on a cat stove since it is required to properly engage the cat. A new meter from Condar is about 30$ if you need to buy one. I bought a replacement with numbers, and my stat has numbers too. No swoosh junk

 

[twd000]

I'm not expecting two stoves to get identical results. The purpose of comparison is to ensure that both users are talking about the same point on the dial. Then the differences between a 25 foot chimney and a 12 foot chimney become apparent, because the airflow setting has been eliminated as a variable.

 

[Highbeam]

I'm not expecting two stoves to get identical results. The purpose of comparison is to ensure that both users are talking about the same point on the dial. Then the differences between a 25 foot chimney and a 12 foot chimney become apparent, because the airflow setting has been eliminated as a variable.

It would be great if the average user was as smart as you. You've earned a labeled stat. Bk found too many folks couldn't see past the stat setting and would then be upset when their stove at a specific setting didn't get their house to the same interior temperature as it did some guy on the internet.

They felt it better to dumb down the label to the level of the dumbest customer. They got tired of taking the same calls.

I'm sure bk can word this in a more PC manner.

 

[Shayne]

The thermostat internals are different between stoves and especially between stoves and inserts. The whole reason bk moved away from properly labeled thermostats to the swoosh is to prevent comparisons. Even for the identical stove, if one is on a 25' chimney the stat setting will not give the same results on the second stove on a 12' chimney.

Ok so we can start to determine the effects of what you explain (15 vs 25 stack) based on a % it is something for comparison weather it is deterred or not. There is a lot of variables but when some say I put it at the two oclock position this can obviously mean different things to different people. I would say % is a clear way of voicing it. That's it.

Anyone look at the pic in the spoiler?

Regards

 

[Shayne]

Cat meter paint peeling ought to be covered. It's an emissions device on a cat stove since it is required to properly engage the cat. A new meter from Condar is about 30$ if you need to buy one. I bought a replacement with numbers, and my stat has numbers too. No swoosh junk

TY HB, I was not gr8ly concerned just wondering if it is a common prob.

Regards

 

[Shayne]

It would be great if the average user was as smart as you. You've earned a labeled stat. Bk found too many folks couldn't see past the stat setting and would then be upset when their stove at a specific setting didn't get their house to the same interior temperature as it did some guy on the internet.

They felt it better to dumb down the label to the level of the dumbest customer. They got tired of taking the same calls.

I'm sure bk can word this in a more PC manner.

It's only a woodstove and I do not think I will be getting really upset as it is better than the old one. Enjoyed it for the last 3 months; she can kick and runs hot! You must see merit in a percentage system for clarity of type? Small increment adjustments as stated by BKVP can now be quantified to a bit greater accuracy? I never said it was the end all just one thing that would end miss understanding.

Regards

 

[Highbeam]

It's only a woodstove and I do not think I will be getting really upset as it is better than the old one. Enjoyed it for the last 3 months; she can kick and runs hot! You must see merit in a percentage system for clarity of type? Small increment adjustments as stated by BKVP can now be quantified to a bit greater accuracy? I never said it was the end all just one thing that would end miss understanding.

Regards

I like o'clock better. It offers sufficient precision for the task and all freestanding bk stats max out at 6 o'clock. % is a problem because some folks might use different parts of the knob's range for zero %. I would assume vertical, high noon, is zero % and we would be comparing apples to oranges.

Heck, it's hard enough to get people to specify flue temps properly. My flue meter is a probe unit that reports real internal temperatures. Lots of folks only measure surface temps and report those as flue temps. Ack!

 

[Shayne]

I like o'clock better. It offers sufficient precision for the task and all freestanding bk stats max out at 6 o'clock. % is a problem because some folks might use different parts of the knob's range for zero %. I would assume vertical, high noon, is zero % and we would be comparing apples to oranges.

Heck, it's hard enough to get people to specify flue temps properly. My flue meter is a probe unit that reports real internal temperatures. Lots of folks only measure surface temps and report those as flue temps. Ack!

I presume you are saying that all makes, models and years have the same tstat start at end positions, mine is 12 to 6 o'clock, are all? If you told me 0% was @ 12 o'clock we would be talking apples and apples for my stove.

Regards

 

[Highbeam]

I presume you are saying that all makes, models and years have the same tstat start at end positions, mine is 12 to 6 o'clock, are all? If you told me 0% was @ 12 o'clock we would be talking apples and apples for my stove.

Regards

Oh no, I can spin my stat knob ccw way past vertical. All the way back to like 8 o'clock. Princess free stander.

 

[kf6hap]

When comparing like stove to like stove the o'clock makes sense. It does not make sense to compare completely different stove thermostat set positions. That only works with steering wheels.

 

[jetsam]

When comparing like stove to like stove the o'clock makes sense. It does not make sense to compare completely different stove thermostat set positions. That only works with steering wheels.

Let us all take a moment to bow our heads in sorrowful silence to remember the dozens and dozens of innocent posts which could have been about something interesting, but instead gave their lives to The Great Sticker Debate Of 2015- and let us honor all those gentle readers who read every post, even though they knew no good could come of it after a certain point.

Amen.

 

[Rangerbait]

Let us all take a moment to bow our heads in sorrowful silence to remember the dozens and dozens of innocent posts which could have been about something interesting, but instead gave their lives to The Great Sticker Debate Of 2015- and let us honor all those gentle readers who read every post, even though they knew no good could come of it after a certain point.

Amen.

That predates me, but I can imagine the drama that must've ensued.

 

[jetsam]

That predates me, but I can imagine the drama that must've ensued.

It wasn't that exciting. It actually isn't even all that easy to look up since it's scattered between manh pages of a couple threads, but you can get a taste here.

The upshot is "Every stove individually calibrated, but more importantly, every stove is installed on a different flue and burned with different wood by a different operator with different burning practices, so your knob setting data is useful to zero other people."