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

[Highbeam]

My Auber digital should be here soon..

Those are supposed to work well and you can read the digital display from the couch. I frequently ask the wife or kids whether the cat is active yet during warm up!

 

[Squisher]

Those auber units are super handy if you have a basement install. You can get them with remote display units and floor to floor mine works flawlessly. At-210 is the unit(s) I have.

 

[Squisher]

Heh. There's a older king up for sale locally and I'm curious if anyone knows much about them and can help me suss out what exactly it is.

Here's the info the poster lists.

Model KEJ1001 Serial # WH 4100881

Curious if they actually mean 1101? Is there a 1001 that's older and noncat? I couldn't find much info on google. Also hard to tell in the pic but it looks like a cat thermo? No?

Here's the only pic they put up. I don't know how to rotate it. Sorry.



It's described as like new condition. A possibility for the shop maybe? It's cheap cheap cheap.

 

[lsucet]

I have a question and i think is ok to ask here cause after all it is BK performance thread.

Can be possible that with an OAK installed when the tstat open calling for heat, the air from outside when real cold,( example 16 df ) can keep the tstat open longer cause it opens wider due to the super cold air rushing thru it? Has the stove work harder to overcome that effect?

I am asking based on my observations thru the whole night, testing it with OAK on and off every 2 hrs and the reaction of the fire. temp went thru the night from low 30s about 7:00PM down to 16 df about 4:00AM and stood like day till about 7:00AM. I got plenty of time to test it and load twice just to create so so the same conditions, talking about wood amount in firebox. I will explain with more details my observations later but i will like some input on this. any other members noticed something like that?

 

[kf6hap]

Inside air or outside air, the combustion air will get it's heat from one source-the burning wood. With the OAK the thermostat might open slightly more to compensate but using room air means the house will be cooled by air leaking in from the outside via cracks. Rooms further away from the stove might not heat as well due to outside air infiltration. If you tighten up the house and prevent all leakage, the fire will become unstable and a window will have to be cracked to provide the required combustion air. Some people like the air change not using an OAK provides. I didn't care for the draft from my leaky front door so the OAK, for me, is an improvement. An added bonus is when my wife turns on the kitchen exhaust it does not pull smoke out of the stove. I did have a stove that did not have outside air as an option. That was a constant problem as opening the front door in winter sucks.

 

[lsucet]

Inside air or outside air, the combustion air will get it's heat from one source-the burning wood. With the OAK the thermostat might open slightly more to compensate but using room air means the house will be cooled by air leaking in from the outside via cracks. Rooms further away from the stove might not heat as well due to outside air infiltration. If you tighten up the house and prevent all leakage, the fire will become unstable and a window will have to be cracked to provide the required combustion air. Some people like the air change not using an OAK provides. I didn't care for the draft from my leaky front door so the OAK, for me, is an improvement. An added bonus is when my wife turns on the kitchen exhaust it does not pull smoke out of the stove. I did have a stove that did not have outside air as an option. That was a constant problem as opening the front door in winter sucks.

I always use outside air "OAK" with all my stoves from day one. I really dont know better but i noticed the tstat staying open longer and the box getting in flame quickly compared to when no OAK at the same settings of the tstat. Without the OAK connected the chunks got bright red and cat getting light up, stove top temp rising and after awhile i can see everything going to dark box again.The house is old and leaking that is for sure, i know i have to replace two doors and some windows but i am working a lot on those air infiltration areas and it is doing lot better for sure. With the OAK connected it just got in flames when tstat opens and take longer to closed plus lot of flame when that happens at same setting. I will have to look more int this.lol

I always think that is better outside air than inside air going thru the stove but i was just last night noticing this effect.

 

[Hardtopseadan]

How often do folks dump ash? I'm a month into using the BK and I may have 1.5". Burning d-fir and lodgepole. It's been in the single digits so I'm only getting 12-14 hours on lodgepole. But I'm keeping the house at 78 too . Never been happier or more impressed with a stove.

Burning Doug fir and larch in my princess ,3 months burning 24-7 I took out a coffee can of ash.[emoji41]

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[rwhite]

Burning Doug fir and larch in my princess ,3 months burning 24-7 I took out a coffee can of ash.[emoji41]

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I been hitting the lodgepole pretty hard lately. Figured I'd dump it today and clean the chimney. Got about 2 large coffee cans worth. That's been about 1.5 months worth.

 

[Ashful]

@isucet, I agree outside air temp will affect BK thermostat performance with OAK installs, but I see this as a potentially positive effect. When it's colder outside, you generally need more heat, so your stove reacting partly to this may be a good thing. The question is whether it's reacting in an acceptable ratio, and whether mentally compensating this effect while aiming for a specific burn time is practical.

 

[Squisher]

Heh. There's a older king up for sale locally and I'm curious if anyone knows much about them and can help me suss out what exactly it is.

Here's the info the poster lists.

Model KEJ1001 Serial # WH 4100881

Curious if they actually mean 1101? Is there a 1001 that's older and noncat? I couldn't find much info on google. Also hard to tell in the pic but it looks like a cat thermo? No?

Here's the only pic they put up. I don't know how to rotate it. Sorry.

View attachment 193585

It's described as like new condition. A possibility for the shop maybe? It's cheap cheap cheap.

If anyone has any info regarding this older BK it would be appreciated. I am probably going to look at it tomorrow. They felt confident the model is 1001 but it definetly has a catalyst probe thermometer on it. I can't seem to find any info on a 1001 model?

 

[Squisher]

To me the picture looks exactly like a 1101?

$400 is the asking price. Cdn.

 

[showrguy]

I think that's an old model..
Pre-CAT combuster..

 

[Squisher]

Except it has a cat probe thermometer mounted on it in the same spot the early king cats did. Like the 1101?

Also it has a bypass and the thermostatic air control. So it's definetly a cat model.

They are a older couple and it came to them in a house they bought. They know not much about it.

 

[Squisher]

So as far as I can tell it would be a kej1100 or a 1101. Earliest king cats. From what I've read the 1100 has a round combustor and isn't EPA certd and the 1101 has a oval combustor and is epa certd. I've also read that these early design of cats were less efficient and the combustor longevity isn't as good as th later designs. Also in researching it it seems that the older combustors are pricier?

I may pass on this and hold out for a newer model.

 

[liquidskin]

Replaced the gasket on the princess insert.. OEM 7/8", no issues and I think I did a decent job. Dollar bill test results surprising though, not very tight on the latch side. Below pic shows not much of an indentation on latch side. Should I try adjusting the latch? I thought maybe would need to loosen the latch but not tighten? Closing the handle is tougher now than my old gasket so not sure what to make of this..




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[webby3650]

Replaced the gasket on the princess insert.. OEM 7/8", no issues and I think I did a decent job. Dollar bill test results surprising though, not very tight on the latch side. Below pic shows not much of an indentation on latch side. Should I try adjusting the latch? I thought maybe would need to loosen the latch but not tighten? Closing the handle is tougher now than my old gasket so not sure what to make of this..

View attachment 193681


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Perhaps you stretched the gasket a little when you installed it?

 

[liquidskin]

Perhaps you stretched the gasket a little when you installed it?

Possible I suppose, I wasn't really paying attention to not stretching it.. that would suck because I really don't want to have to do it again..


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[webby3650]

Possible I suppose, I wasn't really paying attention to not stretching it.. that would suck because I really don't want to have to do it again..


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I'd just tighten the latch a turn and be done with it.

 

[liquidskin]

I'd just tighten the latch a turn and be done with it.

I'll give it a shot when she cools down.. any tips? I read a post or two about the latch breaking


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[webby3650]

I'll give it a shot when she cools down.. any tips? I read a post or two about the latch breaking


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Do you know if yours is new enough to have a nut on the inside and outside? The older ones had a nut on the inside that was welded on, these are likely to just break off. If yours is welded on I'd recommend heating it up with a map gas torch while working it.

And or, get an upgraded latch and handle and just plan on changing them both.

 

[liquidskin]

Do you know if yours is new enough to have a nut on the inside and outside? The older ones had a nut on the inside that was welded on, these are likely to just break off. If yours is welded on I'd recommend heating it up with a map gas torch while working it.

And or, get an upgraded latch and handle and just plan on changing them both.

I've got a PI1010 which is according to BKVP the release prior to the popular 1010a so I might be in the camp that has the welded nut


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[webby3650]

I've got a PI1010 which is according to BKVP the release prior to the popular 1010a so I might be in the camp that has the welded nut


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Most likely. Soak it with PB blaster for a while. Then heat it up and I'll bet you'll be fine. Might be overkill, but that thing will snap in an instant! Better safe than sorry.

 

[Niko]

How far up the stove pipe is a good spot to get a accurate reading for temps? I have double wall. Obviously the closer to the stove the hotter the reading. Im using my ir gun on the black pipe, the cat is nicely being feed its food for the day.

Do you guys think the reading are to high especially when i get closer tp the bypass? Especially if you take those reading and times them by 2.

 

[lsucet]

With double wall stove pipe the best way is a flue probe if you want an accurate reading. Manufactures from the probes specified how high need to be installed. most of the time is about 18" from stovetop.

 

[Niko]

Im curious to see what others are getting for reading.


I just did a little video.

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