Ask your dealer for the correct probe.
Yes, the shield will glow on occasion, no harm.
2016-17 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK)
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Yes, the shield will glow on occasion, no harm.
They keep saying you can't overfire a BK with the cat engaged, but I wouldn't like to see anything glowing. Where was the probe needle?
Could you (cold stove) carefully stick a long matchstick or something down through the probe hole, and see where it is when looking through the heat shield with the door open? I think it should be within a half inch or so of the surface of the cat...then you can see how long the probe needs to be. However, I'm not sure how the probe is situated in relation to the cat face in that stove. On stoves I've had, I've seen everything from the cat lying flat and the probe coming in at right angles, to the probe coming in parallel to the face of the cat, and just extending over the edge of the cat a half inch or so.
The flame shield is a thin piece of stainless steel that just sits on some tabs, directly in front of the cat. Glowing on this part only is normal.
black smoke signals
Feeling the Heat
Woody is correct I was using this picture to show what my insert temperature are stove top 350 and cat probe needle to the right. One poster said this is normal temperature to see my question to you(sorry on iPhone) do you know correct temperature reading where the needle is in the lower picture? My gauge reads hot is this too hot? I'm wanting to load this insert up set it and return in 8 hours is this possible with the cat probe this hot?
black smoke signals
Feeling the Heat
Webby where or how do you know this is normal for bk insert run this hot? If you are correct I will keep building a fire and turning down intake with very slow flames and hope I don't soot the pipe up. My old stove was 30 years old I'm liking this new insert
That is not hot. The probe takes internal temps of the cat, it has nothing to do with stove top temps. 700 degrees is a hot stove! 300 is just getting started! Like I said, the cat will read hot for a while.
Your BK was purpose built to run without flame and NOT soot up the pipe. Your temps look normal to me based on my own use of my princess and reading this forum. Enjoy the new insert!
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lsucet
Minister of Fire
I reload mine when it is sometime about 
300 df when cat into the active zone and there is some good coals and start loading with big chunks from the back to the front. just right at front i drop some small stuff and it catch fire almost instantly causing the cat to light up quick and the probe goes almost all the way like in that picture in minutes when stove top temp still just little over 300 df. minutes later it start climbing and in no time is at 600 to 650 df.
One i start dialing it down to low it likes to climb about 700 df, that why i start to dial it down when is about 450 to 500.
300 df when cat into the active zone and there is some good coals and start loading with big chunks from the back to the front. just right at front i drop some small stuff and it catch fire almost instantly causing the cat to light up quick and the probe goes almost all the way like in that picture in minutes when stove top temp still just little over 300 df. minutes later it start climbing and in no time is at 600 to 650 df. One i start dialing it down to low it likes to climb about 700 df, that why i start to dial it down when is about 450 to 500.
mwhitnee
Minister of Fire
This year my cat isn't glowing in my King parlor. The stove is new from last year. I removed the cat this Fall, it was in perfect condition as far as I could tell, and I reinstalled with a new gasket and it fit like a glove.
I'm not saying that the cat is bad (stove seems to be working fine), but it led me to thinking, how do you really know when it is bad??
I'm not saying that the cat is bad (stove seems to be working fine), but it led me to thinking, how do you really know when it is bad??
If the cat probe is in the active zone, you should see little, if any, smoke out of the stack. As cat performance degrades over the years, it won't light off as readily and will drop out sooner toward the coaling stage of the burn.
Princess Insert was supposed to be installed today and I was giddy this whole weekend. I took today off from work so I could be there if anything needed to be done. Friday I called the dealer to discuss how I needed to finish paying for it once the project was completed then I got a confirmation email last night confirming my installation appointment from the dealer. Cell phone rang this morning and I'm thinking they are calling telling me they are 30 minutes out or something like that. Nope. Wood stove is not even at their place yet. Need to reschedule for the 28th of November.
How long ago did you order it? I know BK was backed up but they are shipping now.
Mid September. I'm not pointing fingers at BK as I'm sure they are super busy and in no part is it their fault to my knowledge. Just frustrated at how poorly the dealer handled it.
black smoke signals
Feeling the Heat
Ashful
Minister of Fire
"They" fail to remember there have been a few door gasket issues on BK's in the last two years, related to smoke smell and glass retainer hardware under the door gasket. A perfectly engineered stove with a leaky door gasket can easily over-fire.
I'd be willing to be that BK's overfire less than just about any stove on the market, but never assume it can't be done!
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
As long as the cat probe thermometer indicates "active", you won't soot up the pipe. Get it active and engaged, as soon as possible into each new load, don't stall it (keep it active thru the burn), and your pipe will stay clean.
Your old stove had to extract all heat from the firebox, and you had to keep exhaust temps high enough to burn most of the volatiles (creosote), and minimize creosote condensation in the pipe. The role of the firebox in the BK is much less, in that it must simply provide enough fuel (volatiles / smoke) to feed the catalytic combustor. The combustor has it's own fresh air supply, so as long as there's enough fuel to keep it active, it'll just chew away. So, you can run your firebox black, and tar the hell out of it, but as long as your combustor stays in the active region, your pipe will stay clean.
Woops, there is no separate air supply for the cat on a BK. All combustion air comes through the stat and then enters the firebox via the airwash.
"They" were probably misquoted as well. If everything is working as it is supposed to then you can't overfire a BK with an engaged cat. If your door glass is missing or you loaded with railroad ties then it is possible to overfire a BK.
Can you expand on the door gasket problem and glass retainer hardware issues?
I purchased my King in Feb. of this year and have had a smoke smell problem from day 1. I love the stove and it performs better than I expected with 30 to 44hr burn times. I have very strong smoke smell coming from the top left corner of the door. I have contacted the store I purchased it from and was told it was just paint smell and would go away after a while it never did. Next called the BK factory and was told wood was too wet so got wood from 10 to 15% MC measured with 2 different BK meters. Still smoke smell no matter what wood I use. Called factory again and was told add more chimney so added 3 ft more got 17 ft from top of stove 8 in. double wall ICC worth a fortune, straight up no bends,.Still got smoke smell , called factory again and was told that it was impossible there is a low pressure in the stove cannot leak smoke like that wood is too wet. I tried adjusting the door tighter on gasket no improvement. I had a certified installer look at the install and he said it was perfect.
Well here we are 7 months later using wood stove again and I still got strong smoke smell coming from top left corner of door it seems to be worse when cat is glowing and temp. needle is 3/4 or higher. Door gasket looks fine to me cannot see where it is leaking.
Maybe I have to replace door gasket after only 3 months of use .
My cousin and i bought 2 Kings at the same time his is smoke free same install as mine.
The smoke smell is so strong some times it will make me cough and burn my eyes but cannot see anything wrong except for the strong smell at top left corner of door.
If I could cure this issue this would be the perfect dream stove.
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kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
1st do the dollar bill test, take a dollar and close in every spot of the door following that metal lip. There should be enough resistance to make it seem like the dollar will tare apart if pulled hard. If you have any "soft areas" I would 1st adjust the door latch, then retest.
The smoke leakage ashful was talking about was mainly with ashford 30.0 stoves (1st gen)
Check welds to? maybe something was missed (doesn't sound like it though because you got good burn times) Do you have an oak hooked up? maybe there's something going on with your house pressure like fans going on, outside wind changing direction ext.
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Did the dollar bill test and it is so tight cannot pull it out at any point around door if I tighten door latch any more would not be able to latch the door.
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
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