2016-17 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK)

[BKVP]

Highbeam is correct about Douglas Fir...larch as well. They just cook down to original organic state and feel like sand.

Which is where they grew from...the soil.

 

[Jeff in Maine]

Firewood doesn't start really seasoning until it has been cut, split, and stacked. Certainly not the logs that are on the ground with roots still buried. I live on the wet side of WA and most logs in the woods on the ground will rot before they dry.

I would have no problem burning pine and have burned many cords of red cedar and cottonwood. It's not like the old days, modern stoves are able to get much more out of the lower btu woods if you do your part by seasoning the fuel well. I actually prefer the ashier varieties like red alder since the ash helps to slow the burn rate a bit.

Douglas fir makes almost zero ash when burnt efficiently.

If it needs a fan to be dry I would be looking for another source of fuel.

I may not have made the post clear enough, The trees were standing dead leaning against others for 2 years. Yes I have a fan on the fir it is wet it will make up a miniscule amount of my firewood. Picture a truck load of beer 10,000 cans maybe,.. the fir accounts for one can at most.

 

[Mr. Jones]

I noticed the stove I picked up has a couple of differences than what I see in pics, or YouTube videos. The princess insert was made back in 06. First, there's no numbers on the air adjuster, just dots. Second, the cat guage doesn't sit down under the stove top. It rests on top with a small hole for the rod to go down. Any other changes from 06 to now?

 

[gregbesia]

This morning I was close to one of the stove dealers so I walked in to see what they offered. They carry many different brands including BK. They have Asford 30 on display that they used in the show room last winter. Also King and Braiarwood( not used) . One of the sales people asked me if I needed help and I asked about princess insert. He seemed very surprised that I was interested in BK and told me that he has better stoves in his shop . In fact he tried to walk me over to another part of the store and show me an insert from " best selling company in US" . Long story short, I was informed that : 1. Don't believe everything you see online, BK stoves don't burn as long as the company or people online claim. 2. BK outright lies in their literature about burn times. 3. The Ashford 30 in the showroom only gives them about 12 hours burn times, anything over it's just embers. Disclaimer: I don't owe any BK products, but I wish I did. From everything I read about their stoves on this and other forums I believe them to be great American company with amazing products and support. Not to mention the presence of BKVP here and his help to members. It surprised me tha a sales person who is also a dealer for that brand would automatically say those things. Sorry for the long rant.

 

[chance04]

Sounds like one heck of a salesman

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[Gotrek]

When i used to do sales the first lesson they taught us is that if a customer seems interested in one brand you sell it to them evsn if you get a lower margin. A sale = repeat business, customer loyalty and new business from word of mouth. That salesman is an idiot.

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[Rickb]

12 hours of heat seems pretty good to me........ I know others have gotten more but what was he pushing instead that got longer then 12 hour burn times?

 

[gregbesia]

He was really pushing Lopi/Travis , hybrid. I'm sure it's a good company, but I think for my needs BK would be better.

 

[tarzan]

I suppose he could be getting only 12 hour burns if he was actually using it to heat a business in CT with the doors opening several times an hour. On the other hand, they could have been running the stove hard (with flames) for the ambience. Either way, that's about the only believable part to his story.

 

[drz1050]

He was really pushing Lopi/Travis , hybrid. I'm sure it's a good company, but I think for my needs BK would be better.

Was he pushing the Cape Cod? That's a pretty stove for sure, but reviews of it aren't too stellar.

I have the Ashford 30, and I only run 12 hr cycles on the coldest days... often 16-20 hrs between reloads.

 

[claybe]

He was really pushing Lopi/Travis , hybrid. I'm sure it's a good company, but I think for my needs BK would be better.

This is why I don't like dealers. They pedal what they are paid to pedal. Want to go to dinner and have drinks?!? Pedal my product over theirs.

BK is a down home honest company with good people. Chris is the best and more responsive than any VP I have ever heard of. I love my Princess, not only because there are embers to lite a new fire after 36 hours, but because it is reliable and I know that if anything is ever wrong they will fix it. No matter what they are trying to sell, I would demand to see the BK and I am sure Chris will be having a talk with that dealer

 

[kennyp2339]

The Ashford 30 in the showroom only gives them about 12 hours burn times, anything over it's just embers.

He's not lying right there, he's just ill informed, 12 hour burn times with flames showing seem the normal, but those stoves are made to smolder and the cat burns the smoke producing high heat due to placement in the stove, when it smolders it turns the glass black and it becomes a boring fire, but the trade off is 24 hour burn times with steady heat output. That's what separates Bk's from everyone else in the freestanding stove market that I know of with consistency.
As far as inserts I have my own reservations, mainly because I never burnt one, I would actually like more info on there inserts as far as cleaning / maintenance, its one thing to go through the bypass with a soot eater but how to you adjust the by-pass damper plate or vacuum behind the cat after the cleaning the chimney without pulling a heavy insert out of the fireplace (that's really my only hang up) With my princess freestanding stove I just pull by black pipe and clean from the top down in the stove with a vacuum, cleaning up chimney crumbs.

 

[Highbeam]

He's not lying right there, he's just ill informed, 12 hour burn times with flames showing seem the normal, but those stoves are made to smolder and the cat burns the smoke producing high heat due to placement in the stove, when it smolders it turns the glass black and it becomes a boring fire, but the trade off is 24 hour burn times with steady heat output. That's what separates Bk's from everyone else in the freestanding stove market that I know of with consistency.
As far as inserts I have my own reservations, mainly because I never burnt one, I would actually like more info on there inserts as far as cleaning / maintenance, its one thing to go through the bypass with a soot eater but how to you adjust the by-pass damper plate or vacuum behind the cat after the cleaning the chimney without pulling a heavy insert out of the fireplace (that's really my only hang up) With my princess freestanding stove I just pull by black pipe and clean from the top down in the stove with a vacuum, cleaning up chimney crumbs.

The insert's flue collar is not vertical as I recall so the debris won't fall to the cat as it somewhat does with the stove. You can pull the cat out to perform any needed bypass maintenance. It's a 13$ gasket which saves you from pulling an insert out.

I too think the dealer above could just be getting a bonus to sell the other brand or has never tried to burn low and slow. Our bk stoves have a superior range of available outputs and corresponding burn times. Burning on low does not produce flames, much heat, or clean glass, which are the things that sell stoves. He probably never tried or was taught that snuffed flames are improper from the noncat guys.

 

[Ashful]

I have the Ashford 30, and I only run 12 hr cycles on the coldest days... often 16-20 hrs between reloads.

I have two Ashford 30's, and have logged 40 hour burns on both, but I do burn only high BTU hardwoods (mostly oak). I have found the dial positions where I can repeatedly get 12 or 24 hour cycles out of each, as this is what suits my work schedule. THAT is the beauty of BK, for me.

 

[gregbesia]

When I opened the door of the Ashford that was used last winter in the showroom I found it very clean on the inside. It looked just as clean as my tube insert, so it makes sense what you guys are saying that they probably never had that thing dialed really low.

 

[prezes13]

Gregbesia dean's is really travis industries dealer that's why he was pushing their products.

 

[Mr. Jones]

The way I see it is who do you trust? A salesman, or a forum of people here with years of real world experience? A forum of people that's not trying to make a buck off of you. They all have pros and cons I guess, but not every install and situation is the same. Some stoves may work better for you in your instance than others.

 

[webby3650]

I noticed the stove I picked up has a couple of differences than what I see in pics, or YouTube videos. The princess insert was made back in 06. First, there's no numbers on the air adjuster, just dots. Second, the cat guage doesn't sit down under the stove top. It rests on top with a small hole for the rod to go down. Any other changes from 06 to now?

To be clear, the cat thermometer sits flat on the stove top below the convection deck? If so, that's correct. I don't think the insert ever had numbers on the dial.

 

[Mr. Jones]

To be clear, the cat thermometer sits flat on the stove top below the convection deck? If so, that's correct. I don't think the insert ever had numbers on the dial.

Lol, yea I forgot I had the shroud off. It sits down in a hole in the shroud\fan area. I do see numbers though on most, hence when people say they turn it down to 2 or 1.5 at night.

 

[webby3650]

Lol, yea I forgot I had the shroud off. It sits down in a hole in the shroud\fan area. I do see numbers though on most, hence when people say they turn it down to 2 or 1.5 at night.

All the stoves did until recently, I was thinkin the inserts had only dots though. The new stoves have a "swoosh" mark. (God please don't let this debate get started again)

 

[Ashful]

All the stoves did until recently, I was thinkin the inserts had only dots though. The new stoves have a "swoosh" mark. (God please don't let this debate get started again)

I don't think there was ever a debate. We all agreed the numbers were preferable to the swoosh.

 

[claybe]

Gonna be in the 40s tonight in Denver. Man I am am tempted to start a fire I am one of the procrastinators and still need to clean my pipe from last season SOON!

 

[Scoutin Wyo]

Had a good freeze here last night. After work I threw some cottonwood in there for a quick shoulder season fire. Dang that little fire still was glowing the next morning and stove top was 250*. Love my princess!

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[kf6hap]

I have been heating for many decades and so have many others on this forum. I did purchase the best looking, one of the most expensive thermostatically controlled wood stoves and was very, very, disappointed. Frustrated , I found Hearth.com and researched all stoves. Blaze king always came up as the longest burning, most efficient and possessed a "magic" thermostatic control. I did a LOT of reading. After being convinced this was the stove to have I took the plunge and got an Ashford 30.1 last year and was not disappointed.

This stove WORKS AS ADVERTISED! Everything in the brochure is true and correct, nothing is hyped. Go to the stove review section and enter "Ashford" to see my experience.

Joe/HVAC tech

 

[kf6hap]

Anybody remember how many inches/feet 45s and 90s subtract from the overall flue height? My neighbor is thinking about replacing his current stove with load once a day BK.