Same here. Winter was mild last year when I got the stove. We've been in the teens several nights this week, and the glass is cleaner than ever!
2016-17 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK)
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I had a first this morning in my Ashford 30.1. I woke up to an inactive cat. I loaded the stove last night around 9pm. I did a 30 to 40 minute burn on high then turned it all the way down. This is my second year with my stove and I have been doing it this way every time with great results. So what happened this time? Also when I closed the bypass I could feel the bypass closing but didn't feel the cam over action. What could cause that?
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
Turned it down too far. Try running with arrow on air control pointed between 3 o'clock and 4 o'clock. It will burn almost as slow, but will allow the thermostat to actually work during the night. When you turn it down much below 3 o'clock, you're completely defeating the thermostat.
Turning it down, you will be able to hear the flapper click shut on your Ashford. Find where it happens on a cold stove, and that's the setting which completely defeats the thermostat. You'll find it happens somewhere around 4 o'clock on a hot stove, and maybe 2:30 on a cooler stove.
raypa
Member
Thanks! post up a pic. I'd like to see it! I wished we ordered two weeks ago and had it operational for Christmas.
So does anyone run the double wall pipe that BK suggests? I've always run single wall black pipe from stove to thimble.
Poindexter
Minister of Fire
I am running double wall from collar to cap. The double wall telescoping piece that reaches from stove collar to ceiling thimble, about 60", was not inexpensive..
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I'm running single on one, double on the other. Both work fine. In fact, I see worse chimney build-up on the stove with the double-wall pipe, but that chimney is 2x taller and I move 2x more wood thru that stove.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
When does the bypass need adjusted? When I close my by bypass handle I don't feel that cam over action that I used to feel. I just noticed it this morning.
Weird how it comes and goes. Reach up there with your fingers and clear out the junk that has fallen onto the gasket from above. I wipe it clean every time I can stand the heat during a reload.
Poindexter
Minister of Fire
You might try dropping a few splits of softwood on the coals and running it wide open for a while. You might have heard that before ;-)
Tell you what, if you send me a big box of that gorgeous walnut ill fill the box back up with some mafnificent spruce and send it back to you.
Ur temps ought to be back to pretty normal soon. The cold building up here is gonna have some teeth and claws to it judging by the early indicators.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
You would not believe the walnut trees I have turned into firewood. T'would make any woodworker cry, but such was the scramble, in the wake of Sandy.
Poindexter
Minister of Fire
I would love to get hold of some 20' straight grained knot free ash while the getting is good. I can get 4/4 and 8/4 fairly inexpensively @ 12-16 feet, but the grain in it is curvier than most females.
Double wall here on both stoves. I get almost no creosote out of the stove pipe when double wall connector pipe is used.
Deeje
New Member
I'm emptying out hot coals on a daily basis. My ash pile looks more like a pile of charcoal since switching stoves. I usually load when the cat is nearing inactive, no sooner than that. The old house gets cold quickly if a hot fire isn't burning, so I guess I'm out of options. No access to soft wood right now, though I'll keep that in mind for next year.
Gotta figure out what to do with all my spare time now. Got the princess installed and first fire started last night. Did about a 1/2 load at 4 and the cat was still active at 4 this morning. So i loaded a full load at 4 and still had wood at 6 tonight. This twice a day loading is awesome. Kinda boring if you like flames but wonderful if you like heat.
I burn ~30 lbs of mixed 70% pine and ~30% oak daily and shovel ashes every 2 weeks. Yesterday's coals just seem to never build up. Ashford 30.1 stove. 25F this morning.
Hardwood should burn down to ash unless your really pushing your stove which you are not if your waiting until the cat is almost inactive to reload.
No matter what, you shouldn't need to empty out coals daily. Rake your coals to the front upon reload and season your wood longer.
An hour or two before you have to reload pull all the coals, remaining chunks to the front middle and crank the stat to high. I can usually get a couple more hours of good heat before reloading and get rid of the coal bed at the same time.
What type of stove temps do you need to maintain you desired house temps?
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I don't understand. My cat stays active all the way thru coaling, until the coals are down below ping pong ball size. It helps if you rake 'em forward toward the end, which usually sends my cat from barely active up to about 10 o'clock on the dial.
raypa
Member
Any photos of the double wall going right to the stove? I've never see this before. I've only used and seen single wall black. Where do you even buy it and do they may double wall elbows? Unit might be in on Friday. I'm hoping to have it for Christmas.
Here is a link to the double wall telescoping pipe I will be using..and yes they have double wall elbows..
http://www.selkirkcorp.com/~/media/...deldspdoublewallstovepipe_dsp002e_oct2016.pdf
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raypa
Member
I kind of like the heat that the single wall lets out into the room. I'm sure this has been debated over and over, but what's wrong with the old single wall for going into a brick chimney? I have about a 4' rise and 1 90 into my thimble.
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
Lol when running a Bk you will see flue temps 200-250 deg f, you will want to keep them as warm as possible going up the chimney, like the old saying heat with your stove not your chimney
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