BKVP
Minister of Fire
That will never happen! The safety labs are meticulous about things a consumer might do and not remember to re-do.
2016-17 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK)
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On a Princess insert of unknown age (came with house) is there a school of thought as to when to replace the cat? This is my third winter with the BK and I guess I'm looking to squeeze a bit more performance out of it.
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EastNL
Member
Hello,
Haven't posted on here before but i've been following this thread for a while. Myself and the misses are building a new house this year and we've decided to install one of BK's stoves, either the ashford 30 or the chinook 30.
Given its a new construction, we're putting a good bit of effort into making sure it has lots of insulation and that it is constructed as airtight as we can get it. Funny enough, on another forum, one that specifically deals with green building methods, the topic of dry air and wood stoves came up. They recommend using a fresh air supply, much like the one that BK manufactures, for woodstoves that are installed in homes that are considered tight. I did have a look through the forum on here but I haven't found much relating directly to Blaze King's stove and their fresh air supply. Is there anyone out there with one installed and how do they find it?
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/community/forum/general-questions/99745/dry-heat-myth
Haven't posted on here before but i've been following this thread for a while. Myself and the misses are building a new house this year and we've decided to install one of BK's stoves, either the ashford 30 or the chinook 30.
Given its a new construction, we're putting a good bit of effort into making sure it has lots of insulation and that it is constructed as airtight as we can get it. Funny enough, on another forum, one that specifically deals with green building methods, the topic of dry air and wood stoves came up. They recommend using a fresh air supply, much like the one that BK manufactures, for woodstoves that are installed in homes that are considered tight. I did have a look through the forum on here but I haven't found much relating directly to Blaze King's stove and their fresh air supply. Is there anyone out there with one installed and how do they find it?
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/community/forum/general-questions/99745/dry-heat-myth
The outside air kits (you will see them referenced as OAK on the forum) are available (at least there were on my King model) through the dealer. I haven't looked on their site specifically for them but my manual talked about having an OAK installed. I don't have one personally. Hope that helps.
lsucet
Minister of Fire
I have one but i didn't purchase the whole kit. I used to have an OAK with the previous stoves and i just went online and find the adapter that goes attached to the back of the stove. I hookup back the flexible house and clamp it , that was it. now it is true that it is more air tight connection than many other stoves. At least mine.
I used to feel some cold air penetration with the other stoves due to the type of intake design on those. they were not completely tight at all. With BK i do not have that issue cause it connect to the intake, the only intake that this stove has. Making an air tight connection to the outside air.
Hope this help
A newly constructed tight house will benefit from an Outside Air Kit. It connects to a port on the lower rear of the stove so it is usually out of sight. It provides the air for combustion. In a tight house a window might have to be cracked to provide adequate combustion air. In older houses air leaks around windows, doors and the like provide the air. Some people like the air change this provides and others don't like the cold drafts but in a tight house a kitchen exhaust could suck smoke out of the stove. Strongly advised in your situation.
EastNL
Member
Well no draft sounds good to me. Have to get the dealer to order one of those up as well. Did you ever have any issues with it or hear about any?
Marshy, definitely fill us in on the fan performance. I am only running mine at less than half speed and it is working nicely. Very gentle air movement.
lsucet
Minister of Fire
i never have any issue with it at all. The same way i have no experience without neither. i use OAK with all my stoves from day one. My pellet stoves has OAK also. my setup is really simple. The stove has a little more clearance that required from the rear wall and the OAK just goes thru the wall to the outside. like i said real simple.
Short answer: no. Long answer: the Condar probe has the same dimensions as the old BK probe. I would guess they are the "same" and it has been working well. I am not sure about the new probe. I will probably give BK a call to confirm before trying it.
Some people report that condensation can accumulate on the OAK pipe, especially if it's metal. You may need to insulate the pipe to prevent that from occurring with the metal flex ducts. Another consideraton is adding a PVC ball valve in line so that if the stove isn't being used you can shut off the air flow into the stove. When not in use and without a way to shut the air off cold air will circulate through the stove and up the chimney, which in itself isn't an issue. However, during cold weather and no fire in the stove with that air drawing through it the stove will just be a big cold object in your living environment. Just something to consider.
lsucet
Minister of Fire
That is a good advise. In my situation till now i never have any issue with condensation and i am using 3" metal flexable, i think is due to the short run of the hose. it is around 2 ft more or less. I don't know if people having this issue has a long run of hose to wall exit. i believe if you not using the stove the OAK can avoid the warm air from other heating sources to exit up the chimney cause after all is hotter air, that can be the case if is air tight connection. remember that looks like that is the case with BK, with other brands and different design you just can have cold infiltration with an OAK regardless if the stove is running or not. you are more susceptible to get a cold stove from cold air looking is way down thru the chimney than thru the OAK cause it will be hard for cold air to travel that far up. one way of the other the stove will be cold. That is why we have to establish draft when starting the stove.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
I have the fresh air supply. It's never a bad idea and often required by law to use outside air for combustion. It works great.
If the current cat goes active, and gets hot, burns clean with no smoke, then it is working. They are supposed to last for 12000 hours so for some of us that is only 2 years and for some is forever.
If it stops working or you just feel like it you can pop a new one in. I prefer a fresh, active, newer cat because it minimizes smoke and wood use. The new cat is easy to install and costs under 300$.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
The actual lifespan of a combustor is variable. One company states 12,000 hrs another states replacement every 2-3 years.
There are in fact combustors in the field that are up to or older than a decade in use. When the Catalytic Hearth Coalition did their study through an independent test lab (OMNI Environmental), they found combustors that were up to 9.5 years in age, having burned a minimum of 3 cords per year, were still functioning superbly, in fact only 1 gr/hr dirtier than brand new, nearly a decade in use.
The biggest factor is the stove design and how it protects the gamma alumina wash coat from reaching excessive temps of 1,400F or higher. When it hits and sustain 1,400F, gamma alumina converts to alpha alumina and the wash coat flattens out, loosing surface area and can begin to peel away from the substrate...on ALL substrate materials.
Other factors include amount of fuel burned, type of fuel, average operating temps, avoidance of thermal shock from air leaks or wet/icy wood added to hot stove. And of course my all time favorite.....
A caller once called to say his combustor had failed. I suggested he examine it by removing the flame shield (which in our units does not require any tools) and he stated..."That sucker is so clean! It's bright white after running my .22 cal brass gun brush through every square."
PLEASE, PLEASE, never use a gun brush to clean the squares!!
There are in fact combustors in the field that are up to or older than a decade in use. When the Catalytic Hearth Coalition did their study through an independent test lab (OMNI Environmental), they found combustors that were up to 9.5 years in age, having burned a minimum of 3 cords per year, were still functioning superbly, in fact only 1 gr/hr dirtier than brand new, nearly a decade in use.
The biggest factor is the stove design and how it protects the gamma alumina wash coat from reaching excessive temps of 1,400F or higher. When it hits and sustain 1,400F, gamma alumina converts to alpha alumina and the wash coat flattens out, loosing surface area and can begin to peel away from the substrate...on ALL substrate materials.
Other factors include amount of fuel burned, type of fuel, average operating temps, avoidance of thermal shock from air leaks or wet/icy wood added to hot stove. And of course my all time favorite.....
A caller once called to say his combustor had failed. I suggested he examine it by removing the flame shield (which in our units does not require any tools) and he stated..."That sucker is so clean! It's bright white after running my .22 cal brass gun brush through every square."
PLEASE, PLEASE, never use a gun brush to clean the squares!!
Condar's instructions still say to run a pipe cleaner brush through each cell. Not a lot of guys smoke pipes but I've got a couple of ruger 22s and brass barrel brushes. Instead of using them I bought a special 2" paint brush to sweep the face of my cat softly.
Assuming no deficiencies and a proper operating stove, does it shorten the life of a combustor to run the stove on high >90% of the time?
I would think that any time the cat is lit, it's using life. When you burn on high, how brightly is the cat glowing, compared to when you burn on a medium or low setting? What about cat probe readings at the different air settings?
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