2017-18 Blaze King Performance Thread PART 2 (Everything BK)

[jdonna]

Mine's running at 3 to 4 o clock. New stove and cat. I'm sure you could have 3 of the same type of probe and each one would read a little bit differently, its a ball park gauge in my opinion.

I'm very much liking that the probe is right there where you can see it. My last stove I had it on the backside of the stove and not as close in the cat exhaust stream.

 

[webby3650]

My cat probe has a cage that it is the body of a stove top therm but upside down. It is not affect too much by the fans.

So does mine.
The area that is affected is the exposed probe shaft between the stove top and the iron top. Only an Ashford concern here.

 

[webby3650]

Mine's running at 3 to 4 o clock. New stove and cat. I'm sure you could have 3 of the same type of probe and each one would read a little bit differently, its a ball park gauge in my opinion.

I'm very much liking that the probe is right there where you can see it. My last stove I had it on the backside of the stove and not as close in the cat exhaust stream.

Some even expect you to drill your own hole in the back of the stove for the probe! BK has the right idea! Front and center!

 

[Ashful]

Some even expect you to drill your own hole in the back of the stove for the probe! BK has the right idea! Front and center!

My Jotuls were this way. Probe was hiding behind the stove, such that it would be impossible to read a mechanical gauge. Stupid design, but resolved with a thermocouple meter.

 

[Poindexter]

@webby3650 , if my fuel is over 16% i run a measured 30 minutes at full throttle before i dial it down. In the 12 to 16% sweet spot, 20 minutes by the timer in my phone.

 

[Poindexter]

Am i a moron for sliding some ashes through the hole in the floor of my A30 while i got some hot coals pushed to the back of the box?

I got some really short hairs on my wrists from doing this, but i cant see that i am really hurting the stove by keeping my ash bed in the zone during continuous operation.

 

[Ashful]

What else is one to do, Poindexter? I found a cast iron drain grate that fits the ash plug hole in my A30, which I can drop in there to guarantee coal retention, but the gaps between the slats in it are a tad tight. Been meaning to open them up for two years!

BTW, a moron would rake the coals to the front first, like I have done a few times. [emoji12]

 

[BKVP]

These instructions call for pipe cleaner brushing of the cells! Whoa!

Yes, soft ones...not like the guy who used a gun cleaning brush made of brass wire.

 

[kf6hap]

Chucking a pipe cleaner into a drill might not be a good idea either. Ok for copper pipes though.

 

[shoot-straight]

Just curious, do you guys let it run on high for very long? I always run on high for a while after a reload. Then slow it down after a bit, cat prob almost always goes to 3-4 o’clock, often pegs.

I do the same. Probe will usually go to about 12.

 

[kf6hap]

I don't think where the indicator needle goes, as long as it is in the "active" region, is of any negative consequence. It may exceed the high end for a while with a new cat but that won't hurt it. Don't operate the stove trying to keep it in a particular area. Just set the thermostat to your heating needs. Yes, a BK is that easy. This is very unlike other stoves. Babysitting not required.

The cat thermometer has no increments because they are not needed and might cause confusion. I guess the thermometer is calibrated at the "active" point. Other positions on the thermometer might not correspond closely, temperature wise, with other thermometers.

 

[kennyp2339]

I don't think where the indicator needle goes, as long as it is in the "active" region, is of any negative consequence. It may exceed the high end for a while with a new cat but that won't hurt it. Don't operate the stove trying to keep it in a particular area. Just set the thermostat to your heating needs. Yes, a BK is that easy. This is very unlike other stoves. Babysitting not required.

The cat thermometer has no increments because they are not needed and might cause confusion. I guess the thermometer is calibrated at the "active" point. Other positions on the thermometer might not correspond closely, temperature wise, with other thermometers.

Nailed it If your stove is in good operating condition (good door gaskets & fully functioning t-stat) then there is no way to over fire the cat past the 1800 deg f mark, since the stove really cant over fire then stove top temps aren't really needed either, you just need to know that the cat is within its minimum to be active, the rest is done by your body feeling, are you cold? turn stove up, are you to hot? turn stove down. BK's are extremely user friendly, that's why I shake my head when someone says I don't want the complications of a cat stove.

 

[kf6hap]

BK's are extremely user friendly, that's why I shake my head when someone says I don't want the complications of a cat stove.

Some straight damper stoves have to be fiddled with and babysat a lot to avoid being too hot or cold.

Working in HVAC, I used to replace thermostat covers with ones that had no thermometer built in. Warmer to the right, cooler to the left. No marks. All the arguments went away.

 

[Highbeam]

Some straight damper stoves have to be fiddled with and babysat a lot to avoid being too hot or cold.

Working in HVAC, I used to replace thermostat covers with ones that had no thermometer built in. Warmer to the right, cooler to the left. No marks. All the arguments went away.

This is the story of the swoosh. One day, your oven won’t have temperature settings either. Maybe just little pizza icons, potatoe icons, etc. Or maybe things will have numbers but be very accurate and precise numbers.

 

[Alpine1]

I am new to cat stoves (as most Europeans are...) but always thought that the cat indicator was just that: an indicator. Is it in the active zone? All is well. Is it inactive? Time to start a new fire. Is it barely active? Go with a fresh load, burn half an hour on high and set the t-stat wherever you want. Very simple and effective, very user friendly and very alien technology

 

[kf6hap]

I always wondered why the Germans didn't come up with a BK-like stove, or have they?

 

[Alpine1]

Not yet. Neither the Italians nor the French , Dutch or almost any other European stove manufacturer. Believe it or not, Jotul cat stoves aren’t available on the European market. Old mentality I think... we tend to believe a wood stove is a once in a lifetime purchase, with no expense during its lifespan. Think of masonry mass stoves (very common where I live)... Maybe the fact that sooner or later you have to buy a new cat scares the vast majority of wood burners here... BKVP knows better for sure as even BK stoves have only one dealer in Europe that I know of... the guy who sold me my beloved Ashford

 

[BKVP]

This is the story of the swoosh. One day, your oven won’t have temperature settings either. Maybe just little pizza icons, potatoe icons, etc. Or maybe things will have numbers but be very accurate and precise numbers.

I was waiting for you.....

 

[jdonna]

I'd love some input from experienced BK princess owners on a cliff's note short cut on what's a good full load procedure on hot coals.

I've got a very hard drafting chimney, so I have to adjust slightly from what the owners manual states.

Thanks!

 

[BKVP]

Not yet. Neither the Italians nor the French , Dutch or almost any other European stove manufacturer. Believe it or not, Jotul cat stoves aren’t available on the European market. Old mentality I think... we tend to believe a wood stove is a once in a lifetime purchase, with no expense during its lifespan. Think of masonry mass stoves (very common where I live)... Maybe the fact that sooner or later you have to buy a new cat scares the vast majority of wood burners here... BKVP knows better for sure as even BK stoves have only one dealer in Europe that I know of... the guy who sold me my beloved Ashford

As you all probably already know, I am German. Mother from Wiesbaden and my father's grandparents frolm former Prussia.

In my travels overseas I found a few cat stoves on retail showroom floors. Typically they refer to the combustor as a "filter. The sales staff don't even see it as a participate converter. Again, they see it as and refer to it as a filter.

 

[Alpine1]

There’s a retailer in my small town, he never even heard of cat stoves before I explained him how they work... if allowed by the forum, and just out of curiosity, can you name some European cat stoves brand BKVP? In more than 1 year searching on the web, the only cat stoves I’v Been able to find were either from Canada or the USA

 

[BKVP]

I'm boarding a flight...look up "Twin Fire wood stove". Are you in Germany?

 

[Alpine1]

Nope, Italy ... but not far from the Austrian border. Thanks for your reply and have a nice trip!

 

[kf6hap]

The cost of a cat is a negative number.

 

[Alpine1]

Do you mean that with the wood saved with a cat stove the price of a new cat is paid twice a year? I know, now try to convince a few millions obtuse Europeans lol