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

[lsucet]

My place is in a windy area, and sometimes i face those high speed winds but not always. Normally is between 15 and 30 mph a good part of the year. But i never have those type of issues including with 80 mph wind last spring that i still doing some burning. I also have an OAK. I asked you cause i was concern about that, seeing those winds and burning at the same time but everything was fine. The only time that i noticed that I went to wood to fast and always some lazy flame in the firebox going on, was one day the wind was hitting the front of the house where the OAK is installed. but a did installed something over the vent and running down and never again have that issue when wind change direction and hit the front where the OAK is.

 

[lsucet]

adjusted the tension on the bypass door a bit to tighten er up - still feel like i'm getting too much smoke after i turn down the t-stat. wood was good and charred. can you tell by these kinda crappy pics if that's too much coming out of the chimney?

Let's go back to the basics. How is your wood?

 

[MissMac]

Let's go back to the basics. How is your wood?

dry, and good and charred

 

[lsucet]

Sometimes it takes a while to settle. How long last that condition before it clears up?

 

[kf6hap]

Notice how the pure white "smoke" disappears after a certain distance? It appears to be a product of the catalytic combustion process, steam. At least it appears to be steam to me.

 

[oldbluedeer]

adjusted the tension on the bypass door a bit to tighten er up - still feel like i'm getting too much smoke after i turn down the t-stat. wood was good and charred. can you tell by these kinda crappy pics if that's too much coming out of the chimney?

It is hard to tell from the picture. Sometimes I see "smoke" like that coming from the chimney, but then I carefully trace the plume as it floats away, and I can see that it dissipates into nothing. In that case it is mostly water vapor, which if I understand correctly is what these stoves are supposed to do, very little pollutant in the mix.

The only times I really see excess smoke coming out the chimney are (1) when the bypass is open, (2) after initially shutting the bypass it may smoke a little until the cat is fully engaged, or perhaps (3) if cat is barely hot enough and I rake the remaining coals with the poker. There may be other times that I see legitimate smoke, but not very often.

 

[kf6hap]

I crack a window near the stove

Try cracking windows on all sides of the house slightly during the next wind event to see if the wind effect goes away.

 

[MissMac]

Sometimes it takes a while to settle. How long last that condition before it clears up?

it doesn't clear up. i'm pretty sure i've got smoke coming out of the chimney, not just steam

 

[MissMac]

wondering if it is still a bypass plate tension issue. have any of you checked your bypass plate tension before? how easy is it for you to full a paper through?

 

[kf6hap]

it doesn't clear up. i'm pretty sure i've got smoke coming out of the chimney, not just steam

If you view steam with the light coming through it, it will appear dark and appear as smoke - even if it is pure steam! If you change your view angle, you might find it turns snow white. It can be tricky. The tip-off is the sudden disappearance.

In the left hand picture, the steam completely disappears ~halfway from the hat to the left edge. In the left picture the "smoke" is somewhat darker due to the viewing angle.

The right picture is whiter in spite of looking through way more "smoke".

 

[Highbeam]

it doesn't clear up. i'm pretty sure i've got smoke coming out of the chimney, not just steam

It is not easy to tell the difference. Both smell like smoke. There is not always a clear zone at the cap before the steam becomes visible and depending on weather conditions the steam can float a great distance before dissipating.

I see your snow. It must be cold, and not windy. I get lots of steam in that situation. Mostly during the first 3 hours and my wood is at 14%!

 

[BKVP]

adjusted the tension on the bypass door a bit to tighten er up - still feel like i'm getting too much smoke after i turn down the t-stat. wood was good and charred. can you tell by these kinda crappy pics if that's too much coming out of the chimney?

That could be steam or portion of steam.

 

[moresnow]

Filling up the stove with wood at the very beginning would indeed simplify the process. However, the process that I described is close to what it says on page 26 of the BK Sirocco owner's manual. Since I am new to all things BK, I did not want to second guess the reasons for the steps as they are listed in the manual. In addition, it warns of possible damage to the stove from burning too long with the bypass open, so I read between the lines and thought that was perhaps the reason for doing the full load after the cat is active. Anyways, I may modify my initial start up process and load all the wood at the beginning, since you suggest that and others here seem to be doing that too. Just didn't want to assume to much as I am getting to understand the stove.

Unless I am completely out of line. Fill your stove. Follow the directions and run with it! Guessing you will be very pleased.

9 hrs into a full load myself now. Looking like just less than half a load left.Fans on lowest setting. Don't fret a full load. Enjoy.

 

[MissMac]

holy hell, i'm on a steep learning curve with this stove. so i think my buddy might have nudged the catalyst when he was adjusting the bypass tension. looked up and it appears as though the catalyst is partway out (almost to the protection cover) on the left side. can't do a thing about it, as i've got a fire going in the box. MF! so, i know anytime that the catalyst is removed, you have to replace the gasket because it will fall apart. do you guys think i can just nudge it back in once the stove is cold, or do i need to pull it out and replace the gasket? how would i know? man, i feel like such a newbie with this stove! frustrating.

 

[MissMac]

It is not easy to tell the difference. Both smell like smoke. There is not always a clear zone at the cap before the steam becomes visible and depending on weather conditions the steam can float a great distance before dissipating.

I see your snow. It must be cold, and not windy. I get lots of steam in that situation. Mostly during the first 3 hours and my wood is at 14%!

yup lots of snow already at my place, that's for sure. it always drifts onto that side of the roof - faces west. have to shovel around the plumbing vent often so it doesn't get buried.

 

[kf6hap]

Push it back in and order a new gasket. Just don't let it go. Myself and many others here have gone through the same thing you are experiencing. Some smoke is normal at the beginning of the burn cycle, 1/2 Hr +, depending on conditions but at some point it should clear up dramatically unless the cold weather makes the steam show. My wife asks me all the time "Why is the stove smoking"? If the cat goes active, as evidenced by the thermometer and or by glowing you are good. Dollar bill the bypass when you can. From the factory it was good and this is something that can't be put out of whack in transit.

Others might disagree with the above but I checked out a lot of stoves at the stove shop for door gasket alignment etc. They were all in great shape.

I looked at the pictures again. The smoke has no color. A good indication it is mostly steam.

 

[Highbeam]

holy hell, i'm on a steep learning curve with this stove. so i think my buddy might have nudged the catalyst when he was adjusting the bypass tension. looked up and it appears as though the catalyst is partway out (almost to the protection cover) on the left side. can't do a thing about it, as i've got a fire going in the box. MF! so, i know anytime that the catalyst is removed, you have to replace the gasket because it will fall apart. do you guys think i can just nudge it back in once the stove is cold, or do i need to pull it out and replace the gasket? how would i know? man, i feel like such a newbie with this stove! frustrating.

Just shove it back in when it cools. They can “walk” a little. Only push on the metal can around the cat element.

 

[MissMac]

Push it back in and order a new gasket. Just don't let it go. Myself and many others here have gone through the same thing you are experiencing. Some smoke is normal at the beginning of the burn cycle, 1/2 Hr +, depending on conditions but at some point it should clear up dramatically unless the cold weather makes the steam show. My wife asks me all the time "Why is the stove smoking"? If the cat goes active, as evidenced by the thermometer and or by glowing you are good. Dollar bill the bypass when you can. From the factory it was good and this is something that can't be put out of whack in transit.

Others might disagree with the above but I checked out a lot of stoves at the stove shop for door gasket alignment etc. They were all in great shape.

i have dollar billed the bypass gasket - originally i could pull the paper out without any resistance. after the small adjustment today, there is a bit of resistance but it still comes out easy. obviously it will be different from the loading door test. BKVP had suggested i tighten it by about 1/2 a turn -could only get it 1/4 cause we couldn't get the keeper nut loose to save our lives.

and thanks for the kind words. i've been fighting forest fires for 17 years now, so i'm not exactly a newbie when it comes to "fire" but this stove is making me feel like a spring chicken!

 

[MissMac]

Just shove it back in when it cools. They can “walk” a little. Only push on the metal can around the cat element.

okay, will do. any advice for things to be on the look out for that might indicate the need to replace the gasket? i've ordered a couple spares to have around the house for when the day comes...

 

[oldbluedeer]

Unless I am completely out of line. Fill your stove. Follow the directions and run with it! Guessing you will be very pleased.

9 hrs into a full load myself now. Looking like just less than half a load left.Fans on lowest setting. Don't fret a full load. Enjoy.

I am looking forward to that day. Right now I am loading 1/2 loads because any more and the smoke smell in the room is too irritating. As mentioned in another post, I am awaiting another 2' piece of chimney pipe, and an Amerivent stovetop adapter to replace the bad fitting Duravent adapter. At that point, the stove/chimney system will be up to snuff, and the smoke smell oughta go away (hoping).

 

[kf6hap]

BKVP had suggested i tighten it by about 1/2 a turn -could only get it 1/4 cause we couldn't get the keeper nut loose to save our lives.

The nut has likely galled.

Hit the nut with a propane gas torch. Mapp is better. Get that sucker hot (just the nut). The hot nut will "grow" from the heat and let go easy. Dull red, if needed. It will loosen right up. If you have an oxy-acetylene torch, it works best but is not required. Replace the nut if it galled (the threads got boogered up).Then goop it up with your favorite flavor of high temp never seize. Standard practice for stubborn nuts. Nut cracker might work too, if it will fit in.

Do not use stainless, just plain steel if replacing nut/bolt. Stainless is horrid for galling.

 

[MissMac]

I am looking forward to that day. Right now I am loading 1/2 loads because any more and the smoke smell in the room is too irritating. As mentioned in another post, I am awaiting another 2' piece of chimney pipe, and an Amerivent stovetop adapter to replace the bad fitting Duravent adapter. At that point, the stove/chimney system will be up to snuff, and the smoke smell oughta go away (hoping).

how's the door gasket on your stove? turns out mine was quite off-centred in a few places, which is what is leading to my smoke smell i think. getting some new stove rope and will be re-doing the door. and this was on a brand new stove. hope it helps.

 

[Bullyboy]

Just to add to some of the smoke smell comments that others have made. I totally agree that it's a moving target and varies by all the different setups and as was said before, the sensitivity of the nose involved. As I stated before I was getting a strong smoke smell directly above the cat thermometer, nowhere else. All the gaskets pass the bill test and I couldn't detect anything on the hinge side of the door. I had a 2ft section added to the chimney and wow, what a difference. Thought all was good. Smell was gone and even thou I never had a problem keeping the cat active it became much more stable. Thought I had it licked and then I put the ceiling fan back into the equation. It's a no go. Smell was back the same as before. So we're content to run without the ceiling fan. No big deal for us. Content again. Then the last 2 days the wife has come in and said it smells again! I think she's crazier then normal because I don't smell a thing. The solution on both days was to unplug the stove fan. Content again, the wife's happy. So I've been playing and it seems I can't run the fan if the thermostat is say under 4 o'clock. Again not a problem, were content for now but I am considering the adapter you guys are talking about. I'm sure I wouldn't of had any problems If my chimney was the right height to begin with and if my wood had 7 or 8% less moisture. I'll keep at it and encourage anybody else having issues to keep at it. These stoves seem almost to good to be true if we can all resolve the smoke issue.

 

[kf6hap]

Again not a problem, were content for now but I am considering the adapter you guys are talking about.

Try an incense stick. If it is leaking the smoke will suck into the flue.

 

[Bullyboy]

Try an incense stick. If it is leaking the smoke will suck into the flue.

I'll give that a try. Should the stove be raging or low and slow for the test?