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

[Highbeam]

I like Jetsam’s answer better than the one I was going to give.

There are a few reasons for installing a key damper:

1. I’ve been having problems with my combustor clogging with fly ash on the stove with a longer flue. When I watch a fire burn on high (as I do for the first 30 minutes of each burn cycle), the action in the stove is what I would call “furious”, with ash and flame blowing all over. I can actually watch an almost continuous curtain of flames leaping from air wash right into the combustor.

2. When I measure draft on high, it’s always above 0.15” WC. BK manual specifies 0.06” maximum, anything higher will void warranty.

3. I am having coaling problems, probably more related to my always-high heat load and burning oak, but I’m always looking to get as much heat output thru that coaling phase as possible. Aaronk’s comments about draft, as it relates to air wash and coaling, have me thinking I might see an improvement if I get my draft down close to their nominal .05” number.

I would expect an efficiency improvement as well due to to lowering the draft speed to spec. Your heated effluent will spend much more time in the stove and in the flue where it can give up that heat. Slower velocity through the cat too.

 

[webby3650]

Stove is burning noticeably better. We're back to normal! Will definitely order gasket material, will probably order a spare CAT to have on hand. Right now the HVAC guy is under the house trying to figure out why the gas furnace is flaking on us. We'll have to pay *that* bill too, so it may be next month before we order the spare CAT.

Thank y'all again for your help!

My cat is on it’s 3rd season of 24/7 heating. I certainly don’t have the extreme weather like some of the other folks on here do, but it runs pretty much continuously from November through March.
It’s currently 0F here. My cat probe still pegs pretty regularly, the cat still acts new for the most part. I think your cat will be just fine for a long time to come, with a little annual cleaning. I’ve never pulled my cat and don’t plan on it.

 

[tarzan]

I have constant problems with my cat clogging also. For this reason, I will be going back to a ceramic on my next cat purchase.

I'm glad your doing this though. It will be interesting to view your findings with what BK considers proper draft vs warranty voiding draft.

 

[Ashful]

Ashful, on which stove do you get the shorters burn? on the short or taller chimney?

The stove on the taller chimney has an enormous heat load, it's on the second level of a 4-story section of our house, which is gross 1000 sq.ft. per floor of un-insulated mud-stacked stone with windows and doors from the 1700's. So, I've not even spent much time testing how long that one can burn, I usually need more heat than it would produce on the lowest settings.

The one on the short (15'ish feet) chimney is in a much smaller addition, heating maybe less than 1500 sq.ft., two-thirds of which is well-insulated modern construction. So, the long burn time numbers I have published have all been from that stove.

I believe I could actually turn the stove on the taller chimney down farther than the one on the short chimney, but I will likely never find out.

 

[becasunshine]

My cat is on it’s 3rd season of 24/7 heating. I certainly don’t have the extreme weather like some of the other folks on here do, but it runs pretty much continuously from November through March.
It’s currently 0F here. My cat probe still pegs pretty regularly, the cat still acts new for the most part. I think your cat will be just fine for a long time to come, with a little annual cleaning. I’ve never pulled my cat and don’t plan on it.

Wow on the CAT picture! Yes, by comparison, ours looks nearly new to brand new once we vacuumed the fly ash off of it. It really wasn't that much of a big deal to vacuum it. The hardest part was wrangling the telescoping stove pipe. LOL, that was a comedy skit all by itself. The telescoping stove pipes refused to telescope in the desired direction- STOOPID GRAVITY. LOL. Also, we felt a bit under the gun because the furnace wasn't running.

The HVAC tech did get to us last night, which was great. He's ordered parts for the furnace, but it will be at least a week to a week and a half before the parts come in and the crew has an open appointment to install them. Everyone's heating systems out here took a beating over the past few weeks.

We're so thankful for this stove.

 

[webby3650]

Wow on the CAT picture! Yes, by comparison, ours looks nearly new to brand new once we vacuumed the fly ash off of it. It really wasn't that much of a big deal to vacuum it. The hardest part was wrangling the telescoping stove pipe. LOL, that was a comedy skit all by itself. The telescoping stove pipes refused to telescope in the desired direction- STOOPID GRAVITY. LOL. Also, we felt a bit under the gun because the furnace wasn't running.

The HVAC tech did get to us last night, which was great. He's ordered parts for the furnace, but it will be at least a week to a week and a half before the parts come in and the crew has an open appointment to install them. Everyone's heating systems out here took a beating over the past few weeks.

We're so thankful for this stove.

Just think, if it wasn’t for Hearth.com you wouldn’t have an operational stove or a furnace! Glad we could get you going again.

 

[shoot-straight]

My cat is on it’s 3rd season of 24/7 heating. I certainly don’t have the extreme weather like some of the other folks on here do, but it runs pretty much continuously from November through March.
It’s currently 0F here. My cat probe still pegs pretty regularly, the cat still acts new for the most part. I think your cat will be just fine for a long time to come, with a little annual cleaning. I’ve never pulled my cat and don’t plan on it.

Always amazed at people who pin their cat. Mine had never gotten anywhere close to that. Boy if i could find a used princess, I would swap it out to test how it would heat vs my ashford. I bet it would be a big difference. Not a fan of thier looks though.

 

[becasunshine]

Just think, if it wasn’t for Hearth.com you wouldn’t have an operational stove or a furnace! Glad we could get you going again.

EXACTLY! and thank you to all! <3

 

[Diabel]

My cat is on it’s 3rd season of 24/7 heating. I certainly don’t have the extreme weather like some of the other folks on here do, but it runs pretty much continuously from November through March.
It’s currently 0F here. My cat probe still pegs pretty regularly, the cat still acts new for the most part. I think your cat will be just fine for a long time to come, with a little annual cleaning. I’ve never pulled my cat and don’t plan on it.

Webby,

That cat is pushing 1700-1800 easily! Very nice.
Is the Princess indeed a better heater than its cousins (Ashford, Chinook and the other one)?

 

[webby3650]

Webby,

That cat is pushing 1700-1800 easily! Very nice.
Is the Princess indeed a better heater than its cousins (Ashford, Chinook and the other one)?

I had the Ashford and then the Princess on the same chimney. I liked the Ashford, I did. It was beautiful and had great burn times. It just wasn’t the heater that the princess is. I like the radiant heat that comes from a steel stove, no need to soften it with a jacket. I run on lower settings and the cat stays active with no effort at all. The steel cat would struggle at times with stalling at low burns, never happens with the ceramic cat. That’s not necessarily an Ashford issue, but a steel cat issue. They lack the thermal mass of a ceramic cat and fall out way sooner, although they fire up quicker. I’m more interested in the extended burn rather than quick fire up. So ya, after having both, I much prefer the Princess! I loved my King too by the way.

 

[Diabel]

I had the Ashford and then the Princess on the same chimney. I liked the Ashford, I did. It was beautiful and had great burn times. It just wasn’t the heater that the princess is. I like the radiant heat that comes from a steel stove, no need to soften it with a jacket. I run on lower settings and the cat stays active with no effort at all. The steel cat would struggle at times with stalling at low burns, never happens with the ceramic cat. That’s not necessarily an Ashford issue, but a steel cat issue. They lack the thermal mass of a ceramic cat and fall out way sooner, although they fire up quicker. I’m more interested in the extended burn rather than quick fire up. So ya, after having both, I much prefer the Princess! I loved my King too by the way.

Thank you very much for a good concise write up.
If I could only convince the better half in terms of looks of the Princess.......
I could always cover it it in the summer and keep the lights out in the heating months.....yeah this can work!! Haha

 

[webby3650]

Thank you very much for a good concise write up.
If I could only convince the better half in terms of looks of the Princess.......
I could always cover it it in the summer and keep the lights out in the heating months.....yeah this can work!! Haha

Ya, I’ve done pretty... they heat, but not like the Princess!

 

[Woody Stover]

I would expect an efficiency improvement as well due to to lowering the draft speed to spec. Your heated effluent will spend much more time in the stove and in the flue where it can give up that heat. Slower velocity through the cat too.

Burning slow with the air closed may work fine for you, but we that live where it gets cold more than occasionally have got the air open right now.

Always amazed at people who pin their cat. Mine had never gotten anywhere close to that. Boy if i could find a used princess, I would swap it out to test how it would heat vs my ashford.

Not sure about the BKs but on my stove, high cat temp in that localized area of the stove top doesn't mean maximum heat. I've been throwing just one split of Cherry on top of the coals and running a bit flame in the box. Doing that kicks in the cat again, but the flame in the box is definitely getting the sides of the stove hotter. I'm down to coals right now so I'm gonna try it again now with a Red Oak split. Seems like with a full load of White Oak or BL, it's harder to keep flame going in the box with the air still fairly closed. I also think that with a relatively empty box, the flame can radiate the sides of the stove better. I think that @Poindexter is doing something similar when he throws on loads of Pine or Aspen and lets 'er eat. I'm hoping I can get results with the air still fairly closed, like 1.2 out of 4 on my lever.

 

[Highbeam]

Burning slow with the air closed may work fine for you, but we that live where it gets cold more than occasionally have got the air open right now.
Not sure about the BKs but on my stove, high cat temp in that localized area of the stove top doesn't mean maximum heat. I've been throwing just one split of Cherry on top of the coals and running a bit flame in the box. Doing that kicks in the cat again, but the flame in the box is definitely getting the sides of the stove hotter. I'm down to coals right now so I'm gonna try it again now with a Red Oak split. Seems like with a full load of White Oak or BL, it's harder to keep flame going in the box with the air still fairly closed. I also think that with a relatively empty box, the flame can radiate the sides of the stove better. I think that @Poindexter is doing something similar when he throws on loads of Pine or Aspen and let's 'er rip. I'm hoping I can get results with the air still fairly closed, like 1.2 out of 4 on my lever.

Seems to me that lower draft strength will help efficiency at all output levels. Even for those stoves that are unable to burn slowly or have a narrow range of available outputs.

 

[showrguy]

Burning slow with the air closed may work fine for you, but we that live where it gets cold more than occasionally have got the air open right now.
Not sure about the BKs but on my stove, high cat temp in that localized area of the stove top doesn't mean maximum heat. I've been throwing just one split of Cherry on top of the coals and running a bit flame in the box. Doing that kicks in the cat again, but the flame in the box is definitely getting the sides of the stove hotter. I'm down to coals right now so I'm gonna try it again now with a Red Oak split. Seems like with a full load of White Oak or BL, it's harder to keep flame going in the box with the air still fairly closed. I also think that with a relatively empty box, the flame can radiate the sides of the stove better. I think that @Poindexter is doing something similar when he throws on loads of Pine or Aspen and lets 'er eat. I'm hoping I can get results with the air still fairly closed, like 1.2 out of 4 on my lever.

Woody, do you have a BK Stove ??
I see you on this thread all the time talking different things about you're CAT< and your stove, but I dunno what you're true motivation is ??

 

[lsucet]

The stove on the taller chimney has an enormous heat load, it's on the second level of a 4-story section of our house, which is gross 1000 sq.ft. per floor of un-insulated mud-stacked stone with windows and doors from the 1700's. So, I've not even spent much time testing how long that one can burn, I usually need more heat than it would produce on the lowest settings.

The one on the short (15'ish feet) chimney is in a much smaller addition, heating maybe less than 1500 sq.ft., two-thirds of which is well-insulated modern construction. So, the long burn time numbers I have published have all been from that stove.

I believe I could actually turn the stove on the taller chimney down farther than the one on the short chimney, but I will likely never find out.

Thank you for the answer. I asked cause i am getting shorters burn on the new install. the different is not that much, just less amount of coals on reloads. I am finding little by little how low i can go on the dial without stall it. The new install is taller about 4' plus 75% of the chimney is indoor. the old install is shorter and 75% of the chimney is outdoor.lol.
The new install on reloads takes off nice and quick to the point that a few minutes later i have to dial it about 3 o'clock to slow down the flames, char the wood and tun it to low. If i let it wide open the flames are crazy fast like a torch.

 

[Dieselhead]

Woody, do you have a BK Stove ??
I see you on this thread all the time talking different things about you're CAT< and your stove, but I dunno what you're true motivation is ??

Many have him on block, many probably just scroll past. He lives vicariously through us.

 

[jetsam]

It's a little weird when people talk to the Woodies from Ignoresville, though, and it's even more surreal when they argue with them about stuff. The arguments look like this:


A: I don't think that's true.

A: Well, that's not how it works for me. Here's a photo for proof. You don't have to get nasty about it.

A: Look, I'm not the one trolling threads for stoves I don't have. Being passive-aggressive doesn't make you civil.

A: Let it go already. I am putting you on ignore now.

 

[Woody Stover]

Woody, do you have a BK Stove...I dunno what you're true motivation is ??

If you read my last post, I was addressing @shoot-straight's comment on webby's high cat temp, commenting that a high cat temp doesn't necessarily mean the highest heat output from the stove. He seemed to be saying that he would welcome more heat, so outlined my latest method of getting more heat out of my cat stove by running some flame in a relatively empty box, only a couple splits. Some of my other posts are to help the BK thread remain "fair and balanced." You may have gathered from my posts that I don't have a BK stove, or that if I ever had one, it is now sold. Do I need to buy a BK to post on this thread? Can I just buy one of the dog beds?

Many have him on block, many probably just scroll past. He lives vicariously through us.

Well, there are two that said they have me on "ignore," but there may be more, who knows? Maybe many more scroll past, as you say, rather than read. 'Ya can't teach 'em if they don't wanna learn.' It's the learners that I'm talking to. Living vicariously? Actually it would be more like dying vicariously, with all the battles BK owners seem to be having with their stoves lately.
You'll be happy to know that the iron boot has come down on me lately, and my posts are getting clipped if they cut too close to the bone..or if I get too snarky (that I can understand.) 'Big brother is watching.'

It's a little weird when people talk to the Woodies from Ignoresville,

I don't hold it against you. Do you still get an alert when I like one of your posts?
I haven't seen the other Woody post lately..hmmm, don't see him in the members list either. He mighta got 'disappeared!' I wonder if they give you an official warning that you are about to be 'suicided?'

 

[becasunshine]

I ordered a spare combustor (ceramic) to keep on the shelf here. Thank you for the head's up about price- it kept me looking and saved me from paying the initial higher prices that popped up on a search.

That was an enlightening exercise. I had no idea that different manufacturers made CATs for all sorts of stoves. For some reason (no idea why) I thought I'd be buying a proprietary Blaze King product/part either from the Blaze King web site (nope, found out you can only buy parts through authorized dealers) or through an authorized dealer.

This is the combustor I ordered, for $184.95 on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0754MT2NM/?tag=hearthamazon-20

The combustor apparently comes pre-wrapped in gasket.

I searched and searched on Amazon for combustor gasket, using every search term I could think up, including but not limited to "Interam gasket." I just could not get combustor gasket to fall out of Amazon and into my outstretched hands. I'd hoped to find it on Amazon to avoid shipping charges if possible.

Ended up ordering three feet of gasket from Mountain View Hearth Products and paying shipping. That's fine. Mountain View Hearth Products did well by us with all sorts of gaskets and the occasional replacement part when we kept a pellet stove running for years. I like supporting them.

Thank you all for your help and input!

 

[Highbeam]

I ordered a spare combustor (ceramic) to keep on the shelf here. Thank you for the head's up about price- it kept me looking and saved me from paying the initial higher prices that popped up on a search.

That was an enlightening exercise. I had no idea that different manufacturers made CATs for all sorts of stoves. For some reason (no idea why) I thought I'd be buying a proprietary Blaze King product/part either from the Blaze King web site (nope, found out you can only buy parts through authorized dealers) or through an authorized dealer.

This is the combustor I ordered, for $184.95 on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0754MT2NM/?tag=hearthamazon-20

The combustor apparently comes pre-wrapped in gasket.

I searched and searched on Amazon for combustor gasket, using every search term I could think up, including but not limited to "Interam gasket." I just could not get combustor gasket to fall out of Amazon and into my outstretched hands. I'd hoped to find it on Amazon to avoid shipping charges if possible.

Ended up ordering three feet of gasket from Mountain View Hearth Products and paying shipping. That's fine. Mountain View Hearth Products did well by us with all sorts of gaskets and the occasional replacement part when we kept a pellet stove running for years. I like supporting them.

Thank you all for your help and input!

That’s the cat I’m burning right now. Made big applied ceramics who also sells them to bk. It’s the oem cat. Excellent performance. I’m sticking with ceramic!

In fact, if I ever switch to a 30 box then I would be tempted to upgrade to ceramic. It looks to be the same size.

I see no good reason to buy cat gasket by itself. It’s cheap but the cat is accessible for cleaning when installed in the stove. The new cats come with new gaskets. Save your 6$ for a nice beverage.

 

[jetsam]

I am currently burning a steel cat in a princess insert, which comes with ceramic. I do not see much of a difference so far. I really like not worrying avout thermal shock. Maybe I'll dislike it in shoulder season when I am burning much lower.

 

[jetsam]

I see no good reason to buy cat gasket by itself. It’s cheap but the cat is accessible for cleaning when installed in the stove. The new cats come with new gaskets. Save your 6$ for a nice beverage.

If you ever need to pull a cat for whatever reason, you'll be glad you invested the $6. I used a piece of my spare to shim a rattling bracket in my fan mount too!

 

[becasunshine]

That’s the cat I’m burning right now. Made big applied ceramics who also sells them to bk. It’s the oem cat. Excellent performance. I’m sticking with ceramic!

In fact, if I ever switch to a 30 box then I would be tempted to upgrade to ceramic. It looks to be the same size.

I see no good reason to buy cat gasket by itself. It’s cheap but the cat is accessible for cleaning when installed in the stove. The new cats come with new gaskets. Save your 6$ for a nice beverage.

LOL. Actually the gasket kind of ended up being embarrassing expensive (for gasket) with the shipping added on, which did cause me to think multiple times about it.

I have a traumatic experience with vacuuming up (and tearing) a combustion motor mount gasket in our pellet stove without another one on hand- so I'm a big believer in spare gaskets.

Ultimately I ordered a spare gasket because I can see us doing the whole "boiling vinegar bath" exercise with this original CAT at least once before we retire it- because we like to know how to do things like that.

I did some additional poking around, and while I could find interam gasket for cheaper by the foot than it lists at Mountain View Hearth Products, the shipping on the other (less expensive) sites was MULTIPLE TIMES Mountain View's flat rate shipping charge of $9.95. So, it's gasket, we'll have it, and with shipping included it's more like the cost of a decent lunch out here for the two of us. Do I enjoy lunch? YOU BETCHA. But what I enjoy more than lunch IS THE ABSENCE OF FRUSTRATION BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE THAT GASKET IN MY HANDS.

Thank you for the endorsement on the CAT purchase! I was a bit anxious about whether I'd made the right choice. Now I feel better.

 

[Tegbert]

https://www.firecatcombustors.com/ACIG-2-p/sku_acig-2.htm

Has the gasket for the future if you need it. Last time I ordered 10 feet of it and it was free shipping.

I like having spares on hand just in case.


Lopi Rockport
Blaze King Ashford 25