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

[lsucet]

Everything depend on the setting of the dial. Either way flue temp are low but fans on, make the tstat stay open more. On low without fans is real low, with fans i can actually close the dial a little more for the same amount of heat but better distribution. Like mentioned before many times here, every setup is different and others can have different experience. With the same burn rate at the tstat, flue temp are little higher cause tstat saying open and wood consumption is higher but the fans extract more heat out of the stove and bottom part of the flue into the house.

 

[kgrant]

That's unreal the dealer is worried about a bit of frost with the OAK. What about all the extra moisture going up the flue without one?

I respect my dealers opinion. They've been in our town for a long time and have tons of experience.

When it's -40 (not wind chill) for weeks on end a little bit of ice will turn into allot of ice which will melt and cause mold your insulation and eventually rot the structure around it.

I think an insulated pipe OAK would work, but single wall flex is going to cause problems just like they say.

 

[allan5oh]

Then why don't all appliances that draw in outside air have this problem? sorry I just don't see it.

 

[webby3650]

I respect my dealers opinion. They've been in our town for a long time and have tons of experience.

When it's -40 (not wind chill) for weeks on end a little bit of ice will turn into allot of ice which will melt and cause mold your insulation and eventually rot the structure around it.

I think an insulated pipe OAK would work, but single wall flex is going to cause problems just like they say.

We also have had frost/condensation problems with OAKs in the past.

 

[webby3650]

Then why don't all appliances that draw in outside air have this problem? sorry I just don't see it.

Because other appliances aren’t bringing in ice cold air to a 500*+ appliance.

 

[kgrant]

What happens when you put a glass full of ice water on the counter? Condensation forms on the outside. With an insulated mug, no condensation. Same thing is going to happen with a uninsulated OAK piping.

 

[allan5oh]

I can see either installation error or too high humidity in the house (should be 35% or less at -30) will cause problems. There shouldn't be problems inside the wall, as the OAK should be sealed to the vapor barrier. The problem isn't the cold air coming in, it's the moist air going out around a bad install into the wall.

I live in Winnipeg MB and furnaces are all outside air intake, in fact you haven't been able to install an 80% efficient gas furnace in 8 years. Once you go 80%+ it's all outside air intake. Tankless natural gas heaters are the same way and no issues.

As far as moisture on the outside of the OAK inside the house, I haven't seen much issues on my parents install. Even if it was there would be so little that it wouldn't even be worth mentioning. If there's a ton that's a sign the humidity is too high in the house and there's probably much more urgent issues (window sweating, etc.) to deal with.

 

[allan5oh]

What happens when you put a glass full of ice water on the counter? Condensation forms on the outside. With an insulated mug, no condensation. Same thing is going to happen with a uninsulated OAK piping.

I have yet to see insulated air intake piping on other appliances. If it was important it would be code.

 

[jetsam]

8 hours in- 6PM, 48 outside, 74 inside. Rain is pretty much done. Stovetop fell to 310 before I stirred the coals, and the cat is inactive... this burn is over.



At this point it's pretty evident that I have a BK. Down to coal, ready to reload. (This is after I stirred it up with a poker).

I conclude that a stoveful of splitter chips lasts nowhere near as long as a stoveful of splits, but it does heat the house just fine on a shoulder season day. I'll be saving mine instead of dumping them in the woods.

 

[Poindexter]

Finally getting my winter gear out. Looking for -35dF tonight, first time in the minus 30s all season.

Given its already the 20s of January i think ill keep my shoulder season winter boots out since it should be back above -20 to stay in 2-3 weeks.

Gotta keep the wife in summer outfits tonight or she will be agitating to move somewhere crowded.

Thankfully, i have a BK.

 

[webby3650]

I have yet to see insulated air intake piping on other appliances. If it was important it would be code.

What other appliances have outside combustion air? A furnace, which uses plastic pipe and almost always runs a long distance..
What appliance has outside combustion air that is easily 500 degrees hotter than the incoming air that’s often only a few feet away?

 

[Ashful]

Breaking news: One of my Ashfords has begun making the dreaded "BK Smoke Smell".

In related news: I switched from burning 3 years seasoned oak to 2 years seasoned oak, precisely 3 days ago. I first noticed it yesterday, and confirmed it's there again tonight.

Coincidence? Could the whole thing come down to poorly seasoned wood?

I'll be back on dry wood in a few days, it will be interesting to see if this clears back up.

 

[Dieselhead]

Are you running the same settings or with this milder weather have you dialed them back a bit

 

[webby3650]

Breaking news: One of my Ashfords has begun making the dreaded "BK Smoke Smell".

In related news: I switched from burning 3 years seasoned oak to 2 years seasoned oak, precisely 3 days ago. I first noticed it yesterday, and confirmed it's there again tonight.

Coincidence? Could the whole thing come down to poorly seasoned wood?

I'll be back on dry wood in a few days, it will be interesting to see if this clears back up.

 

[tarzan]

Breaking news: One of my Ashfords has begun making the dreaded "BK Smoke Smell".

In related news: I switched from burning 3 years seasoned oak to 2 years seasoned oak, precisely 3 days ago. I first noticed it yesterday, and confirmed it's there again tonight.

Coincidence? Could the whole thing come down to poorly seasoned wood?

I'll be back on dry wood in a few days, it will be interesting to see if this clears back up.

The number of complaints vs the number of stoves sold would suggest that less than ideal fuel is not the cause. Or else BK owners are like a thousand times more likely too have ideally dry wood than any other stove owner.

 

[showrguy]

I finally installed an OAK a few days ago... Saturday...
What a difference
It's been fairly mild so I don't wanna gloat too much about it, but so far WOW, WHAT A DIFFERENCE

 

[allan5oh]

What other appliances have outside combustion air? A furnace, which uses plastic pipe and almost always runs a long distance..
What appliance has outside combustion air that is easily 500 degrees hotter than the incoming air that’s often only a few feet away?

High efficiency natural gas furnaces. High efficiency natural gas hot water tanks. All tankless natural gas water heaters. There's hundreds of thousands of these in Winnipeg without issue.

500f a few feet away isn't relevant

 

[webby3650]

High efficiency natural gas furnaces. High efficiency natural gas hot water tanks. All tankless natural gas water heaters. There's hundreds of thousands of these in Winnipeg without issue.

500f a few feet away isn't relevant

Ok so water heaters and furnaces. Both are equipped with drains to trap the constant condensation, neither of which have external temperature that exceed room temperature by even 20 degrees. It’s a totally different animal is my point. Apples and oranges. Condensation is a real problem on single wall OAKs in many environments, particularly when there are a lot of temperature swings during the burning season.

 

[kgrant]

High efficiency natural gas furnaces. High efficiency natural gas hot water tanks. All tankless natural gas water heaters. There's hundreds of thousands of these in Winnipeg without issue.

500f a few feet away isn't relevant

The only other heater I've used with outside combustion air is a Toyotomi and Monitor heater. They both use a concentric vent.

The other thing that may make a difference is a wood stove is drafting 24/7 while other equipment cycles on and off.

 

[webby3650]

The only other heater I've used with outside combustion air is a Toyotomi and Monitor heater. They both use a concentric vent.

The other thing that may make a difference is a wood stove is drafting 24/7 while other equipment cycles on and off.

Most water heaters use concentric venting. Condensation is dealt with internally.

 

[becasunshine]

8 hours in- 6PM, 48 outside, 74 inside. Rain is pretty much done. Stovetop fell to 310 before I stirred the coals, and the cat is inactive... this burn is over.

View attachment 221486

At this point it's pretty evident that I have a BK. Down to coal, ready to reload. (This is after I stirred it up with a poker).

I conclude that a stoveful of splitter chips lasts nowhere near as long as a stoveful of splits, but it does heat the house just fine on a shoulder season day. I'll be saving mine instead of dumping them in the woods.

Heck, sometimes that belly full of coal is all you need on a shoulder day or a milder overnight. Burn it down to ash! Gives you a good opportunity to squeeze out every BTU, shovel nothing but ash out of the stove, and an easier clean out.

 

[Poindexter]

@Ashful , looking forward to objective, data backed insight.

It is logically obvious that no man made product is going to be 100% perfect coming off a factory line - but 80% of the burn problems on this web site are wood too wet for the performance desired.

Best wishes.

 

[Poindexter]

And we're off. Temp has dropped from -15 to -24 in three hours. Living room is +84dF, i am running 14%MC spruce at full throttle with the deck fans on high.

I can see the reflection of my combustor glow on the ceramic tile hearth from across the room.

When the wife gets home from coffee with her friend girl i wanna see a trail of clothing on the floor between the front door and the wood stove.

I got no caribou left in the freezer, and less than 12 sockeye filets. I got to get busy with hunting and fishing as soon as the ice goes out. Or move to California and start buying feed lot beef.

Counting on @BKVP to help me keep my man card another year.

 

[kgrant]

Most water heaters use concentric venting. Condensation is dealt with internally.

I've found a few threads where pellet stove guys are having ice buildup on their combustion air piping. To deal with the water they're putting towels under them and fans.

 

[AlbergSteve]

@Ashful , looking forward to objective, data backed insight.

Me too....