2018-19 Blaze King Performance Thread Part 1 (Everything BK)

[BKVP]

Ah, yes, the old "brillo pad" cat. It pops up here every once in a while.No, it's like a luffa..very porous. Those bass turds ripped me off, never shipped my second unit and failed to respond to multiple emails. I put the one I got in my SIL's Dutchwest. It worked OK for a while, but I wasn't there to observe it as much as I would have if it was in my own stove at home.
View attachment 237318

The industry name for this type is reticulated-foam combustor.

 

[BKVP]

The new cat I got from applied ceramics was also built out of three squares banded together. I’ve never seen a ceramic bk cat that was one solid piece except the really old round ones.

Woodstock cats are the same way.

It’s never been a problem but if it bothers you then a steelcat is a single chunk.

We have used blocks since 1983...Highbeam is correct.

 

[BKVP]

I found that I could clog the steelcat in one of my Ashfords after just a few hours of burning it on a high setting. I cleaned and re-clogged it several times, very repeatable. On lower settings, it never seemed to clog, and so my theory was that turbulence generated by my very tall (30 feet) chimney would stir up enough fly ash at higher burn rates, to cause the problem.

I checked my draft, and found it was running around 0.18”WC on a high burn, whereas BK spec’s 0.06”WC maximum. I installed a key damper, and used that to dial the stove down to 0.05”WC on a high burn, before I’d set it to whatever burn rate I intended for that load. It seemed to work great for the rest of that year, and I experienced no more clogs for the remainder of that year using the original SteelCat.

This year, I noticed the cat was starting to fade and was due for replacement, I probably had close to 15,000 hours on it. I replaced it with a ceramic cat, which I figured might be even less prone to clogging due the larger passages, but I’m not really sure that is true. Either way, I’m still using the key damper to dial the stove to an ideal 0.05”WC on a high setting, and have had no further trouble with cat clogging.

BKVP’s comment about adjusting the door has me embarrassed. I have never touched the door adjustment on either of my stoves, and I have over 30 cords thru the pair of them. I’ve asked before how one checks the tension on this stove, the dollar bill test doesn’t seem to work like it did on my past stoves, given the overlap in the castings. One stove is noticeably tighter than the other on door handle feel, but both achieve my desired burn times without any issues. If there is a written procedure for checking door tension on an Ashford, I’d appreciate someone posting it, or maybe I need to dig out the manual and see if I just missed it in there. I did NOT use it for my first fire, Chris. :lol

I'll come to your house and show you how to do it! Break out the good stuff. I'll pm you some pictures in the next few days....

 

[tarzan]

I'll come to your house and show you how to do it! Break out the good stuff. I'll pm you some pictures in the next few days....

I see what you did there!

You just need to manage to get six of those super premium beers out of Ashfuls fridge and your totally reimbursed for your expenses.

 

[chemie]

I'll come to your house and show you how to do it! Break out the good stuff. I'll pm you some pictures in the next few days....

If you ever come to NYC, come and show me too. Even though door handle in our AF25 is still firm, it feels like a bit “jiggly” as compared to brand new condition of 3 months ago.

 

[kennyp2339]

I see what you did there!

You just need to manage to get six of those beers out of Ashfuls fridge and your totally re-inversed for your expenses.

I can see the 2 of them betting each other who can blow and hold a .25 the longest on his wall mounted manometer.

 

[chemie]

I need help with the door handle of the stove. Today I felt in the morning load that it felt “jiggly” now in the night load I could hardly open the door as if it is stuck. When I was closing the door after the load I had to push the handle so hard and I could see the other end of the door moved. I dont want to damage door alignment and cause further problems.What could be the reason? I didnt feel anything until this morning. Do I need to lube something? Or loose some screws where the door handle is?

 

[webby3650]

I need help with the door handle of the stove. Today I felt in the morning load that it felt “jiggly” now in the night load I could hardly open the door as if it is stuck. When I was closing the door after the load I had to push the handle so hard and I could see the other end of the door moved. I dont want to damage door alignment and cause further problems.What could be the reason? I didnt feel anything until this morning. Do I need to lube something? Or loose some screws where the door handle is?

There’s a brass bushing that the handle grabs inside the latch mechanism. Is it intact and free?

 

[chemie]

There’s a brass bushing that the handle grabs inside the latch mechanism. Is it intact and free?

I closed the door of the stove. It is running hot now.
I will look at it in the morning.
Do I need to unassembledsomething to see if brass bushing is damaged? Forgive me if it is so obvious question. I am not so bad with theoretical stuff but absolutely not a handy person.

 

[jetsam]

Late night stove tea brewing!

 

[Highbeam]

View attachment 237384

Late night stove tea brewing!

Weird. Never have done that!

 

[kf6hap]

I make sauerkraut next to my Ashford.

 

[chemie]

I took the pictures of the door handle in the morning.
It is so stiff. I could hardly open and close the door. I loosened the marked hex nut but didn’t help. I dont see any creosote build up or anything that could make it stiff.
Should I use WD-40 or some lubricant?

 

[mcdeadstein]

I need help with the door handle of the stove. Today I felt in the morning load that it felt “jiggly” now in the night load I could hardly open the door as if it is stuck. When I was closing the door after the load I had to push the handle so hard and I could see the other end of the door moved. I dont want to damage door alignment and cause further problems.What could be the reason? I didnt feel anything until this morning. Do I need to lube something? Or loose some screws where the door handle is?

FWIW, next time you open the stove check the bottom gasket/ledge where the door closes. I got some buildup of ash and even had a couple larger pieces of coal fall into that area. I noticed it immediately because the door was really hard to close i opened it and brushed/scraped off the gasket and cleaned the ledge of the firebox to clear it off embers and ash. it won't take much build up there if it is close to the hinge side to cause the door to be harder to close.

 

[maple1]

View attachment 237390View attachment 237391

I took the pictures of the door handle in the morning.
It is so stiff. I could hardly open and close the door. I loosened the marked hex nut but didn’t help. I dont see any creosote build up or anything that could make it stiff.
Should I use WD-40 or some lubricant?

I'm no BK tech, but my first instinct would be take that all apart, clean it, and lube with graphite lube.

Maybe there is a bit of galling somewhere in that assembly? But would think if so, disassembly would still be needed. And some filing/sanding of the galled part.

 

[chazcarr]

Just sent a message to my dealer and hopefully this won't be a big issue, but my stove keeps having an issue where it won't turn down.
Here is the the stat setting:
and this is the firebox:
With the fan on as high as it goes, this is the cat temp:


It stays like this for about 30-60 minutes before it starts to calm down. Otherwise it just rages. There is no clinking sound on the turn down like normal, and no whistling noise. It is like the knob does nothing. Moving it up or down does not change the fire intensity.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do, thank you.

 

[chemie]

FWIW, next time you open the stove check the bottom gasket/ledge where the door closes. I got some buildup of ash and even had a couple larger pieces of coal fall into that area. I noticed it immediately because the door was really hard to close i opened it and brushed/scraped off the gasket and cleaned the ledge of the firebox to clear it off embers and ash. it won't take much build up there if it is close to the hinge side to cause the door to be harder to close.

I already cleaned the gasket/ledge but it is the latch itself does barely operate even when the door open.

 

[chemie]

I'm no BK tech, but my first instinct would be take that all apart, clean it, and lube with graphite lube.

Maybe there is a bit of galling somewhere in that assembly? But would think if so, disassembly would still be needed. And some filing/sanding of the galled part.

I was able to remove hex nut that is connected to allen bolt but I cant budge the allen bolt no matter how hard I tried.

 

[Ashful]

I can see the 2 of them betting each other who can blow and hold a .25 the longest on his wall mounted manometer.

I do tend to stock the high-ABV stuff.

 

[Ashful]

I was able to remove hex nut that is connected to allen bolt but I cant budge the allen bolt no matter how hard I tried.

Just to be clear, since people are suggesting you look at the gasket and stuff... this handle is hard to move when the stove door is open, not just when you’re latching it. Right?

 

[jetsam]

I do tend to stock the high-ABV stuff.

He meant to say "breathalyzer", not "manometer".

 

[jetsam]

Just sent a message to my dealer and hopefully this won't be a big issue, but my stove keeps having an issue where it won't turn down.
Here is the the stat setting:
View attachment 237393and this is the firebox:View attachment 237394
With the fan on as high as it goes, this is the cat temp:
View attachment 237395

It stays like this for about 30-60 minutes before it starts to calm down. Otherwise it just rages. There is no clinking sound on the turn down like normal, and no whistling noise. It is like the knob does nothing. Moving it up or down does not change the fire intensity.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do, thank you.

Check the set screw on the knob and make sure that it is actually turning the shaft. Does the knob rotate freely or does it stop turning normally?

 

[chemie]

Just to be clear, since people are suggesting you look at the gasket and stuff... this handle is hard to move when the stove door is open, not just when you’re latching it. Right?

Correct. The problem is handle itself.

 

[chemie]

Correct. The problem is handle itself.

I found these in garage left from previous owner. Should I use them to give me lubrication to the handle?

 

[mcdeadstein]

I found these in garage left from previous owner. Should I use them to give me lubrication to the handle?View attachment 237403

Given how hot the stove gets i'd steer away from oil lubricants as they might degrade and make the problem worse once they gum up. That's my .02 on it. Give it a shot of 3 in1 just to see if it improves things though i don't think would hurt.

it almost seems like something must have got bent or warped to cause such difficulty moving the handle at all. I'll take a look at mine when i get home and see if I can provide more insight for you as a fellow AF25 owner.