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

[drhiii]

Congrats to you and your new stove, now you'll know what we mean when we say " blaze kings are boring "...
You also are gonna need to change you sig line !!

Ops... I see that. Will do. After I come back to my senses. I keep returning to the stove to..... look at it. Not bored yet, but can see that. This first experience has me giddy...

 

[drhiii]

I suspect that much of the issue with smoke spillage has to do with the very low flue temperatures (very high efficiency) these stoves run. I suspect that if you flip over to bypass before going out to fetch your wood, and let the flue warm up for five minutes while you do that chore, that all smoke spillage will be averted when you come back and open the front door.

Yessir. Flue temps. Figured out your recommendation. Will do.

 

[RustyShackleford]

I pull the rigid part of my shop vac hose off so all I have is the soft rubber hose and that thing can actually be pressed onto the entire face of the cat all the way to the top. It’s the smaller 1.25” hose.

Hmm, unfortunately my shopvac hose is huge (that's what SHE said) and the end of my regular vac hose is rigid; maybe I can jury rig something.

I do not recommend removing the cat until you’re ready to replace it.

How come ? I guess there's the general dictum "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I understand the fragility issue, but that's not really a concern with the one with a steel substrate, is it ?

You can stick your phone up there and take a photo into the cells to verify that they’re clear.

Didn't know it'd focus that close. Can backlight by sticking some light up the bypass damper I guess.

Really, the bypass tension isn’t the most critical thing. If the bypass lever still engages with a decent click as it cams over then I don’t mess with it. The gasket is small and hard and doesn’t compress much.

Yeah, the last time I checked out mine close up, it didn't really seem like the extra click did much; that heavy steel plate is already lying firmly atop the gasket (even before the click).

Actually, the reason I as messing with it was that I wasn't getting a good seal (dollar-bill test). The problem was the frame that holds the gasket had sagged some. I straightened it out by putting a bottle jack inside the firebox and gently pushing - scary though. BK should think about reinforcing that section a little better.

 

[chemie]

Well... 16 hours later. Still heating. Dang. This drafty 110 year old house snug as a bug. Was amazed. Kept thinking I am going to need to get up after a few hours and do something because I did not fill the firebox, thinking I need to ease into this. So I get up out of habit hours later and.... stare at it. Doing just fine. Back to zzzsssss.

First fire and what ease in? I am amazed. And where are all the damn ashes? In the prior wood stove, I would be shoveling every 3-5 days. The missus hates that.

So like many hours later I finally see I could add some splits to the coals, open it up, and....

Let's see now. Outside temps a balmy low to mid 30s. Nippy to me where may pull out a sweater is when things get to say, 0. Scant ashes after my first burn where I made no attempt at wood selection. Just random stuff where I am usually meticulous about types. Then E/W v. N/S loads, blah blah blah. I see I could have easily gone a couple more hours past 16 on mebbe a 60% load in the firebox. So get the idea that I may use a little less wood. Gee, no kidding. It took an effort to get this place to a consistent 67-68 no matter the temp outside with other stove. House stayed 71-72 all nite, into the wee hours, into the morning, into the late morning. With the thing dialed way back. Like to waaaaaay back.

And where'd the ashes go?

Just reloaded, mebbe to 1/3rd of the firebox, dialed it waaaay back again, and I guess I will look at it, ummm, in a few+ hours??

My only issue I need to work out is puffing into the house when I opened it up to add some splits. Ya, opened the cat bypass and and air intake (whatever that is termed), and already had windows opened... was a master at this with prior stove setup. So will figger this technique out. And I know what that is. Get the flue temp up to re-establish a draft. Got that covered. Which was another thing I noticed... I always keep a thermometer on the stove piping. It is registering less than 1/2 of the prior stove.

I have factory fans that I suppose I will install. When I need to bake cookies in the other room. Oh, 1850 sq ft old Victorian house, Colorado.

I know, not news to ya'll's. And this is on not impressive wood. I easily see I will need to mix distro of primo wood which I did not come close to this first burn. I am guessing if I load up with well seasoned Colorado pinon which is one of my goto's when things get below 0, I might end up with a nuclear reactor.

All in all... damn.. someone said fanboy one day? Erm, there now. Knew I would. But knowing and experiencing... two diff things. What am I going to do with all this potential leisure time now? Naw, more than enough to do.

Glad to hear a positive experience. We are counting days to operate our the first insert BK Ashford 25. Sometimes when I read about problems , I get worried that if we may have similar problems. For example, there was a recent post about problem of less than ideal burn time of BK and people were commenting it could be too much draft because of 30 ft chimney. We have about 25 feet flue line. So without even having our first fire, I get worried that if we will have too much draft problem

 

[Highbeam]

Actually, the reason I as messing with it was that I wasn't getting a good seal (dollar-bill test). The problem was the frame that holds the gasket had sagged some. I straightened it out by putting a bottle jack inside the firebox and gently pushing - scary though. BK should think about reinforcing that section a little better.

Yeah, I've had a bottle jack in mine once too. Better than more reinforcement might be removable, bolt in, retainers. I think BK did that for the new 25 boxes. My retainers have been holding up well since the adjustment.

My apple phones have had no problem focusing that close to the cat and the onboard flash was enough to illuminate the cells to verify they were open.

There is no reason to remove the cat for normal cleaning. It is accessible enough installed and removing it brings on risk of physical damage and of course the gasket costs money. I did the vinegar wash and it worked for a while but the cost of materials was not justified compared to the cost of a new cat.

Some folks, especially high burn rate people with steel cats, have had clogged cats and if that happens you need to unclog it anyway you can even if that means pulling it out of the stove.


If I was replacing the bypass gasket then I would want the cat out of the way. Also would remove the bypass plate for better access.

 

[drhiii]

Glad to hear a positive experience. We are counting days to operate our the first insert BK Ashford 25. Sometimes when I read about problems , I get worried that if we may have similar problems. For example, there was a recent post about problem of less than ideal burn time of BK and people were commenting it could be too much draft because of 30 ft chimney. We have about 25 feet flue line. So without even having our first fire, I get worried that if we will have too much draft problem

The saged group here will no doubt work through any issues you may have. Tho have had decades of firewood cutting and wood stove burning experience, I still read and reread BK threads before acquiring this Princess and found this to be a lively, very willing to pitch in group.

And I trust I will be corrected on this, but would far rather have too much draft than too little, as the former can be managed. I continue to be amazed at the performance of this BKP.. and am barely 24 hours into it. Very easy and responsive to manage. My biggest challenge is deciding on whether I want to go harvest 2 more cords of exclusive and high BTU wood, or not. More effort to harvest. Yeah.. I will. Being in the great outdoors is the ticket. Will say, I can see where this is going already. This initial experience changes everything about the types and amounts of wood to harvest. A great problem to have.

You'll do great..

 

[RustyShackleford]

Y
If I was replacing the bypass gasket then I would want the cat out of the way. Also would remove the bypass plate for better access.

Yeah, wish I'd known the bypass plate was so easily removable when I replaced the gasket a couple years back.

How did I learn this ? Well, I went ahead and pulled my steel cat out - glad I did, it was somewhat clogged and I think it was worth the cost of a cat gasket. But I digress. On each side of the cat are two flimsy little pieces of sheet metal. With the cat out, they tend to fall out of position. And if your bypass mechanism is un-lubed enough, these little things are all that keep the hinge end of the plate from coming out of position when you operate the bypass lever. Of course, once you lube it with nickel anti-seize, it's nice and smooth.

In a perfect world, I think BK would've made those little pieces out of stouter stuff.

 

[webby3650]

In a perfect world, I think BK would've made those little pieces out of stouter stuff.

I don’t know. It works just fine, and is very simple. You just gotta know they are there.

 

[Diabel]

So far I had 4 fires in my Princess. Two excellent ones and two not so excellent ones (learning curve for sure).

Question:

How black is your firebox i.e. covered with creosote (especially at the back end) after a long burn?

 

[lsucet]

So far I had 4 fires in my Princess. Two excellent ones and two not so excellent ones (learning curve for sure).

Question:

How black is your firebox i.e. covered with creosote (especially at the back end) after a long burn?

It can get nasty if burning low. That's why is good to have a hot burn on reloads cause it helps to minimize the creosote. I stopped since last year trying to get the long burn, it just happens. I go more for the heat that I need.
Burn hot on reloads and dial it to your heat demand. It will just happens without you notice.
Sometimes I have been getting 31-32 hrs without notice it. House at nice temperatures and enough coals to relight. But not always, 18 to 24 is the normal range

 

[chemie]

.
Burn hot on reloads and dial it to your demand. It will just happens without you notice.

Forgive me if it is too obvious since we didnt have our first fire yet. You mean after reload let it run at max for some time like 1 hr or so to eliminate creosote in the firebox?

 

[webby3650]

Forgive me if it is too obvious since we didnt have our first fire yet. You mean after reload let it run at max for some time like 1 hr or so to eliminate creosote in the firebox?

Not necessary. Just let it run in high on occasion. I do it for about an hour a week. The more you can let it run on high the better, as far as creosote buildup in the firebox goes.

 

[lsucet]

Forgive me if it is too obvious since we didnt have our first fire yet. You mean after reload let it run at max for some time like 1 hr or so to eliminate creosote in the firebox?

The manual if I remember correctly recommend for 20-30 minutes on high, it helps with moist and to char the wood for the rest of the burn. At the same time it helps with some of the creosote in the firebox. Because of the low burn is normal to have some creosote in the box. When more cold outside and you burning hotter it will stays more clean including the glass. It is ok on shoulder season. It doesn't mean that your stack is the same unless you are burning unseasoned wood or poor burning practice.

 

[Ashful]

I trust I will be corrected on this, but would far rather have too much draft than too little, as the former can be managed.

Yes, these stoves are great at not running away, even when you have way too much draft. But I learned the hard way that they run much better when you stay within the draft spec. I ran mine for two years at triple the spec'd max 0.06" WC, and the two problems I had were:

1. Clogged steel cats when running the stove on high setting for extended periods.
2. Less efficient overall performance. I can't prove this, but it just seems to feel better, now that I've knocked down the draft.

I used a key damper to control the draft, and have a magnehelic plumbed into the pipe below the key damper, to monitor it.

How black is your firebox i.e. covered with creosote (especially at the back end) after a long burn?

It can be quite a mess, but no worries, the cat is keeping your pipe clean. As Isucet already said, burn on high for 30 minutes after closing the bypass damper, for best performance and to keep the box from getting too badly gummed up.

 

[lsucet]

Like @webby3650 mentioned is good once a while burn on high for longer time to take care the creosote in the firebox. But remember you always are going to notice some in there and it is normal.

 

[RustyShackleford]

I don’t know. It works just fine, and is very simple. You just gotta know they are there.

Stouter doesn't have to be more complicated. One of mine had the corner starting to be bent up. I guess I need to keep my bypass mechanism better lubed, but I just don't pull my cat or my stovepipe that often (to access it).

 

[Tar12]

So far I had 4 fires in my Princess. Two excellent ones and two not so excellent ones (learning curve for sure).

Question:

How black is your firebox i.e. covered with creosote (especially at the back end) after a long burn?

I have yet to have a gummy firebox as I load and run the stove(Princess)to fit my work schedule..12 hour reloads..I do not run ultra low and as a result my stove stays very clean...and I only burn well seasoned wood...to each his own..this method works extremely well for me.

 

[Ashful]

Not necessary. Just let it run in high on occasion. I do it for about an hour a week.

The way BKVP explains it, running on high for 30 minutes after closing the bypass is required to drive initial moisture out of the wood load, and get it in a state ready for burning low. This would imply it should be done on every load, as stated in the manual.

 

[Ashful]

I have yet to have a gummy firebox as I load and run the stove(Princess)to fit my work schedule..12 hour reloads..I do not run ultra low and as a result my stove stays very clean...and I only burn well seasoned wood...to each his own..this method works extremely well for me.

I run two Ashford 30’s, one on 12-hour cycles and the other on 24 hour cycles. The difference in firebox cleanliness between these two stoves is remarkable.

On weekends, I’ll sometimes just let the 12-hour stove run on high (wide open), and reload it several times per day, as there is no limit on how much heat my house can consume (when talking within the capabilities of a wood stove). Then it gets non-cat clean!

 

[jetsam]

My firebox and window are both black and nasty in the fall and spring, nice and clean during the winter. Just depends how hot you burn it. It does burn off by itself once the weather turns.

 

[Diabel]

My firebox and window are both black and nasty in the fall and spring, nice and clean during the winter. Just depends how hot you burn it. It does burn off by itself once the weather turns.

Yes, I figured that. It just looks nasty and scary at the same time.

 

[SuperJ]

Anyone know what the differences are in the new 30.2 firebox stoves?

 

[lsucet]

Better emissions maybe?

 

[webby3650]

The way BKVP explains it, running on high for 30 minutes after closing the bypass is required to drive initial moisture out of the wood load, and get it in a state ready for burning low. This would imply it should be done on every load, as stated in the manual.

Ya, I don’t have time for that. Never been a problem. I let it rip when I’m around the house, I don’t babysit it during the week though, it’s not necessary.

 

[chemie]

Yes, these stoves are great at not running away, even when you have way too much draft. But I learned the hard way...

I used a key damper to control the draft, and have a magnehelic plumbed into the pipe below the key damper, to monitor it.

I hope I wont have too much draft problem but just for out of curiosity, can you put damper for an insert or it is for free standing stoves?