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

[Tegbert]

Here is mine after reloading it at 645 am this morning sorry it’s hard to get a picture with all the glare. Still looks to be about half full maybe less.




Lopi Rockport
Blaze King Ashford 25

 

[chemie]

I found it that using a flash with camera helps with glaring.Where is your swoosh located?

 

[Tegbert]

Mine is just above 3 o’clock.

Lopi Rockport
Blaze King Ashford 25

 

[Skidooer]

First fire of the season here! Burning in my new Cat. Ended up going with BK ceramic and got all the gaskets too for spares. It’s getting hot in here already lol!

 

[lsucet]

Load both stoves for the night. Lower will be 31 and have been raining all day. I expecting here 28 outside temps cause here in my area is always around a few degrees colder than what they always say. Going by my weather station and cars.

 

[jetsam]

It can run on coals for many hours with the cat in the active zone, but only if the fan is off.

Once you're down to a few coals like that, the cat doesn't have any VOCs to chew on, and the fan knocks the cat out of active pretty fast.

Without the fan and on low thermostat though, that photo has hours of fuel in it (which is pretty unbelievable if you're used to old pre-EPA stoves, let me tell you).

 

[mcdeadstein]

The AF25 fans are each mounted "sleds". This is designed so they can be easily serviced...I've done it with a showroom model that was burning.

I'll bet one or both sleds have popped up out of a recessed groove at the front. So before you think of removing them, check this first.

If it's anything more than this, please contact the dealer where you made your purchase and have them take a look.

Well it wasn't the sleds but when I shined a light back there at the fans I did see something else. Looks like one of the rear leveling bolts came unbolted. I never used them when we did the install as the stove sat pretty good. Maybe i'll actually use them now that i know they are back there. Happy to report the fans are purring along nicely now.

 

[BKVP]

Indeed that would cause the problem....good job.

 

[BKVP]

While I'm still up waiting to fly early a.m., the AF25 catalytic thermometer is not like the bimetallic units used on our other units. It's more like a switch. When the cat hits 550F, it switches on and the needles moves up until it drops below 550F.

You will not see wide ranges in readings as are seen with the bimetallic type.

 

[Poindexter]

the AF25 catalytic thermometer is not like the bimetallic units used on our other units. It's more like a switch. When the cat hits 550F, it switches on and the needles moves up until it drops below 550F.

You will not see wide ranges in readings as are seen with the bimetallic type.

Same hardware in the SC25 and BX24 I imagine?

 

[Ashful]

Lots? It was one year ago, and I remember it smelled bad and there was smoke in the house, but certainly not enough to switch on the smoke detectors... I opened all windows BEFORE starting the fire though. And the wife left the house before me!

I belive BKVP has reported that BK changed the paint they use just a few years ago, and as a result, the stoves built in the last few years don’t stink / smoke nearly as much as some of the older models did. Also, a lot of what you’re seeing and smelling is oil, not always paint.

 

[Diabel]

Mine had some paint smell but it was not bad at all.
When I rebuilt my VC and painted it with stove bright paint it stank much worse than the Princess.

 

[BKVP]

Same hardware in the SC25 and BX24 I imagine?

No, the Boxer 24 has the bimetallic design as it has a top surface being a freestanding unit.

 

[Jeff in Maine]

I was reading about the fans and realized I have a question myself. Each Fall (3 so far) I take the fan assemblies off my Princess to clean them. I take the assemblies to my shop and blow the fans and the small electric motors off with compressed air. Look everything over then bring them back in and re-hang them on the stove for another winter. This time I noticed the edge of all the plastic fan blades are getting rough like they are chipping some / ragged looking. Has this happened to other fans or am I the only one. No the blades do not hit anything as they turn they just are in the beginning stages of failure? I don't really have the correct phrase to use,.. I guess lets say very worn looking on the edges.

 

[kennyp2339]

I was reading about the fans and realized I have a question myself. Each Fall (3 so far) I take the fan assemblies off my Princess to clean them. I take the assemblies to my shop and blow the fans and the small electric motors off with compressed air. Look everything over then bring them back in and re-hang them on the stove for another winter. This time I noticed the edge of all the plastic fan blades are getting rough like they are chipping some / ragged looking. Has this happened to other fans or am I the only one. No the blades do not hit anything as they turn they just are in the beginning stages of failure? I don't really have the correct phrase to use,.. I guess lets say very worn looking on the edges.

Screw driver again?

 

[Ashful]

Screw driver again?

Good one! But let's be fair, it was a combination wrench.

 

[kennyp2339]

Good one! But let's be fair, it was a combination wrench.

Yea, just poking fun, actually that post saved me a cat because now I will be ultra careful when working in the upper chamber

 

[Jeff in Maine]

nope not me this time there are not big pieces missing but it is ragged / jagged kind of.

 

[Diabel]

Sounds very political

 

[BKVP]

Good one! But let's be fair, it was a combination wrench.

Behave guys!

 

[Diabel]

The fans on the Princess are sure something else.....
Louder than my central air furnace! Hopefully, I will mainly need them as a wall heat shield.

Btw the Princess is behaving as advertised.

 

[Ashful]

The fans on the Princess are sure something else.....
Louder than my central air furnace! Hopefully, I will mainly need them as a wall heat shield.

Btw the Princess is behaving as advertised.

The Ashford fans can be loud on the high setting, as well, but I run my fans at or near the lowest setting all winter. I only turn them up when I'm trying to drive a big change in room temp fast, such as coming home to a cold house after vacation. I don't see much point on running them above a low setting, for 24/7 steady heating.

 

[Diabel]

The Ashford fans can be loud on the high setting, as well, but I run my fans at or near the lowest setting all winter. I only turn them up when I'm trying to drive a big change in room temp fast, such as coming home to a cold house after vacation. I don't see much point on running them above a low setting, for 24/7 steady heating.

Indeed. 24/7 concept.
I spent four days at the cottage last week, running the stove 24/7, there was no need for the fans. I totally lost track of reloads. They were so infrequent that I paid no attention.

I do see some smoke/plume tough while the cat is fully active....(on and off).

Not sure what that is....

 

[lsucet]

The fans on the Princess are sure something else.....
Louder than my central air furnace! Hopefully, I will mainly need them as a wall heat shield.

Btw the Princess is behaving as advertised.

It's funny. One of mine is louder than the other at same settings regardless. I never look to see if they are different.

 

[Diabel]

It's funny. One of mine is louder than the other at same settings regardless. I never look to see if they are different.

Same here, one of them is load and the other is ok sounding.