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

[Ashful]

Yeah at 22 hours in that doesnt surprise or concern me at all.

True.

Ashful and others what are your flue (probe) temps at sag 4h into the burn?

Heh... I'm loading each night around 11pm, right now. I might not be so inclined to come downstairs and check both stoves at 3am.

Peak flue temps at end of start-up sequence is 450 external and 900 internal probe. That's after 10-15 minutes in bypass, followed by 20 minutes on high with cat engaged.

 

[Ashful]

An hour into the burn, just 16 minutes after those peak temps posted above, they're still dropping. So far down to 400 internal and 200 external. I won't be surprised if it's close to 250 internal in an hour, but I won't know... headed to bed!

 

[Ashful]

Ok, just checked again, 32 minutes after turn down from initial burn on high. still dropping, 350F now.

 

[Poindexter]

@bholler , welcome to the dark side.

What is the MC of your fuel? How mixed is it? I dropped birch and went to all spruce I think three years ago, just to eliminate a variable from my operation.

If your MC is 18-22% , you might as well run a corvette on mid octane gas. I happened to rent a C6 this past weekend after a cancelled flight. The last renter must have filled with mid octane. I ran it down to a quarter tank and the filled with Mobil1. Ran that down to a quarter tank and filled with 92 octane Shell. I have always liked sweet Nigerian crude with Vpower additives for large GM V8s, with top end end Exxon/Mobil, Chevron and Texaco products running a close second.

The next renter of that car will not be nearly as disappointed as I was.

If you are running 18-22% MC in your Princess @BKVP will say, again, that that is "OK", but he isn't going to tell you that is awesome or commendable or that you are really wringing every iota of performance out of your stove.

Most likely your sweet spot for fuel is goimg to be in the 12-16% MC window. 16-18% is pretty good, but you aren't going to see me or Ashful or diabel or MjissMac or lsucet or kf6hap or showrguy and etc settling for that. Once you hit 16% and under, your stove will wake up like a C6 with the good stuff in the tank..

If you can put you foot in it at 97mph and lay parallel black stripe, you are running the good stuff,

 

[bholler]

@bholler , welcome to the dark side.

What is the MC of your fuel? How mixed is it? I dropped birch and went to all spruce I think three years ago, just to eliminate a variable from my operation.

If your MC is 18-22% , you might as well run a corvette on mid octane gas. I happened to rent a C6 this past weekend after a cancelled flight. The last renter must have filled with mid octane. I ran it down to a quarter tank and the filled with Mobil1. Ran that down to a quarter tank and filled with 92 octane Shell. I have always liked sweet Nigerian crude with Vpower additives for large GM V8s, with top end end Exxon/Mobil, Chevron and Texaco products running a close second.

The next renter of that car will not be nearly as disappointed as I was.

If you are running 18-22% MC in your Princess @BKVP will say, again, that that is "OK", but he isn't going to tell you that is awesome or commendable or that you are really wringing every iota of performance out of your stove.

Most likely your sweet spot for fuel is goimg to be in the 12-16% MC window. 16-18% is pretty good, but you aren't going to see me or Ashful or diabel or MjissMac or lsucet or kf6hap or showrguy and etc settling for that. Once you hit 16% and under, your stove will wake up like a C6 with the good stuff in the tank..

If you can put you foot in it at 97mph and lay parallel black stripe, you are running the good stuff,

View attachment 231569

I am burning my low btu stuff now which is ash. It is 14 to 16% my oak is 15 to 17% i know how to dry wood i am not a newbie.

 

[DITTY22]

@bholler , welcome to the dark side.

What is the MC of your fuel? How mixed is it? I dropped birch and went to all spruce I think three years ago, just to eliminate a variable from my operation.

If your MC is 18-22% , you might as well run a corvette on mid octane gas. I happened to rent a C6 this past weekend after a cancelled flight. The last renter must have filled with mid octane. I ran it down to a quarter tank and the filled with Mobil1. Ran that down to a quarter tank and filled with 92 octane Shell. I have always liked sweet Nigerian crude with Vpower additives for large GM V8s, with top end end Exxon/Mobil, Chevron and Texaco products running a close second.

The next renter of that car will not be nearly as disappointed as I was.

If you are running 18-22% MC in your Princess @BKVP will say, again, that that is "OK", but he isn't going to tell you that is awesome or commendable or that you are really wringing every iota of performance out of your stove.

Most likely your sweet spot for fuel is goimg to be in the 12-16% MC window. 16-18% is pretty good, but you aren't going to see me or Ashful or diabel or MjissMac or lsucet or kf6hap or showrguy and etc settling for that. Once you hit 16% and under, your stove will wake up like a C6 with the good stuff in the tank..

If you can put you foot in it at 97mph and lay parallel black stripe, you are running the good stuff,

View attachment 231569

That’s a c7 not a c6


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ashful]

I don’t frequent thrift stores, but I have to imagine you don’t find new Corvettes parked outside them, very often. In the handicap space, no less!

Full disclosure, I have no idea what the MC% of my wood is, but the stack I’m burning now is all oak, and marked “SPRING 2014”, so that is FIVE summers CSS’d.

Oh, and I forgot to check thermometers this morning. That would have been good 7 hour mark readings. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[MtnBURN]

Yo BK regulars! Summer is over and another year of burning is upon us here. We've had fires going in the Princess (in the house)...albeit small fires...for a good 2 weeks now here in the hills of CO. A bit of snow on the peaks always causes the cold air to drop and the stove to be lit....

I've been harvesting a bit of standing dead scrub (Gambel) oak lately. 4-6" rounds...but there's an occasional 8" in the mix as well. Dunno how long they've been standing dead...but the MC is anywhere from 7-12%. I'm spoiled on most of the wood around here when it comes to >cutting<. This oak is a different creature all the way around...from the wear on the chain...to the weight...even this dry. I've cut about 3 cords of this wood so far.

I'm also currently waiting on the local sawmill to make a 4+ cord delivery of logs. Never done this kinda thing before...but my neighbor is a regular customer so when they guy was up delivering (his 8 cords..wow)...I set up a delivery of my own. Evidently the guy bought a 120 acre timber sale on the neighboring peaks and these are the smaller logs he can't cut into lumber/siding/etc. MC of this wood is roughly 12-25%.

Hopin for a normal, snowy winter here. Last year was almost non-existent for snow...and this Summer was also very dry. Another year of drought and this entire area will be in big trouble...

 

[showrguy]

Yo BK regulars! Summer is over and another year of burning is upon us here. We've had fires going in the Princess (in the house)...albeit small fires...for a good 2 weeks now here in the hills of CO. A bit of snow on the peaks always causes the cold air to drop and the stove to be lit....

I've been harvesting a bit of standing dead scrub (Gambel) oak lately. 4-6" rounds...but there's an occasional 8" in the mix as well. Dunno how long they've been standing dead...but the MC is anywhere from 7-12%. I'm spoiled on most of the wood around here when it comes to >cutting<. This oak is a different creature all the way around...from the wear on the chain...to the weight...even this dry. I've cut about 3 cords of this wood so far.

I'm also currently waiting on the local sawmill to make a 4+ cord delivery of logs. Never done this kinda thing before...but my neighbor is a regular customer so when they guy was up delivering (his 8 cords..wow)...I set up a delivery of my own. Evidently the guy bought a 120 acre timber sale on the neighboring peaks and these are the smaller logs he can't cut into lumber/siding/etc. MC of this wood is roughly 12-25%.

Hopin for a normal, snowy winter here. Last year was almost non-existent for snow...and this Summer was also very dry. Another year of drought and this entire area will be in big trouble...

You're lucky, over here we had the wetest summer on record, I cut a standing dead red oak 2 weeks ago, the m/c is over 60%..
I cut, split and stacked some standing dead oak about a year ago, stacked it on covered porch, checked a piece 3 days ago, 36 % inside, grrrrrr..
It was so damp and humid that things that would normally dry over summer, did not..

 

[Ashful]

It was so damp and humid that things that would normally dry over summer, did not..

I’m pretty sure the MC% of my 3 - 5 year old stacks went UP this summer. I have mushrooms growing out of the sides of my trees, no kidding! I’m used to a seasonal drought July 4 - mid-August, but this year I was emptying 2 - 3 inches out of the rain gauge, several times every week. I have never seen anything like the wet we’ve had this year.

 

[BKVP]

I don’t frequent thrift stores, but I have to imagine you don’t find new Corvettes parked outside them, very often. In the handicap space, no less!

Full disclosure, I have no idea what the MC% of my wood is, but the stack I’m burning now is all oak, and marked “SPRING 2014”, so that is FIVE summers CSS’d.

Oh, and I forgot to check thermometers this morning. That would have been good 7 hour mark readings. Maybe tomorrow.

The sign could be for the open spot it is facing....

 

[tarzan]

I’m pretty sure the MC% of my 3 - 5 year old stacks went UP this summer. I have mushrooms growing out of the sides of my trees, no kidding! I’m used to a seasonal drought July 4 - mid-August, but this year I was emptying 2 - 3 inches out of the rain gauge, several times every week. I have never seen anything like the wet we’ve had this year.

Only rained twice here. Once for 50 days, then again for 30!

The weather this summer has moved my idea of a wood shed up to a top priority. Honestly, I should have built one years ago so I guess I go what I deserved there.

 

[Highbeam]

Only rained twice here. Once for 50 days, then again for 30!

The weather this summer has moved my idea of a wood shed up to a top priority. Honestly, I should have built one years ago so I guess I go what I deserved there.

I did build a wood shed this year but then our summer was extremely dry. You stole our rain. If you build a shed next year it will probably be a drought.

 

[lsucet]

I did build a wood shed this year but then our summer was extremely dry. You stole our rain. If you build a shed next year it will probably be a drought.

I did mine few weeks back, a 30x15. is it okay all four sides open?

 

[kf6hap]

I did mine few weeks back, a 30x15. is it okay all four sides open?

Yes.

 

[Highbeam]

I did mine few weeks back, a 30x15. is it okay all four sides open?

I think the more open the better but those sides are what provide lateral strength so it won’t blow over. Appropriate diaganol bracing can replace the function of solid sides.

 

[webby3650]

I planned to build a wood shed at our new place. With my new method I don’t need much more than a roof to park these baskets under. It’s sure saved my back!

 

[Highbeam]

View attachment 231614 I planned to build a wood shed at our new place. With my new method I don’t need much more than a roof to park these baskets under. It’s sure saved my back!

I miss my kioti. I had the ck30 for about 10 years. Lots of seat time.

Funny how no matter how long we’ve been working firewood, we still try new things to make it better.

 

[BKVP]

View attachment 231614 I planned to build a wood shed at our new place. With my new method I don’t need much more than a roof to park these baskets under. It’s sure saved my back!

We need to design a stove where you just insert the entire basket....burn times could be somewhere around 200 hours....gears turning....

 

[lsucet]

From a completely cold start. Two days without burn. It is raining outside. Reason why no picture of the flue and about how much smoke. Cat get to Temp super fast. Remember ceramic cat.

 

[Ashful]

That is how I do it. Red cat in ~15 minutes. Cat needle still on the "I" by "Inactive". The flue probe is what I watch for light-off and very low BTU operation.

I do the same. Once flue probe hits 500F on double wall, or surface mount thermometer on single wall hits 250F, I close bypass and get instantaneous glowing. Cat probe is usually in middle of “Inactive”, it’s too slow.

 

[Diabel]

I do the same. Once flue probe hits 500F on double wall, or surface mount thermometer on single wall hits 250F, I close bypass and get instantaneous glowing. Cat probe is usually in middle of “Inactive”, it’s too slow.

Very educational. Thank you. Old school, relying on the flue temp.....

 

[webby3650]

View attachment 231614 I planned to build a wood shed at our new place. With my new method I don’t need much more than a roof to park it under. It’s sure saved my back.

I miss my kioti. I had the ck30 for about 10 years. Lots of seat time.

Funny how no matter how long we’ve been working firewood, we still try new things to make it better.

I like easy! I can set these baskets right outside the door on the patio.

 

[MtnBURN]

You're lucky, over here we had the wetest summer on record, I cut a standing dead red oak 2 weeks ago, the m/c is over 60%..
I cut, split and stacked some standing dead oak about a year ago, stacked it on covered porch, checked a piece 3 days ago, 36 % inside, grrrrrr..
It was so damp and humid that things that would normally dry over summer, did not..

We were in a Stage 2 Fire Ban most of the Summer here in Colorado. The Fire ban restricted burning all the way down to the point the only grill/BBQ you could fire was a gas fired one. We moved a road culvert in Oct last year on a 3 acre piece of property we purchased....and it never flowed a drop until September this year. Our 90+ year old neighbors said it was the driest they'd seen in their 45+ years here. Smokiest Summer here by far as well. Horrible visibility and air quality.

But the wood IS dry.

 

[Diabel]

When I was driving through northern Italy, few years back, going through the small towns I would see home hardware store/yards with metal cages full of firewood stacked 40’ high. It was good to see.

Webby, are you Italian? I like the set up.