2018-19 Blaze King Performance Thread Part 2 (Everything BK)

[Ashful]

@Ashful 5 hours! Wow. With damper keeping draft in spec? That must have liberated those Btus to your space at a rate much higher than the epa spec sheet indicates is possible.

I probably wasn't entirely fair, there. I went from a cold stove to coals in 5 hours, not cold stove to cold stove (or coals to coals) in 5 hours. I should probably add an hour for "complete cycle" time. But yes, I was releasing BTUs at a good clip, and the key damper was dialed right to 0.06"WC.

Since softwood is easier to lift it won’t take twice the calories. I thought softwood was only like 25% less energy dense than your oak.

Looks like 22.1 vs. 17.4 million btu per cord so red oak vs pine is even closer. Like 21% more exercise and loading!

From memory (maybe faulty):
White oak = 24 MBTU/cord
White pine = 14 MBTU/cord
Difference = 1.7x volume basis

We can pick apart the sloppy math, on my part, but the point of my statement remains: softwood = almost 2x more felling, splitting, stacking and hauling, for the same BTU's.

With different stove, no comment, but with BK, well you know.

BK's aren't magic, they just give us a wider range of available burn rates than other stoves. Their efficiency is slightly higher than most, but not by enough to really bear on the hardwood vs. softwood discrepancy.

 

[Woody Stover]

BK's aren't magic, they just give us a wider range of available burn rates than other stoves.

I'm thinking maybe a wider range than some tube stoves, but not all. Amongst cat stoves, I doubt they have the range of most others. BK has shifted the output lower...low low burn, low high burn, if that's what you want. With below zero temps headed our way, that's not what I need.

 

[lsucet]

I probably wasn't entirely fair, there. I went from a cold stove to coals in 5 hours, not cold stove to cold stove (or coals to coals) in 5 hours. I should probably add an hour for "complete cycle" time. But yes, I was releasing BTUs at a good clip, and the key damper was dialed right to 0.06"WC.


From memory (maybe faulty):
White oak = 24 MBTU/cord
White pine = 14 MBTU/cord
Difference = 1.7x volume basis

We can pick apart the sloppy math, on my part, but the point of my statement remains: softwood = almost 2x more felling, splitting, stacking and hauling, for the same BTU's.


BK's aren't magic, they just give us a wider range of available burn rates than other stoves. Their efficiency is slightly higher than most, but not by enough to really bear on the hardwood vs. softwood discrepancy.

You are really missing a lot of points here, when you take away the MC if your hard wood, the different is not that big as you are seeing it.18 - 20% MC on your oak and 7% on my pine, oh well at the end lets see how big is the different.

 

[Woody Stover]

You are really missing a lot of points here, when you take away the MC if your hard wood, the different is not that big as you are seeing it.18 - 20% MC on your oak and 7% on my pine, oh well at the end lets see how big is the different.

I'll bring you some White Oak the next time I come out to visit my Sis..

 

[Woody Stover]

TSA might ask me "Is that a bomb?" I'll say "No, but this wood is dynamite!"

 

[lsucet]

I'll bring you some White Oak the next time I come out to visit my Sis..

I know that hardwood is good and better. I know the differences, but not to say oh wow.

 

[Woody Stover]

I know that hardwood is good and better. I know the differences, but not to say oh wow.

You drive a hard bargain; OK then, I'll bring you some Black Locust or Hedge.

 

[lsucet]

You drive a hard bargain; OK then, I'll bring you some Black Locust or Hedge.

Looking forward to it. I have a dealer for NIELs two hrs from here and this week they should give me a answer of prices etc, cause it will be the first time they order them. They just order pellets from them. That's what I want to try and see. I don't mind to get two pallets every year from them to drop once awhile one in there with a load.
I prefer do that than spend money on hardwood here that anyway is not a big deal for me and prices are ridiculous.

 

[jetsam]

We can pick apart the sloppy math, on my part, but the point of my statement remains: softwood = almost 2x more felling, splitting, stacking and hauling, for the same BTU's.

I won't (for once) pick at the details....

There are other factors that can be large, especially if you are ripping through 5 hour loads to keep a house warm when the stove is your only heater. (These may not apply to you, because you are ahead on wood and the stoves aren't solely responsible for stopping the wife from murdering you with an icicle, but they apply to a lot of us.)

Got behind on wood or it's your first year? Better hope you spent your time on softwood instead of hardwood! The softwood is going to have a lot more BTUs after the MC takes its toll, and have you ever burned 0-1 year old oak for heat? It sucks a lot more than "low BTUs" can convey.

How much of the hardwood are you going to throw away because you can't get your coals under control? A lot of it, for our high-burning heater. If he had a cord of softwood to mix in, he could burn on blazing high and get rid of the hardwood coal efficiently at the same time.

So even for the burner who is ahead on wood, I think it is more efficient to spend the time to keep some softwood on hand, if your unusually-cold weather plan is to make up the difference with wood instead of central heat.

 

[Woody Stover]

I prefer do that than spend money on hardwood here that anyway is not a big deal for me and prices are ridiculous.

What does the Pinon burn like? What other hardwoods have you tried?

 

[lsucet]

What does the Pinon burn like? What other hardwoods have you tried?

Mostly oak, ash. I got some maple years ago. What I get a lot of is Russian olive. Actually I have a good pile of that to split this spring.and use it 2020/21 winter if ready. Have some mix in the piles I am using now and some ash and elm. Of course cottonwood also. But I go to the pine pile more often. I don't know why.

 

[lsucet]

What does the Pinon burn like? What other hardwoods have you tried?

I don't burn pinion. For some reason I just skip it but some people down here burn them and like it

 

[chemie]

Yes, if you need exercise, and want to burn twice the calories for the same BTU benefit, softwood is the way to go. But you also need to be available to load twice as frequently.

I am very new to wood burning but since I have a very limited space to store my firewood ( about 1.1 cord in my yard, about 1.4 cord in my neighbor’s yard) I intend to go only hardwood for next year’s stocking. I found a dead locust trees spot in nearby forest. I am not sure if they can add up to 2.5 cords but if they do, I intend to use all my available space for black locust for next year. It is pain to cut and carry black locust as compared to pine but I need to be picky because of space limitations. So I feel ya Ashful!

 

[lsucet]

I am very new to wood burning but since I have a very limited space to store my firewood ( about 1.1 cord in my yard, about 1.4 cord in my neighbor’s yard) I intend to go only hardwood for next year’s stocking. I found a dead locust trees spot in nearby forest. I am not sure if they can add up to 2.5 cords but if they do, I intend to use all my available space for black locust for next year. It is pain to cut and carry black locust as compared to pine but I need to be picky because of space limitations. So I feel ya Ashful!

Be sure you can have it well seasoned by then, if not you will be using wet wood and the frustration will be worse than using pine. With limited space as you are saying, I will be careful.

 

[kennyp2339]

Well, I have the NC30 on order, but I also have the princess up and running. I installed the new cat on Thursday, also an additional pipe damper approx. 3ft from the top of the stove ( I have double wall telescoping pipe, needed to be above where the two pipes collapse on each other) The stove is running really well, great output, 14-15 hr burns, it has been in the upper teens at night with some wind and the stove has preformed excellent.
I'm at a cross roads here, I think I'm still going to take delivery of the NC30, drop it off at my friends welding shop to do the convection deck and then wait and see what the princess does.
As far as cat issues, self inflicted I think, I think my over draft caused to much heat and fried the cat causing its short 1.5 season life span. This cat btw was a ceramic, so I had the original metal, then ceramic and back to metal. I'm not impressed with the whole needing parts thing, but maybe I stumbled onto something as far as really controlling my draft, I running the top damper closed 100% of the time, this brings my draft down to .010 - .012, then I close the collar damper 1/2 and the flames get nice and soft, new cat (should be over active) but with this setup my cat probe only goes to 1 o'clock position so perhaps I have things in check, the old ceramic cat when brand new without dampers shot up to 5-6pm at the same settings, I specifically remember that.

 

[chemie]

Be sure you can have it well seasoned by then, if not you will be using wet wood and the frustration will be worse than using pine. With limited space as you are saying, I will be careful.

The trees have been down for years. They lost all the bark. When cut initial MC is always below %30 mostly in the lower %20s. I think black locust seasons much faster than oak. So by the time next winter , I think they would be seasoned. I also found out that putting the firewood close by to the stove for a day or two helps a lot to remove a few extra percent MC.

 

[aaronk25]

Well, I have the NC30 on order, but I also have the princess up and running. I installed the new cat on Thursday, also an additional pipe damper approx. 3ft from the top of the stove ( I have double wall telescoping pipe, needed to be above where the two pipes collapse on each other) The stove is running really well, great output, 14-15 hr burns, it has been in the upper teens at night with some wind and the stove has preformed excellent.
I'm at a cross roads here, I think I'm still going to take delivery of the NC30, drop it off at my friends welding shop to do the convection deck and then wait and see what the princess does.
As far as cat issues, self inflicted I think, I think my over draft caused to much heat and fried the cat causing its short 1.5 season life span. This cat btw was a ceramic, so I had the original metal, then ceramic and back to metal. I'm not impressed with the whole needing parts thing, but maybe I stumbled onto something as far as really controlling my draft, I running the top damper closed 100% of the time, this brings my draft down to .010 - .012, then I close the collar damper 1/2 and the flames get nice and soft, new cat (should be over active) but with this setup my cat probe only goes to 1 o'clock position so perhaps I have things in check, the old ceramic cat when brand new without dampers shot up to 5-6pm at the same settings, I specifically remember that.

I cooked a cat too in 1.5 seasons with out dampers and saw the same 5-6 o’clock temp probe indication. At correct draft it’s in the normal range, and should get years from this cat!



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[MissMac]

When you guys talk about your overdraft issues, is pegging the cat a solid indicator of that? Or, is it possible to have overdraft issues with a cat only 2/3 of the way into the active zone (2 o.c. Position)? All those poor oblivious stove owners out there.

 

[Woody Stover]

The trees have been down for years. They lost all the bark. When cut initial MC is always below %30 mostly in the lower %20s. I think black locust seasons much faster than oak. So by the time next winter , I think they would be seasoned. I also found out that putting the firewood close by to the stove for a day or two helps a lot to remove a few extra percent MC.

I think BL is supposed to dry in two years, vs. three for Oak. But you're probably going to get lucky with the stuff that was on the ground with the bark off. I found some like that, and it was ready to go in the stove immediately. If you saw it, and see brown chips instead of yellow, it's dry..
You still need some soft Maple, Pine, or something else that will dry over the summer, so you have something to start the BL with. It's really hard to get started unless you put in on a coal bed or have some softer woods to put under it.

 

[chazcarr]

Finally got a burn in more in line with expectations. I was averaging about 9 hours, but over the weekend I managed 2 16 hour burns. So nearly double. And I did it with douglas fir. Burn time for me is an output that keeps the house warm enough. At about 13 hours in the cat was still glowing. Fan was on lowest setting and stat was open 1/4 of the way.

 

[kennyp2339]

Finally got a burn in more in line with expectations. I was averaging about 9 hours, but over the weekend I managed 2 16 hour burns. So nearly double. And I did it with douglas fir. Burn time for me is an output that keeps the house warm enough. At about 13 hours in the cat was still glowing. Fan was on lowest setting and stat was open 1/4 of the way.

That's how I'm rolling also, feels pretty good and know with the extra knowledge and understanding of how draft works with this stove I'm in a good spot now. Thanks all, without this board I would have never thought of doing any of this.

 

[zvholk]

If I get a manometer can I install it in the stovepipe and leave it in all the time?
I looked back in the back post but couldn’t find it so sorry if it’s a repeat question

 

[kennyp2339]

If I get a manometer can I install it in the stovepipe and leave it in all the time?
I looked back in the back post but couldn’t find it so sorry if it’s a repeat question

Check out @Ashful posts he has a permanent one mounted

 

[Highbeam]

If I get a manometer can I install it in the stovepipe and leave it in all the time?
I looked back in the back post but couldn’t find it so sorry if it’s a repeat question

Yes, you can leave it there. Draft varies due to weather conditions so it should have some use.

This reminds me of jetting and tuning carburetors. The weather conditions cause changes in optimal jetting but usually you can get close enough for the normal variations.

 

[aaronk25]

When you guys talk about your overdraft issues, is pegging the cat a solid indicator of that? Or, is it possible to have overdraft issues with a cat only 2/3 of the way into the active zone (2 o.c. Position)? All those poor oblivious stove owners out there.

I’d go out on a limb and say yes it is, with the exception of wet wood may mask a overdraft issue.


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