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

[Sawset]

Guys,

There has been a ton of talk on draft this season, too much, really. I think people are making it out to be a much more important issue, than it really is. People have been running these BK stoves with very little awareness of draft, for many years.

I was running an Ashford 30 on a 30 foot insulated 6” chimney with 3x the recommended draft, with absolutely no control problems. It ran perfectly, the only issue I was having was that I could clog SteelCats by running the stove on high for extended periods.

Other than one claim in the last half dozen years, I’ve not seen anyone on this forum having this issue with Princess or King models.

I don’t want people to get the impression that you need to dial your draft down to within +/- 0.01”WC of nominal, it is simply not true. For the stove nerds, who want to run right on the bleeding edge of maximum efficiency, I think the manometer and key damper are a useful tool... but it’s by no means a necessity for 99.9% of installations.

We should really getting back to more important things, like debating the swoosh vs. the old numbers label, on the thermostat.

The next time I hear anything regarding draft, I'll assume it's not an issue. Thanks for clarifying that.

 

[Ashful]

The next time I hear anything regarding draft, I'll assume it's not an issue. Thanks for clarifying that.

Even though my post fell directly below yours, I wasn’t intending it as a response to you, so sorry if you took it that way. Too-strong draft is likely an issue for a very few select people, with a very few select stoves, under only certain operating conditions. The confluence of those three factors occurs much less frequently than the number of recent posts on the subject would suggest, that’s all I was saying.

 

[SuperJ]

I've got a brother looking for a Woodstove. Initially he was looking for a wood furnace, but I steered him towards a freestanding stove.
He was wondering about the BK Furnaces, and the big wood stoves.
He's got a tight new ICF/log home in Golden, BC, it's probably only 15sqft with high ceilings and a loft. But he likes to be out of the house for days at a time. So long burns are a big priority.

He could heat his house with 20/30 series Ashford/Sirocco, but he wants max burn time. If he goes up the princess or even the king will he heat himself out of the house, or do the big BK's burn just as low, but for longer? He's got the room and the budget for a King, should he go for it?

On the BK website the low burn rates are progressively higher as you go up in size, but in the real world I wonder how much they vary? 5000btu/hr difference can be quite a bit different in the shoulder season.

If he goes with the King and an 8inch flue, can he run a smaller stove in the future on the big flue?

 

[estepracing]

I've got a brother looking for a Woodstove. Initially he was looking for a wood furnace, but I steered him towards a freestanding stove.
He was wondering about the BK Furnaces, and the big wood stoves.
He's got a tight new ICF/log home in Golden, BC, it's probably only 15sqft with high ceilings and a loft. But he likes to be out of the house for days at a time. So long burns are a big priority.

He could heat his house with 20/30 series Ashford/Sirocco, but he wants max burn time. If he goes up the princess or even the king will he heat himself out of the house, or do the big BK's burn just as low, but for longer? He's got the room and the budget for a King, should he go for it?

On the BK website the low burn rates are progressively higher as you go up in size, but in the real world I wonder how much they vary? 5000btu/hr difference can be quite a bit different in the shoulder season.

If he goes with the King and an 8inch flue, can he run a smaller stove in the future on the big flue?

I'll start with the obvious yes I've got a Blaze King King, yes I love it and no I wouldn't buy anything else lol...

Now for the all so controversial type question will it out heat you and the answer is No, and the reason for that is based off of fire science and how the stove works when you turn it on a low setting if you put one log in the princess or in the king there is only so many BTUs for that log so if you want less BTUs put in less wood or turn the dial down less depending on if you have a good draft and if the stove stalls or not. Someone here on this form may have more experience with a small house and a king with extended burn times, but there is quite a bit of things you can do to lessen the btu output such as softwood....
Hope this helps....

Blaze King King Parlor Wood Stove

 

[estepracing]

Forgot to say the reason the king would have a higher minimum BTU output is because it just holds more wood which equals more BTU output.

Blaze King King Parlor Wood Stove

 

[jetsam]

15sf cabin with wood stove.

Our King owners do report that the King can burn very low. I wouldn't personally worry about it heating me out of a smallish place.

 

[webby3650]

I've got a brother looking for a Woodstove. Initially he was looking for a wood furnace, but I steered him towards a freestanding stove.
He was wondering about the BK Furnaces, and the big wood stoves.
He's got a tight new ICF/log home in Golden, BC, it's probably only 15sqft with high ceilings and a loft. But he likes to be out of the house for days at a time. So long burns are a big priority.

He could heat his house with 20/30 series Ashford/Sirocco, but he wants max burn time. If he goes up the princess or even the king will he heat himself out of the house, or do the big BK's burn just as low, but for longer? He's got the room and the budget for a King, should he go for it?

On the BK website the low burn rates are progressively higher as you go up in size, but in the real world I wonder how much they vary? 5000btu/hr difference can be quite a bit different in the shoulder season.

If he goes with the King and an 8inch flue, can he run a smaller stove in the future on the big flue?

Blaze Kings are just a fuel tank. The size really just depends on how often you want to reload. It will turn down enough, especially considering the climate.

 

[SuperJ]

Thanks forfthr replies everybody.

I went with the Ashford 30 based on the fuel tank argument and it seems to have worked out ok for me. You learn to time your low output coaling periods with mid afternoon too.

I wasn't sure if the it's just a bigger fuel tank argument held when going all the way up to the King.

Other question, is the Princess enough bigger than the Ashford/Sirocco 30 to consider it based on burn time?

Since he has a not a huge newer house, long burn time is far more important than max output on high.

 

[webby3650]

Thanks forfthr replies everybody.

I went with the Ashford 30 based on the fuel tank argument and it seems to have worked out ok for me. You learn to time your low output coaling periods with mid afternoon too.

I wasn't sure if the it's just a bigger fuel tank argument held when going all the way up to the King.

Other question, is the Princess enough bigger than the Ashford/Sirocco 30 to consider it based on burn time?

Since he has a not a huge newer house, long burn time is far more important than max output on high.

With the deep belly I’d choose the princess for sure. I really feel that the only reason to choose the Ashford would be for looks.

 

[BKVP]

I'm about one and a half hours north on the PA Turnpike but don't think we can make it down in time Saturday.Let us know if you are ever in the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area though.

Will do.

I h

Guys,

There has been a ton of talk on draft this season, too much, really. I think people are making it out to be a much more important issue, than it really is. People have been running these BK stoves with very little awareness of draft, for many years.

I was running an Ashford 30 on a 30 foot insulated 6” chimney with 3x the recommended draft, with absolutely no control problems. It ran perfectly, the only issue I was having was that I could clog SteelCats by running the stove on high for extended periods.

Other than one claim in the last half dozen years, I’ve not seen anyone on this forum having this issue with Princess or King models.

I don’t want people to get the impression that you need to dial your draft down to within +/- 0.01”WC of nominal, it is simply not true. For the stove nerds, who want to run right on the bleeding edge of maximum efficiency, I think the manometer and key damper are a useful tool... but it’s by no means a necessity for 99.9% of installations.

We should really getting back to more important things, like debating the swoosh vs. the old numbers label, on the thermostat.

DON'T MENTION THE SWOOSH!

 

[rdust]

Thank you! The draft discussion has gotten really old. I could really see it scaring a lot of people off, it’s just not nearly as important as many have made it out to be.

I agree, I’ve pretty much stayed away from the draft conversation.

 

[Ashful]

Other question, is the Princess enough bigger than the Ashford/Sirocco 30 to consider it based on burn time?

Ashford/Sirocco 30 = 2.65 cubic feet
Princess = 2.75 cubic feet

Difference = 3.6%

I don’t know about you, but there’s more than that variability in the wood I load, from one day to the next.

I really feel that the only reason to choose the Ashford would be for looks.

Looks are a big factor, for sure. But the cast over steel design, with the firebox covered on 5 of its six sides, really dramatically increases the convective properties on the Ashford. I think the Princess is only covered in convective panels on back and part of the top, not the sides?

This is a big issue for those of us sticking stoves back inside fireplaces, or living in masonry houses, not as big a factor for those in stick-frame houses.

 

[SuperJ]

Ashford/Sirocco 30 = 2.65 cubic feet
Princess = 2.75 cubic feet

Difference = 3.6%

I don’t know about you, but there’s more than that variability in the wood I load, from one day to the next.



Looks are a big factor, for sure. But the cast over steel design, with the firebox covered on 5 of its six sides, really dramatically increases the convective properties on the Ashford. I think the Princess is only covered in convective panels on back and part of the top, not the sides?

This is a big issue for those of us sticking stoves back inside fireplaces, or living in masonry houses, not as big a factor for those in stick-frame houses.

I agree it's close enough to call it a wash in volume. I'm a lot lazier this year about maxing out my loading, it burns long enough if I just pack it normally, no need to tetris it completely unless I'm going to be away for a while.

The Princess can handle 20" logs which might be nice, but could also be a waste if your wood happens to be 16".

You can get the king with side and back panels, and a convection deck.

 

[lsucet]

Ashford/Sirocco 30 = 2.65 cubic feet
Princess = 2.75 cubic feet

Difference = 3.6%

I don’t know about you, but there’s more than that variability in the wood I load, from one day to the next.



Looks are a big factor, for sure. But the cast over steel design, with the firebox covered on 5 of its six sides, really dramatically increases the convective properties on the Ashford. I think the Princess is only covered in convective panels on back and part of the top, not the sides?

This is a big issue for those of us sticking stoves back inside fireplaces, or living in masonry houses, not as big a factor for those in stick-frame houses.

Actually is 2.75 and 2.85, but still the same difference of 3.6% or whatever.
The princess ultra with side shields makes it ok on convective and the top deck helps to but never like an Ashford in my opinion. Princess is more a combination of both i think.

 

[Ashful]

The Princess can handle 20" logs which might be nice, but could also be a waste if your wood happens to be 16".

This would be nice. I’m burning thru about 10 cords now, that were all cut to 20” +/- 1 inch. I can fit 20” in below the bricks, or 21” above the bricks. The thing that always fouls me up is those two brick retainers in the center of the back. Lots of half-lit splits being pulled out and re-arranged this year, to avoid broken glass when I latch the door. Most loads are within 0.25” of the glass, and I believe this is a contributor to my cat clogging issues. I think the long wood is deflecting the air wash straight back up into the cat, not allowing it to work as intended.

Once I’m down to my last 3 cords of this stuff, and then I’ll be into 18” wood starting next year.

Actually is 2.75 and 2.85, but still the same difference of 3.6% or whatever.

Sources vary. I’ve seen both sets of numbers published on BK’s website and brochures, but yes... there’s always 0.1 cu.ft. difference between the two.

 

[SuperJ]

This would be nice. I’m burning thru about 10 cords now, that were all cut to 20” +/- 1 inch.

Maybe you can trade an Ashford for Princess with @bholler

 

[bholler]

Maybe you can trade an Ashford for Princess with @bholler

The princess isn't mine to trade. And I don't want an ashford either. If I were to get a bk it would be a Chinook. But I really don't see a bk for me in the near future at all

 

[Ashful]

The princess isn't mine to trade. And I don't want an ashford either. If I were to get a bk it would be a Chinook. But I really don't see a bk for me in the near future at all

I love you, bholler... but you are more stubborn than reinforced concrete!

 

[bholler]

I love you, bholler... but you are more stubborn than reinforced concrete!

Why am I stubborn? I have a stove that works very well for me. I am glad to have the princess to try to a year and it does work well. But I see no reason to go out and spend the money for a new stove that offers me very little benifit over the one I own already.

 

[BKVP]

Well gang we have few folks interested a a drink or two in KOP. So, if you can make it to a round table of discussion, The Radisson Hotel (next to casino) in KOP. 7:00 p.m. (Ashful your kids should be tucked in by then!)

 

[showrguy]

Well gang we have few folks interested a a drink or two in KOP. So, if you can make it to a round table of discussion, The Radisson Hotel (next to casino) in KOP. 7:00 p.m. (Ashful your kids should be tucked in by then!)

Sorry, can't make this one, maybee see you next time you're in town..
Do you guys do any of the shows at the Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, Pa. ??

 

[BKVP]

Sorry, can't make this one, maybee see you next time you're in town..
Do you guys do any of the shows at the Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, Pa. ??

Retailers may participate in regional events. Mfg's usually have displays set up for industry review/discussion. Sorry you won't make it, more for the rest of us!! Ashful would have drank all the bourbon anyway!

 

[Ashful]

Well gang we have few folks interested a a drink or two in KOP. So, if you can make it to a round table of discussion, The Radisson Hotel (next to casino) in KOP. 7:00 p.m. (Ashful your kids should be tucked in by then!)

Which day?

 

[BKVP]

Which day?

Thursday, So bring your valentine!

 

[Ashful]

As much as I like you, Chris... that may not be the best day to tell my wife I’m going to KoP to hang out with stove forum folks. [emoji3]