2019-20 Blaze King Performance Thread Part 1 (Everything BK)

[Ashful]

I started it up, no leak and went for a drive. 30 minutes later heard and felt large bang! Interam expanded...broke very heavy clamp and split the aluminum.

Did the same to the cat chamber in my old Jotuls, but being fragile refractory, the noise was less impressive when it failed.

 

[Ashful]

anyone know where you can buy a large roll of the 2 inch gasket material. I think its better to completely remove the cat and clean it form both sides, therefore requiring new gaskets.

I just received 20 feet of it from Woodmans Parts Plus, although I'm betting your local stove shop has a roll of it, as well.

 

[ratsrepus]

I just received 20 feet of it from Woodmans Parts Plus, although I'm betting your local stove shop has a roll of it, as well.

thanks,

 

[Pgaron]

... I need to read everything in the other post before this one gets huge.

I want a bk but got a Summer's Heat 2000 for almost nothing. Will see how this thing does for a few seasons as I save up so I can better guess what size/model to get.

I just got a BK this year to replace an old stove that came with my house. I'm new to burning and bought the BK based of of stuff i read from this forum. I can't wait for it to get cold to try it out. one of the things i am finding, at least in the area i live in ( coastal Massachusetts) no one seems to have blazeking stuff.... I was under the impression they were one of the best out there is that true?

 

[bholler]

I just got a BK this year to replace an old stove that came with my house. I'm new to burning and bought the BK based of of stuff i read from this forum. I can't wait for it to get cold to try it out. one of the things i am finding, at least in the area i live in ( coastal Massachusetts) no one seems to have blazeking stuff.... I was under the impression they were one of the best out there is that true?

It really depends on your needs. If you dont need a ton of btus and need long burns they are the best. If you need allot of btus there are other stove that would work just as well for you at less cost. But regardless they are very good stoves

 

[Tegbert]

I just vacuumed it from the front with Dyson. This is how it looks. I still see tiny deposits in the cells but nothing like they are clogged fully. Of course I dont know how is the other end.
Is this much of deposit a sign of clogged cat? Or it looks normal now? Do you guys bacuum your cat regularly during the season?
After removing the shield I realized that the top part of the cat looks like out of shape and there is a gap. It looks like the cat as if had a weight on it causing it to sink resulting with squeezed middle cells. Is this normal?
View attachment 247301 View attachment 247302 View attachment 247303 View attachment 247304 View attachment 247305 View attachment 247306 View attachment 247307

My ashford 25 did the same thing with the cat. Except I don’t think I had but a couple fires in it.

anyone know where you can buy a large roll of the 2 inch gasket material. I think its better to completely remove the cat and clean it form both sides, therefore requiring new gaskets.

I bought mine from firecat.

http://www.firecatcombustors.com/ACIG-2-p/sku_acig-2.htm

I have about 20’ of it just in case. My local dealers do not stock it or at least that is what they said last year. They would only order it for that particular stove.




Lopi Rockport
Blaze King Ashford 25

 

[kennyp2339]

I just got a BK this year to replace an old stove that came with my house. I'm new to burning and bought the BK based of of stuff i read from this forum. I can't wait for it to get cold to try it out. one of the things i am finding, at least in the area i live in ( coastal Massachusetts) no one seems to have blazeking stuff.... I was under the impression they were one of the best out there is that true?

BK's are excellent stoves, the build quality is top notch, customer service is leading the industry and setting the pace for other small / medium companies to follow and the actual function of the stove lives up to the BK name, the stove will do what the stove is advertised to do; it will heat on low and hold a burn time of 24hrs, it will heat on high and act like all other stoves with burn times of 6 - 8 hrs.
What creates issues with some of these stoves are when people like me want more for less out of them, or run them out of factory spec.
You need a sweet spot on your chimney (aka .005" in h20) in draft, anything more and your running to strong of a draft and can have cat clogging issues (highest drafts), shorter burn times then advertised, less heat coming off the stove (not really noticed by a laymen)
You need dry wood, the tendency for users to think that 22% wood moisture on a freshly split face is good enough, the user may be able to keep a fire going, but performance wise, the stove is a different animal when running wood with a moisture content between 12 - 18%.
In the northeast US, we experience some weird but harsh winter weather, our bodies and homes with older construction take a beating, our temps can be mid 30's during the day then swing down to single digits at night, you get a storm and forget about it, the weather isn't gentle or consistent like other areas; if your stove is in your living space (aka family room, kitchen area ect..) you'll be fine, turn the thermostat to choose your output, if your heating say from an uninsulated basement with the living space above, btu outputs might be a struggle in sub 20 deg f weather, remember block wall or concrete uninsulated basements can absorb up to 1/3 of the heat produced by the stove and send to the outside.
BK's have a tendency of set it and forget it which is not the standard in the wood burning world, usually with other stoves there is a degree of marriage to them, stoking, air adjustments during the burn, constant reloads and ash removal.. it could be a chore for some. With the BK once the fire is going and the cat probe indicates active, you adjust your desired heat output then kiss it good bye, you can burn for a short 8hrs, or a long 24hrs depending on the heating need, many people experiment and find a few spots on there t-stats that they know if they set them to those spots they will have a certain burn time, or output, you have to experiment for yourself.
Back to BTU outputs.. consistency is the winner, more or less its the turtle vs the hare, hare being a tube stove, the turtle being slow but steady will do a consistent predicable job vs chasing the hare who burns a fast btu load then cools off quickly during the decay stage of the fire, for some people they need that 3-4 hr rush of 80k and above btu's to heat all objects in there home quickly then maintain the fire (I'm a basement burner and could sometimes use 80k btu's for a few hours in the dead of winter, but I'll take 50k btu's for 12hrs straight any day of the week to, and have for the last 4 seasons, something no tube stove can really accomplish.

 

[ratsrepus]

My ashford 25 did the same thing with the cat. Except I don’t think I had but a couple fires in it.



I bought mine from firecat.

http://www.firecatcombustors.com/ACIG-2-p/sku_acig-2.htm

I have about 20’ of it just in case. My local dealers do not stock it or at least that is what they said last year. They would only order it for that particular stove.




Lopi Rockport
Blaze King Ashford 25

Thanks. I must have bought form them before, the had all my info

 

[bholler]

BK's are excellent stoves, the build quality is top notch, customer service is leading the industry and setting the pace for other small / medium companies to follow and the actual function of the stove lives up to the BK name, the stove will do what the stove is advertised to do; it will heat on low and hold a burn time of 24hrs, it will heat on high and act like all other stoves with burn times of 6 - 8 hrs.
What creates issues with some of these stoves are when people like me want more for less out of them, or run them out of factory spec.
You need a sweet spot on your chimney (aka .005" in h20) in draft, anything more and your running to strong of a draft and can have cat clogging issues (highest drafts), shorter burn times then advertised, less heat coming off the stove (not really noticed by a laymen)
You need dry wood, the tendency for users to think that 22% wood moisture on a freshly split face is good enough, the user may be able to keep a fire going, but performance wise, the stove is a different animal when running wood with a moisture content between 12 - 18%.
In the northeast US, we experience some weird but harsh winter weather, our bodies and homes with older construction take a beating, our temps can be mid 30's during the day then swing down to single digits at night, you get a storm and forget about it, the weather isn't gentle or consistent like other areas; if your stove is in your living space (aka family room, kitchen area ect..) you'll be fine, turn the thermostat to choose your output, if your heating say from an uninsulated basement with the living space above, btu outputs might be a struggle in sub 20 deg f weather, remember block wall or concrete uninsulated basements can absorb up to 1/3 of the heat produced by the stove and send to the outside.
BK's have a tendency of set it and forget it which is not the standard in the wood burning world, usually with other stoves there is a degree of marriage to them, stoking, air adjustments during the burn, constant reloads and ash removal.. it could be a chore for some. With the BK once the fire is going and the cat probe indicates active, you adjust your desired heat output then kiss it good bye, you can burn for a short 8hrs, or a long 24hrs depending on the heating need, many people experiment and find a few spots on there t-stats that they know if they set them to those spots they will have a certain burn time, or output, you have to experiment for yourself.
Back to BTU outputs.. consistency is the winner, more or less its the turtle vs the hare, hare being a tube stove, the turtle being slow but steady will do a consistent predicable job vs chasing the hare who burns a fast btu load then cools off quickly during the decay stage of the fire, for some people they need that 3-4 hr rush of 80k and above btu's to heat all objects in there home quickly then maintain the fire (I'm a basement burner and could sometimes use 80k btu's for a few hours in the dead of winter, but I'll take 50k btu's for 12hrs straight any day of the week to, and have for the last 4 seasons, something no tube stove can really accomplish.

I really don't know what this constant messing with the stove is you guys talk about with tube stoves. I never did any more messing with my regency than I do with the princess.

 

[Diabel]

I really don't know what this constant messing with the stove is you guys talk about with tube stoves. I never did any more messing with my regency than I do with the princess.

@beholler, are you giving another go with the Princess this year?

 

[lsucet]

@beholler, are you giving another go with the Princess this year?

I doubt it, it didn't work for him like his regency.

 

[SpaceBus]

Anyone else besides poindexter light a fire yet? I just lit one, it's rainy and windy here due to the storm/hurricane. It will probably be a few weeks before I light it up again. There is also the issue of 2/3 of the first floor has no insulation right now...

 

[bholler]

@beholler, are you giving another go with the Princess this year?

Yeah. I built a solar kiln this year so instead of 18 to 20% I am 15 to 18 or so. I will see if that changes my opinion of the heat output.

 

[bholler]

I doubt it, it didn't work for him like his regency.

It worked pretty much just like my regency. It just took longer to bring the house temp up if it fell for whatever reason. There were things I liked more and some I liked less.

 

[Diabel]

Goo

Yeah. I built a solar kiln this year so instead of 18 to 20% I am 15 to 18 or so. I will see if that changes my opinion of the heat output.

Good to hear. We all enjoy your crusty input here! Haha

 

[Highbeam]

(I'm a basement burner and could sometimes use 80k btu's for a few hours in the dead of winter, but I'll take 50k btu's for 12hrs straight any day of the week to,

I think this is what bothers the noncat people. 3*80 = 240k btu, if you burnt the same firebox of fuel over 12 hours you’d get just 20k btu per hour, not 50k. I still get the point and most folks do to but others will see it as hyperbole.

 

[showrguy]

Goo


Good to hear. We all enjoy your crusty input here! Haha

Now that’s damn funny right there !!

 

[Rob711]

Just gave deposit for my Ashford 25. Instillation date 10-8. Looks like I may have to change my avatar pic. Looking forward to burning more efficiently, as well as slightly longer burn times compared to my Vermont castings intrepid1. Thanks everyone, this is a great forum!

 

[Pgaron]

BK's have a tendency of set it and forget it which is not the standard in the wood burning world, usually with other stoves there is a degree of marriage to them, stoking, air adjustments during the burn, constant reloads and ash removal..

That is perfect for my needs. When I was doing research the burn times users were reporting on the BK stoves were the closest to the times reported in their advertising. This was a huge deal to me because last year we bought the house and I thought we could save a lot on oil using the free wood that was already split and came with the house with the old stove that came too. But we didnt save as much as i was hoping because my wife who works from home did not have the time to maintain the fire, she couldnt keep checking on it all day.

 

[bholler]

That is perfect for my needs. When I was doing research the burn times users were reporting on the BK stoves were the closest to the times reported in their advertising. This was a huge deal to me because last year we bought the house and I thought we could save a lot on oil using the free wood that was already split and came with the house with the old stove that came too. But we didnt save as much as i was hoping because my wife who works from home did not have the time to maintain the fire, she couldnt keep checking on it all day.

I am glad a bk will work for you. But there really is no need to check any stove all day if it is setup correctly and in good working order. The bk guys love to act like any other stove needs allot of attention. When in reality every stove i have used after the first 15 to 30 mins doesnt get touched again untill its time to reload hours later. How many hours will vary depending upon firebox size fuel and how the stove is run.

 

[BKVP]

I am glad a bk will work for you. But there really is no need to check any stove all day if it is setup correctly and in good working order. The bk guys love to act like any other stove needs allot of attention. When in reality every stove i have used after the first 15 to 30 mins doesnt get touched again untill its time to reload hours later. How many hours will vary depending upon firebox size fuel and how the stove is run.

And species of fuel (specific gravity).

 

[kennyp2339]

The bk guys love to act like any other stove needs allot of attention.

Not to start crap or anything but my old stove was a US2500 tube stove, and yes I was tending it a lot more then the BK, trying to burn down coals fast to remove ash so I could fit more wood was a time consuming (but fun) job, usually a Sunday morning coffee things, followed by a every 3rd work day thing. The deeper belly of the princess took ash clean out from once every three days to once a week with hardly every any ash spill out.

 

[jetsam]

I really don't know what this constant messing with the stove is you guys talk about with tube stoves. I never did any more messing with my regency than I do with the princess.

It's putting wood in them every 8-12 hours. And starting more than 1 fire a year. Yuck!

 

[bholler]

And species of fuel (specific gravity).

Yeah and many other factors as well.

 

[bholler]

Not to start crap or anything but my old stove was a US2500 tube stove, and yes I was tending it a lot more then the BK, trying to burn down coals fast to remove ash so I could fit more wood was a time consuming (but fun) job, usually a Sunday morning coffee things, followed by a every 3rd work day thing. The deeper belly of the princess took ash clean out from once every three days to once a week with hardly every any ash spill out.

I have never had to do any of that in any of the stoves I have used. You do realize you are comparing a cheap entry level tube stove to a top of the line cat stove right.