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

[Alpine1]

Thanks @weatherguy ... gosh 112.27$ for shipping and import fees. But it seems I have no choice, cat stoves being almost unknown ‘round here. Oh well, with all the wood I save each season, I can afford to spend that much.

 

[MacinJosh]

Completely off topic, but I was in Walmart yesterday and in an aisle display had Distilled gallon jugs of water for $0.62 each. If anyone is planning on doing a vinegar bath this spring, might be a good time to grab a few bottles. YMMV

Link to a thread for vinegar bath instructions?

 

[Diabel]

For a 200.00 new cat is it worth ones time to do the cat vinegar bath? Me thinks not.

 

[Woody Stover]

Link to a thread for vinegar bath instructions?

You could do the long version..I've done that until the last time I cleaned the cat, but it stinks up the house and is a general pain in the butt.
The way this winter is going, though, we can just open the windows and it's not that big a deal.
Or you can just use a spray bottle with 50/50 distilled white vinegar/distilled water. It seemed kind of hard to spray in there and thoroughly coat the cell wall, so you might just want to mix enough solution to cover it, then soak it that way.
I'm not sure if there's any harm to letting it soak longer than the half-hour specified for the simmer soak..could prolonged soaking hurt it?
Last time, when I just sprayed mine, I kept re-spraying over a period of a couple hours, I dunno if that was wise.
They seem to stress rinsing the cat with distilled water, thoroughly, several times.

 

[MissMac]

For a 200.00 new cat is it worth ones time to do the cat vinegar bath? Me thinks not.

$200!! @Diabel where are you getting your cats? I just looked at the Canadian amazon site, and that cat in our currency is $500!

 

[Diabel]

$200!! @Diabel where are you getting your cats? I just looked at the Canadian amazon site, and that cat in our currency is $500!

Sorry. It was 200 usd. Go to amazon.com and you will pay 260 cad after the exchange. And if you have an US address (as I do) then there will be no shipping charges.

 

[MissMac]

Sorry. It was 200 usd. Go to amazon.com and you will pay 260 cad after the exchange. And if you have an US address (as I do) then there will be no shipping charges.

Ya i'm not sure where you found that, but even on the .com site it's $280 US plus probably a bunch of import fees. And who keeps a US address just to have things shipped for free? hahahahahhahaha.

I'm just trying to highlight that things aren't quite so cheap and therefore disposable when you live north of the border.

 

[Highbeam]

Ya i'm not sure where you found that, but even on the .com site it's $280 US plus probably a bunch of import fees. And who keeps a US address just to have things shipped for free? hahahahahhahaha.

I'm just trying to highlight that things aren't quite so cheap and therefore disposable when you live north of the border.

sure, it costs more of your Canadian dollars but they are worth less. Are you saying that there is a significant up charge in addition to the currency exchange rate? Is it your government that charges these extra import duties? I am not experienced with buying things from another country.

 

[Diabel]

 

[Highbeam]

View attachment 255962

I’m on burn #2 with this cat today. Works great so far. Fit right in the hole.

they nicked me for 20$ extra in state sales tax.

 

[Diabel]

Can a cat, and for that matter a BK stove deteriorate from non use? Rust perhaps....
I have not lit the Princess since Jan 1st.

 

[MacinJosh]

Is there a gasket or anything that needs replaced if you remove a cat for cleaning? Seems pretty subjective with lots of variables when these need a cleaning inter-winter (rather than spring or the off season if you have one). My cat is glowing red and I don't see a single cell plugged or not red.

 

[MacinJosh]

On another note, it's going to take me awhile to figure out this excess coal thing. I've been raking them forward and trying to push the ash down and back but they are so intertwined I don't know how effective it is. Maybe I just need some pine. Or maybe I need to let the stove go out, rake out all the coals, and start over again. Sometimes I need a 500-600 degree stove just to keep the house warm for BTUs so maybe I'm pushing this stove to its limits which is adding to my problem. House is only 2200 sq ft though with a 800 basement. But the stove is not in the basement so shouldn't factor in as much.

I'll keep monkeying with it.

 

[Diabel]

And who keeps a US address just to have things shipped for free? hahahahahhahaha.

I spend quite a bit of time at my US address, especially in the winter.

 

[MissMac]

View attachment 255962

$373 CAD delivered to my house.

 

[MissMac]

sure, it costs more of your Canadian dollars but they are worth less. Are you saying that there is a significant up charge in addition to the currency exchange rate? Is it your government that charges these extra import duties? I am not experienced with buying things from another country.

hahahahaha, are you poo-pooing on my toonies and loonies?

I think that a lot of things in general cost more up here than in America even once you've accounted for the exchange rate. There's a whole lot of reasons i'm sure. All i was really getting at was that it's not just pocket change to replace a cat, so i wouldn't be doing it just to save a bit of hassle of other maintenance items first.

 

[Diabel]

$373 CAD delivered to my house.

Much better than 500!
I was about to offer to pick one up for you and ship it to you once I am back in Ottawa, but 375 is decent price for such a large cat.

 

[kennyp2339]

Link to a thread for vinegar bath instructions?

Cleaning a catalytic combustor with vinegar bath

You could always use vinegar as the bath in the ultrasonic cleaner

www.hearth.com

 

[Diabel]

Can a cat, and for that matter a BK stove deteriorate from non use? Rust perhaps....
I have not lit the Princess since Jan 1st.

There were threads bouncing around regarding rust from creo. in the firebox.

 

[MissMac]

Much better than 500!
I was about to offer to pick one up for you and ship it to you once I am back in Ottawa, but 375 is decent price for such a large cat.

Ya, so there's the difference then between the Canadian and American sites. On the American site it comes out to $125 cheaper for me for the exact same product - @Highbeam there's the markup!

 

[Woody Stover]

Can a cat, and for that matter a BK stove deteriorate from non use? Rust perhaps....

Nothing to worry about there, I don't think.

I've been raking them forward and trying to push the ash down and back but they are so intertwined...Sometimes I need a 500-600 degree stove just to keep the house warm for BTUs so maybe I'm pushing this stove to its limits which is adding to my problem

I push the whole mess to where I want the ash to end up, then skim the big coals off the top. Since the 3x5" lidded ash dump on the Buck 91 was on the left, I'd shove the mess to the left, then skim the coals to save to the right. Long story short, try shoving the mess back, then skimming the coals forward.
Yeah, if you need cat-burn heat, and can't keep up burning down coals, you are in a spot..

 

[Woody Stover]

There were threads bouncing around regarding rust from creo. in the firebox.

BAD fanboy! You don't bring that up, you leave it where it was, swept under the rug!

 

[charger4406]

There were threads bouncing around regarding rust from creo. in the firebox.

Post 1682, page 68

 

[AlbergSteve]

Ya, so there's the difference then between the Canadian and American sites. On the American site it comes out to $125 cheaper for me for the exact same product - @Highbeam there's the markup!

Some of Midwest's prices on Amazon.ca are just stupid. SEVENTY ONE dollars for 19 inches of interam gasket!!?? $58 for a 6'' poly brush that's $19 at my local bricks and mortar store. I was checking prices recently on Amazon for another store and thought I'd check the company's website for the same items. They had their Amazon items marked up 10-20% over their web prices, and their web prices included free shipping! As usual, buyer beware, you gotta do your research.

 

[Ashful]

Is there a gasket or anything that needs replaced if you remove a cat for cleaning? Seems pretty subjective with lots of variables when these need a cleaning inter-winter (rather than spring or the off season if you have one). My cat is glowing red and I don't see a single cell plugged or not red.

Interam gasket. You'll need about 30 inches of 1/16" x 2" each time you pull the cat. Tape one end to side of cat at a corner, wrap it all the way around, tape it all the way around, cut it clean at a corner, then slide it into the hole. The gasket usually costs about $2 per foot, so you're talking $5 once or twice per year to pull your cat.

On another note, it's going to take me awhile to figure out this excess coal thing. I've been raking them forward and trying to push the ash down and back but they are so intertwined I don't know how effective it is.

Get an ash rake, which is really only a "rake" in name, it looks more like a plow. I'll copy a photo of mine, below. Use this to plow the whole mess to the back of the firebox, which will cause the coals to naturally rise to the top. Then just rake them off the top of the pile toward the front, and level the whole thing off. Takes about ten seconds before loading, each time. Every time. That's what's important, for preventing build-up.