2020-21 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK)

[BKVP]

I call fake news on @BKVP.

Looks to me like a brochure photo that is cropped and used in this site. He probably is burning a Regency since the BK unit does not throw off enough heat. Yes they burn slow and steady but peak heat is just not enough for his building envelope. I recall he is on a slight hill and has some wind. I think he tried a BK and it just didn't do the job well enough.

**all in jest and for humor only the above...hehe**

I thought I heard a drone overhead yesterday!

 

[Highbeam]

And since he lives in Oregon and everybody knows that Oregon is part of the pnw and basically coastal CA he must not have any real heat load.

 

[jetsam]

Might be time for another pet contest...

The Dingo would approve. She died this year, but she would definitely want to see more BK dog beds out in the world!

 

[BKVP]

The Dingo would approve. She died this year, but she would definitely want to see more BK dog beds out in the world!

Im sorry about old Dingo!

 

[Dustin]

And since he lives in Oregon and everybody knows that Oregon is part of the pnw and basically coastal CA he must not have any real heat load.

Oregon is always warm. It never rains here. Don’t need a wood stove and we prefer to be as much like California as possible.

 

[kennyp2339]

As I glance out the window looking at the snow capped mountains in New Jersey, never mind, just haze from all the pollution.

 

[Nelson]

Pipe installed. First fire rollin’. Have it set at about 2:30 and cruising. Paint curing isn’t too bad.

 

[kennyp2339]

First fire rollin’.

Nice, just as an fyi, if your interested the blower kit and more importantly the convection deck is absolutely awesome with the princess, one of the best add on's that I bought, fan is pretty quiet to and when running on low with darken glass mode, the heat just ooz's off the stove.

 

[Nelson]

Nice, just as an fyi, if your interested the blower kit and more importantly the convection deck is absolutely awesome with the princess, one of the best add on's that I bought, fan is pretty quiet to and when running on low with darken glass mode, the heat just ooz's off the stove.

I have the fan! Not running it at the moment but plan too extensively!

 

[kennyp2339]

Not running it at the moment but plan too extensively!

Pick up the convection deck, you will see an night and day difference

 

[Nelson]

Pick up the convection deck, you will see an night and day difference

Will do!

 

[MacinJosh]

It’s odd that you were able to drop the outer wall onto the stove top. Does it feel like the tapered inner wall of the flue pipe is tightly pressed into the stove collar? I had to use a short piece called an appliance adapter between the stove and the double wall.

i never got mine to seat perfectly. It’s a poor design in my opinion. The stove pipe should fit securely in the stove collar but my experience was far from it. My stove pipe is basically just resting on the colts. The flue pipe is as tight as can be in the stove collar but not perfect. Last year I shoved some gasket rope up in there and tried to fill the gap between the collar and the stove pipe but it eventually fell down.
As long as there isn’t a way for the stove pipe to fall off the collar I don’t see a big deal. Your draft is going to make sure the smoke goes up and not find a way out of the fit isn’t perfect. At least that’s been my experience. But again, I was quite unimpressed with how they fit together. Seems to me there’s lots of room for improvement here.

 

[MacinJosh]

Pick up the convection deck, you will see an night and day difference

What is the convection deck and what does it look like? Does it only apply to the ultra?

 

[Nelson]

i never got mine to seat perfectly. It’s a poor design in my opinion. The stove pipe should fit securely in the stove collar but my experience was far from it. My stove pipe is basically just resting on the colts. The flue pipe is as tight as can be in the stove collar but not perfect. Last year I shoved some gasket rope up in there and tried to fill the gap between the collar and the stove pipe but it eventually fell down.
As long as there isn’t a way for the stove pipe to fall off the collar I don’t see a big deal. Your draft is going to make sure the smoke goes up and not find a way out of the fit isn’t perfect. At least that’s been my experience. But again, I was quite unimpressed with how they fit together. Seems to me there’s lots of room for improvement here.

The part that threw me a little bit was how high the holes were on the collar. Seemed to imply that the pipe should sit up from the stove deck. I suspect it has something to do with having to support multiple different stove pipe manufacturers. I ended up taking Begreen’s advice and dropping the pipe pretty close to the stove top. Getting the screws lined up wasn’t perfect but I’m happy with how secure it is. I don’t think it’s going anywhere. First fire going now and I have not smelled a whiff of smoke ( and would not expect to with a good draft). I’mvery happy overall. That said, I can see why people pay to have this stuff installed. If you’re not use to it, it’s not necessarily super apparent how to proceed.

 

[Blazing]

Nice, just as an fyi, if your interested the blower kit and more importantly the convection deck is absolutely awesome with the princess, one of the best add on's that I bought, fan is pretty quiet to and when running on low with darken glass mode, the heat just ooz's off the stove.

I don't complain much with my bk. That said the blower on my princess insert is absolute garbage. It rattles randomly and at any speed. I have taken things apart and cleaned but the design isn't all that great for managing the different um I guess harmonics that the fan produces. I need to quit being lazy and solid mount the thing to eliminate this.

 

[MTY]

I put the king in the fall of 2009. Three times last year I did the cat test from the manual, and each time it passed. I replaced the cat today, along with the door gasket. Next weekend is supposed to be cold, and I thought it time to replace the cat.

I was surprised to see the old cat had no physical damage and was relatively free of deposits. I have been burning about 7 cords per year.

 

[MacinJosh]

The part that threw me a little bit was how high the holes were on the collar. Seemed to imply that the pipe should sit up from the stove deck. I suspect it has something to do with having to support multiple different stove pipe manufacturers. I ended up taking Begreen’s advice and dropping the pipe pretty close to the stove top. Getting the screws lined up wasn’t perfect but I’m happy with how secure it is. I don’t think it’s going anywhere. First fire going now and I have not smelled a whiff of smoke ( and would not expect to with a good draft). I’mvery happy overall. That said, I can see why people pay to have this stuff installed. If you’re not use to it, it’s not necessarily super apparent how to proceed.

Good call. With mine, there was absolutely no way it was going down far enough to be flush with the top of the stove. The crimped inner flue pipe would barely fit in the stove collar, so it was fairly snug. But the straight inner flue pipe was almost the same diameter as the stove collar. So my stove pipe sits about an inch or so off the stove top. Again, never seen a whiff of smoke either.

 

[twd000]

is this the right metal catalyst option for the BK Princess insert model 1010? Or is this the dreaded "diesel foil"?

Catalytic Combustor Blaze King Princess (4

Midwest Hearth MH-63C and MH-63M replacement combustors are a high-quality choice for your catalytic wood burning stove.Replacing your old combustor will help you improve your stove's efficiency, saving you money and producing less pollution. split Catalytic Combustor FAQ Catalytic Combustor...

midwesthearth.com

I don't see the 1010 model # listed, but the dimensions seem to match

Also why does the steel cat not require a gasket like the ceramic one?

 

[BKVP]

All Blaze King combustors are to be used with a gasket. If you are reading somewhere that it is not required, I would refrain from making a purchase from that site. They do not know what they are selling and the application to the proper heater(s). I'll look at the link you provided....

 

[BKVP]

is this the right metal catalyst option for the BK Princess insert model 1010? Or is this the dreaded "diesel foil"?

Catalytic Combustor Blaze King Princess (4

Midwest Hearth MH-63C and MH-63M replacement combustors are a high-quality choice for your catalytic wood burning stove.Replacing your old combustor will help you improve your stove's efficiency, saving you money and producing less pollution. split Catalytic Combustor FAQ Catalytic Combustor...

midwesthearth.com

I don't see the 1010 model # listed, but the dimensions seem to match

Also why does the steel cat not require a gasket like the ceramic one?

They do state it is included.

 

[twd000]

Roger that on the gasket. I guess it's just an extra step to attach it before installation

So is that the proper steel catalyst for a BK Princess insert, model PI-1010? high-quality durafoil?

 

[BKVP]

Roger that on the gasket. I guess it's just an extra step to attach it before installation

So is that the proper steel catalyst for a BK Princess insert, model PI-1010? high-quality durafoil?

Yes. Midwest is acting as the distributor for Applied Ceramics (which also make metal cats as well).

 

[showrguy]

Yes. Midwest is acting as the distributor for Applied Ceramics (which also make metal cats as well).

Did Firecat and Midwest merge ?? Or have they always been the same company ??

 

[BKVP]

Did Firecat and Midwest merge ?? Or have they always been the same company ??

No. Applied Ceramics needed a way to sell combustors for older models &other units that stove manufacturers no longer stocked. So they started firecatcombustors. Essentially it was their way of doing retail sales. So Applied decided to get out of the retail side and asked Midwest to become their official retailer. (online)

So when you go to firecat's site, it takes you to Midwest.

 

[showrguy]

No. Applied Ceramics needed a way to sell combustors for older models &other units that stove manufacturers no longer stocked. So they started firecatcombustors. Essentially it was their way of doing retail sales. So Applied decided to get out of the retail side and asked Midwest to become their official retailer. (online)

So when you go to firecat's site, it takes you to Midwest.

Yea, I noticed that re-direct to Midwest..
Thanks for the clarity..