2020-21 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK)

[Toiler]

Celebrating 5 years with the King. Put it on an an existing 8" stove pipe. Last year the chimney rusted through in the middle of winter.

Now we have a new stack, it burns way better. Pretty much running 24 hours a day since early October this season.

We burn soft wood, as that is what falls in the 'hood. Fir, Hemlock. Sometimes too green ,whatever we have.

I was concerned, reading here five years back, that the catalytic parts would die early, due to wood quality. No issues. Once and a while I screw up and leave it on high while getting it going. That seems to clean out any issues. Not much comes out when I brush the chimney.

I am very impressed with this stove!

 

[MTASH]

Hey folks, today I realized there is a regular poster missing. Anyone heard from @Ashful ? Last post on the site was May 8....

 

[Diabel]

Hey folks, today I realized there is a regular poster missing. Anyone heard from @Ashful ? Last post on the site was May 8....

I also tagged him in one of the posts few weeks ago, thinking what you are thinking. He never responded.

 

[Highbeam]

I also tagged him in one of the posts few weeks ago, thinking what you are thinking. He never responded.

Members come and go, sometimes they need a break or their lifestyle has changed.

 

[Alpine1]

Whatever it is, I hope he’s well. With this darn corona thing going on you never know.

 

[BKVP]

I have his contact info and tried to call him 3 weeks ago. The phone just rang. I will check again....We need his clever wit!

 

[Smolder]

The tubes on the side of the Ashford 30 airbox, right above the brick, are these air tubes?

I’ve noted these get right full of creosote, are they functional and need cleaning or do they not matter?

 

[Highbeam]

The tubes on the side of the Ashford 30 airbox, right above the brick, are these air tubes?

I’ve noted these get right full of creosote, are they functional and need cleaning or do they not matter?

Those are air tubes carrying and preheating intake air from the thermostat in the back to the air wash plate above the door where all air enters the stove. They do not fill with creosote but creosote may grown on the outside of them. I sure don’t spend time cleaning that debris off until the annual deep cleaning in the a summer.

 

[Smolder]

Those are air tubes carrying and preheating intake air from the thermostat in the back to the air wash plate above the door where all air enters the stove. They do not fill with creosote but creosote may grown on the outside of them. I sure don’t spend time cleaning that debris off until the annual deep cleaning in the a summer.

hmmm... the tubes run down the left and right side of the stove and come out by the door opening about 2/5ths of the way up, just above the side bricks... I’ve been cleaning creosote out of them regularly for two years now. It’s a square channel. Maybe we are talking about different things?

 

[jetsam]

Reasoning from experience when things can simply be calculated (given *all* and *the correct* data), is bound to get to the "hold my beer and watch this" stories.

...which are the best part about a forum like this, so don't jinx 'em!

 

[Diabel]

Hb is correct. I looked at mine (stuck my head in the box when it was new) and these tubes feed air wash to the door glass (needs a bit more engineering maybe) but Rome was not built in one day.

 

[Highbeam]

hmmm... the tubes run down the left and right side of the stove and come out by the door opening about 2/5ths of the way up, just above the side bricks... I’ve been cleaning creosote out of them regularly for two years now. It’s a square channel. Maybe we are talking about different things?

You must be talking about the welded in side shields. Those things just imitate the function of another row of brick. It’s hard to clean behind them but debris does accumulate and you are supposed to clean it out. I do it once a year.

 

[Smolder]

You must be talking about the welded in side shields. Those things just imitate the function of another row of brick. It’s hard to clean behind them but debris does accumulate and you are supposed to clean it out. I do it once a year.

Cool, that sounds about right. I wasn’t sure if they served any airflow function being open and all that. Smoke obviously travels through them with all the gunk that builds up in. Thank you.

 

[Diabel]

You must be talking about the welded in side shields. Those things just imitate the function of another row of brick. It’s hard to clean behind them but debris does accumulate and you are supposed to clean it out. I do it once a year.

Btw
How do you clean behind them? Are they removable? Use shopvac....

 

[Highbeam]

Btw
How do you clean behind them? Are they removable? Use shopvac....

They really are welded in place. I have tried a few things but what has worked best is shoving a two foot long piece of rubber vacuum hose onto the end of my air nozzle and blowing the junk towards the rear where it falls out and into the firebox. Not much pressure just puff puff puff to shoot the junk back. The king model has another plate across the back. My princess just two side shields.

Smoke flows behind the shields so maybe there is a hidden reason for these shields.

 

[MTASH]

Btw
How do you clean behind them? Are they removable? Use shopvac....

Something like this works pretty well.

Amazon product ASIN B00A7YUIO2

 

[kennyp2339]

Btw
How do you clean behind them? Are they removable? Use shopvac....

At the end of the season, I give the chimney a good cleaning, remove the smoke pipe and vacumm behind the cat, then re-attach everything. This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I take some very dry soft wood, either pine or mix pine with eastern red cedar, using smaller splits and build a fire, I keep the stove on high and bake everything clean off the inside of the stove, it isnt much that needs to be done since I do run a hot load once a week during the winter for about 30-45min.

 

[jetsam]

So where the hell is Ashful this year? Anyone have contact with him outside of hearth?

 

[MTASH]

So where the hell is Ashful this year? Anyone have contact with him outside of hearth?

Back in post #631 BKVP said he tried to call Ashful but no answer.

 

[Crocks]

When you guys close the air control all the way how much air can still pass through? Im guessing there is some way the stove gets some small amount of air? Correct me if I am wrong
Also does the flame typically always die?. I don't see how the stove would stand a chance of keeping the windows even somewhat clean without some flame present

Thanks

 

[Tron]

Also does the flame typically always die?. I don't see how the stove would stand a chance of keeping the windows even somewhat clean without some flame present

When you turn it down low enough, the flames die, but the wood keeps smouldering and feeding gases to the cat.

My glass door easily gets black deposits, mostly on the lower corners. That doesn't burn off when I take it on "high" after a reload. Just something I'll need to live with, I guess. But I do run it on low rather often due to heat requirements.

 

[Crocks]

When you turn it down low enough, the flames die, but the wood keeps smouldering and feeding gases to the cat.

My glass door easily gets black deposits, mostly on the lower corners. That doesn't burn off when I take it on "high" after a reload. Just something I'll need to live with, I guess. But I do run it on low rather often due to heat requirements.

I wonder if the catalyst some how contributes to the glass not getting so dark?

 

[Tron]

I wonder if the catalyst some how contributes to the glass not getting so dark?

Unlikely, as the gases go past the glass first and into the cat second.

 

[Highbeam]

On my princess, the throttle blade has a little hole in it so even when the throttle blade is slammed shut there is air entering through that hole that washes down the glass enough to keep about 50% of the glass clear. I can’t even fit my pinky through the hole, it’s small.

This orifice is where the term “riding the hole” came from because the way many of us operate our stoves most of the time that hole is the only air source.

 

[Highbeam]

Unlikely, as the gases go past the glass first and into the cat second.

I think the waythe cat contributes to cleaner glass is that it powers the draft that sucks that smoke up the stack which is replaced in the firebox by clean air washing the glass. If not for that active 1500 degree cat munching on smoke, I wonder if the fuel would stop burning.