2020-21 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK)

[Tron]

eco fan.....kids keep asking me what i want for Xmas.

Just looked them up, funny concept. They use the heat difference to generate electricity for the motor by thermoelectric effect (Seebeck effect). Like a Peltier element. Nerdy.
Would top the Nerd factor if they would use the temperature difference to run a stirling engine...

 

[Holiday]

Here it is.

 

[rdust]

Require is a strong word but when turning the knob and things feel scritchy, that can be fixed with lube. I do it every year or two. The thermostat shaft has a friction washer to prevent it from spinning on its own and the smallest dab of antiseize grease on that friction washer makes it smooth like butter.

Running it dry won’t hurt it though. Access requires removing a cover that the manual suggests you leave for qualified technicians. Those technicians make sure the stat is turned full cold before removing and installing the cover. Two #2 square drive screws.

10 seasons I’ve never needed to touch mine.

 

[MacinJosh]

I run two eco fans. They’re neat and don’t use any electricity so any air movement is a plus.

is it easy to install a fan kit after the fact? During the summer months when the stove is off how easy is it to install? Thanks

 

[Diabel]

I run two eco fans. They’re neat and don’t use any electricity so any air movement is a plus.

is it easy to install a fan kit after the fact? During the summer months when the stove is off how easy is it to install? Thanks

Is the picture deceiving or is the stove really close to the wall?

 

[moresnow]

I run two eco fans. They’re neat and don’t use any electricity so any air movement is a plus.

is it easy to install a fan kit after the fact? During the summer months when the stove is off how easy is it to install? Thanks

Yes. It's easy.

 

[MacinJosh]

Is the picture deceiving or is the stove really close to the wall?

Deceiving. It’s a King KE40. I checked with folks in here when I installed it to make sure I had the right clearance based on the manual. Corners are 6” away and I believe the min is 4”.

 

[Diabel]

Deceiving. It’s a King KE40. I checked with folks in here when I installed it to make sure I had the right clearance based on the manual. Corners are 6” away and I believe the min is 4”.

Got it. Pictures make things look odd sometimes.

 

[kennyp2339]

And where chugging along, sipping on some oak, cold nights ahead for sure to, seems we finally entered winter here, no snow though, that was about 100 miles north and east today, but its coming. Might be cruising with the blower on tomorrow night to, low around 20 or so.

 

[Highbeam]

Deceiving. It’s a King KE40. I checked with folks in here when I installed it to make sure I had the right clearance based on the manual. Corners are 6” away and I believe the min is 4”.

A king in Kentucky!

 

[Fiddlerbob]

I have had my new Princess insert running for several weeks now and I am totally loving it. Way more efficient than the old Country Flame... Looking at pics on here I couldn't believe how much wood you all would stuff into the stove. Well, now I'm doing it. The old stove would either just choke on it or burn the house down. Also, I had to let the fire die out in the old stove every other day to clean out ashes. The deep belly on the princess let's you go for a week or more straight before getting the shovel out.
However, I'm still struggling a bit after reloading. I have read on here that people like to get a hot burn going to clean the glass and char and bake the fresh wood. They will let it burn on high for 20-30 minutes. But, if I leave it on high for more than 10-15 minutes the BK cat thermometer will be at the 6:00 position. I don't know what temp that is but it is likely over 2000dF from looking at pics of a Condar thermometer. It is said on here that that temp can have deleterious effects on the catalyst so I have been trying to shut the temp down fairly soon after reloading. The glass never clears but the temp will still get up to where the indicator is pointing at the 'g' in Blaze King. And, at that time in the burn, a slight twitch of the thermostat can send the temp back down to about 2:00 and another slight twitch to bring the temp back up can take it back to pointing at the 'g' again. So, what should I be doing?
Thanks
Bob

 

[kennyp2339]

@Fiddlerbob - grab a metal hand rake (little garden one) and before reloading rake the coals forward for a faster light off, remember that a new cat tends to be a little more active then one used for a season, you can err on the side of caution and either burn it on high for like 15min or burn it at 3/4 open for the 25-30min your choice, also you may have a stronger draft hence your on high seems higher then what others have, the t-stat does have a trip on it, so at almost total open if it does get to hot it should close off (calibrated and advertised that you cant overfire the stove with a closed by-pass, good door and window seals.)

 

[Highbeam]

I have had my new Princess insert running for several weeks now and I am totally loving it. Way more efficient than the old Country Flame... Looking at pics on here I couldn't believe how much wood you all would stuff into the stove. Well, now I'm doing it. The old stove would either just choke on it or burn the house down. Also, I had to let the fire die out in the old stove every other day to clean out ashes. The deep belly on the princess let's you go for a week or more straight before getting the shovel out.
However, I'm still struggling a bit after reloading. I have read on here that people like to get a hot burn going to clean the glass and char and bake the fresh wood. They will let it burn on high for 20-30 minutes. But, if I leave it on high for more than 10-15 minutes the BK cat thermometer will be at the 6:00 position. I don't know what temp that is but it is likely over 2000dF from looking at pics of a Condar thermometer. It is said on here that that temp can have deleterious effects on the catalyst so I have been trying to shut the temp down fairly soon after reloading. The glass never clears but the temp will still get up to where the indicator is pointing at the 'g' in Blaze King. And, at that time in the burn, a slight twitch of the thermostat can send the temp back down to about 2:00 and another slight twitch to bring the temp back up can take it back to pointing at the 'g' again. So, what should I be doing?
Thanks
Bob

I admit to not following the manual with this full throttle burn in for a half hour after cat engagement thing. I leave the stove ripping on full throttle only until flue temps get up to 800 and/or the cat meter hits the top of the active range. I don’t see the point of wasting any more fuel at that point.

I’m thinking maybe some folks use fuel that needs 30 minutes of high burn before it gets going well. Dry woods from the PNW don’t need that much time.

 

[Fiddlerbob]

@kennyp2339 : I rake the coals out, especially from the back of the stove, more to the front but also fairly evenly spread through the middle and my wood is dry - about 16% - so it takes off pretty quickly. My concern is it getting 'too' hot. As you refer, I have seen it stated several places that you can't over-fire a BK but that's not much consolation when the cat needle is headed all the way around the dial...

@Highbeam : I wish I had a flue temp gauge but that's not so easy with an insert (maybe with more forethought it could have been possible but way too late now). As stated to kennyp - my wood is fairly dry so it takes right off. Once that cat temp starts climbing you got it get the air intake shut down to about 50% or it will shoot all the way to the 6:00 position. I just don't want to wreck the cat.

 

[kennyp2339]

I let mine rip every once in a while, usually in the spring after the last chimney cleaning, I'll do a hot load to burn off the glaze in the back of the box, for me it was a nail biter at first, and when I do it I dont open the t stat fully (red neck insurance?) 3/4 with a slight bump up is fine for me and most of the glaze turns into a light brown powder like consistency.

 

[Fiddlerbob]

@kennyp2339 : How long to you let it rip and what does your cat temp get up to? I have been getting glazing on the sides and back of the firebox.

 

[kennyp2339]

@Fiddlerbob I dont have a true temp gauge, just use the original probe the stove came with, for my end of season clean out I use some lighter wood I have laying around, usually its eastern red cedar, eastern pine of white ash split thinner (3") during the regular burn season I'll do a bump up here and there with some oak splits, sometimes after a few cold nights in a row I get the excess coaling that needs to come down a little to avoid having to clean ash out, thats when I'll hit it with 4 medium oak splits and let it rip almost a whole cycle at 3/4 open, it does the job for me.
I replaced my cat last year, so there 1.2 seasons on it and my probe will still go to the 2-3 o'clock area on medium burns, again its no issue, I've been running a bk princess free stander since 2014 season and its all pretty much the same, occasionally I'll forget to do something like close the by-pass from a cold start or turn the stove down after engaging the cat, no harm or foul so far.

 

[Dustin]

So, if I’m taking my cat to major glow status and a full flame box on each reload I do, am I going to shorten its life span?

 

[Dustin]

Require is a strong word but when turning the knob and things feel scritchy, that can be fixed with lube. I do it every year or two. The thermostat shaft has a friction washer to prevent it from spinning on its own and the smallest dab of antiseize grease on that friction washer makes it smooth like butter.

Running it dry won’t hurt it though. Access requires removing a cover that the manual suggests you leave for qualified technicians. Those technicians make sure the stat is turned full cold before removing and installing the cover. Two #2 square drive screws.

Thanks! Best way to describe the feeling when turning the thermo knob is “crunchy” if that makes any sense.

didn’t feel that way when it was new in September

 

[kennyp2339]

So, if I’m taking my cat to major glow status and a full flame box on each reload I do, am I going to shorten its life span?

No, as long as your install is within the BK parameters you T-stat will shut the air down before you have any damage to the cat.

 

[jetsam]

I give you... two cats chewing on oak! (And a third cat preparing to chew on the second cat.)

 

[MacinJosh]

I admit to not following the manual with this full throttle burn in for a half hour after cat engagement thing. I leave the stove ripping on full throttle only until flue temps get up to 800 and/or the cat meter hits the top of the active range. I don’t see the point of wasting any more fuel at that point.

I’m thinking maybe some folks use fuel that needs 30 minutes of high burn before it gets going well. Dry woods from the PNW don’t need that much time.

This! Co-sign.

 

[MacinJosh]

Well, it was time to clean out the ashes even though it’s still cold here in Kentucky. I hate shutting down the stove to clean out ashes so I’ve started to just clean out hot ash carefully. With proper PPE it’s not too bad. And I have a stream on my property I can walk to and dump the coals.

Man, I forgot how much better the stove runs without a belly full of ash. Probably just better air circulation in the box, right? The cat is glowing red on a pretty low setting (bottom of swoosh or 3:00). Wasn’t operating nearly that good before the clean up.

Just a reminder to keep your ash down and not wait too long in between cleaning.

 

[jetsam]

Well, it was time to clean out the ashes even though it’s still cold here in Kentucky. I hate shutting down the stove to clean out ashes so I’ve started to just clean out hot ash carefully. With proper PPE it’s not too bad. And I have a stream on my property I can walk to and dump the coals.

Man, I forgot how much better the stove runs without a belly full of ash. Probably just better air circulation in the box, right? The cat is glowing red on a pretty low setting (bottom of swoosh or 3:00). Wasn’t operating nearly that good before the clean up.

Just a reminder to keep your ash down and not wait too long in between cleaning.

I melted a couple shovels my first year with the BK. I was not at all used to a stove where there can be so many hours between the end of the flames and the end of the red-hot coals, so I had to learn to do red-hot cleanouts.

Rake all the coal left, shovel ash right. Rake all the coal right, shovel ash left. Scrape middle into left, shovel ash middle. Switch shovels every couple scoops to let the last one cool. Level coals. Take bucket outside before it burns down the house. Throw on some wood and stand back!

 

[Highbeam]

I melted a couple shovels my first year with the BK. I was not at all used to a stove where there can be so many hours between the end of the flames and the end of the red-hot coals, so I had to learn to do red-hot cleanouts.

Rake all the coal left, shovel ash right. Rake all the coal right, shovel ash left. Scrape middle into left, shovel ash middle. Switch shovels every couple scoops to let the last one cool. Level coals. Take bucket outside before it burns down the house. Throw on some wood and stand back!

Don't you use metal shovels?