2021-2022 BK everything thread

[kennyp2339]

@Woody5506 not all cat stoves are created equal, BK's lines just so happen to have large cats that transfer heat to the stove top, where other stoves may have something similar and some have them located away (VC down drafts)
For a shorter flue I'd do research on the princess, its on of the easier breather stoves from the BK line that runs on a 6" chimney. As far as smoke, when I'm cruising dark box mode I dont have any smoke, but I do have a wood burning odor, at hiring burn rates I occasionally have a light smoke that comes out, but that when the t-stat is exercising, normally the princess is just boring, load it up, get it flaming good then turn it down to your heat level you want, come back 12, 16, 20 hrs later and reload.

 

[logfarmer]

Curious? Was your home calling for more heat when the stove was still running with the cat gauge at the 11 o'clock position? Or did you reload at that time for convenience?

Was more for convenient, but my stove has not been that warm since I bought it last wk kind of lost control of it in a way!

 

[logfarmer]

You need to play around with your stove some more, I can not give specific advice here because all drafts are different, best advice I can give is reload a full fire box, get the pieces burning well then start shutting the T-stat down in increments until your comfortable without the stove stalling the load.
If you look at your T-stat knob think of a clock, if you turn the knob straight up and down thats 12 o'clock or noon, many of us here will run between 1 - 3 o'clock, for myself. my sweet spot in the heart of winter is 2 o'clock with the blower running on low, right now since we're still in fall mode of mid 20's at night and 40 during the day so I load the stove to the gills, let it rip at max for 20 min then turn the t-stat down to 1 o'clock, that gives me no flames, dirty glass with a glowing cat, more importantly the house only goes to 72 / 73 deg f and wont fall below 70 deg f for 20hrs, even when temps dip to the upper 20's.

Yes I will need to mess with the stove for a bit to learn each other! I’ve been burning at about 1:30-2 o’clock which gives me a STT of 400* and outdoor temp has been in the 50’s and upper 30’s at night which has left the house comfortable for her liking. My 20hr burn was on 6 average size splits, I have yet to load the king completely full well not even half full to be honest!

 

[Highbeam]

Yes I will need to mess with the stove for a bit to learn each other! I’ve been burning at about 1:30-2 o’clock which gives me a STT of 400* and outdoor temp has been in the 50’s and upper 30’s at night which has left the house comfortable for her liking. My 20hr burn was on 6 average size splits, I have yet to load the king completely full well not even half full to be honest!

I always thought it would be great to have a king in an appropriately sized house running on low and just top it off with fuel whenever it was convenient. Like the fuel tank in my truck, I don't let it run out but prefer to keep it topped off.

 

[crstrode]

Is there a way to verify proper calibration of the combustor thermometer?

(BK Sirocco Insert here)

 

[Highbeam]

Is there a way to verify proper calibration of the combustor thermometer?

(BK Sirocco Insert here)

The insert uses that remote electric one with the red color right?

 

[MissMac]

I would be ecstatic to be going into January with a hyperactive combustor - but we are going into December.

I am on call, again, tomorrow night, but will try to keep an eye here over the long weekend. I am going to have to do about 16 hours Friday since I am not allowed to see people on Thursday (woo-hoo) but there are no idiots on staff at our local BK dealer that I know of.

When you open the loading door, fill it to the rafters, bake it on high for 30 minutes once you have the combustor engaged, and you should do fine. Did you air dry your fuel or get kilned dried fuel from either of Aurora or Big Mike?

Hey @Poindexter what do you personally use as your line in the sand to replace your cat? I'm on my original (4 winters), and I figure that i've put a solid 11000+ hrs on it. I keep thinking I should replace it, but it lights off like a boss on cold starts, and glows like a champ on/off during the burn cycle. So, it seems like it would be a waste to replace? Can the burn times/heat be degrading while still having such a glowing cat?

 

[shgRUSS]

First quarter review of my new Princess 32 with 19’ straight shot chimney (4’ is dvl telescoping)
Overall very happy with the quality and operation of the stove. Black box and hyper cat is instantly addictive. I run spruce or aspen. I noticed weather makes a big difference with characteristics for operation. High pressure(30.2inhg⬆️)makes the stove burn lazy: steady to slow rolling flames on high, turn dial down to coast and fire will black box very quickly. Low pressure (29.7inhg⬇️) high is turbulent to frantic with wind, turn dial down to coast and get secondary flames for minutes. Colder temps amplify these results. Warmest I have ran the stove 55*f (windy cloudy drizzling), coldest -37*f (calm and clear). Run time with 5 16” long 6”-10”spruce splits with house steady @72*f and no sun shine: Warm (40*f⬆️) outside is around 24hrs, cold (-30*f⬇️) outside is 10hrs. Wind will change these accordingly to extra heat loss on house. Ultra High to low pressure will change my lowest dial position:
- high, cold, calm, 3oclock
- low, cold, windy ride the hole indefinitely
These are based on the cat probe staying a third above active till load is depleted. Other observations: I can not run a long bake on a hot reload, 10 min max, the house gets too hot and the load loses extended burn times. Stove loves a hot reload with 4” of hot coals under fresh wood, char and bake are very short (5-7minutes). Only big complaint was the initial paint cure smell and haze, it was pretty harsh. I thought I was prepared with a couple windows open but ended up with all windows open and fans blowing air in and out of the house. I would not of wanted to do this in the middle of winter. Thoughts? Advice? Comments? I figured I would do a review for anyone looking to purchase or just getting a new Princess rolling.

 

[stoveliker]

I agree with your charring remark. I also see my flue probe reaching above 900 deg F in 10 minutes fully open. Even when outside temps are 40 F.

Given the advice to bake for 20-30 minutes, I have resorted to baking at a Tstat setting around 4.30 rather than a fully open 6 pm. And then still only 15-20 minutes because of lower burning times.

My chimney is taller though at 27' (outside plus 2 ft inside, but has 2 90 deg elbows and a horizontal run of 2.5-3 ft).

 

[TheElementalCashew]

My thermostat doesn't seem to keep the stove running consistently. The sweet spot is right around "2 o'clock" when it runs well, but I have to make minute adjustments especially early on. Just a tad too low, and the fire will lower itself into the inactive zone. A tad too high, and I'll come back to a box full of flames running way too hot. I don't mind having to make some adjustments, but we've had the stove snuff itself out overnight, or burn itself out too quickly and wake up to a cold stove. I know there are tons of variables here, but I would have thought large adjustments would be the problem, not these tiny, tiny adjustments I have to make.

Seems hit or miss, but if I have time to fuss with it for a while, eventually the stove will settle down and run as expected, giving us 12-15 hour burns that keep the house warm.

I guess I was under the impression that the thermostat would open the air a bit more when the stove start dying, or close the air if it started running hotter. "2 o'clock" does seem to be the right spot for it to cruise with just the right amount of air, but the first hour or so I just can't get it to run consistently.

 

[stoveliker]

Hey @Poindexter what do you personally use as your line in the sand to replace your cat? I'm on my original (4 winters), and I figure that i've put a solid 11000+ hrs on it. I keep thinking I should replace it, but it lights off like a boss on cold starts, and glows like a champ on/off during the burn cycle. So, it seems like it would be a waste to replace? Can the burn times/heat be degrading while still having such a glowing cat?

Not Poindexter here, but I'd think that if the cat lights off, and you don't see smoke (i.e. cat is not just glowing from the heat flowing through it), and your chimney remains as clean as it was in your first season with good wood (I'd check it at least once mid season at this age), then I'd leave it be. No indications it's not working.

However, I would order a new one to have it on hand for when you need it (and given the current supply issues).

 

[shgRUSS]

My thermostat doesn't seem to keep the stove running consistently. The sweet spot is right around "2 o'clock" when it runs well, but I have to make minute adjustments especially early on. Just a tad too low, and the fire will lower itself into the inactive zone. A tad too high, and I'll come back to a box full of flames running way too hot. I don't mind having to make some adjustments, but we've had the stove snuff itself out overnight, or burn itself out too quickly and wake up to a cold stove. I know there are tons of variables here, but I would have thought large adjustments would be the problem, not these tiny, tiny adjustments I have to make.

Seems hit or miss, but if I have time to fuss with it for a while, eventually the stove will settle down and run as expected, giving us 12-15 hour burns that keep the house warm.

I guess I was under the impression that the thermostat would open the air a bit more when the stove start dying, or close the air if it started running hotter. "2 o'clock" does seem to be the right spot for it to cruise with just the right amount of air, but the first hour or so I just can't get it to run consistently.

I found a good 4” of hot coals under a fresh reload really help keep the burn steady. My thoughts are there is enough heat to keep the new wood smouldering and feed the cat

 

[shgRUSS]

I agree with your charring remark. I also see my flue probe reaching above 900 deg F in 10 minutes fully open. Even when outside temps are 40 F.

Given the advice to bake for 20-30 minutes, I have resorted to baking at a Tstat setting around 4.30 rather than a fully open 6 pm. And then still only 15-20 minutes because of lower burning times.

My chimney is taller though at 27' (outside plus 2 ft inside, but has 2 90 deg elbows and a horizontal run of 2.5-3 ft).

Yes exactly, I usually lower to 5 or 430 so the rocket ship launch is regulated a bit. I think type and condition of wood may also play a role in the bake cycle also

 

[WoodFire89]

Good morning,

I have a Princess PE 32 (SN-28.1901) Purchased in 2020. This season i have started experiencing the smoke smell with cat engaged as discussed in the forum. I see a fix from Blaze King is to replace the stud & nut assembly holding the door glass in with a low-profile button head screw.

I am curious if this is applicable to the princess pe32 as well?

Last season i experienced no smell with good burn times and draft properties.
I have been researching and reading through the forums and other online chats to try and find some type of understanding or direction. The smell comes from the hinge side of the door (left side) with the smell very strong at the top left corner. Latch has been adjusted, dollar bill test performed, chimney inspected and cleaned, etc... all the suggested actions have been taken. it is a beautiful stove and heats very well, the smoke smell is concerning, from a safety standpoint.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[TheElementalCashew]

I found a good 4” of hot coals under a fresh reload really help keep the burn steady. My thoughts are there is enough heat to keep the new wood smouldering and feed the cat

Good point. With the weather being all over the place, I have had very few hot reloads this year.

 

[begreen]

Baking time is relative to the size and heat of the coal bed and the dryness of the wood. Very dry softwood is going to outgas rapidly on a 4" hot coal bed whereas 20% hardwood on a moderate 2" coal bed might need 20 minutes.

Only big complaint was the initial paint cure smell and haze, it was pretty harsh. I thought I was prepared with a couple windows open but ended up with all windows open and fans blowing air in and out of the house. I would not of wanted to do this in the middle of winter. Thoughts?

That surprised me. I thought the new (German?) paint was not supposed to do this on BK stoves.

 

[begreen]

Good morning,

I have a Princess PE 32 (SN-28.1901) Purchased in 2020. This season i have started experiencing the smoke smell with cat engaged as discussed in the forum. I see a fix from Blaze King is to replace the stud & nut assembly holding the door glass in with a low-profile button head screw.

I am curious if this is applicable to the princess pe32 as well?

Last season i experienced no smell with good burn times and draft properties.
I have been researching and reading through the forums and other online chats to try and find some type of understanding or direction. The smell comes from the hinge side of the door (left side) with the smell very strong at the top left corner. Latch has been adjusted, dollar bill test performed, chimney inspected and cleaned, etc... all the suggested actions have been taken. it is a beautiful stove and heats very well, the smoke smell is concerning, from a safety standpoint.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Though we have seen several complaints like this with the Ashford, it's not a common complaint for the Princess. How does the gasket look in that area? Is it still fluffy or is it saturated with creosote?

 

[TheElementalCashew]

Baking time is relative to the size and heat of the coal bed and the dryness of the wood. Very dry softwood is going to outgas rapidly on a 4" hot coal bed whereas 20% hardwood on a moderate 2" coal bed might need 20 minutes.


That surprised me. I thought the new (German?) paint was not supposed to do this on BK stoves.

I purchased my stove earlier this year, and it stunk horribly the first 3-4 times I ran wood through it.

 

[Diabel]

Though we have seen several complaints like this with the Ashford, it's not a common complaint for the Princess. How does the gasket look in that area? Is it still fluffy or is it saturated with creosote?

Nor I have heard any complaints regarding the smoke smell and the Princess. Hm

 

[Diabel]

Since I came here asking about my pipe condensation issues I have been charring/baking each load 20min. From cold start to cat probe pegged at max and pipe at 700~ inside the stove looks like yellow hell (the glass radiates like crazy) it takes 15-20min. I think my wood is dry. Still lots of condensing going on.

 

[elmo_4_vt]

Hey all - I'm a little late to the party this year with my new Chinook 30. Just got the piping done and will be setting the stove tonight. I don't see anything in the manual, or any good results from searching Hearth, but is there any time of wisdom to doing a few small loads to set the paint vs just letting her rip the first time? I'll do a write up of the Chinook and the stove pipe/chimney install in the next couple days once I get the first 2 or 3 fires lit. It's my first free standing stove, coming from a Osburn insert in the last house.

Don

-

 

[stoveliker]

Hey all - I'm a little late to the party this year with my new Chinook 30. Just got the piping done and will be setting the stove tonight. I don't see anything in the manual, or any good results from searching Hearth, but is there any time of wisdom to doing a few small loads to set the paint vs just letting her rip the first time? I'll do a write up of the Chinook and the stove pipe/chimney install in the next couple days once I get the first 2 or 3 fires lit. It's my first free standing stove, coming from a Osburn insert in the last house.

Don

-

The paint does not care much; it'll stink each time a higher temp is reached.
However, I believe the firebrick benefits from gradually increasing the fires in size (temp).

Welcome - from a fellow Chinook burner!

 

[Diabel]

Came to the lake yesterday eve. Outside temps in the low teens. The heat pump kept the house nice and toasty at 72. Got the fire going quickly so that the BK could takeover the house heating load (my usual practice to shut off the pump as I come to the lake).
As the stove settled, pipe at 300-350 cat probe at around 2:00pm I noticed the house cooling. I turned on the fans to help circulate the air (usually I have no need for the fans at all). I left the fans at min. speed. Within 10min the cat went to 3:00, pipe to 450 and the fire became somewhat more lively.

Why is that? Is the fan air somehow hitting the thermostat? No issue with it, just an observation.

 

[WoodFire89]

Though we have seen several complaints like this with the Ashford, it's not a common complaint for the Princess. How does the gasket look in that area? Is it still fluffy or is it saturated with creosote?

The gasket looks relatively new still, no saturation of creosote in that area. Along the top edge of the door, it is making contact with the very edge of the gasket (the top portion). What is tough for me to grasp, is the stove did not give off the odor last year.

I have ordered a new gasket to replace this one.

Is it possible that the door latch was adjusted too much and crushed the gasket ? Given the fact it is braided construction, do i not see how it can be crushed....i mean that door would have to be really really adjusted tight

 

[WoodFire89]

Nor I have heard any complaints regarding the smoke smell and the Princess. Hm

i have reached out to blaze king and received a form to fill out to help the technical support rep diagnose/trouble shoot why the stove is behaving this way.