2021-2022 BK everything thread

[BKVP]

@BKVP

I am referring to physical range of motion of the mechanical components. I can imagine that these parts and pieces are assembled and adjusted the same every time at the BK assembly line. I asked the question so as to better understand what others are experiencing as they describe thermostat adjustments on their BKs.

I recognize that with the insert burning along nicely, the max CCW ("closed" position) is beyond the point where the fire will stay lit.

When cold, the thermostat knob on my Sirocco Insert (SC25) exhibits a physical stop at the full open position (6 o'clock). Throttling down, it moves freely for about 120 degrees to the 2 o'clock position (a little past the narrow end of the white swoosh) where it meets high resistance. This "closed" setting is a little past the narrow end of the white swoosh (3 o'clock).

When hot, I notice no change in the physical stop at full open, and only a marginal change at the closed position.

For the wood that I have been using, adjusting the knob to about the narrow end of the swoosh gives me the longest burn times. Of course every load is a bit different, as every day's temperature, humidity, wind, etc, is different as well.

Just to reduce the chance of being misunderstood, my BK Sirocco insert is working perfectly and performs far better than I could have ever hoped for

So yes, most of the thermostat units are same bodied, blades, set collars and rods. Range of motion as well, although some variation by models exists.

Of course the decision years ago to remove numbers from the decal and instead use the swoosh was for the very reason you asked. (If I understood you correctly)

Stove owners were trying to compare their performance attributes based upon how other owners of the same stove(s) performed based upon where the knobs white line pointed. This created major headaches for us as a manufacturer.

Our phones range continuously with "hey I'm only getting a 15 hour burn time on #2 and a guy on @$%^.com is getting 24 hours. My stove is defective. "

We just tried over and over to explain where you must place the thermostat to maintain combustor activity on low is highly influenced by indivual draft scenarios, piece size, fuel type (based upon variation in specific gravity), moisture content and more.

Ideally, you learn where to place the thermostat to make you satisfied!

Thanks for allowing me to expand...

 

[Larch]

So yes, most of the thermostat units are same bodied, blades, set collars and rods. Range of motion as well, although some variation by models exists.

Of course the decision years ago to remove numbers from the decal and instead use the swoosh was for the very reason you asked. (If I understood you correctly)

Stove owners were trying to compare their performance attributes based upon how other owners of the same stove(s) performed based upon where the knobs white line pointed. This created major headaches for us as a manufacturer.

Our phones range continuously with "hey I'm only getting a 15 hour burn time on #2 and a guy on @$%^.com is getting 24 hours. My stove is defective. "

We just tried over and over to explain where you must place the thermostat to maintain combustor activity on low is highly influenced by indivual draft scenarios, piece size, fuel type (based upon variation in specific gravity), moisture content and more.

Ideally, you learn where to place the thermostat to make you satisfied!

Thanks for allowing me to expand...

These stoves definitely seem to be individuals in different situations. Now that I'm finally catching on to mine it's far exceeding my expectations. I finally added lines to my thermostat dial, I have a small sweet spot and got tired of thinking that's where I had it. Now that I marked it the house is always 21.7°c-22.2°c, I only have to adjust it slightly weather depending and the thermostat does the rest, I was definitely over adjusting before the lines. Can you still get after market decals for more of a professional look? Not that it really matters

 

[spudman99]

Sorry to be lazy but I searched threads and there were too many that wandered about to answer this question.

I finally took some time to do a dollar bill test on my bypass gasket on my Princess Insert. It was easy to pull the bill out on the rear side of the bypass (the side opposite the hinge). Narrow sides and hinge are all tight. Unit is now on its 3rd season. Dollar bill slides out pretty easily with slight resistance. Obviously no gaps in the seal (I did clean and check for obstructions). Is this something worth correcting?

My draft remains out of spec even though I added a damper to my insert liner a couple of weeks ago. I still pull upwards of 0.18wc on the Dwyer manometer which is less than the 0.22wc prior. Damper seems to have made a very minor change. Burn times seem lower this year but I also think that is a product of using silver maple wood right now.

Thoughts?

 

[Larch]

Sorry to be lazy but I searched threads and there were too many that wandered about to answer this question.

I finally took some time to do a dollar bill test on my bypass gasket on my Princess Insert. It was easy to pull the bill out on the rear side of the bypass (the side opposite the hinge). Narrow sides and hinge are all tight. Unit is now on its 3rd season. Dollar bill slides out pretty easily with slight resistance. Obviously no gaps in the seal (I did clean and check for obstructions). Is this something worth correcting?

My draft remains out of spec even though I added a damper to my insert liner a couple of weeks ago. I still pull upwards of 0.18wc on the Dwyer manometer which is less than the 0.22wc prior. Damper seems to have made a very minor change. Burn times seem lower this year but I also think that is a product of using silver maple wood right now.

Thoughts?

 

[Larch]

Sorry to be lazy but I searched threads and there were too many that wandered about to answer this question.

I finally took some time to do a dollar bill test on my bypass gasket on my Princess Insert. It was easy to pull the bill out on the rear side of the bypass (the side opposite the hinge). Narrow sides and hinge are all tight. Unit is now on its 3rd season. Dollar bill slides out pretty easily with slight resistance. Obviously no gaps in the seal (I did clean and check for obstructions). Is this something worth correcting?

My draft remains out of spec even though I added a damper to my insert liner a couple of weeks ago. I still pull upwards of 0.18wc on the Dwyer manometer which is less than the 0.22wc prior. Damper seems to have made a very minor change. Burn times seem lower this year but I also think that is a product of using silver maple wood right now.

Thoughts?

I'm not long time blaze king owner so someone else will respond I hope but from everything I've been reading in the manual and on here you should adjust it to pass dollar bill test, looks simple enough.

 

[BKVP]

These stoves definitely seem to be individuals in different situations. Now that I'm finally catching on to mine it's far exceeding my expectations. I finally added lines to my thermostat dial, I have a small sweet spot and got tired of thinking that's where I had it. Now that I marked it the house is always 21.7°c-22.2°c, I only have to adjust it slightly weather depending and the thermostat does the rest, I was definitely over adjusting before the lines. Can you still get after market decals for more of a professional look? Not that it really matters

There are those that print their own at home, but we do not. Thank you.

 

[BKVP]

Sorry to be lazy but I searched threads and there were too many that wandered about to answer this question.

I finally took some time to do a dollar bill test on my bypass gasket on my Princess Insert. It was easy to pull the bill out on the rear side of the bypass (the side opposite the hinge). Narrow sides and hinge are all tight. Unit is now on its 3rd season. Dollar bill slides out pretty easily with slight resistance. Obviously no gaps in the seal (I did clean and check for obstructions). Is this something worth correcting?

My draft remains out of spec even though I added a damper to my insert liner a couple of weeks ago. I still pull upwards of 0.18wc on the Dwyer manometer which is less than the 0.22wc prior. Damper seems to have made a very minor change. Burn times seem lower this year but I also think that is a product of using silver maple wood right now.

Thoughts?

I would wait until after winter. However if you elect to do it now, make certain you have the time....You must remove your black pipe unless you have a slip joint, then just raise it up.
There is a description in your owners manual on the procedure. I would spray a bit of PB Blaster on the bolt and let it soak into threads a bit.
A very slight adjustment is all that may be needed. Remember, metals expand when heated. A quarter or even half-turn can make a difference.

 

[trail guy Mike]

Heading into 3rd winter with new Princess insert, all seems ship shape. Random observations:

-- Starting or hot-loading with thermostat half open is just as effective as starting fully open. The slight flap closure is still much more open than the actual intake hole, and there's no chance we'll forget to slow it down and overheat things.

-- Our wood is nice and dry now; moisture runs 12 to 14% on random samples, but it may be even drier on a given load. Is there really any disadvantage to extra-dry wood? The manual recommends dry wood with no mention (I think) of "too dry".

-- With dry wood, I see no reason to run super hot for any extended period to start a load. After 5 minutes or so of engulfing flame, closing the bypass damper leads to a red hot glowing catalyst; sometimes the stovetop thermometer has only begun to budge upward. Since there's a 6 to 8 minute delay in thermo response, I figure I was "right" when it reads "active" within 6-8 min.

-- I am so very glad the Princess insert thermostat has its dial right-side-up: To turn the stove down, you turn it down: No built-in communication struggles.
To maintain 70 F when it's 30 outside, dial it to 3 o'clock. If it's 45 outside, dial it to 4:30; etc. -- works perfectly.

-- When it's windy out, more air is momentarily sucked in, the stovetop heats up, and the thermostat reacts by letting in less air: Perfect! Wind seems no more problematic than moisture content or the size of your splits. It just cools the house more, so notch it up a bit.

-- Mid-course corrections: stove running too warm or cool? Adjust as little as possible. Literally, closer to nothing than to something.

-- Locust may burn hotter or longer, but oak smells better and seems to leave less ash. Both are plentiful here in the Smokies.

Thanks in advance for any replies. This is a great forum!

 

[moresnow]

These stoves definitely seem to be individuals in different situations. Now that I'm finally catching on to mine it's far exceeding my expectations. I finally added lines to my thermostat dial, I have a small sweet spot and got tired of thinking that's where I had it. Now that I marked it the house is always 21.7°c-22.2°c, I only have to adjust it slightly weather depending and the thermostat does the rest, I was definitely over adjusting before the lines. Can you still get after market decals for more of a professional look? Not that it really matters

Something I have used are the tiny rare earth magnets off fleabay. One for marking a high burn rate position and one for your low set point. Just another easy cheap option for reference points that are easy to see.

 

[Niko]

So I have a question I just replaced my door gasket and the the door latch will not tighten down anymore and no matter what the dollar bill test will not pass. I purchased the gasket from hechlers.com. This is on a King. The gasket was put on nice and easy and not stretched. The weird thing is the dollar bill passed on the side opposite the latch, but the closer I get to the latch the dollar bill slides threw....

 

[BKVP]

So I have a question I just replaced my door gasket and the the door latch will not tighten down anymore and no matter what the dollar bill test will not pass. I purchased the gasket from hechlers.com. This is on a King. The gasket was put on nice and easy and not stretched. The weird thing is the dollar bill passed on the side opposite the latch, but the closer I get to the latch the dollar bill slides threw....

Something not correct. Did they sell you our 7/8" dense rope or some other gasket they may stock?

 

[jdonna]

I finally took some time to do a dollar bill test on my bypass gasket on my Princess Insert. It was easy to pull the bill out on the rear side of the bypass (the side opposite the hinge). Narrow sides and hinge are all tight. Unit is now on its 3rd season. Dollar bill slides out pretty easily with slight resistance. Obviously no gaps in the seal (I did clean and check for obstructions). Is this something worth correcting?

I have noticed this on my princess, the left rear corner of the bypass is looser than the rest of the bypass, all areas snug, except that area which the dollar bill will slide through easily. I wound up tightening the bypass a 1/4 turn twice and it snugged it up more. I'm not sure if the bypass plate is warped slightly or the gasket is compressed more on one side of the other. I'm probably being overly cautious but like you I have higher draft and have to make sure things are tight.

My draft remains out of spec even though I added a damper to my insert liner a couple of weeks ago. I still pull upwards of 0.18wc on the Dwyer manometer which is less than the 0.22wc prior. Damper seems to have made a very minor change. Burn times seem lower this year but I also think that is a product of using silver maple wood right now.

I was worried about running higher than spec draft as well .10-.25, but resisted putting a damper on my setup and have found good burn times and control once things are settled. I just have to watch reloads close and turn things down quicker. That said I know its harder on the cat, but I wouldn't give up the control this stove has in comparison to other stoves I have run on this setup. The fear of a runaway stove is long gone!

Counter productive but I had extended my chimney 3 ft, to 24 feet, to get the stack into un disturbed air currents from my steep pitched roof. Even with the stack height and crazy draft due to having a 90 degree elbow and a t snout, I will get a bit of smoke roll out if not careful reloading, so adding a damper would add to that problem. On prior stoves, I found one damper did little to change the draft measurements other than an experimental barometric damper, which I only used as a test.

 

[jdonna]

So I have a question I just replaced my door gasket and the the door latch will not tighten down anymore and no matter what the dollar bill test will not pass. I purchased the gasket from hechlers.com. This is on a King. The gasket was put on nice and easy and not stretched. The weird thing is the dollar bill passed on the side opposite the latch, but the closer I get to the latch the dollar bill slides threw....

I had posted this question for anyone to verify a few pages back on confirmation that Helchers is selling official BK 7/8" high density gasket? Would love feedback from members.

What did you use to bed the gasket in with?

Which spot was loose before replacing the gasket?

I've personally found that you have to do micro adjustments when the gasket is new checking every spot around the door otherwise its easy to over- compress the gasket. Readjust again after a couple of fires. Understood that your problem is on the latch side rather than hinge side which is odd, thats the side that you generally fight to get right.

My 2 cents.

 

[kennyp2339]

I wouldnt put a lot of weight on a semi loose dollar pull from the by-pass plate when closed, as long as there is a little bit of resistance you should be good to go. Think about it this way, the by-pass is shut, its not supper tight but the flap is down and snug, you can still pull a dollar bill through it, but the stove is also a vacuum when burning so the smoke will follow the path of least resistance and go through the cat, its when you know you have a good cat, prime wood, low flames and still see smoke coming out of the stack that you should be concerned about the by-pass.
As far as high draft, your going to wear out your cat prematurely, not get as much heat out of the stove as you should, and have lower burn times. I'm a sufferer of high draft, I was running .18wc's all the time, I had to add 2 dampers to get things under control, there's a big difference with stove function when running within spec vs not spec; took me years to figure that out, even bought a new stove (englander nc30) to replace the bk, thankfully cooler minds prevailed and a close friend of mine bought the nc30 from me for his place.

 

[BKVP]

I have noticed this on my princess, the left rear corner of the bypass is looser than the rest of the bypass, all areas snug, except that area which the dollar bill will slide through easily. I wound up tightening the bypass a 1/4 turn twice and it snugged it up more. I'm not sure if the bypass plate is warped slightly or the gasket is compressed more on one side of the other. I'm probably being overly cautious but like you I have higher draft and have to make sure things are tight.

I was worried about running higher than spec draft as well .10-.25, but resisted putting a damper on my setup and have found good burn times and control once things are settled. I just have to watch reloads close and turn things down quicker. That said I know its harder on the cat, but I wouldn't give up the control this stove has in comparison to other stoves I have run on this setup. The fear of a runaway stove is long gone!

Counter productive but I had extended my chimney 3 ft, to 24 feet, to get the stack into un disturbed air currents from my steep pitched roof. Even with the stack height and crazy draft due to having a 90 degree elbow and a t snout, I will get a bit of smoke roll out if not careful reloading, so adding a damper would add to that problem. On prior stoves, I found one damper did little to change the draft measurements other than an experimental barometric damper, which I only used as a test.

In my 25+ years, I've never seen th 1/2" bypass plate warp. I replaced my gasket on my 1107 after 8 years.

 

[Niko]

Something not correct. Did they sell you our 7/8" dense rope or some other gasket they may stock?

Can you provide a link to those who sell original blaze king? I assume what I got from them is but I wouldn't know to be honest with you.. iris their a way to know what is original?

 

[Niko]

I had posted this question for anyone to verify a few pages back on confirmation that Helchers is selling official BK 7/8" high density gasket? Would love feedback from members.

What did you use to bed the gasket in with?

Which spot was loose before replacing the gasket?

I've personally found that you have to do micro adjustments when the gasket is new checking every spot around the door otherwise its easy to over- compress the gasket. Readjust again after a couple of fires. Understood that your problem is on the latch side rather than hinge side which is odd, thats the side that you generally fight to get right.

My 2 cents.

I put the gasket in nice and loose and I used a gasket cement or whatever Its called to adhere the gasket to the door. The gasket fails the dollar bill test in more then one spot. I'm starting to think that the gasket is wrong, but it was bought from BK dealer. I'm gonna record a video of what happening and post it up on YouTube for everyone to see. May take some days but I will get it...

 

[BKVP]

Can you provide a link to those who sell original blaze king? I assume what I got from them is but I wouldn't know to be honest with you.. iris their a way to know what is original?

Dealers buy from all sorts of suppliers. For example, we were not buying enough 1.25" gasket from our supplier so they dumped us. Retailers can acquire parts, such as gaskets, from many, many suppliers. We advocate dealers to buy from us the OEM stuff, but it's their call.

I can tell you....you can order it and ask to have it drop shipped from us to your home. Residential delivery by UPS can be a bit more costly that to a business address.

 

[Highbeam]

That’s what I did last time . Ordered from the dealer over the phone and the gasket was drop shipped directly from BK. I would recommend only using oem for such an important part that aftermarket has been notoriously bad at reproducing.

 

[jdonna]

In my 25+ years, I've never seen th 1/2" bypass plate warp. I replaced my gasket on my 1107 after 8 years.

After the long burning season I plan to replace the gasket and straight edge the retainers and plate. I did notice if I slide the bypass side to side and had checked it depending on hinge position it would be tighter or looser in that corner.

 

[jdonna]

I put the gasket in nice and loose and I used a gasket cement or whatever Its called to adhere the gasket to the door. The gasket fails the dollar bill test in more then one spot. I'm starting to think that the gasket is wrong, but it was bought from BK dealer. I'm gonna record a video of what happening and post it up on YouTube for everyone to see. May take some days but I will get it...

When I replaced my door gasket, one of the other members had mentioned using a liberal amount of Ultra copper RTV to bed the gasket. I I filled the channels between studs with more rtv to try and make a flatter surface for the gasket.

Right or wrong, I had followed that advise and it turned out well.

I was battling a loose spot in my loading door gasket and slight smoke smell when turned way down in the early shoulder season. That seemed to solve my issue.

 

[Nealm66]

Perfect princess weather here in the pnw! Mixed rain and snow, seems to be her happy place. A little tricky on the reloads with the long work schedule but loading light at night and room to load heavy in the am is doing the trick. So awesome to come home after a 15 hour day and could go longer but better not wait too long or won’t be any room in the am. Still curious how the king schedule would work? Just aim for the 24hour?

 

[kennyp2339]

Perfect princess weather here in the pnw! Mixed rain and snow, seems to be her happy place. A little tricky on the reloads with the long work schedule but loading light at night and room to load heavy in the am is doing the trick. So awesome to come home after a 15 hour day and could go longer but better not wait too long or won’t be any room in the am. Still curious how the king schedule would work? Just aim for the 24hour?

Not so good here, up and down, this week is a up week in temps, like 50's and almost 60 on Thursday, then back down for the weekend, crazy to think that I'm going to get a T time for 18 holes on Thursday then possibly be skiing by next Thursday in the same town, about the only good thing I can say about the weather is that I'm saving 2 wheel barrels worth of wood a week.

 

[ohlongarm]

So yes, most of the thermostat units are same bodied, blades, set collars and rods. Range of motion as well, although some variation by models exists.

Of course the decision years ago to remove numbers from the decal and instead use the swoosh was for the very reason you asked. (If I understood you correctly)

Stove owners were trying to compare their performance attributes based upon how other owners of the same stove(s) performed based upon where the knobs white line pointed. This created major headaches for us as a manufacturer.

Our phones range continuously with "hey I'm only getting a 15 hour burn time on #2 and a guy on @$%^.com is getting 24 hours. My stove is defective. "

We just tried over and over to explain where you must place the thermostat to maintain combustor activity on low is highly influenced by indivual draft scenarios, piece size, fuel type (based upon variation in specific gravity), moisture content and more.

Ideally, you learn where to place the thermostat to make you satisfied!

Thanks for allowing me to expand...

My spot for a long burn on my King parlor seems to be about 4 o'clock when I put it there after burning awhile whether for fire viewing or not, it makes a click , I believe it's the flapper thing and I just leave it there any of that make any sense?

 

[ohlongarm]

The scrunchy sound, squeaky sound on the thermostat dial. There was a post explaining how to correct but using tools in not an option, anybody? please, THX