2022-2023 BK everything thread

[Propane_Poor]

I do it all the time. I wouldn't hesitate, especially at 4 a.m. when I need to leave for work and don't want my wife to have to load it before she leaves at 8 a.m.

Thanks-- good to know. Same boat here. I'll need to get familiar with the burn times so I can time it better though. How quickly do you set the thermostat after a reload?

 

[BKVP]

Thanks-- good to know. Same boat here. I'll need to get familiar with the burn times so I can time it better though. How quickly do you set the thermostat after a reload?

If your fuel is split, stacked and under cover (less than 15%) I can usually lower the setting after about 15 minutes. If your wood is 20%, about 30. Much over 25%, you need to give it another year.

 

[BKVP]

I copy from the manual.

My interpretation is that this has to do with the cat being exposed to cold air coming in thru the open door. The hotter the cat is the more likely damage will be done. It's called thermal shock.

View attachment 300912

Other factors contribute to thermal shock. Moisture content, ice or snow covered wood and a leaking door or glass gasket. These are the top contributors to thermal shock.

 

[Nealm66]

You can also try lightening the load in the evening and looking ahead with the forecast. Not that I’m very good at it but definitely a must with how long these stoves burn

 

[stoveliker]

Other factors contribute to thermal shock. Moisture content, ice or snow covered wood and a leaking door or glass gasket. These are the top contributors to thermal shock.

Sure, they contribute too. Room temperature air on a 900 deg cat is not good though. The door gasket has nothing to do with the recommendation to not reload when the cat is not near the minimum temperature.

 

[TheElementalCashew]

Thanks all, sounds like Midwest Hearth is a good place to buy from. Anyone comment on whether I've got the right cat linked for the PE32?

Looks like the same one I've bought here for my PE32 so you should be good to go.

 

[BKVP]

Sure, they contribute too. Room temperature air on a 900 deg cat is not good though. The door gasket has nothing to do with the recommendation to not reload when the cat is not near the minimum temperature.

"Other factors contribute"

 

[Ashful]

For all this talk of mechanically-failed combustors, I have put about 70 cords of wood thru a pair of Ashford 30's, with 2/3 of that being on one stove and 1/3 on the other, and probably around 30 cords on just one ceramic combustor, without ever even a hint of cracking or distortion. This leads me to believe that anyone cracking a combustor is doing it through negligence or poor stove maintenance, and not thru regular and careful operation.

I'm not doing anything unusually prudent, but:

1. I always open bypass before going out to fetch fresh wood. This gives combustor a few minutes to cool, before I'm back to open the door and load.

2. I let the stove burn on high for 5 minutes after loading before closing the bypass, such that I'm not putting dead-cold exhaust thru a warm combustor.

3. I burn wood that is actually CSS'd 3 summers (or more).

 

[Nealm66]

It’s so easy to replace. For me the $200ish to replace the cat after a couple years of a cheap heat source that lasts around my work schedule doesn’t seem like a big deal. But it never hurts to learn how to stretch out the lifespan and maybe if I ever retire in such a way that I have time to run the stove the correct way I’ll enjoy all of the knowledge and experience shared on this thread. I try to use Ashfuls approach for the most part and really only have trouble when I over load in the evening and no room for a decent reload in the am in case I’m gone for 16 hours for example. I do really well ( I think) when the temps stay in the 30’s to low 40’s. Perfect princess weather

 

[kennyp2339]

I blew thru my first cat and more then likely retired it prematurely, with that said, the new cats from Midwest if I’m not mistaken are the version 2.0’s that @Ashful was beta testing a couple years ago, I’m pretty sure the cat I’m using now is also a 2.0 and it’s only had about 10 cords go through it, and looking / functioning perfectly on the start of its 3rd season.

 

[ratsrepus]

I don't have any problems replacing the combustor every two years. They are like lawnmower blades that get dull, ya they still work, but not as good as fresh ones

 

[BKVP]

I don't have any problems replacing the combustor every two years. They are like lawnmower blades that get dull, ya they still work, but not as good as fresh ones

So just like your lawnmower blades, you don't replace the cat every two years because it has failed, you just want to keep a close as possible to new in terms of performance.....I need new lawnmower blades, my are 5 years old (but I sharpen them every year).

 

[stoveliker]

I'm surprised. Even by BKVP . Granted I'm a manual follower. However, the manual is clear. And (my personal experience, so less clear), the cat gauge does NOT reach the position of the picture in the manual until there is only a few coals (two hand fulls) left in my stove.

If I follow the manual hence I should NOT reload before the load is "done"(-ish).

 

[Nealm66]

And that’s probably the best way to get the most cat life but you likely have dialed in other skillsets ( like weather forecast)that allow you to run it better than the average joe who’s just happy they don’t have to worry about it while they’re gone for the day

 

[Ashful]

I guess cat's aren't the only thing I run longer than most folks. I was still running the original factory mower blades on my 1963 Cub Cadet 123 when I sold it in 2014'ish, and today still have the original blade on my 1973'ish Toro push mower. I sharpen and balance all my mower blades every January, never saw any reason to ever replace one.

I did buy 6 new blades for my commercial zero turn, but that's only because I wanted shredder blades to better deal with leaves, not because the 14 year old factory blades were anywhere near end of life.

I won't push my cats to 50 years, but they both seem to be working well enough at the beginning of season no.5.

 

[BKVP]

I guess cat's aren't the only thing I run longer than most folks. I was still running the original factory mower blades on my 1963 Cub Cadet 123 when I sold it in 2014'ish, and today still have the original blade on my 1973'ish Toro push mower. I sharpen and balance all my mower blades every January, never saw any reason to ever replace one.

I did buy 6 new blades for my commercial zero turn, but that's only because I wanted shredder blades to better deal with leaves, not because the 14 year old factory blades were anywhere near end of life.

I won't push my cats to 50 years, but they both seem to be working well enough at the beginning of season no.5.

Everybody knows cats only have 9 lives!

 

[DonTee]

I’m on hour 17 from a load of all ash. I think I can get 3 more hours out of it. I’m so impressed with this stove.

And I didn’t pack it as full as I could have. There was space left.

We have some warmer weather after today. Lows in the mid 40’s and a couple days with highs in the low 70’s.

I’m going to order the adaptor plate from Hechlers for the OAK. 39$ for the plate and 17$ for shipping. I asked if they could ship it regular snail mail and they said no

 

[Nealm66]

And that’s the sirocco 20? Man that’s impressive. Almost makes me wonder if I’d have been better with it instead of the princess for the perfect 12 hour schedule and maybe more forgiving on those warmer days I mess up and overload. Will be interesting to see how you do with the 70 temps

 

[DonTee]

I have a Princess.

 

[Nealm66]

Sorry. Getting posters mixed up.

 

[DonTee]

I know 20 hours isn’t that good for a Princess, but I’m still a cat noob

 

[Diabel]

I know 20 hours isn’t that good for a Princess, but I’m still a cat noob

20h is very good for the Princess in my opinion

 

[Nealm66]

It seems to vary with the weather. Find the sweet spot for the desired temp in the house and it seems to adjust pretty well. If I’m getting 20+ burn times I’m usually opening windows at some point

 

[DonTee]

If I had stacked the wood in the stove better I’m sure I could have gotten 24 hours. And also when I reloaded the cat was still in the active zone.

Our weather yesterday was in the mid 30’s to mid 40’s. I had a window open the whole time to keep the house from getting above 80.

 

[Nealm66]

Lol. Wow. I do really well in those temps usually but still wondering if the sirocco 20 would be better in my house here in the pnw. Like a super sipper on firewood and let the heat pump pick up the slack in the colder weather. I would have a hard time parting with the princess though. Such a perfect design