BK Ashford smoke smell discovery

[Calentarse]

Blaze King sent me screws to replace the retaining studs/bolts. After stripping away the old gasket and removing all the hardware, the screws they sent were too long. They sent shorter screws and they just barely got snug enough. The only other alternative was to use a tap, which they also sent

I installed the new gasket myself (after several dry runs) and can hardly get the door shut now. It shuts VERY TIGHT on the loosest latch setting. Anyhow, had a few fires and the situation seems to have improved a bit. Smoke is no longer coming from the front left corner; if anything, it's coming from the latch side now but very faint. I can't say it's completely "fixed" but there is definitely an improvement.

I have written to BKVP that I suspect that it is because of a super tight gasket. When I was trying to find a solution months ago, I tightened the door latch to bring the face of the door tighter onto the gasket and I noticed an improvement as well only for it to fade in the coming weeks.

Only time will tell if this is slightly better because of a tighter gasket or in fact because of those retaining studs being replaced by screws with smaller heads. Gonna have my last fire of the season tonight/tomorrow and tomorrow night. I'm going to operate the stove on it's lowest setting which will make it most susceptible to smelling and I'll re-post with findings.

Blaze King/BKVP has been great through this process and I truly appreciate their professionalism. I'm a little upset/frustrated with this whole process but I'm gonna have to get over it; love the stove and love it's operation otherwise so I will keep looking for fixes trying to find a solution!

 

[Highbeam]

Blaze King sent me screws to replace the retaining studs/bolts. After stripping away the old gasket and removing all the hardware, the screws they sent were too long. They sent shorter screws and they just barely got snug enough. The only other alternative was to use a tap, which they also sent

So are the studs not welded to the door frame? The door frame has threads in it? I have one from the factory that is loose so the metal retainer is loose under the OEM gasket.

 

[webby3650]

Blaze King sent me screws to replace the retaining studs/bolts. After stripping away the old gasket and removing all the hardware, the screws they sent were too long. They sent shorter screws and they just barely got snug enough. The only other alternative was to use a tap, which they also sent

I installed the new gasket myself (after several dry runs) and can hardly get the door shut now. It shuts VERY TIGHT on the loosest latch setting. Anyhow, had a few fires and the situation seems to have improved a bit. Smoke is no longer coming from the front left corner; if anything, it's coming from the latch side now but very faint. I can't say it's completely "fixed" but there is definitely an improvement.

I have written to BKVP that I suspect that it is because of a super tight gasket. When I was trying to find a solution months ago, I tightened the door latch to bring the face of the door tighter onto the gasket and I noticed an improvement as well only for it to fade in the coming weeks.

Only time will tell if this is slightly better because of a tighter gasket or in fact because of those retaining studs being replaced by screws with smaller heads. Gonna have my last fire of the season tonight/tomorrow and tomorrow night. I'm going to operate the stove on it's lowest setting which will make it most susceptible to smelling and I'll re-post with findings.

Blaze King/BKVP has been great through this process and I truly appreciate their professionalism. I'm a little upset/frustrated with this whole process but I'm gonna have to get over it; love the stove and love it's operation otherwise so I will keep looking for fixes trying to find a solution!

I hope it fixed it.
Running on the lowest setting on a warmer night might not be the best test though. With a poor draw, it could produce a smoke smell from the flue collar, pipe, etc, that would otherwise be fine under normal conditions.
I know I have trouble running mine on its lowest setting in warmer weather, I typically stick to medium or medium low. And I'm ok with that.

 

[Calentarse]

So are the studs not welded to the door frame? The door frame has threads in it? I have one from the factory that is loose so the metal retainer is loose under the OEM gasket.

No, I was sent a little tiny wrench to back them out. They're threaded in there. 3/32" I believe. Can barely see it.

 

[Calentarse]

I hope it fixed it.
Running on the lowest setting on a warmer night might not be the best test though. With a poor draw, it could produce a smoke smell from the flue collar, pipe, etc, that would otherwise be fine under normal conditions.
I know I have trouble running mine on its lowest setting in warmer weather, I typically stick to medium or medium low. And I'm ok with that.

Well i think that's important for people to understand and I didn't know this before I bought it. In some cases, these stoves will produce a smell if operated long, low and slow. And it was for this sole feature I went with this brand. In my case, set temp on tstat makes no difference. Even on high temps it wreaked from the front as it still does now.

Gonna just deal with it for now. I'm frustrated and tired. I've found that I just don't have the skills or patience to troubleshoot any further. Bring on summer.

 

[Ashful]

Very interesting that a small leak at the door gasket will allow smoke to escape, whereas the larger leak we call the primary air control does not. Fluid dynamics at work, even if very slowly, I suppose...

 

[Calentarse]

Very interesting that a small leak at the door gasket will allow smoke to escape, whereas the larger leak we call the primary air control does not. Fluid dynamics at work, even if very slowly, I suppose...

I know, fascinating. And with the lid off, I can hone in right on where it is emitting. NEVER has it been by the cat probe hole or the chimney pipe connector. These areas must draw in and up the chimney bc I've never once smelled anything there. However, forward + above the fire, a leak does not pull in but pushes out...

 

[Ashful]

Very sorry to hear your frustrating tale, both for your sake, and mine! Hopefully I'm getting two of the "good" ones.

 

[blueguy]

Like I mentioned on another thread, I'm pretty sure the smoke smell is generated by the air path in the box. If you ever watch the smoke swirl around in there, it appears to push down across the door once it hits the air wash - I still think the "pressure" from the air wash is what's pushing the smoke smell out. Add in a faulty door gasket, loose glass, slight gap under the glass retainer, etc. and I think you get the smell

 

[begreen]

On start up many stoves get a rolling cloud of smoke against the door as the fire is starting up and the smoke is pushed down by the air wash. In spite of this there should be zero leakage. My understanding is that the door glass clip's stud and nut is under the door gasket. Is that correct? If so, that seems to be the weak point. In stoves I've owned the door gasket is always in an independent channel with nothing underneath it.

 

[shoot-straight]

Blaze King sent me screws to replace the retaining studs/bolts. After stripping away the old gasket and removing all the hardware, the screws they sent were too long. They sent shorter screws and they just barely got snug enough. The only other alternative was to use a tap, which they also sent

I installed the new gasket myself (after several dry runs) and can hardly get the door shut now. It shuts VERY TIGHT on the loosest latch setting. Anyhow, had a few fires and the situation seems to have improved a bit. Smoke is no longer coming from the front left corner; if anything, it's coming from the latch side now but very faint. I can't say it's completely "fixed" but there is definitely an improvement.

I have written to BKVP that I suspect that it is because of a super tight gasket. When I was trying to find a solution months ago, I tightened the door latch to bring the face of the door tighter onto the gasket and I noticed an improvement as well only for it to fade in the coming weeks.

Only time will tell if this is slightly better because of a tighter gasket or in fact because of those retaining studs being replaced by screws with smaller heads. Gonna have my last fire of the season tonight/tomorrow and tomorrow night. I'm going to operate the stove on it's lowest setting which will make it most susceptible to smelling and I'll re-post with findings.

Blaze King/BKVP has been great through this process and I truly appreciate their professionalism. I'm a little upset/frustrated with this whole process but I'm gonna have to get over it; love the stove and love it's operation otherwise so I will keep looking for fixes trying to find a solution!

I got the package from bk too. Had the same issues. Even the new screws they sent were too long. I had to grind them down.... Also my gasket is super tight too. I had to literally lean all my 240# on it to get it closed. Putting that gasket in when the door is still on was a Royal pita.

I have fired it but won't comment till I have more data- next year. Didn't have much of a problem to begin with. Also have good things to say about bk and Chris.

 

[Calentarse]

On start up many stoves get a rolling cloud of smoke against the door as the fire is starting up and the smoke is pushed down by the air wash. In spite of this there should be zero leakage. My understanding is that the door glass clip's stud and nut is under the door gasket. Is that correct? If so, that seems to be the weak point. In stoves I've owned the door gasket is always in an independent channel with nothing underneath it.

Yes that is correct. Evidently only the people here on the forum attest to the issue. I'm hoping that's enough for them to research it further and find a fix. The shorter, smaller screws didn't fix the smell for me...

 

[begreen]

I'm not sure why this design was chosen, but maybe it was to increase the window size a little? If that is the case my preference would be for a slightly smaller glass area that has zero smoke leakage and the ability to adjust loose glass clip retaining screws independent of the removing the door gasket.

 

[Highbeam]

I'm not sure why this design was chosen, but maybe it was to increase the window size a little? If that is the case my preference would be for a slightly smaller glass area that has zero smoke leakage and the ability to adjust loose glass clip retaining screws independent of the removing the door gasket.

The princess is this way too with studs and nuts under the gasket. A decades old design.

 

[alforit]

The shorter, smaller screws didn't fix the smell for me

Same here............They made no difference In the smoke smell problem. .....But it does help to align the bottom of the door frame with the pinchweld.

I am still running smoke smell free from running a seal around the outside seam edge of the retainer brackets.
And still considerably less creo on the glass than I have ever had burning a BK .

 

[Woody Stover]

still considerably less creo on the glass than I have ever had burning a BK .

If they can find an answer, that could be huge since they have a reputation for the glass getting a little more gunked than other cat stoves.

 

[alforit]

Absolutely.........Glad you said it

 

[alforit]

The princess is this way too with studs and nuts under the gasket. A decades old design.

That might work for the Princess and the King , but I'm not sure its working for the Ashford , Chinook, Sirocco.

 

[webby3650]

If they can find an answer, that could be huge since they have a reputation for the glass getting a little more gunked than other cat stoves.

They also have the reputation of longer, slower burns than other cat stoves.
My Ashford has much cleaner glass than my King did. Actually on average, it's cleaner than any stove I've had. I suppose the Hearthstone had cleaner glass, since it maintained such a hot fire, which most of which was wasted up the flue. IMHO.

 

[Woody Stover]

They also have the reputation of longer, slower burns than other cat stoves.

True, the lower you burn 'em, the dirtier the glass is gonna get. Still, if alforit is seeing cleaner glass, I would sure pursue that if I had a BK. More control of the air entering the box is always a good thing as well.

 

[pdxdave]

All this gasket talk pretty much ignores the "elephant in the room" which is that leaky gaskets let IN air on normally operating stoves.

 

[begreen]

They also have the reputation of longer, slower burns than other cat stoves.
My Ashford has much cleaner glass than my King did. Actually on average, it's cleaner than any stove I've had. I suppose the Hearthstone had cleaner glass, since it maintained such a hot fire, which most of which was wasted up the flue. IMHO.

That was Highbeam's experience too with the Heritage. I usually ran quite a bit below his temps on our flue.

 

[webby3650]

That was Highbeam's experience too with the Heritage. I usually ran quite a bit below his temps on our flue.

That stone can only release a certain amount of heat, the rest goes up the flue. Sure you get extended heat life after the fire dies down, but it's sacrificed in the beginning stages of the fire. It takes a very long time to make usable heat from a "cold" start.

 

[Ashful]

All this gasket talk pretty much ignores the "elephant in the room" which is that leaky gaskets let IN air on normally operating stoves.

See posts 31 - 35. If pressure were equalized at all points in a dynamic system, your carburetors would not work very well.

 

[Highbeam]

That stone can only release a certain amount of heat, the rest goes up the flue. Sure you get extended heat life after the fire dies down, but it's sacrificed in the beginning stages of the fire. It takes a very long time to make usable heat from a "cold" start.

That was my experience as well. Flue temps were very high during the burn and with unregulated secondary air it was a horrendously wasteful stove.