BK burn time problems

[chichas]

is it possible you have loose pipe connections allowing air in? I saw far better performance on mine after discovering a poor fitting connection.

 

[Doc C]

is it possible you have loose pipe connections allowing air in? I saw far better performance on mine after discovering a poor fitting connection.

I don’t think so. The stove seems to be burning like it should and not burning hotter then a guy would expect.

I’m wondering if maybe it has something to do with the cat

 

[jetsam]

I don’t think so. The stove seems to be burning like it should and not burning hotter then a guy would expect.

I’m wondering if maybe it has something to do with the cat

I would expect 8 hours on lowish if the stove didn't have a cat installed in it.

Very poor fuel quality can definitely turn a 24 hour burn into a 6 hour burn. How well I know.

 

[Highbeam]

When your cat nears the end of its useful life you should notice increased wood consumption and even have to use a higher stat setting to get the same amount of heat into the home.

Smoke emissions?

 

[showrguy]

M


My chimney has to be at least 25’ straight up My ceiling is 20’ plus the attic and then another 8’ or so to get above the ridge. So it might be closer to 30’.

It’s not real cold. It’s been about 30 at night and 50ish during the day

If you got a 30' stack, you most deffinately have too much draft..
Check it !!

 

[weatherguy]

Do you have a damper? I had a long stack on my princess insert and that cut down on the burn time, I work from home so didn't care.

 

[Doc C]

When your cat nears the end of its useful life you should notice increased wood consumption and even have to use a higher stat setting to get the same amount of heat into the home.

Smoke emissions?

This morning when I left the house the temp gauge was on the low side of middle and I looked up at the chimney as I drove away and there was some white smoke coming out. I have noticed this a few times before.

But there also times where there is no smoke at all

 

[Doc C]

Do you have a damper? I had a long stack on my princess insert and that cut down on the burn time, I work from home so didn't care.

No damper

If you got a 30' stack, you most deffinately have too much draft..
Check it !!

To much draft should show itself in a stove that gets hotter then the intended settings.

I can stall the stove if I turn it down below about 1.25. I would think that if I had to much draft that I could not stall the stove, I would over heat the house, or worse I would have a runaway stove. I can control the stove just fine.

Maybe I’m missing something with the draft but I don’t think so

 

[Doc C]

This morning when I left the house the temp gauge was on the low side of middle and I looked up at the chimney as I drove away and there was some white smoke coming out. I have noticed this a few times before.

But there also times where there is no smoke at all

And yes it was smoke not steam. I test all my wood for moisture content and have been doing this for over 20 years. I know you know what I’m talking about highbeam but other folks will jump in with your wood is not dry!

 

[AlbergSteve]

Ok....I have had a lot more time to mess with the Princess!

I am only getting around 7-8 hours out of a full load. I definitely think there is a problem.

I left the house this morning at 730 and just got home at 230 and there was very little coals left.

So 6 hours and not much wood left. Maybe another hour worth of heat and then I would need to restart the fire.

I go to bed around 7 and by about 3 I have to outback more wood in.

I have been home all day before and the stove is not burning overly hot, doesn’t seem to be any issues with door gaskets or anything like that. I can stall the fire if I want to do I don’t think it’s an issue with air leakage or even to much draft.

I have been running the stove around 1.5 which is enough to keep the living around 70 degrees in a very well insulated 1990sf home built in 2011. And the outside temp has been low around 28 and high around 47.

Yeah, that doesn't seem right. I'm getting 12-14 hours out of a load of cedar, stat set at 2:30-3 o'clock.

 

[ratsrepus]

Yeah, that doesn't seem right. I'm getting 12-14 hours out of a load of cedar, stat set at 2:30-3 o'clock.

that sounds about right Steve. Im right there set at around 3, burning oak 18 hrs now that its pretty cold here

 

[Doc C]

Loaded very full last night at about 7 and woke up just now almost 5 and the fire was dead out. No coals at all. I slept next to the stove so I could keep an eye on it and I did not see flames one time. Had the stat set at 1.75 roughly.

It was a load of pretty much all tamarack

 

[showrguy]

No damper



To much draft should show itself in a stove that gets hotter then the intended settings.

I can stall the stove if I turn it down below about 1.25. I would think that if I had to much draft that I could not stall the stove, I would over heat the house, or worse I would have a runaway stove. I can control the stove just fine.

Maybe I’m missing something with the draft but I don’t think so

Check it !!
I have a stack a few feet taller than yours, without a key damper my draw was .23 - .26, thats 5x what BK calls for...

 

[Doc C]

Check it !!
I have a stack a few feet taller than yours, without a key damper my draw was .23 - .26, thats 5x what BK calls for...

Can you explain to me how I would actually measure this?

 

[Dantheman300z]

Is the cat fully activating when engaged, mechanically speaking. This question is coming from a secondary air burner. Just a thought.

 

[Doc C]

Is the cat fully activating when engaged, mechanically speaking. This question is coming from a secondary air burner. Just a thought.

I’m not sure if there is a way to know this other then listen when I close the lever.

 

[Doc C]

So I let the stove die out last night. Checked everything out and as far as I could tel everything looked fine.

I loaded the stove at about 730 last night, it is currently almost 9 this morning and I have another 3-4 hours of heat left.

That gives me around 15 or so hours of heat which I’m happy about.

So I’m wondering why from a cold stove my burn times are lot longer but from a hot stove I don’t get many hours at all?

 

[chemie]

So I let the stove die out last night. Checked everything out and as far as I could tel everything looked fine.

I loaded the stove at about 730 last night, it is currently almost 9 this morning and I have another 3-4 hours of heat left.

That gives me around 15 or so hours of heat which I’m happy about.

So I’m wondering why from a cold stove my burn times are lot longer but from a hot stove I don’t get many hours at all?

Shouldn’t it be the other way around , in normal cases?

 

[Rickb]

Shouldn’t it be the other way around , in normal cases?

Mine is..... Because I have to run it at a higher rate to get the stove/cat up to temp from a cold start.

 

[jetsam]

Well, if you have overly strong draft, the problem intensifies as the flue heats up.

I don't think that explains your situation fully, though. Maybe you should walk us through all the steps you take loading cold and loading hot.

 

[weatherguy]

You should start with the easiest thing first and put a damper in the pipe. That may answer all your questiins.

 

[chemie]

Well, if you have overly strong draft, the problem intensifies as the flue heats up.

I don't think that explains your situation fully, though. Maybe you should walk us through all the steps you take loading cold and loading hot.

What would be overly strong draft? That wouldn’t let you lower it down via swoosh even at the lowest setting?

 

[jetsam]

What would be overly strong draft? That wouldn’t let you lower it down via swoosh even at the lowest setting?

Well, a super strong draft has caused problems for other BK owners. Suppose the OP has 30' of uninsulated flue and 8' of it is above the ridgeline in the wind, cooling the rest of it. Maybe when he starts cold and burns real low, the flue never really warms up all the way and his draft problems are less than they would be if he burned 24x7.

If it's an excess draft problem, it may be better on warm days and worse on cold days too.

My next step would be to install a key damper and manometer so I could see how much the draft actually varies.

Based on the above hypothesis, I would also be checking the top of that flue for creosote.

 

[Doc C]

Well, a super strong draft has caused problems for other BK owners. Suppose the OP has 30' of uninsulated flue and 8' of it is above the ridgeline in the wind, cooling the rest of it. Maybe when he starts cold and burns real low, the flue never really warms up all the way and his draft problems are less than they would be if he burned 24x7.

If it's an excess draft problem, it may be better on warm days and worse on cold days too.

My next step would be to install a key damper and manometer so I could see how much the draft actually varies.

Based on the above hypothesis, I would also be checking the top of that flue for creosote.

It’s black double wall pipe to the ceiling into a box and then either or double or triple wall above that with a cap on it.

My ceilings are over 20’ tall so it’s 20’ or so of black double wall. Then I have another close to 10 feet of the silver double/triple wall.

 

[Doc C]

Well, if you have overly strong draft, the problem intensifies as the flue heats up.

I don't think that explains your situation fully, though. Maybe you should walk us through all the steps you take loading cold and loading hot.

When the stove is cold with no coals at all I will load the stove as full as I can get it and put half a seller cedar on the bottom, light it and close the door. I don’t have to keep the door cracked at all. I leave the thermostat wide open. As soon as the thermometer gets to the active line I flip the lever and shut the stove down to where I want it. Usually takes around 10-15 minutes to get to temp.

Hot stove I usually fill when it’s still showing active so I just open the thermostat, flip the bar, open the door and load it to the gills, close the door, flip the bar and reset the thermostat.