BKVP
Minister of Fire
If you fail to loosen the keeper nut, under the head of the bolt, it will shear bolt off...even with ramp.
BK Princess bypass gasket
- Thread starter RustyShackleford
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
We have gasket from several different sources. I can take a 5/8 from Meeco and 5/8 from another brand and be holding 2 enrtirely different size gaskets.. I have no idea how this can be the case, 5/8's is 5/8's right? What I'm saying is: your Meeco 5/8 gasket might be bigger than the OEM from mid-mountain. I'd leave it alone if it's sealing ok.
What does "even with ramp" mean ?
@BKVP, do you have any concerns about using this stuff to make the action of the bypass lever smoother (as far as it maybe contaminating the cat):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1JGHPTXJEHA2JKK00KQB
Supposed to be good up to 2400 degrees !
Sigh ... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Wiser words were never spoken. I went ahead and replaced my bypass gasket, because it did ok on the dollar-bill test, except on the edge closest to the cat. Unfortunately, the seal is now less tight that than the original one (in a stove now entering its 7th winter burning season). Two issues ...
First, as others have reported (https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/blaze-king-ultra-bypass-gasket-frame.112496/#post-14967600), one of the four pieces of channel that holds the gasket, the piece closest to the cat, is slightly warped. The middle has sagged downwards a little bit, maybe 1/16" or so. I guess it's from being so close to the very high temperatures in the cat, and metal softens enough to bend. Not as bad as the linked thread, but enough to flunk the dollar-bill test).
Second, as mentioned in #27 above, the Meeco material (the high-density stuff available from Woodsman's) is slightly thicker than the OEM stuff; so, where it bends around the corners, it may not push down as far, so there are high spots there. Perhaps I should've cut 4 separate pieces, butt-jointed at the corners. Also, the channel on one side seems very slightly less wide, so the stuff doesn't seem to push down as far. I got the Meeco stuff because people (in another related thread) said they'd bought supposedly-OEM stuff (from dealers) that seemed no denser than the cheap stuff.
I can only hope that with time, the high spots on the gasket will compress down, and it'll seal as well or better than before I started this. (And it wasn't that easy, mainly cleaning out the old material from the channel closest to the cat, since it's also closest to the hinged edge of the plate).
I take some comfort in thinking that this seal isn't all that important - certainly not as important as the door deal. The issue is what percentage of smoke escapes through the leaks around the bypass (versus through the passageways in the cat). I imagine it's still pretty low - but every little bit reduces heating efficiency and increases chimney emissions.
First, as others have reported (https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/blaze-king-ultra-bypass-gasket-frame.112496/#post-14967600), one of the four pieces of channel that holds the gasket, the piece closest to the cat, is slightly warped. The middle has sagged downwards a little bit, maybe 1/16" or so. I guess it's from being so close to the very high temperatures in the cat, and metal softens enough to bend. Not as bad as the linked thread, but enough to flunk the dollar-bill test).
Second, as mentioned in #27 above, the Meeco material (the high-density stuff available from Woodsman's) is slightly thicker than the OEM stuff; so, where it bends around the corners, it may not push down as far, so there are high spots there. Perhaps I should've cut 4 separate pieces, butt-jointed at the corners. Also, the channel on one side seems very slightly less wide, so the stuff doesn't seem to push down as far. I got the Meeco stuff because people (in another related thread) said they'd bought supposedly-OEM stuff (from dealers) that seemed no denser than the cheap stuff.
I can only hope that with time, the high spots on the gasket will compress down, and it'll seal as well or better than before I started this. (And it wasn't that easy, mainly cleaning out the old material from the channel closest to the cat, since it's also closest to the hinged edge of the plate).
I take some comfort in thinking that this seal isn't all that important - certainly not as important as the door deal. The issue is what percentage of smoke escapes through the leaks around the bypass (versus through the passageways in the cat). I imagine it's still pretty low - but every little bit reduces heating efficiency and increases chimney emissions.
Last edited:
A penny for your thoughts, @BKVP. I'm a bit concerned about my bypass situation. Specifically:
1. You guys have done a lot of research on efficient burning. The concern with leaky bypass, I figure, is a certain percentage of smoke doesn't go through the cat: so, less heat into the house, more pollutants out the chimney. With something like I'm seeing, a gap that's maybe 1/16" by 10" (along the edge of the bypass door closest to the cat), what percentage of the smoke would you imagine is not passing through the cat ?
2. What do you think I should do ? I think replacing the gasket channel (as you suggested to the guy with a 1/2" gap from much worse warping) is going a little overboard. Maybe just try to "fluff up" that part of the gasket by prying it up a little ? Remove that section of the gasket and put something (what ?) in the bottom of the channel to shim it up a little, then replace with a single straight piece of gaske (I have more of the material) ?
Thanks.
1. You guys have done a lot of research on efficient burning. The concern with leaky bypass, I figure, is a certain percentage of smoke doesn't go through the cat: so, less heat into the house, more pollutants out the chimney. With something like I'm seeing, a gap that's maybe 1/16" by 10" (along the edge of the bypass door closest to the cat), what percentage of the smoke would you imagine is not passing through the cat ?
2. What do you think I should do ? I think replacing the gasket channel (as you suggested to the guy with a 1/2" gap from much worse warping) is going a little overboard. Maybe just try to "fluff up" that part of the gasket by prying it up a little ? Remove that section of the gasket and put something (what ?) in the bottom of the channel to shim it up a little, then replace with a single straight piece of gaske (I have more of the material) ?
Thanks.
Looking into this a little further, I'm thinking it should be safe. The Permatex website tells us that the active ingredients are graphite, nickel, aluminum (plus some petroleum solvents that certainly boil away in a hurry).
And this page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter indicates that none of those things are likely to be problematic.
Last edited:
Success. I got a little "bottle" jack and bent the gasket channel back into place; worked like a charm ! I was a little worried about "collateral damage", so I used a big piece of 4x4 underneath the jack (to distribute the load across the firebox floor). I straightened the long piece nearest the combustor, and then noticed that the other long piece (nearest the flue collar) also was a little off. Of course, you have to bend the metal a little beyond where you want it, because it rebounds a little when you release the jack. So, a little trial and error, but the thing looks real good now.
I found a flashlite (a little tiny super-bright LED one) to be super-helpful in identifying where the gasket was not making a good seal. In fact, it's a lot more sensitive than the dollar-bill test: when I was done, there was still a little light getting through, but the dollar-bill test (actually a thinner slip of paper) showed noticeable friction (if not really tight). I'd shine it from inside the firebox just below the bypass gate, raise the jack til I could see no light leakage, and then push a little farther - maybe 1/16". Then release the jack and see if the light came back. Like I said, trial and error.
Then lubed up the mechanism with that Permatex 77134 (local auto parts house got it for me overnight, $4) and it's sweet !
I'd recommend everybody to check the seal on this gasket whenever you have your flue connector removed - especially if you get your cat up in the 2000-degree zone sometimes. Also, BK should consider using a one-piece frame, made of some alloy that softens at a somewhat higher temperature, for the bypass gasket - if it's not too big an expense.
I do kind of wish I'd used the OEM gasket instead of this Meeco stuff, since it's thicker and may bunch up in the corners a little. Or not - the high-density Meeco stuff seems like really good stuff - and instead use four pieces with butt-joints at the corners. Those 4 very small not-quite-perfect seals (at the butt-joints) are negligible compared to the 30+ inches between the top of the gasket and the gate.
It also occurred to me that the seal around the sides of the combustor isn't all that tight. I belong to the "don't f*ck with the cat if you don't need to" club, so I'm not going to replace the gasket now. Anyhow, maybe any smoke that goes around the edge of the combustor is still exposed to such high temperatues that it "re-burns".
I found a flashlite (a little tiny super-bright LED one) to be super-helpful in identifying where the gasket was not making a good seal. In fact, it's a lot more sensitive than the dollar-bill test: when I was done, there was still a little light getting through, but the dollar-bill test (actually a thinner slip of paper) showed noticeable friction (if not really tight). I'd shine it from inside the firebox just below the bypass gate, raise the jack til I could see no light leakage, and then push a little farther - maybe 1/16". Then release the jack and see if the light came back. Like I said, trial and error.
Then lubed up the mechanism with that Permatex 77134 (local auto parts house got it for me overnight, $4) and it's sweet !
I'd recommend everybody to check the seal on this gasket whenever you have your flue connector removed - especially if you get your cat up in the 2000-degree zone sometimes. Also, BK should consider using a one-piece frame, made of some alloy that softens at a somewhat higher temperature, for the bypass gasket - if it's not too big an expense.
I do kind of wish I'd used the OEM gasket instead of this Meeco stuff, since it's thicker and may bunch up in the corners a little. Or not - the high-density Meeco stuff seems like really good stuff - and instead use four pieces with butt-joints at the corners. Those 4 very small not-quite-perfect seals (at the butt-joints) are negligible compared to the 30+ inches between the top of the gasket and the gate.
It also occurred to me that the seal around the sides of the combustor isn't all that tight. I belong to the "don't f*ck with the cat if you don't need to" club, so I'm not going to replace the gasket now. Anyhow, maybe any smoke that goes around the edge of the combustor is still exposed to such high temperatues that it "re-burns".
Thanks for the write up! I'll keep this in mind when I need to replace mine.
blueguy
Feeling the Heat
I've fixed more than my share of problems with bottle jacks [emoji2] Part of the reason I replaced my cat gasket was because the cat was walking itself out of the housing by about 1/8" every few weeks last season. It seems to be staying put this year so far, but I will definitely be keeping an eye on it.
blueguy
Feeling the Heat
Nope. The flame shield sits in its "bracket" on the bottom and is held in at the top by gravity. It doesn't touch the cat at all. The cat sits in its housing by friction fit (for lack of a better term) with the tabs on the can preventing it from going to far in.
The tabs keep it from going too deep and the expanding gasket should hold it tight in the cat frame. Gravity makes it want to fall towards the flame shield but the flame shield is a ways away from the cat and just sets there on a bracket. My cats have never walked out.
Good job on the jacking. As long as you didn't create a crack and you didn't bend the main stove body, just the sagged parts, then you should be good. Thicker metal or a different alloy would help to minimize the chance of the sag.
So did it help your smoke issue?
So did it help your smoke issue?
Yeah. Sigh. I don't think I was pushing that hard, but it's hard to tell. Still, with the bottom load distributed on that 4x4, I have to figure that little piece of channel is gonna bend way before anything else does. Cracking the welds on the channel was a bigger concern, but it looks like nothing happened.
Yup. Not as bad as what happened to the flame shield on my Dutchwest though.
No fire since then. It's warm here.
I'm a little concerned about leakage around the cat: it's pretty loose in there. I do have a new gasket. Maybe I should pull it and do the acetic-acid cleaning procedure.
- Status
Similar threads
