BK Princess Install completed and inspected

[Lanningjw]

>Lanning, congrats on the install. It looks great and that big central masonry chimney is going to do a nice job radiating heat through your home. It is the perfect compliment to the quick heat you can get from a steel stove with a blower. <<<

With the warmer weather I haven't needed the blower. The complaint that this fan is loud is crazy. My century insert fan would rattle and shake.....
This insert is like a freight train diesel motor idling. when the t-stat is set to low.

I have noticed that once you accumulate a couple of inches of ask in the fire box you are then able to maintain a better coal bed thus better restarts after a long period of time. This stove runs well on a bed of coals compared to the Century insert, you never had room to reload with all the coals and not alot of heat coming out.

have you all noticed all the threads on the Blaze King stoves? They seem to be getting good reviews, then again its not cold yet!

Thanks for all the compliments on the flush hearth. Jim

 

[Chopslide]

I havent recieved my moisture meter yet, I am running assorted sizes in the p to see what works best mostly in the 5" range for the splits. I really havent stuffed the stove full yet so mabe that is part of it still trying to get used to a stove that you can control....Im guessing.my wife will figure out how to make it run best while Im over here typing away. i still am running on the first match and would have used a whole box with the old stove so......... no complaints

 

[Wet1]

Have a good bed of coals/ash, use dry wood, and start hot and slowly turn it down, and you have a great burning stove. Also, don't fiddle with the stove. Once you get settled in the burn, don't start tinkering with it. These stoves run best when you set them and walk away. Opening the door and playing with the thermostat all day will lead to less desirable results.

 

[Chopslide]

Good advice Im fiddlin cause the stove is a new toy and I cant leave it alone I dont open the door but have been messing around with the themo...... mostly to see what it will do! that new stove smell will wear off...I am on the dry wood bandwagon but one Question.. at some point 4... 5... 6hours into the burn isnt the wood in the box going to be dry? at some point its all coals and such. you would think you could turn it down. just me thinking...... scary
Thks all

 

[Wet1]

The bimetallic coil (thermostat) is doing that adjusting for you! No need to fiddle with it. Set it and leave it until you're ready to reload. You shouldn't touch it more than once or twice over the day.

 

[Chopslide]

The bimetallic coil (thermostat) is doing that adjusting for you! No need to fiddle with it. Set it and leave it until you're ready to reload. You shouldn't touch it more than once or twice over the day.

'
My problem is I have some time off so I can look in on the stove way to often......still wont burn at 1 middle or end of a cycle

 

[Lanningjw]

The bimetallic coil (thermostat) is doing that adjusting for you! No need to fiddle with it. Set it and leave it until you're ready to reload. You shouldn't touch it more than once or twice over the day.

'
My problem is I have some time off so I can look in on the stove way to often......still wont burn at 1 middle or end of a cycle

Another trick that Chris from BK told me was to push the bi-pass handle all the way down then it will push alittle further as the cable is connected to a oval. I tried this and yes it seats down further. Maybe you guys already knew this info?

 

[Chopslide]

[quote author=

Another trick that Chris from BK told me was to push the bi-pass handle all the way down then it will push alittle further as the cable is connected to a oval. I tried this and yes it seats down further. Maybe you guys already knew this info?[/quote]
Good one lanning! I immediatly walked over to the stove and pushed down I indeed have not been lockiing completely. it will be interesting to see what difference that makes in the burn. Just goes to show you learn something new every day or alternately I am a dork.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Good one lanning! I immediatly walked over to the stove and pushed down I indeed have not been lockiing completely. it will be interesting to see what difference that makes in the burn.

No chit, thanks Lanning.

 

[weatherguy]

I didnt know that either, thanks Lan

 

[stockcarver]

I would be surprised if you could resist adjusting it, for the novelty if nothing else. After a couple weeks you will get more accustomed to it and then you can enjoy letting it do its job on its own. When winter takes a good hold and it stays cold all the time, you will find a good average setting that keeps your house comfortable and really don't have to adjust it for weeks at a time. Try explaining that to those who have a manual draft and they just don't get it.
The part that will have you giggling like a little kid is the first time you load it up with good wood, set the thermostat at a lower setting and go away for an overnight trip. When you get home to a warm house the next day, you will begin to realize what a great stove is all about.
The habit you want to break is the desire to open the door to poke around or add a stick of wood. Best way I have found is to just load it up and keep the door shut until it is ready for a full reload, which is about the time the cat starts dropping out of the active zone on the guage. I let the logs turn to ash, rather than opening early and breaking them up into chunks.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I totally agree with the load it up and let it do its thing advice. At the end of the burn, I turn the t-stat wide open. Let it burn for a bit. Open the bypass, rake everything front center. Close the bypass, burn for a bit. Then reload. Way cool stove.

 

[greythorn3]

I would be surprised if you could resist adjusting it, for the novelty if nothing else. After a couple weeks you will get more accustomed to it and then you can enjoy letting it do its job on its own. When winter takes a good hold and it stays cold all the time, you will find a good average setting that keeps your house comfortable and really don't have to adjust it for weeks at a time. Try explaining that to those who have a manual draft and they just don't get it.
The part that will have you giggling like a little kid is the first time you load it up with good wood, set the thermostat at a lower setting and go away for an overnight trip. When you get home to a warm house the next day, you will begin to realize what a great stove is all about.
The habit you want to break is the desire to open the door to poke around or add a stick of wood. Best way I have found is to just load it up and keep the door shut until it is ready for a full reload, which is about the time the cat starts dropping out of the active zone on the guage. I let the logs turn to ash, rather than opening early and breaking them up into chunks.

Man! i cant wait to upgrade my blazeking to a blazeking ultra cat wow that will be nice!!

 

[Chopslide]

I guess now I am trying to work out how to burn it best on low settings. It is pretty warm right now 45 day 25 night so I have been playiin with loads and trying to gett the best burn at low settings
Lanning helped out with the bypass handle lock down.... I think that will make a big difference as well as learning how to load this stove up. I was better today about dicking around with it and is burning nicely...I think that burning on med high should be a piece of cake load her up and let er rip....Have I said how amazing these stoves are!! I am so glad I went the extra for the BK!
I got my shorts and t shirt on lovin life at 78*f

 

[Easyellis8]

A couple of questions for those of you with the BK insert and already blowing smoke.

1. How much noise does the fan make at different settings? Inaudible or makes you want to turn it off?
2. I notice with the inserts that the electrical cord to the fan is plugged in outside in the living area; is there a way to hide the cord inside? Someone with a recent purchase of a regency insert did this and it looks nice.

 

[Lanningjw]

A couple of questions for those of you with the BK insert and already blowing smoke.

1. How much noise does the fan make at different settings? Inaudible or makes you want to turn it off?
2. I notice with the inserts that the electrical cord to the fan is plugged in outside in the living area; is there a way to hide the cord inside? Someone with a recent purchase of a regency insert did this and it looks nice.

The fan is really quiet at a medium setting or lower. It really is a good fan compared to other insert I have owned.
Put an electric outlet in the the fireplace where the insert is placed. I have heard that you could run a cord down the ash drop if you have one. The key is not to run the cord under the insert, in my case the cord goes around the insert.

 

[tickbitty]

The install looks good. Can you tell me a little about the flush tile install? Did you morter up to the wood? I'm staring at 4x14 area I cut out to lay tile for an entry way and non combustionable floor under a Nap 1100cp.
Enjoy!
Coupe

The flush tile install was done so we could walk thru to the left of the hearth in the the kitchen without tripping. We grouted the tile right up to the maple floor. Cut 2x4 with a table saw to the desired height and then plywood and durorock. Buttered the durorock to make the tiles the same heights as the wood floor. We never had to cut any tiles. Used some of the maple that we cut out of the floor to frame in the hearth area.

So, you cut out existing floor, then like notched out the joists underneath to make the flush hearth? I would like to remake my flush hearth as flush as I can. Right now it's tile on hardwood with I believe diagonal boards as a subfloor (not a piece of plywood in this house) and joists under that. Was hoping to get a pretty good "R" by doing micore, durock, and tile but afraid it might be too thick. Like you we have an open doorway to the left and a small door to the right, having a toe stubby hearth there wouldn't be good. Any more info on how you did this one will be very appreciated!

 

[Lanningjw]

The install looks good. Can you tell me a little about the flush tile install? Did you morter up to the wood? I'm staring at 4x14 area I cut out to lay tile for an entry way and non combustionable floor under a Nap 1100cp.
Enjoy!
Coupe

The flush tile install was done so we could walk thru to the left of the hearth in the the kitchen without tripping. We grouted the tile right up to the maple floor. Cut 2x4 with a table saw to the desired height and then plywood and durorock. Buttered the durorock to make the tiles the same heights as the wood floor. We never had to cut any tiles. Used some of the maple that we cut out of the floor to frame in the hearth area.

So, you cut out existing floor, then like notched out the joists underneath to make the flush hearth? I would like to remake my flush hearth as flush as I can. Right now it's tile on hardwood with I believe diagonal boards as a subfloor (not a piece of plywood in this house) and joists under that. Was hoping to get a pretty good "R" by doing micore, durock, and tile but afraid it might be too thick. Like you we have an open doorway to the left and a small door to the right, having a toe stubby hearth there wouldn't be good. Any more info on how you did this one will be very appreciated!

No notching, just down to the sub floor covered with 1/2 inch durorock where we cut out the floor. Then butter the tiles on top of D-rock. Now over the existing hearth area the joist had been cut out so we had to build up with cut plywood and 2x4's plus d-rock. The BK insert does not have a R value hearth requirement only distance.