Blaze King Ashford Owners- Chimney Clean Out Question

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A shop vac will not hurt the cat. With a little care, a soft brush and a vac is all that is needed.
 
SINGLE WALL?
Yes, I know, not recommended. The cost of the Blaze King stretched us a little thin as it is so when I get the money I will trust everyone's expert advice and buy double wall, paint and install it. Very hard to do when my existing single wall is painted, in place and working great!

The only thing I hate is the sweet, smoke/fume smell coming from a lower draft? Will double wall fix this? Otherwise, honestly, I'll regret spending that money...
 
Yes, I know, not recommended. The cost of the Blaze King stretched us a little thin as it is so when I get the money I will trust everyone's expert advice and buy double wall, paint and install it. Very hard to do when my existing single wall is painted, in place and working great!

The only thing I hate is the sweet, smoke/fume smell coming from a lower draft? Will double wall fix this? Otherwise, honestly, I'll regret spending that money...

Single wall is allowed, just not recommended. If BK were to forbid single wall then they would say so right there in the manual.

Double wall is stainless steel inner pipe so it will last longer than mild steel single wall. It's a lifetime pipe. You will need an adapter at the flue collar. In theory, it will improve your draft which will create a harder "suck" on the firebox to prevent smoke from weeping out if smoke is what you're smelling.
 
Single wall is allowed, just not recommended. If BK were to forbid single wall then they would say so right there in the manual.

Double wall is stainless steel inner pipe so it will last longer than mild steel single wall. It's a lifetime pipe. You will need an adapter at the flue collar. In theory, it will improve your draft which will create a harder "suck" on the firebox to prevent smoke from weeping out if smoke is what you're smelling.
The issue here is that he has a problem with a smoke smell. Until it's installed as recommended, Blaze King can only speculate on what the problem might be.
 
Highbeam is correct. Double wall holds the heat, elevates stack temps and deals with combustion moisture better than single wall (less particulate accumulation).

Also, by holding flue temps, you will be able to keep cat active at even lower burn rates (kg/hr) and on the top end have higher burn rates (kg/hr).

All stove manufacturers test with single wall for the safety test. We use a vastly different chimney system for emissions testing. The higher the efficiency, the more you will need to reserve heat for draft by using double wall black pipe.

Chris
 
The issue here is that he has a problem with a smoke smell. Until it's installed as recommended, Blaze King can only speculate on what the problem might be.
Once I get the money and spring rolls around, I'll be upgrading. Hopefully the increased draft will kiss this odor good bye. I'm afraid it won't fix my issue though because if I crank the BK up, I can still smell it. The only time I don't is when the wood is down to non-volitile charcoal or the BK is on 3.
 
Highbeam is correct. Double wall holds the heat, elevates stack temps and deals with combustion moisture better than single wall (less particulate accumulation).

Also, by holding flue temps, you will be able to keep cat active at even lower burn rates (kg/hr) and on the top end have higher burn rates (kg/hr).

All stove manufacturers test with single wall for the safety test. We use a vastly different chimney system for emissions testing. The higher the efficiency, the more you will need to reserve heat for draft by using double wall black pipe.

Chris
Insightful info, Chris, thank you. I wasn't aware elevated stack temps from double wall allowed for lower active burn rates, but makes perfect sense. Consider it done this summer!

Do you have any insight on the comments people have made about smoke odor in the shoulder season? Seems that even people with double wall experience this on occasion and I'm wondering if there's a solution.
 
Single wall is allowed, just not recommended. If BK were to forbid single wall then they would say so right there in the manual.

Double wall is stainless steel inner pipe so it will last longer than mild steel single wall. It's a lifetime pipe. You will need an adapter at the flue collar. In theory, it will improve your draft which will create a harder "suck" on the firebox to prevent smoke from weeping out if smoke is what you're smelling.
For a bit there, I thought it was creosote but I recently experienced the smell of burning creosote and it's highly unpleasant but not to blame here.

What I'm smelling is a sweet, smoke/fume odor. Stand on your couch after you've been burning your BK on low on a mild day. Sniff by ceiling. If you have my issue, you should be able to smell a hint of what I smell throughout my home on a daily basis. Really holding out for this double wall, otherwise I'm going to rely on BK to brainstorm for me.

Thank you to everyone who has replied with this issue of mine and the original question. Cleaned the area around bypass after sooteating and shuts just fine!:)
 
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