Blaze King Contact

[BKVP]

Slwere growing trees are generally more dense. For example madrone is very, very dense and very high in Btu's content. Not because it has more per pound but a pound of madrone is the size of a baseball bat handle and about 16" long! Hardwoods being more dense take much longer to dry and become seasoned...again due to density.

While you may only be able to fit 60 lbs of cottonwood into a King's massive 4.27 cu ft firebox, you can fix over 125 lbs in madroe into the same stove...all things being equal, IE moisture content, length etc.

I burn mostly western larch (Tamarack) and a local guy gave me several cords of walnut. (Yeah I know it makes great furniture and wood stocks, grips etc...) but I wouldn't have time to address these comments if I had to go cut trees!

 

[Hass]

First and foremost thank you for purchasing the stove. My kids needed new shoes for winter.

Second, you are really going to love the stove. We are receiving amazing feedback from the new owners of Chinooks.

As for the burn time issue, we have never made a Queen by the way, just a Princess and King model. The firebox is smaller and many folks ask "how does it burn longer than a Princess". The answer is the thermostats in the stoves are not all the same. Without giving out too much information for prying eyes, each thermostat has a bi-metallic coil spring. The actual length of the spring and the amount of time the spring is baked (creates memory) as well as actual calibration varies from model to model. Because the Chinook can actually run at a lower Btu output than the Princess, it can burn longer on the same amount of wood. To be clear, the thermostats are not interchangeable.

Bottom line, both stoves, Princess and Chinook will allow you to sleep through the night. No other stove can give you that piece of mind. When you get the stove running, you'll forget about all the details and just enjoy the burn.

But thank you for this question, the brochure will be changed to better address your observations.

Thank you
Chris

Ugh, I'm getting caught every which way tonight!
I meant Princess.

I did the math (correctly) somewhere in a Chinook thread comparing the Princess and king specs to the Chinook estimating minimum BTU. Which actually is the reason that I purchased the chinook over the Princess. I own a 750sq/ft airtight home, and don't want to get baked out in shoulder seasons. I figured the Chinook gives the lowed BTU of any stove on the market while still burning clean with no creosote. Plus it has the Thermostat so I don't have to fiddle with air control.

 

[Hass]

OH. How do you feel about hardwood pallets burned inside the stove?
cut and seasoned, of course.
I would imagine you can stuff a considerable amount of wood in there considering how it's flat dimensional lumber.
Should be able to get quite a bit higher than the estimated hardwood capacity in there.
Dry oak average weight ~40lbs cu/ft inside a 2.75cu/ft firebox should give upwards of 80-90lbs of wood if not more depending on how you can cram it in there and still let the stove get air flow.

 

[cmonSTART]

I am so glad to see this thread!

 

[Highbeam]

Thank you for answering my questions Chris. I do appreciate it. I'm hoping that in your efforts to get prices even across the nation that prices on the west coast don't just go up to match the current east coast rates!

I would never suggest that you stop making the king/princess but that you find a way, such as with the chinook, to package that technology in a more traditional appliance to compliment the line.

You're working on a smaller stove? Really? Why? Current stoves have very close clearances to combustibles, very low output settings, and use standard size wood. I'm sure your research has shown a market for a smaller stove but I have to wonder why anyone would want a tiny blaze king.

If my hearth was a little deeper it would have a blazeking princess sitting on it right now.

 

[Elim]

Welcome Chris,

Thank you for such a great product. Please tell everyone out there to keep up the great work.

I look forward to getting your expert input on all things BK related.

 

[project240]

But more seriously there was a post about someone looking to perhaps purchase a Princess 1103 for $2,000.

First, we never made a Princess 1103, not yet anyway. We did make a 1003, but that was last made more than a decade ago. $2,000 for a stove that was made a decade or more ago seems a bit steep, unless it was in a box for many of those years.

Chris

Hi Chris,

First off, welcome. It's great to have another manufacturer contact on the board.

I was the one who had posted about the Princess model you referred to. You got me, I typed a 1 instead of a 0. I completely agree that $2000 for a used stove alone does seem quite steep. Just wanted to clarify that was his asking price, which included 18' of insulated chimney and 5' DW, plus various fittings. I actually ended up buying it for $950 with 9' of chimney, plus flashing/connections, a deal I'm very happy with. I'm in the process of building a feature wall, then hearth and chimney install and am very anxious to get it installed. Everything I have read about these stoves on the boards have been great. I'm sure there will be a bit of a learning curve and I'll have some questions, but working hard to get my projects done and try it out.

Again, Welcome. I'm glad my post had something to do with you joining the forum.

 

[Beetle-Kill]

Welcome Chris. 'bout friggin time if you ask me! :cheese: ( we spoke a while back, 5 min. on the stove, 20 min. on long range rifle ballistics)

 

[Frostbit]

Welcome to the forum, Mr Blaze.

Though my stove in my home is a Jotul (I needed a close clearance unit), I still own and use the two Blaze King's (circa early to mid '80's, non-cat) I have at each of my cabins.

You mention Blaze never made a Queen, correct, but I have never seen mention here by anyone else owning a Baby Blaze, which I have. I also have a Princess. Both stoves look like the day I bought them; I have only had to change the door gasket once on each. No brick changes, no latch adjusting, nothing. Put wood in 'em and go. For the record, neither one of them is for sale. Ever, if I have my way.

I look forward with much interest to looking at your new stoves. Thanks much for joining in!

 

[Shadow&Flame]

BKVP- I truly commend you on joining Hearth.com. All manufacturers should have a representative on this site to answer questions about their products. It just shows a
willingness to stand up for ones product and listen to your customers.

Thanks

 

[madrone]

I'm sure your research has shown a market for a smaller stove but I have to wonder why anyone would want a tiny blaze king.

I'd love a tiny BK. It'd work great for my purposes and climate.

 

[Pagey]

Again, welcome to the forums. It's always great to have some input directly from the manufacturer. It can clear up a lot of confusion/conflicting statements that sometimes crop up. I'm glad to hear that the east cost "price gouging" issue is being addressed.

 

[BKVP]

Beetle Kill-- You would really like my new Smith & Wesson 460 magnum. 42.5 grains if H110 and 300 grain Hornady XTP's. No more facial or arm hair after the muzzle flame/blast!

Elim, thank you everyone is working very hard on both sides of the border to keep us in stock.

Project 240, $950 is indeed a much better deal and a solid investment.

Frostbit, now all you need is one of our ovens we use to make at one time, them your Blaze King museum would be complete.

Thank you all, time to sell stoves!

Chris

 

[BKVP]

HAAS:
Sorry I did not mean to neglect you or your question. Burn the pallet wood if the pieces have no nails or metal fasteners. Also, make certain the pallets are clean and were not subjected to chemical contamination, such as oil spills, fertilizer or grease.

 

[NWfuel]

Welcome to this great group of members. I can tell you for sure that they love free samples. Which reminds me we (Super Cedar) offer free samples to all new members!

Thomas

 

[MishMouse]

Could a 6 inch flue be used on a King?

 

[BKVP]

6" work on a King? On our older KT's which were not so efficient and not clean burning, there might be ample heat loss to create sufficient draft to make it work.

On the newer catalytic models, 99% of the time the install would not work. By not work, I mean you would experience spillage or smoke coming back into the room when loading the stove or starting a fire.

Indoor air quality is mighty important for occupant health, so I would steer clear of a reduced chimney. Are there cases where 6" or 7" work on a King (newer model), yes. But in those cases, which are uncommon, all the circumstances were ideal.

Thanks
Chris

 

[Patapsco Mike]

BKVP- good move posting to this forum! BK has sold a lot of stoves due to this forum, including mine (and two friends of mine)! I love my Princess. Best stove I've ever owned, and I've owned quite a few. In my opinion no other stove on the market compares. As great as it is, I think a couple things could be better.

1) Those cheap plastic air control and fan knobs. They work, but when I drop thousands of dollars on a stove I’d like something that doesn't look like it belongs on a $10 toaster oven. I would have gladly paid an extra $10 for nicer controls.

2) The small(ish) door. I came to BK from an Olympic Avalon. I'd never go back, and it's not that the BK door is too small to be functional, but boy I missed the wide door on the Avalon. It seems like the BK door could easily be 4 or 5†wider- which would be awesome.

3) The cat temp sensor and air control/fan dials are hard to see. I have to lean way over the stove and get nearly directly above the cat temp dial it to see it. Likewise the air control index is low and to the side of the stove. I need to get on hands and knees to see where the index of the cheap plastic dial lines up with the index marks.

4) Others have mentioned the "East Coast price penalty" and I'm glad you addressed it. In this Internet age, people figure out quickly that they are paying a $600 premium- and they will find a workaround or buy a different stove.

Looking forward to your presence on this site. It's very much welcomed by us BK owners.

 

[Todd]

What's the deal with the numberless probe thermometer on your stoves? I realize there's active/inactive zones but I think numbers along with the zones would be more beneficial for the user. By the way how accurate do you think these probes are compared to a thermocouple in the same spot?

 

[rdust]

What's the deal with the numberless probe thermometer on your stoves? I realize there's active/inactive zones but I think numbers along with the zones would be more beneficial for the user.

I have to disagree on this one. I think the majority of wood burners could care less about actual numbers for the CAT probe. This site is full of people who take their wood burning more serious than most people. I think most people wouldn't know or care to know what is a bad temp and what is a good temp, the range is much easier to digest for the general population.

 

[Todd]

What's the deal with the numberless probe thermometer on your stoves? I realize there's active/inactive zones but I think numbers along with the zones would be more beneficial for the user.

I have to disagree on this one. I think the majority of wood burners could care less about actual numbers for the CAT probe. This site is full of people who take their wood burning more serious than most people. I think most people wouldn't know or care to know what is a bad temp and what is a good temp, the range is much easier to digest for the general population.

That may be true, but why not have both numbers and zones. I bet there are a lot of people out there that have no idea they are prematurely burning up their cats at temps over 1600 and at over $200 a pop it may be worth it to keep a closer eye on temps. The current BK probe has no "too hot" zone at all, the active zone goes right up to 2000 degrees. Maybe a new probe would save BK some warranty headaches?

(broken link removed to http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HI6KD2fSmQfzD-LQjxCs_Q?feat=embedwebsite)

 

[BKVP]

OK guys, I need to keep selling today, but here is some feedback. PatapscoMike/Todd

Plastic knobs come with the fans from our suppliers. They are not subjected to heat problems, so plastic works and I have not had complaints. Also The thermostat knob is a different material that is subject to radiant heat. A metal knob might get to hot, so I think we'll stick with the proven and until now unobjectionable knob.

The location of the fan knob is inconvenient if the stove is installed close to a wall, agreed. However, the knob iwill always be near the fan motor and those are located where they need to be. The thermostat is located at the rear of the stove because it regulates the air intake and the intake manifold is also at the rear of the stove. If you look at the Princess insert, the air intake and thermostat are located in the lower right front corner. This was necessary because heat radiating from the fireplace enclosure would play havoc on the bi-metallic coil spring which causes erratic performance. The same thing can happen if the stove is placed too close to a brick or masonry rear wall.

As for the catalytic thermometer, years ago we had supplied them with numbers. Boy did out phones ring off the phone with..."Somethings wrong with my catalytic combustor, it dropped 10 degrees and now it's 22 degrees hotter!"

The accuracy of the cat. therms. it not nearly as precise as a thermocouple. The needle can get bent, the keepr nut can come lose and they just are not that accurate.

For what it's worth, I have had as many as four thermocouples, digital gauges and even a chart recorder hooked up to my stove in my living room. My wife drew the line when I suggested the idea of a dilition tunnel. (She has no sense of humor for all tech things I enjoy.)

OK back to selling stoves guys and thank you for the warm welcome.

Chris

 

[jtb51b]

HAAS:
Sorry I did not mean to neglect you or your question. Burn the pallet wood if the pieces have no nails or metal fasteners. Also, make certain the pallets are clean and were not subjected to chemical contamination, such as oil spills, fertilizer or grease.

Whats the trouble with the metal? I sometimes get a tie plate in my cross tie plant wood that makes it to the stove. Is this a big no no with my princess?

Thanks,
Jason

 

[jtb51b]

This was necessary because heat radiating from the fireplace enclosure would play havoc on the bi-metallic coil spring which causes erratic performance. The same thing can happen if the stove is placed too close to a brick or masonry rear wall.



Wow, I wonder if this is why I have troubles with mine? I am backed up 4" from a block wall.. If so, what would you suggest, a metal heat (cold) shield on the wall?

Thanks again,
Jason

 

[rdust]

The current BK probe has no "too hot" zone at all, the active zone goes right up to 2000 degrees.

I can get behind a "too hot" zone, even if people don't care about what temp that happens at least a warning at that point would/could be helpful.

Mine is the same as the one you attached.