That's a signficant difference. "Premium" medium- weight is supposed to be a "lifetime" product, does that mean they expect the kind of people who get it will be living their houses for 25% less years?
Blaze King install puzzle
- Thread starter Slate Dale
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Lifetime means the lifetime they assign to that product. Not your lifetime. Read the fine print. Now some Olympia products have a forever warranty. But only if you have it installed and serviced every year by a pro etc.
Good point about CAT being overactive in the beginning, and I was wondering about top-down versus bottom-up lighting. In our old open fireplace and the old outdoor stove, where we burn poor wood that's not dry, it seems bottom up is the only way to get started.
I haven't noticed much paint odor, yet. I opened the basement doors and windows and set up fans in the beginning, expecting it to be bad, but now I closed everything up.
The top down is good for the environment and I like it for lighting full loads. But for the initial fires I was mentioning it because I thought you were opening often to load more and more pieces to scale up the fire. Instead, I'd make a fire and let it burn out. Then make a larger fire and let it burn out. Rather than paper+kindling, burn a bit, add a few wrist sized pieces, burn a bit, add more etc.
Just makes life easier.
Progressively larger. Until you reach a full firebox. Once you reach a high enough temperature, you'll smell the stove. You may not have reached that yet (large stove, much to warm up).
Yes the stove is real hot now and 'm smelling it more. I don't want the windows and doors open all night, and besides that might affect the thermostat bringing in all that cold air.
I've been watching the cat thermometer, now it's all the way up, at the very end of the white, active area of the dial on the edge of the last, black area. What does that mean? I'm worried that it's getting too hot. I turned the thermostat in the rear back even more, slightly before the white stripe begins. How far can I turn it back?
I'd fire up the stove during the day when you are around for the windows. (And the mildest day...)
The cold air shouldn't affect the Tstat, unless it's directly aimed at it. The Tstat is measuring the temp of the stove, not the temp of the room.
The cat gauge will be at or over the max for a while. That's normal for new cats. Nothing to worry about.
The cold air shouldn't affect the Tstat, unless it's directly aimed at it. The Tstat is measuring the temp of the stove, not the temp of the room.
The cat gauge will be at or over the max for a while. That's normal for new cats. Nothing to worry about.
That's very good news. The basement temperature has been slowly rising, up to about 60 degrees now. The cat thermometer has finally dropped back to about halfway, within the white area.
I'm sure there is enough wood to last till morning. I shouldn't open the door now when it's very hot because that could damage the cat by sudden temperature drop.
I'm signing off now, until tomorrow morning. Tomorrow I plan to fire the insert for the first time.
Thanks very much for your help, everyone.
Every install is different. On mine on a cold start: I open it all up then warm the flue for 10-20 seconds with my torch. add 3 -5 peices of wood. Start it with 1/4 super cedar. Let it burn till the cat is active. Then close the bypass and shut the thermostat all the way.
If the room is cold I kick the fan on for an hour. If not then it just runs as is for the next 7 hours or so.
On a restart when im adding wood to a warm stove: Open it all up. Rake the coals forwards. add 3 - 5 pieces of wood. Let burn till cats active or 5 minutes, which ever is longer. Flip the bypass closed and turn it all the way down. Come back 8-12 hours later.
That, and always have the bypass open.when you open the door. It directs the colder air thru the bypass rather than having it sucked into the cat.
Also, you'd get smoke in your room I'm the door opens with the bypass closed.
This is all in the manual. I suggest you read that carefully while you sit with the stove tomorrow. It is useful.
Update on the installation. I have been able to meet all clearances (though I had doubted) and the stove is performing perfectly.
I do have the required two feet, actually 30 inches, of vertical rise from the stove collar to the first turn.
Sadly, I needed to add about four inches of horizontal and then a 90 degree down (I had planned on NO horizontal and NO 90) to get the required clearance from the wall, actually more than required, it's 10 inches now, and the draft is still very good. There is more than the required the required four feet from the stove top to the ceiling joists, and over five feet to the floor overhead, and the pipe through the wall is well within the required distance from the ceiling.
The dealer did get back to me, and he arranged for a short base to be drop-shipped here instead of the tall one, so that I can have the required two-foot rise. As I said in one of my comments below, I do maintain full confidence in their service and customer support.
Can you post a pic?
Did you say a drop *down*? If so, be aware that draft will be significantly affected. It may do well now. But if it get warmer outside, you may have issues.
Did you say a drop *down*? If so, be aware that draft will be significantly affected. It may do well now. But if it get warmer outside, you may have issues.
As I commented last week: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/blaze-king-install-puzzle.190556/page-2#post-2559569 "I don't think I have no dealer support. I do trust them, and try to put myself in their business shoes and see how hard it is for dealers to find and keep professional installers, provide or arrange secondary shipping to a customer, and know all the answers to technical questions...."
Thanks for your advice and informatioon, and as Vice President of Blaze King, thanks for a great product.
I'm not sure what you mean by a drop down.
The chimney pipe that comes out of the wall is at 45 degrees, and I planned to use one 45 degree fitting to go into the telescoping vertical connected to the stove collar. It would have been very simple. But to meet the installation manual's requirement of at least 6 inches clearance from the concrete wall in the rear, I had to put a 45 degree fitting on the wall pipe end and then connect that to a 90 to go into the vertical. Now the thermostat box in the rear is almost 10 inches from the wall, even more than required, but I have a 90 degree turn that I didn't want, and I have 4 inches of horizontal flow that I didn't want. The way I wanted there would have been only one 45 degree turn, no horizontal at all, but the thermostat box on the rear stove would have been too close to (but still not against) the concrete wall. I gave up almost ideal (next to straight up) venting for the reason (I don't know) why the thermostat box needs to further away from the concrete wall.
That is what you said
Maybe you are describing while going "in" towards the stove rather than describing the pipe in the direction that the gases flow?
What is the reason for raking the coals forward when adding logs? My inclination is not to move things around because more ash rises up on the cat surface unnecessarily (even though the bypass is open) and instead wait until the fire is out for a slow and gentle shoveling.
Also, I've been adding more than 3 to 5 pieces, making it about 3/4 full, I think. I let it warm up with the bypass open then close it in ten minutes or so if the CAT is active. I don't really understand the temperature setting knob. There is a white band, and a black area before that. I've been setting it at the very beginning (narrow tip) of the white band, but I'm wondering: how far back before the white band begins can it be set and how will it function?
Yes, the last fitting before the vertical going down into the stove is a 90.
If the draft is good, the bypass is open, there's no ash going to the cat.
The coals forward is for having the fire start in front, and then it'll burn front to back (given that's how the air flows). Works best with N/S loading.
Does your manual actually require 6” to a concrete wall in the rear or is it a “clearance to combustible”? There’s a difference.
If not prohibited by the manual due to rear clearances, I would prefer not to have the additional 90 and horizontal section on your relatively short chimney. As I recall you only have a 16’ stack and two 45s subtract from that to make your stack less than the required 15’ minimum.
If not prohibited by the manual due to rear clearances, I would prefer not to have the additional 90 and horizontal section on your relatively short chimney. As I recall you only have a 16’ stack and two 45s subtract from that to make your stack less than the required 15’ minimum.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
6" to a masonry surface is not a safety issue, rather performance based. The OP' rear wall could reflect heat back to the thermostat and not allow it to perform as designed.
Which is a worse performance issue? Underheight flue or less than 6” to masonry? Honest question.
It'll depend. On the temperature and radiative properties of the wall, the total flue impedance, etc etc...
BKVP
Minister of Fire
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