Blaze King Princess too big for 1400 sq ft?

[Highbeam]

Keep in mind that the larger BK holds more fuel than the smaller (20.2 firebox). So you'll get longer burns. Check out the dimensions. The 30.2 is not that much bigger than the 20.2 I'm glad I went with the 30.2.

There's really no good reason to opt for the 20 over the 30. Sometimes you can get a deal on a 20 because, well, they're not as good as the 30!

Long burn times is why most folks choose the BK. The 30 burns 50% longer! and uses the same common cat as the princess.

Even though the 30 is a couple of inches bigger, if you compare the required clearances it used to require the same footprint.

I'm in the PNW as well in a 1700SF home burning the princess model. We burn well into June most years.

 

[Mustard Tiger]

There's really no good reason to opt for the 20 over the 30. Sometimes you can get a deal on a 20 because, well, they're not as good as the 30!

Long burn times is why most folks choose the BK. The 30 burns 50% longer! and uses the same common cat as the princess.

Even though the 30 is a couple of inches bigger, if you compare the required clearances it used to require the same footprint.

I'm in the PNW as well in a 1700SF home burning the princess model. We burn well into June most years.

Where are you seeing the 30 burns 50% longer than the 20? Only looks to be a couple hours more.

 

[Mustard Tiger]

So the general consensus is it makes sense to go with the 30 over the 20 and there’s not a risk of not being able to get that stove hot enough to reduce creosote build up and plug up the chimney even in a smaller space?

 

[stoveliker]

Where are you seeing the 30 burns 50% longer than the 20? Only looks to be a couple hours more.

I don't know on what the "average heating time" is based.
The burn time on low is 30 hrs for the 30.2 models and 20 hrs for the 20(.x?) models. And in those hours the heating output is essentially constant. I'd say the last 3 hrs or so of these times the output dropped off a bit for me. ("feeling", no data that I collected).

(Of course burning at a higher output (hotter) decreases those times. (I recently did my end-of season burn as hot as I could without overheating the chimney. It was 15" fir (rather than 17 or 18"), i.e. low BTU, and I got a solid 8 hrs out of it running as hot as I could. )

The similar output on low (11,340 BTU/hr vs 11,9something BTU/hr) means that the energy contained in the fuel load is dispensed into the room with similar speed. Having a 150% larger firebox (3 cu ft vs 2 cu ft) means one has a 150% burn time. So 20 hrs to 30 hrs.

I can attest to the fact that the 30 models do indeed burn 30 hrs. In fact, I've run it 36-37 hrs before the cat dropped out of the active temperature when the fuel was gone.

The thing about not getting the stove hot enough is *not* applicable in the sense you are talking about.
The stove is *designed* to be able to run "dirty" in the firebox. No flame, just smoldering. The catalyst then combusts those half-burned gases, keeping the chimney from dirtying up too much.
As long as you keep the catalyst in the active temperature regime (giving it enough fuel, i.e. smoke to combust), you'll be fine. This has nothing to do with the size of the stove.
It has everything to do with the draft in your chimney; too short a chimney does not create enough suction, so not enough air flow, so not enough smoke-flow to the catalyist, and then it can't keep itself warm enough to combust those gases, leading to dirty chimneys.
Your lowest point you can run therefore depends on the chimney (and the tightness of the home). It is that point that gives you the lowest possible output for your home. And for a chimney system within BK specs, that'll result in 20 or 30 hr burns depending on the model.

Hence our earlier insistence on chimney questions.

 

[Mustard Tiger]

This makes much more sense. Thank you for explaining that.

 

[stoveliker]

Short addition to "The thing about not getting the stove hot enough is *not* applicable in the sense you are talking about."

Draft is created by flue height. But also by its temperature. Burning lower, and having a very efficient stove (i.e. heat goes to the room and not up the flue) means the chimney will be cooler, which decreases draft, which makes the stove cooler (though the thermostat counteracts that by opening up when the stove cools - of course only up to a degree: fully open can't be opened more).
So burning too low can gunk up the chimney - once the cat can't do its job any more as explained above.

In this sense it's similar to other (tube) stoves; go too low and the "cleanup combustion" (tubes there, cat here) won't function.
The difference is that for this particular stove that limit is quite lower than for tube stoves.

(And the limit below which is too low is very similar for the two sized models, see the BTU outputs.)

 

[Highbeam]

Where are you seeing the 30 burns 50% longer than the 20? Only looks to be a couple hours more.

It's right there in the name. The 30 box goes 30 hours and the 20 goes 20 hours. On low of course. 30 is 50% more than 20.

Furthermore, in the PNW, our woods are pretty low density so you'll want all the firebox size you can get. I definitely appreciate all 2.9CF of my princess when stuffing it full of douglas fir for a 24 hour burn cycle.

 

[Mustard Tiger]

Had a lengthy conversation with the shop today. They said the 20 would be sufficient and no problem heating the small place of mine but my concern was the longer burn time of the 30. They were still hesitant but then said you can still start a small but hot fire in it when starting, then load it up and dial it down when leaving to maintain temps and agreed the longer burn time is nice, so I ended up chaining to the 30 on a pedesta and having it installed next week.

 

[Diabel]

Now let’s look at the king 😀😀😀😀😀

 

[kborndale]

Congrats, I think you will be happy with the 30, the high ceiling and those big windows you have will have you enjoying the larger firebox. Sounds to me like the dealer was making better money on the 20 which is why they were pushing it. Make sure you get double wall stove pipe, especially if you think you will be burning low and slow a lot and get your wood stacked yesterday.

 

[Mustard Tiger]

Now let’s look at the king 😀😀😀😀😀

I’ll post some pictures once it’s installed next week!

 

[Tron]

They were still hesitant but then said you can still start a small but hot fire in it when starting, then load it up and dial it down when leaving to maintain temps and agreed the longer burn time is nice, so I ended up chaining to the 30 on a pedesta and having it installed next week.

No real need to. As others have said, the minimal output is pretty much the same.
It's just that the range of the 30's is greater due to them delivering more "wood surface" that can burn at a given time.
But mostly it's about the larger "gas tank", i.e. pounds of wood you can load up, leading to 50% longer burn times (at the same output rate) compared to the 20's.

I only load it halfway when I want shorter burn times. For example, to banish the morning chill when it'll be warming up considerably during the day.

 

[stoveliker]

Had a lengthy conversation with the shop today. They said the 20 would be sufficient and no problem heating the small place of mine but my concern was the longer burn time of the 30. They were still hesitant but then said you can still start a small but hot fire in it when starting, then load it up and dial it down when leaving to maintain temps and agreed the longer burn time is nice, so I ended up chaining to the 30 on a pedesta and having it installed next week.

Good choice; overheating would be the same with either stove as their low outputs would be the same.

I rarely do a "small starting fire followed by a full load and dialing down to low" - instead, I load it up from the start, with one split missing in the middle on the top where I put a little kindling (splitter trash) and your favorite fire starter (no-color, no-sheen paper, or whatever cat-suitable fire starter you want) in place of that split. Light it, close the door when draft has been established, close the bypass when the cat is up to temperature, let it burn to char the wood, then dial down. No need to open again. A one-time start and go.

As Tron said, there is no need for "small fire in a large box" for a BK - fill the tank and burn slow is what it can do. Or fill the tank and burn medium if you want more heat. My philosophy is to keep the door-opening to a minimum. Best for the cat, best for the chimney, best for the environment. Load her up and dial to the setting with the heat output you want.

 

[reaperman1]

Agree, you made the right choice. When you shell out alot of $$ for a new stove setup the last thing you want is ending up with something your not happy with. Going bigger will erase that issue. With a loft there is alot more sqft to heat than a normal 8' ceiling despite having ceiling fans. When you purchase a wood stove, there is no returning it if your not happy, your dealer should be happy you went bigger. Its easier to cool down a hot home in the winter vs trying to heat one up.

 

[dznam]

Irrespective of the fact that they sell Blaze Kings, your stove shop either lacks practical knowledge of these stoves or is short on "forthrightness". Good choice e re: buying the 30!

 

[dznam]

And don't forget the (uninsulated) double wall pipe on the interior per Blaze King specs! It ensures that your chimney doesn't lose too much heat, thereby preserving a healthy draft.

 

[Mustard Tiger]

I live in southern Oregon. Looks like all we have here available to burn is pine. Anything I need to know about burning pine in a Blaze King?

 

[Highbeam]

I live in southern Oregon. Looks like all we have here available to burn is pine. Anything I need to know about burning pine in a Blaze King?

Lots of people burn pine exclusively. Be sure it is dry, less than 20%, and it will burn fine. The BK design will have no trouble burning pine.

 

[Todd]

You don’t have to fill the 30 completely full all the time. I would guess 50-75% full would be just like running the 20 and then you have the extra capacity as needed.

My place is even smaller than yours and I also have a loft and I would consider a 30 over the 20 as well.

 

[Mustard Tiger]

You don’t have to fill the 30 completely full all the time. I would guess 50-75% full would be just like running the 20 and then you have the extra capacity as needed.

My place is even smaller than yours and I also have a loft and I would consider a 30 over the 20 as well.

This is great to hear, and pretty much the conclusion I came to after several here said get the 30 over the 20. Thanks!

 

[Tron]

With a loft there is alot more sqft to heat than a normal 8' ceiling despite having ceiling fans.

That's why the real number to compare would be cu-ft of living space, not sq-ft. But few people know how much volume their home has, which is probably why.
But of course, your assessment is spot on.

 

[panderson03]

Mustard, we have a Princess for our 2125 sq ft place (1225 on main level and 900 loft) and it is not enough stove. When the temps are below zero F outsideor when we arrive after being away for a couple of days (propane keeps temps above freezing when we're away) our Princess struggles and we supplement with in-floor radient heat. 4 months out of the year our Princess is running full blast.
I hope this helps

 

[Mustard Tiger]

Have sued the stove twice so far when I've been out working on the house. Was 32 degrees one morning and a little warmer a few days later. Easily got the place up to 65-69 degrees no problem. Have 5 cord of juniper being delivered this weekend. Precious owner apparently used to spend $600 month on heating the place with an electric furnace, so buying the wood stove seems like the right choice, especially when I paid $200 per cord and was told I might go through 3-3.5 cord per winter.

 

[brenndatomu]

I just wonder why they were pretty insistent that I should not go with the 30 and kept telling me the 20 would be plenty for my application.

Because almost no stove dealer/employees actually heat with wood full time, and actually have personal experience with a given model stove in their home, let alone 2 different models in their home comparitivly.