Calling on Kuma Sequoia owners... (also BK Princess)

[BKVP]

So to be clear....

EPA's website can be misleading. Manufacturers can request a 5 year extension on their issued certificates. So, even if a unit is not currently in production, a manufacturer may wish to keep the certificate valid by simply doing some paperwork. Look for the out of production column on EPA's site.

The PEJ1002 has not been made in 20+ years. The PEJ1003 has not been made in past 10-12 years. We are making the PEJ1006 currently.

As Highbeam noted from the EPA site, there is a PE35. It is in beta testing for past two seasons. It is not an insert.

That is all you're going to get at this point in time....unless you send me a bottle of Don Julio Real. Make that two bottles, I'll have to appease the Pres.

 

[Woody Stover]

Would you suggest that he utilize the clay liner? A slammer install? Or is there another way to vent an insert into the clay tiles?

No slammers here at hearth.com. They are illegal, not to mention immoral. Direct connect, at the very least.

come up with a 3.5 ft3 Princess model....Call it the Fat Princess model.

Or the Princess Fiona.

 

[BigBadVoodooDaddy]

Look. This is serious, BKVP. You have 30 days to come up with a 3.5 ft3 Princess model. You need to make this right. Call it the Fat Princess model.

Grins.

Ummmm... why not just call it a QUEEN... after all every King needs a Queen Right BKVP?

 

[BKVP]

Ummmm... why not just call it a QUEEN... after all every King needs a Queen Right BKVP?

Each week we receive dozens of calls from folks that start out.."Hello we own a Queen and..." There can never be a Queen.

 

[Highbeam]

Each week we receive dozens of calls from folks that start out.."Hello we own a Queen and..." There can never be a Queen.

There's only one Queen.

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[rwhite]

Can't imagine that even with breaking out times that an 8" insulated liner would fit.

 

[JohnDeer]

6x10 oval is a very small flue size for a large fireplace. I come up with that being ~ 42 sq in. which would be for a tiny fireplace opening of 420 sq in. Doesn't sound right. Hope they measured correctly. Oval is also odd. 8x12 OD would be closer to a more common size, and area of ~ 67 sq in.

I don't think that sounds right, either. My fireplace opening is 864 square inches. Is there a general rule of thumb, a ratio between opening size and flue size in square inches?

 

[begreen]

10:1

 

[BKVP]

There's only one Queen.

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Yup...

 

[begreen]

Just a minute sonny!

 

[jetsam]

You know what just occurred to me...

Why would a big insert like that with very high claimed efficiency only have a 14 hour burn time?

Maybe because the convection thing works as advertised- so in effect, you can't turn the fan off.

I bet I could get shoulder season burns out of that thing by stuffing the convection intake full of tinfoil and restricting the input air (possibly also with tinfoil).

 

[JohnDeer]

Well, after a lot of help from this board, and offline from bigbadvoodoodaddy, BKVP and Kuma...

The Kuma Sequoia is probably too big for my intended application. Maybe not in the cold months of December - February, but for the shoulder seasons that lasts a long time in western Oregon. Bigbadvoodoodaddy has more house, more window and perhaps less thermal efficiency than I do by dint of year of construction.

The Kuma Ashwood would get the job done, plus is perhaps a little small for my application during our coldest months and, I guess, I've become a reluctant catalytic believer. The noncat Ashwood can't be as efficient at the low end of the temperature range.

I was looking for the Goldilocks solution. Not too big, not too small, but just right.

Enter Blaze King's Princess insert. Now honestly, if BK or Kuma either one, had a cat stove firebox around 3.0 ft3 then my Goldilocks quest would have been supremely satisfied, but I think the BK Princess insert probably offers me the best compromise. YMMV. Runners-up included the Pacific Energy Summit insert and the Osburn 2400. The BK Sirocco insert is very purdy, as are several other flush mount inserts but it is just too petite. Plus I specifically wanted a stove that would project onto the hearth some. Purely "buyer subjective". There are one or two flush mount inserts in the 2.7 - 3.0 ft3 firebox size, but mostly there is a surprising scarcity of wood insert products for homes in the 2,300 to 2,800 ft2 size range. You'd think a stove manufacturer or three would smell opportunity.

I couldn't have done this task without the folks on this board. You are the best.

The shocking problem now is that stove stores in the Portland area are telling me that Blaze King delivery is one to two months out. Gag. That's like the turkey grower running out of birds in mid-October before the holiday season gets into swing. You'd have thought theyda thunk ahead and run up their credit line at BK last fall to build up some inventory for the cold season. Or maybe BK needs a fleet of loaners on hand? They could deliver them using drones.

 

[mellow]

The backlog started back in October, peak season is always the worst time to buy a stove. Kinda like buying a generator right before a hurricane.

Heavy demand lets you know you're making the right decision Think of the resale value.

Btw, the SC25 isn't much smaller than the Princess.

 

[BigBadVoodooDaddy]

There's only one Queen.

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AMEN!

Freddie was incredible!

 

[JohnDeer]

I suppose it depends on which manufacturer you call. The few others I've checked with have delivery times in 2 - 5 days. Several of the local stove retailers here in the Portland area say they aren't selling many BK's this winter as a result. Hard to say what's true, and what's fiction. But the long delay seems to be a fact. It would be my luck that if I called a stove builder in the summer they'd just tell me they are low on inventory because it's not the cold season and demand slackens. Most manufacturers gear up for high season. BK stoves are apparently so danged good that no one can keep them in stock.

 

[BigBadVoodooDaddy]

Well, after a lot of help from this board, and offline from bigbadvoodoodaddy, BKVP and Kuma...

The Kuma Sequoia is probably too big for my intended application. Maybe not in the cold months of December - February, but for the shoulder seasons that lasts a long time in western Oregon. Bigbadvoodoodaddy has more house, more window and perhaps less thermal efficiency than I do by dint of year of construction.

The Kuma Ashwood would get the job done, plus is perhaps a little small for my application during our coldest months and, I guess, I've become a reluctant catalytic believer. The noncat Ashwood can't be as efficient at the low end of the temperature range.

I was looking for the Goldilocks solution. Not too big, not too small, but just right.

Enter Blaze King's Princess insert. Now honestly, if BK or Kuma either one, had a cat stove firebox around 3.0 ft3 then my Goldilocks quest would have been supremely satisfied, but I think the BK Princess insert probably offers me the best compromise. YMMV. Runners-up included the Pacific Energy Summit insert and the Osburn 2400. The BK Sirocco insert is very purdy, as are several other flush mount inserts but it is just too petite. Plus I specifically wanted a stove that would project onto the hearth some. Purely "buyer subjective". There are one or two flush mount inserts in the 2.7 - 3.0 ft3 firebox size, but mostly there is a surprising scarcity of wood insert products for homes in the 2,300 to 2,800 ft2 size range. You'd think a stove manufacturer or three would smell opportunity.

I couldn't have done this task without the folks on this board. You are the best.

The shocking problem now is that stove stores in the Portland area are telling me that Blaze King delivery is one to two months out. Gag. That's like the turkey grower running out of birds in mid-October before the holiday season gets into swing. You'd have thought theyda thunk ahead and run up their credit line at BK last fall to build up some inventory for the cold season. Or maybe BK needs a fleet of loaners on hand? They could deliver them using drones.

The BK Princess is a great stove and BKVP has been an incredibly cool cat. There are many options for the stove... my suggestion for you would be to install ceiling fans to push the hot air down in the vaulted ceiling areas. Otherwise you'll be really under-powered with most stoves you buy.

Good luck my friend. If you need anything else don't hesitate to reach out!

 

[JohnDeer]

Why, oh, why did I build vaulted ceilings into this house? If the BK Princess proves too small I'll cut my loss and swap in the Sequoia and extra plumbing.

 

[begreen]

Is a freestanding, rear-vent stove on the hearth an option? Wondering about a Woodstock stove.

 

[JohnDeer]

I looked at one built with soapstone, but it didn't really turn my crank. A bit too old-timey. The Woodstock I liked. But it just doesn't work that well for my application, falls short of the BK Princess insert in several areas (relative to my preferences) and doesn't offer too much more in any single aspect than the Princess. For others the Woodstock may work great. Most of the custom artwork will be hidden using it as a hearth mount quasi insert.

 

[begreen]

I was thinking the metal Ideal Steel.
http://www.woodstove.com/ideal-steel-hybrid

 

[jetsam]

In my experience the Princess insert is big enough to heat two floors of a biggish, reasonably well insulated but not tight house with tall ceilings in part of it.

I would have got a freestanding king instead, but that particular construction project was vetoed by the wife once certain particulars of its scope and cost were confessed.

 

[kennyp2339]

vetoed by the wife once certain particulars of its scope and cost were confessed.

I hate being verbally audited also.

 

[BKVP]

You all need to read Patrick McManus books. When he wanted a new rifle he simply put a dowel down the barrel and placed a lampshade on the end. Then, he held a short power cord on the buttstock.

When he walked in and told his wife he bought her a lamp...she said "take that ugly lamp out to your shop."

Now that I think of it, the King might be difficult to conceal. Nevermind.

 

[weatherguy]

I was going to suggest the ideal steel too, fits all your criteria. BTW the BK Ashwood insert is the same size as the princess insert and sits out on the hearth a bit, just to give you another option.

 

[begreen]

Why, oh, why did I build vaulted ceilings into this house?

I do my best to dissuade folks from doing this. Waste of space and a challenge for heating.