dutchwest 2479 WORST STOVE EVER

[trailblaze]

i'm still not sure what problems the original poster is having....someone fill me in cause i might be blind and missed the post.


Are you having over fire problems?

they can be common with these stoves. i had to add an in flu damper. modify the secondary air intake and fiddle with both to make the stove work.

 

[ecocavalier02]

The stove is just a real pain to get it to do what its suppose to do. LOTS of fighting. just cant seem to get it to everburn. it'll go for a minute then crash. HUGE coal bed. and really letting it get hot before closing the damper. Futzing with the wood to get it just right. it just kills me to see all that smoke comin out the chimney when i know this thing is able to burn efficent. And the heat output is far better when its burning the secondary burn mode. I would jsut like to have efficient stove thats doesn't need babysitting. i mean this thing has put me through hell trying to get it to work right. My wife thinks i'm nuts. ha but if i know somethings not doing what it's suppose to do it drives me crazy and i lay in bed wondering if the temps drop. and getting out of bed to frig around with it in my underwear at midnight. not fun.


Dont know if a blaze king would work. 8" flue. i can only fit a 6 inch liner in my chimney..

 

[BurningIsLove]

i'm still not sure what problems the original poster is having....someone fill me in cause i might be blind and missed the post.


Are you having over fire problems?

they can be common with these stoves. i had to add an in flu damper. modify the secondary air intake and fiddle with both to make the stove work.

It sounds to me like the classic everburn 'stall', which is the bane of this particular stove. You can built 10 fires with the exact same wood from the same rack of seasoned hardwoods with the same coal bed depths, split orientation, etc. etc. etc. and wind up with 10 different results.

Probably 5+ of those will involve at least 1 'stall' where you have the stove roaring (bypass open), all other factors good (coal bed, everything heated, new splits properly coaled up, etc.), you then close the bypass, hear about 5-10 seconds of the classic everburn 'rumble', clean emissions, then the rumble abruptly stops, the emissions go filthy black....blacker than anything you ever see w/ the bypass open. It can be extremely frustrating, and there is sometimes absolutely NOTHING that can be done about it.

There is the overfire condition as well, aka the everburn 'nuclear' mode where even with the primary air choked down to its lowest levels, the fire runs away on you and the only way to stop it is to start jamming foil up the 2ndary air intake hole.

 

[webbie]

oh yes ive read everything and seen all the videos multiple times. thinking i missed something every-time. like i said its been a real fight. hours ive spent reading all the the threads watching the videos over over. Trying a flue damper thinking to much drafter. tons and tons of fighting. been a real joy let me tell you.

I'd say sell it. It sounds like it is not the stove for you.

Get something simpler. The everburn has been a PITA for a number of folks, so I can only assume it ain't gonna get much better for your stove/chimney/wood/operator combination.

Some folks see such things as a challenge (trader) - others as a mistake..........there comes a time to cut your losses. Someone will want the stove - probably for a decent price.

 

[ecocavalier02]

At some points i think i would have paid someone to come and take it!! what is the scoop on the blaze king cat stove they have a smaller one says it does 1500 plus square feet. and everything ive been reading it seems to be pretty good. just curious on the whole cat. never used it before. but im sure it cant be as hard as this stove to figure out. i just want to make sure that with my setup it will work before i go spending money!

 

[stockcarver]

and everything ive been reading it seems to be pretty good. just curious on the whole cat. never used it before. but im sure it cant be as hard as this stove to figure out. i just want to make sure that with my setup it will work before i go spending money!

The King (too large most likely) and Princess (smaller, but still a large stove, would be the one I'd recommend) are the two Catalytic combustor models that have made Blaze King famous. They also make a non-cat model, called Briarwood, I think this may be what you are referring to. I don't know much about it, probobly because it just fills a position to compete with many other similar models on the market that are non-cat, but epa approved. If this non cat stove was the only model Blaze King made, they would just be a typical stove company. Cat stoves, Blaze King especially, are not that big a deal to operate. A poorly designed stove with a cat is.

I know you are still smarting from feeling like you got stung on your last purchase, certainly easy to understand. It sounds like you are trying to find an inexpensive solution, but you will likely get caught up in a sales pitch loaded with statistics, averages and btu's to sway you, and end up with another dog, but maybe moderately improved. I know people that went through the same progression, always chasing a cheap solution, and in frustration, some gave up wood heat altogether. As long as the pricetag drives your choice, you may end up in the same situation.
If I had to buy another Blaze King, and the price was 3000 bucks, I would bite the bullet and never look back (if I could get it cheaper, all the better), frankly, I burned a lot of different makes and models of stoves in the last 30 years, and NONE compare for me.

 

[trailblaze]

i'm still not sure what problems the original poster is having....someone fill me in cause i might be blind and missed the post.


Are you having over fire problems?

they can be common with these stoves. i had to add an in flu damper. modify the secondary air intake and fiddle with both to make the stove work.

It sounds to me like the classic everburn 'stall', which is the bane of this particular stove. You can built 10 fires with the exact same wood from the same rack of seasoned hardwoods with the same coal bed depths, split orientation, etc. etc. etc. and wind up with 10 different results.

Probably 5+ of those will involve at least 1 'stall' where you have the stove roaring (bypass open), all other factors good (coal bed, everything heated, new splits properly coaled up, etc.), you then close the bypass, hear about 5-10 seconds of the classic everburn 'rumble', clean emissions, then the rumble abruptly stops, the emissions go filthy black....blacker than anything you ever see w/ the bypass open. It can be extremely frustrating, and there is sometimes absolutely NOTHING that can be done about it.

There is the overfire condition as well, aka the everburn 'nuclear' mode where even with the primary air choked down to its lowest levels, the fire runs away on you and the only way to stop it is to start jamming foil up the 2ndary air intake hole.

oh yeah.... i hear ya!

mine stalls. but i just got used to it... it might be smoking like a mofo but i just say screw it and let it go. my chimney was not worth cleaning after one season of letting it just "go" when she stalled. granted it might not have been cranking the best heat.... but it kept the house warm! i got the NUCLEAR mode under control.... and can judge when to close the main damper to catch some everburn and let it stall to an internal flu temp of approx 400-500. it burns all night like that. i watched it burn all day like that. i might be crazy but it doesn't bother me. and with the chimney scoring a good grade after 1 season i am not too worried about creosote or some stupid government regulations on how clean my burn is.

 

[efoyt]

Keys to success with a dutchwest everburn

let the ash tray fill up all the way then just scoop the ash out of the stove

burn a load of wood down to coals before you engage the everburn system. you can get the stove hot enough for the everburn to kick in with just burning wood but without hot coals it will not keep going. keep the stove going if you let it die down to much before reloading and engageing you will not have enough hot coals to reengage the everburn.

control the fire from getting to hot by not adding lots of little peices but using biger chungs of wood. To much surface area when the everburn system is ingaged = run away fire.

good luck

 

[ecocavalier02]

interesting ill give the ash tray a shot. does that keep the secondary chamber hotter?. Im also wondering if i maybe use two 45's instead of just one elbow that the draft would be better. also has anyone tried the out side air kit. im on the verge of doing this. to at least try it. i got all the materials. i do hvac so i can at least try it to see what happens.

 

[efoyt]

interesting ill give the ash tray a shot. does that keep the secondary chamber hotter?. Im also wondering if i maybe use two 45's instead of just one elbow that the draft would be better. also has anyone tried the out side air kit. im on the verge of doing this. to at least try it. i got all the materials. i do hvac so i can at least try it to see what happens.

I think it may keep the secondary chamber hotter, they guy that did the install of my stove told me to do it and it runs much beter that way. It does help keep it air tight, that will help with run away fires.

The woosh sound will die down as the wood burns down, this dosin't mean that the everburn isin't working just that thier are not as many secondary gases to burn off. Your chimmny will tell the story, black smoke not working clear it is. And burn a full load down to coals. If the stove is not compleatley heated up it will cool down the secondary chamber after the first rush of hot gasses going in. This is not a Cat system the temp needs to be higher.

I don't know about the chimney questions but someone here should.

 

[ecocavalier02]

do you think i should wait until the stove hits a certain temp as well? i usually get the stack wicked hot. and i get a huge coal bed. but never really monitor the stove temp.

 

[efoyt]

do you think i should wait until the stove hits a certain temp as well? i usually get the stack wicked hot. and i get a huge coal bed. but never really monitor the stove temp.

yes, I engage when it hits 500 ( thermometer at the base of my stove pipe so it is prob twice that inside the stove). Get a good bed of coals, reload your stove, let the temp climb back to 500 ( stove pipe thermometer). you may need to leave the door open for a min to do it. then engage the everburn.

 

[branchburner]

do you think i should wait until the stove hits a certain temp as well? i usually get the stack wicked hot. and i get a huge coal bed. but never really monitor the stove temp.

Just wondering - after you get a good coal bed, nice hot stove and then reload it full, how long do you wait to close the bypass damper?

 

[trailblaze]

interesting ill give the ash tray a shot. does that keep the secondary chamber hotter?. Im also wondering if i maybe use two 45's instead of just one elbow that the draft would be better. also has anyone tried the out side air kit. im on the verge of doing this. to at least try it. i got all the materials. i do hvac so i can at least try it to see what happens.

that would make the draft better. you don't sound as if you need more draft when starting the fire and achieving the bed of coals..... but once the thing dies down a bit in everburn mode it might restrict the flow. i have a 18ft straight inside run pipe.

i have learned too that the more coals and ash the better.


i allow my stove pipe temp (14inches up) to reach about 400-500 externally. the top of the stove temp varies but it's around 600. then i close the damper. the rumble will stop. it never lasted more than 20 mins for me. sometimes though it comes back as the wood ignites in different stages of the burn.

 

[efoyt]

do you think i should wait until the stove hits a certain temp as well? i usually get the stack wicked hot. and i get a huge coal bed. but never really monitor the stove temp.

Just wondering - after you get a good coal bed, nice hot stove and then reload it full, how long do you wait to close the bypass damper?

I wait 3 to 8 min depending on how much wood i put in and how hot the stove is.

 

[ecocavalier02]

Well i talked to the dealer where i got the stove today. He says he has the same exact stove and has no problems with it. smoke free burns. he seems to think that i should have the liner insulated. my chimney goes from the basement up through my garage on an outside wall then through my attic. the chimney is not exposed to the outside at all though expect for the last couple feet at the roof. i don't really think its going to make that much of a difference. anyone have an opinion. stuff to insulate the thing would cost about 600 bucks.

 

[branchburner]

I'm betting you have insufficient draft for this stove to run optimally due to it being in the basement.

 

[ecocavalier02]

So how would i fix it? maybe an outside air kit?

 

[ecocavalier02]

Also my stove is in the corner of the room of the finish basement. I have often wondered if its been getting robbed of air.

 

[branchburner]

Outside air is worth a try. Also, you say a lined inside chimney, but how warm are your attic and garage? Is it a 6" liner? Without insulation it may be staying cool enough to effect the draft. The other thing to check is any leaks in the system, like pipe connections, that might be diluting the draft.

Even though these stoves seem like duds, I think really good draft is essential. My downdraft stove was used in a basement for one season by the previous owner - he gave up. The slight negative pressure you might get in a basement could be enough to screw up a stove that's temperamental to begin with.

 

[branchburner]

By the way, the fact your dealer suggested insulation is a good thing. Seems many dealers don't think it makes any difference.

 

[ecocavalier02]

well the garage always stays above freezing high 40's and then it goes into the attic which is usally in the 50's about. def not real cold cuz the house heats it pretty good.

 

[Hanko]

Ive been fighting with this stove now for 2 and a half years. I've read everything on this site and tried everything. Just can't take anymore. If anyone has any new suggestions to try please shed some light. Also my wood has been split and drying for 2 YEARS and is super dry.. Im more than likely looking for a new stove. any suggestions?

Id be willing to bet that you have chimney issues guy. Mine works great and there are three others in the family, that have no problems. Check your downdraft chambers. Take the top of the stove off and youll need a very small dia. vaccum. The chambers are on the side towards the back. they are good for plugging up with chunks of creosote. If you have good dry wood, and a straight tall chimney, the downdraft tubes are clear, it should work good for you

 

[RustyShackleford]

Ive been fighting with this stove now for 2 and a half years. I've read everything on this site and tried everything. Just can't take anymore. If anyone has any new suggestions to try please shed some light. Also my wood has been split and drying for 2 YEARS and is super dry.. Im more than likely looking for a new stove. any suggestions?

Id be willing to bet that you have chimney issues guy. Mine works great and there are three others in the family, that have no problems. Check your downdraft chambers. Take the top of the stove off and youll need a very small dia. vaccum. The chambers are on the side towards the back. they are good for plugging up with chunks of creosote. If you have good dry wood, and a straight tall chimney, the downdraft tubes are clear, it should work good for you

What the heck are "downdraft chambers" ? Can you explain ?

 

[Hanko]

if you have a dutchwest stove with the ever burn, take the top off and you will see them.