First real Test For My New Blaze King

[Waulie]

We certainly agree on the name. Failure would be an fair description on that.

Do you suppose the same amount of wood would have been consumed with a single moderate fire than burning constantly over the same period?

I guess I'm thinking mostly about days where the highs and lows will vary by 15, 20 degrees or more. This is very common here in the fall and less so in the spring. I've already had 4 or 5 fires this fall all started in the evening. I haven't had any need for additional fires during the day. My fires aren't moderate, they are very low burns going for 8 hours or so on 3 or 4 small splits. So I'm thinking, if I wanted to get a 24 hour burn in a Princess, wouldn't I need at least twice as much wood? I guess the fire starting the next evening would be a bit easier with coals, but would that be worth using double the wood?

I guess climate plays a huge factor here. If it was in the 40s and cloudy all day for long periods of time (e.g. PNW). I'd love some 30 hour burns. It just seems like we might get that weather for a week and half a year. The rest of the time, I feel like I'd either be not filling the stove full because I wouldn't want to burn wood I don't need to (fall and spring), or not be getting those crazy burn times because I need some substantial heat (winter).

 

[rdust]

I brought this up in your other thread, but I'm still wondering about loading up a BK in warmish weather. If you completely fill the firebox but only need heat at night, aren't you actually wasting wood during the day? I'm thinking if I do a small load in the evening, let the fire go out in the morning, and don't need another fire until the next evening, haven't I built the same amount of fires and used a lot less wood than a 24 hour burn in a BK? Obviously, this only applies to warmish days, cold nights, but that seems like what a lot of shoulder season is at least where I am.

30's at night and 50's during the day equals one load for 24 hours out of a BK Princess for me. If you can get through those types of temps with one small fire in the evening for 24 hours your house works better than mine.

If it's 40's at night and 60's during the day it's wasting wood to load if full but with those types of temps I load smaller loads. We hit 40 the other night and I loaded 4 chunks(1/4 full maybe) of pine and after 9 hours I still had a 300* stove top with one solid chunk still in the box with a bunch of coals. That inside temp carried it through the next day just fine.

 

[jeff_t]

Low output burns for me go 40+ hours. I have lit off coals after 48 several times. That's stuffed full with red oak. I have never weighed any splits, and don't ever intend to , but I would guess 70-80 pounds of wood. Will you burn 80 lbs of wood over two days of small fires? Probably not, but I do it because it sure is convenient. With my work schedule and kids that always have something going on, not messing with the stove is becoming a beautiful thing. Though it is boring at times. The consistent low 70s is nice, too.

 

[Waulie]

30's at night and 50's during the day equals one load for 24 hours out of a BK Princess for me. If you can get through those types of temps with one small fire in the evening for 24 hours your house works better than mine.

My house isn't great and you're right, in the 30s I would call it a medium load rather than a small load. I definately wouldn't need additional heat during the day though, unless real cloudy and windy. Probably just start the next fire early evening.

If it's 40's at night and 60's during the day it's wasting wood to load if full but with those types of temps I load smaller loads. We hit 40 the other night and I loaded 4 chunks(1/4 full maybe) of pine and after 9 hours I still had a 300* stove top with one solid chunk still in the box with a bunch of coals. That inside temp carried it through the next day just fine.

This is about exactly what I've been doing and was wondering if BK owners did the same or just filled it up anyway.

 

[Waulie]

I have never weighed any splits, and don't ever intend to

Not sure if this report is detailed enough then.

Will you burn 80 lbs of wood over two days of small fires? Probably not, but I do it because it sure is convenient.

Cool. I'm starting to get a picture. Some load her up regardless because it saves time/effort. So don't, because it wastes a bit of wood. I guess it's nice to have the options.

 

[Todd]

I don't think I wasted one stick of wood on this burn. I heated my whole house with one full 2.8 cu ft fire box for 2 days. My Keystone is exactly 1/2 the size and would of taken 2 seperate evening fires to produce the same results. I pretty much expect this stove to go through the same amount of wood as the basement Keystone would but it will be less feedings and less cold starts.

My goal is to keep the one per day loading schedule as long as possible and use my upstairs Keystone to help out during the colder days. Last Winter the basement Keystone usually had to be loaded 3 times but not always a full load and the upstairs stove was only burned when temps dipped into the low teens or less. It was rare to have them both going 24/7 except during below zero weather.

 

[Waulie]

Interesting. What kind of outside temps were you working with?

You might have the perfect setup for that BK. I think I need a stove in my basement!

 

[Todd]

Interesting. What kind of outside temps were you working with?

You might have the perfect setup for that BK. I think I need a stove in my basement!

Those two days were highs in the 50's and lows in the 30's. I still have a little wiggle room since I had a good 30 hour burn so I figure loading a full load once per day should heat this house til the outside highs dip into the 30's or maybe a bit less, we will see.

As most people know I'm an avid Woodstock fan and really love the looks of the PH but I was hoping for that t-stat and 24 hour burn. I even came close to a WS gas unit for the basement and use my upstairs Keystone as primary but I still had those long BK burn times eating away in the back of my mind.

 

[Woody Stover]

I was hoping for that t-stat and 24 hour burn

I'm thinking I can get close to 24 hrs. with the Fireview on low. I haven't yet loaded the full with high-BTU wood like White Oak or Hickory but I've gotten 12+ pretty easily already. If I get some air leaks sealed in this place, and with drier wood this year, running the FV on low might suffice for most of the winter in this small house.

 

[Woody Stover]

If you've set your stove to cruise at a certain output, and the load burns all the way down and the stove is cold, can you start a new fire without touching the thermo? My BIL has a Resolute III with thermo, but I haven't played with it enough to know if that would work OK, or weather the stove top or the flue would get too hot before the thermo would react when starting with a cold stove. Top-down build might work better for that...

 

[leeave96]

Todd - interesting reading on your BK. Were I to swap out the Englander 30NCH in my basement, I would consider the BK too. Long burn times, low/clean burns are very nice with a cat stove. In the mean time, I'll make the best of the '30 downstairs and the Keystone upstairs.

On another note, how much wood did you burn last year with two stoves going?

Good luck,
Bill

 

[Todd]

I'm thinking I can get close to 24 hrs. with the Fireview on low. I haven't yet loaded the full with high-BTU wood like White Oak or Hickory but I've gotten 12+ pretty easily already. If I get some air leaks sealed in this place, and with drier wood this year, running the FV on low might suffice for most of the winter in this small house.

I could never get a 24 hour burn with my Fireview. Like you I could easily get those 12 hour burns but not much over that. If I turned it down too low it would stall on me and I'd end up with an unburnt chunk of wood in the back. Comparing the BK to the Fireview I'd have to say the BK is throttled down more somehow. The BK holds more wood and can burn at a lower output than the Fireview's lowest output.

 

[Todd]

If you've set your stove to cruise at a certain output, and the load burns all the way down and the stove is cold, can you start a new fire without touching the thermo? My BIL has a Resolute III with thermo, but I haven't played with it enough to know if that would work OK, or weather the stove top or the flue would get too hot before the thermo would react when starting with a cold stove. Top-down build might work better for that...

I think I'd have to turn the t-stat back up to high to get a cold start going. At least that what it says in the manual.

 

[Todd]

Todd - interesting reading on your BK. Were I to swap out the Englander 30NCH in my basement, I would consider the BK too. Long burn times, low/clean burns are very nice with a cat stove. In the mean time, I'll make the best of the '30 downstairs and the Keystone upstairs.

On another note, how much wood did you burn last year with two stoves going?

Good luck,
Bill

A little less than 3 cords on a very mild Winter. Previous years with the Fireview was always + or - 3 cords.

 

[jeff_t]

If you've set your stove to cruise at a certain output, and the load burns all the way down and the stove is cold, can you start a new fire without touching the thermo? My BIL has a Resolute III with thermo, but I haven't played with it enough to know if that would work OK, or weather the stove top or the flue would get too hot before the thermo would react when starting with a cold stove. Top-down build might work better for that...

You gotta get the load hot and charred, and get the cat up to temp. After burning the stove for a while, you get a feel for it and have a pretty good idea of where to set the thermostat for given weather conditions.

 

[BrowningBAR]

If you've set your stove to cruise at a certain output, and the load burns all the way down and the stove is cold, can you start a new fire without touching the thermo? My BIL has a Resolute III with thermo, but I haven't played with it enough to know if that would work OK, or weather the stove top or the flue would get too hot before the thermo would react when starting with a cold stove. Top-down build might work better for that...

VC thermostats do not work nearly as well as the BK setup.

 

[rdust]

One of the nicest things about running these stoves is how flat the indoor temps stay no matter what is going on outside. For me that has to be one of my favorite things about burning this stove compared to my previous. It can be in the teens or single digits and my house will stay within a couple degrees from the start to the time I reload. Another thing that changes when you're a BK owner(at least for me) is you start measuring burn time in the amount of usable heat from the stove. Being down near what you think is the end of the burn, cranking the t-stat open and actually having the stove temp rise enough to add heat back into the room when it's in the 20's was remarkable to me.

 

[PapaDave]

rdust, that was something I was curious about.
With my older stove, the temps fluctuate from start to finish (in the stove and the house), although less so since fixing the stove.
In the dead of winter, when I need 550-650 from the stove for a long time because of outside temps, having a stove that could do that would be more than welcome here.
I may have to talk the wife into one of these. My life would be SOOOOOO much easier.

 

[bogydave]

One of the nicest things about running these stoves is how flat the indoor temps stay no matter what is going on outside. For me that has to be one of my favorite things about burning this stove compared to my previous. It can be in the teens or single digits and my house will stay within a couple degrees from the start to the time I reload. Another thing that changes when you're a BK owner(at least for me) is you start measuring burn time in the amount of usable heat from the stove. Being down near what you think is the end of the burn, cranking the t-stat open and actually having the stove temp rise enough to add heat back into the room when it's in the 20's was remarkable to me.

Good report.
Hardest thing for me was the 40° temps. I overheated the house.
Now I can keep the house around 72° with nights around 40 & days around 50.
The learning curve was fun & not to steep.

Like "jeff_t" said, "you get a feel for it."

 

[rdust]

Like "jeff_t" said, "you get a feel for it."

Yep, my wife might not be able to "feel it" but she can turn it to the number I ask her to. The stove is super simple to run and repeatable load after load. When you turn the knob the stove does exactly the same thing every time. It's really pretty boring when it comes down to it. I honestly can't see how anyone could make running a stove any easier unless they add automation to it.

 

[rdust]

rdust, that was something I was curious about.
With my older stove, the temps fluctuate from start to finish (in the stove and the house), although less so since fixing the stove.
In the dead of winter, when I need 550-650 from the stove for a long time because of outside temps, having a stove that could do that would be more than welcome here.
I may have to talk the wife into one of these. My life would be SOOOOOO much easier.

If you're ever down this way(Oxford area) with the wife feel free to stop in and show her a BK stove in person. I think if you buy one you'll find a 550-650 stove top isn't needed for a long period of time. I think you'll find a rock steady 400* stove top will accomplish a lot.

 

[Hiram Maxim]

I always try to load n/s unless I'm loading with chunks and uglies then I just cram as much as I can in the stove.

I may have to light off my first fire of the season tonight, 60's today with no sun and lows in the 40's are expected tonight. Guess I should sweep the chimney after work.

I agree 100% N/S seems to give the best burn.

 

[Huntindog1]

Some good info here, I was wondering just how BK keeps the Cat going at such low settings. I dont know much about the BK but maybe its design has the cat location down close to the hottest part of the stove while still protecting it from ashes and flames. As ashes and flames are not good on the cat its self. Its interesting that the stove doesnt stall out at the low settings as some others would do? Plus maybe the air coming into the stove is preheated to keep the incoming air from cooling the cat. If one stove routes the air such that it heats the air to a higher level by the time it enters the stove I would say that stove could be turned down lower as the heat of the cat isnt being cooled as much. Where does the air com in on a bk stove?

I would like to add they have designed cats to operate at lower temps also. I would say different cats have different lowest temp specs it can operate at.

 

[Highbeam]

Where does the air com in on a bk stove?

I would like to add they have designed cats to operate at lower temps also. I would say different cats have different lowest temp specs it can operate at.

All air enters through the thermostat housing in the center rear. then runs in a flatish channel across the rear of the stove to preheat. Then through two large tubes, maybe 2", one on either side of the cat housing. Then dumped onto the front glass up top. I inspected a BK with the cat removed and could see no secondary air supply. It looked like all air went to the glass.

The cat element is just the basic ceramic with biggish 1/4" holes.

 

[Huntindog1]

Makes you wonder how it burns longer than other cat stoves. But it does.