How small of a house for a King

[Highbeam]

Yeah, that's right. That plate can just be lifted off of there- it's a flame shield to keep direct flame off of the cat face.

The holes in the flame shield are giant and you can easily peer through them to see the cat.

The only thing that I would be looking for on a used bk is the presence or lack of heat damage to the bypass retainers. The rim around the bypass opening on the inside roof of the firebox where the bypass door closes. These things (like a picture frame around the opening) can melt down and are extremely difficult to replace requiring cutting and welding.

Other than catastrophic meltdown or physical damage, everything else can be replaced.

If you don't like it doc I'll trade you my nc30 for it and even deliver!

 

[Doc C]

The holes in the flame shield are giant and you can easily peer through them to see the cat.

The only thing that I would be looking for on a used bk is the presence or lack of heat damage to the bypass retainers. The rim around the bypass opening on the inside roof of the firebox where the bypass door closes. These things (like a picture frame around the opening) can melt down and are extremely difficult to replace requiring cutting and welding.

Other than catastrophic meltdown or physical damage, everything else can be replaced.

If you don't like it doc I'll trade you my nc30 for it and even deliver!

I loved my 30 except it was too big or more accurately my house was to small. I’m kind of excited to try out the BK that is in the house.

We close on or about March 27 and I think that it will still be cold enough to have a couple weeks worth of fires.

I inspected the installation really well and everything looked good. But looking up towards the support box to the left of it there was some light black residue on the ceiling. The ceiling is about 20’ highish so I’m sure it’s not from smoke coming out of the stove.

Any thoughts?

 

[Highbeam]

I loved my 30 except it was too big or more accurately my house was to small. I’m kind of excited to try out the BK that is in the house.

We close on or about March 27 and I think that it will still be cold enough to have a couple weeks worth of fires.

I inspected the installation really well and everything looked good. But looking up towards the support box to the left of it there was some light black residue on the ceiling. The ceiling is about 20’ highish so I’m sure it’s not from smoke coming out of the stove.

Any thoughts?

A lot of “roofers” suck at roofing around the chimney flashing. Also, no insulation within 2” of the pipe so you can get moisture from the cold. Was it mold?

 

[Doc C]

A lot of “roofers” suck at roofing around the chimney flashing. Also, no insulation within 2” of the pipe so you can get moisture from the cold. Was it mold?

No mold. The pipe goes up about 20’ into a support box, into the attic and up about 3’ and through the roof. Roof is comp. I saw zero signs of water or old staining from water by the chimney in the attic. Insulation was dry and clean and pipe was silver and clean in the attic. Tons of snow on the roof when I did the inspection so I think it was a pretty good snapshot of how water proof it is.

The black on the ceiling really looked like soot.

 

[kennyp2339]

When I would sweep my single wall setup, I would get a little leakage of soot onto the stove top from the ceiling support box area, since switching to double wall pipe, the cc/c collar is much longer so I think it will mate the double wall to the class a pipe much tighter

 

[Highbeam]

When I would sweep my single wall setup, I would get a little leakage of soot onto the stove top from the ceiling support box area, since switching to double wall pipe, the cc/c collar is much longer so I think it will mate the double wall to the class a pipe much tighter

There had to be a gap there for soot to come out and stain the ceiling. Single wall pipe usually has a really big gap at the joint where the snap lok seam from each section of pipe comes together. I was so disgusted with these gaps that I actually packed them with furnace cement! Usually the gap faces down and usually the pipe is under a slight vacuum so soot and creosote stay inside.

Double wall has no such gaps. It’s a much better product for several reasons.

 

[Doc C]

There had to be a gap there for soot to come out and stain the ceiling. Single wall pipe usually has a really big gap at the joint where the snap lok seam from each section of pipe comes together. I was so disgusted with these gaps that I actually packed them with furnace cement! Usually the gap faces down and usually the pipe is under a slight vacuum so soot and creosote stay inside.

Double wall has no such gaps. It’s a much better product for several reasons.

Would you consider this a safety issue or just an annoyance? It seems logical the soot appears on the ceiling from cleaning and not from normal use.

 

[Highbeam]

Would you consider this a safety issue or just an annoyance? It seems logical the soot appears on the ceiling from cleaning and not from normal use.

Unfortunately this is the way they build it. Not an air tight system. Single wall, cheaper product especially, is extra leaky.

I hope that the soot came out when the sweep was plunging that chimney brush like a butter churn. A little puff can make a stain.

20’ of single wall is prohibited by many stove manuals including the nc30.

 

[Doc C]

Unfortunately this is the way they build it. Not an air tight system. Single wall, cheaper product especially, is extra leaky.

I hope that the soot came out when the sweep was plunging that chimney brush like a butter churn. A little puff can make a stain.

20’ of single wall is prohibited by many stove manuals including the nc30.

I wonder if it’s allowed by BK. The install looks professional. Unfortunately the BK dealer that would of installed this stove in 2011 went out of business and another company ended up with the BK line in their shop.

And just to clarify the ceiling is around 20’ so it is probably 17’ of single wall into the support box.

 

[begreen]

There are some higher quality single-wall pipe vendors, some are welded seam. Drolet is quite nice. I'm not sure but Rockford's stove pipe appears to be rebranded Drolet pipe as does their double-wall.

 

[kennyp2339]

I wonder if it’s allowed by BK. The install looks professional. Unfortunately the BK dealer that would of installed this stove in 2011 went out of business and another company ended up with the BK line in their shop.

And just to clarify the ceiling is around 20’ so it is probably 17’ of single wall into the support box.

Blaze king stipulated double wall pipe for all free standing installs

 

[BKVP]

Blaze king stipulated double wall pipe for all free standing installs

Correct.. For proper draft we highly recommend DBL Wall. And with that run length, please convert to DBL wall.

 

[kennyp2339]

Doc, you seem a little nervous with the princess, but don't worry, its a proven heater, the fire box is almost 3cuft, actually 2.85 so its a large stove to begin with, further more when you switch to double wall pipe by the convection deck, its worth it weight in gold, especially when burning low / medium and having the blower on a low setting, the heat just oozes out, very comfortably and at long steady pace. Your in softwood territory and in all honesty the Bk's excel at burning soft woods, better than many other stoves, they literally control the heat output with the t-stat control, its proven and reliable. The stove running without the blower is no issue either, I run mine without the blower until outside temps drop into the lower 20's, again it works. The only bad thing I really have to say about the princess, and its really not, is when going low & slow the front glass literally turns black as night, but the majority of it clears up after burning the stove hot for 20 min.

 

[Doc C]

Correct.. For proper draft we highly recommend DBL Wall. And with that run length, please convert to DBL wall.

I thought I had read that somewhere. Maybe it was in the manual. I will make that one of my first projects when we get moved in. Would you share the reasoning behind this so I can sell it to my wife....the insurance agent! Is it just the draft or is there another reason as well!

 

[Doc C]

Doc, you seem a little nervous with the princess, but don't worry, its a proven heater, the fire box is almost 3cuft, actually 2.85 so its a large stove to begin with, further more when you switch to double wall pipe by the convection deck, its worth it weight in gold, especially when burning low / medium and having the blower on a low setting, the heat just oozes out, very comfortably and at long steady pace. Your in softwood territory and in all honesty the Bk's excel at burning soft woods, better than many other stoves, they literally control the heat output with the t-stat control, its proven and reliable. The stove running without the blower is no issue either, I run mine without the blower until outside temps drop into the lower 20's, again it works. The only bad thing I really have to say about the princess, and its really not, is when going low & slow the front glass literally turns black as night, but the majority of it clears up after burning the stove hot for 20 min.

Nope. Not nervous at all. Just trying to get all my ducks in a row. I had narrowed down our stove for the new house to either the princess or the king depending on the size of the house. It just so happened that the house we are buying comes with the stove I wanted so I don’t have to buy one now!

 

[BKVP]

I thought I had read that somewhere. Maybe it was in the manual. I will make that one of my first projects when we get moved in. Would you share the reasoning behind this so I can sell it to my wife....the insurance agent! Is it just the draft or is there another reason as well!

Certainly. As you raise thermal efficiency, the stack temps are reduced. Using double wall black pipe helps to hold stack temps, which are needed for optimal draft. In lesser efficient models the use of single wall is fine as there is plenty of heat loss up the stack and it proves to be an extension of the heat exchanging properties of the stove.

 

[Doc C]

Certainly. As you raise thermal efficiency, the stack temps are reduced. Using double wall black pipe helps to hold stack temps, which are needed for optimal draft. In lesser efficient models the use of single wall is fine as there is plenty of heat loss up the stack and it proves to be an extension of the heat exchanging properties of the stove.

Thank you for the knowledge! I will make it a priority changing it out.