My comparisons of: (Lopi Revere vs. Freedom) vs. (PE Super) vs. (BK Princess) ***Fan Noise & Door Wa

[BrotherBart]

Blaze King stoves are wonderful. When I die I want to come back as a Blaze King King. :coolsmirk:

I wonder what the wonder stove of next season will be. We have one every year here.

Well BB do you think we are lying. :coolsmirk: When I came on here I was kicked around pretty good. I just left well enough alone. Sounds like they are talking the same talk I was but now in #s. Time to BK up there fella. :lol: If I had the $ Id send ya one just to satisfy myself so to speak. Cheers.
N of 60

Before the heating season is over he will give in. I can tell he's getting sick of that old Englander. Time to trade her in BB, it's ok we'll only rub it in a few times. Maybe you could hold a hearth.com get together and we could all help with the install and you could treat us all to a Naty?

Nope. Don't think anybody is lying and no I won't be buying a Blaze King any time soon. Much as with the Summit and the other wonder stoves, now that there are a raft of BKs being delivered I will just let the stoves and the owners tell the tale over the next couple of years.

 

[53flyer]

I'd like to try again asking some Q's of people in hopes of getting a reply. These are the same Q's asked in post 18 but it appears a lot of people didn't see/read that post so I'm trying again, thank you. Here's one for BB:

The thing cat stoves have going for them is that they don't have that freakin unrestricted air inlet that non-cats have to have to pass the EPA testing when shut all the way down. Do away with that and everybody's idea that they need to close down the primary all the way for a night burn and 50 pounds of wood burns as long as, well, fifty pounds of wood.

And with the non-cat the heat is distributed and transferred from the whole stove body. Not just from a hot spot in the top of the stove and migrated to the rest of the stove. And it goes on and on and on.

Can you please expand on this? I thought non-cat stoves had to be built that that way because they have to burn hotter to stay in the clean burn zone. I've read that the temp to get efficient secondary in a non-cat is around 1000* and that a cat achieves this as low as 500* which is why a cat can be shut down so much lower. Is that wrong?

I'm also unclear about the "hot spot". Is that because the cat is at the top? Once the cat's been engaged for an hr or so won't the heat in the stove even out just like in any other stove? Are you saying the cat's area may be around 500-600 but the rest of the stove's inside would be significantly different? In such a small space I'd expect the firebox to be fairly uniform.

 

[RustyShackleford]

This is the case with any catalytic stove. The element does not last forever. And its life depends
on how you treat it. Poison it (with treated wood, paper containing lead ink, etc) and you can ruin
it quickly. You can also extend life if you're willing to do the fairly elaborate cleaning procedure
(involving acetic acid) - maybe someone should start a business doing this for people, lots of
economy of scale, I imagine !

The instructions I have seen (found at the back of the BK manual) have only suggest vinegar. Just adding this to encourage those that maybe have put off cleaning because they were afraid of this procedure using acetic acid. I would guess that acetic acid may be more effective ...

Vinegar IS dilute acetic acid. Sorry for the confusion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetic_acid

I think I had a lab source of acetic acid when I did it. If you use vinegar just make damn sure it's white vinegar;
but obviously reagant-grade CH3COOH would be purer. And if you use reagant, make sure you dilute it properly
(although, who knows, maybe using stronger stuff would work better ...)

my I ask where those instructions/procedures are found?

There's a short version at the back of the Blaze King manual, available at their site.
Or here:

http://www.woodstovecombustors.com/maintenance.html

 

[RustyShackleford]

I'd like to try again asking some Q's of people in hopes of getting a reply. These are the same Q's asked in post 18 but it appears a lot of people didn't see/read that post so I'm trying again, thank you.

I did answer the one on wood length for a Princess, hope you saw that.

Can you please expand on this? I thought non-cat stoves had to be built that that way because they have to burn hotter to stay in the clean burn zone. I've read that the temp to get efficient secondary in a non-cat is around 1000* and that a cat achieves this as low as 500* which is why a cat can be shut down so much lower.

This has always been my understanding.

I'm also unclear about the "hot spot". Is that because the cat is at the top? Once the cat's been engaged for an hr or so won't the heat in the stove even out just like in any other stove? Are you saying the cat's area may be around 500-600 but the rest of the stove's inside would be significantly different?

On my old Dutchwest, I definitely recall the top of the stove, just above the cat, getting red-hot.
So yes, there's a hot spot. But who cares. It's also a great place to boil some water for
humidity.

 

[daleeper]

I'd like to try again asking some Q's of people in hopes of getting a reply. These are the same Q's asked in post 18 but it appears a lot of people didn't see/read that post so I'm trying again, thank you. Here's one for BB:

The thing cat stoves have going for them is that they don't have that freakin unrestricted air inlet that non-cats have to have to pass the EPA testing when shut all the way down. Do away with that and everybody's idea that they need to close down the primary all the way for a night burn and 50 pounds of wood burns as long as, well, fifty pounds of wood.

And with the non-cat the heat is distributed and transferred from the whole stove body. Not just from a hot spot in the top of the stove and migrated to the rest of the stove. And it goes on and on and on.

Can you please expand on this? I thought non-cat stoves had to be built that that way because they have to burn hotter to stay in the clean burn zone. I've read that the temp to get efficient secondary in a non-cat is around 1000* and that a cat achieves this as low as 500* which is why a cat can be shut down so much lower. Is that wrong?

I'm also unclear about the "hot spot". Is that because the cat is at the top? Once the cat's been engaged for an hr or so won't the heat in the stove even out just like in any other stove? Are you saying the cat's area may be around 500-600 but the rest of the stove's inside would be significantly different? In such a small space I'd expect the firebox to be fairly uniform.

I too would like to hear responses about these two questions. I had assumed that even the cat stoves had a small amount of unrestricted air allowed in although in theory should be smaller than the non-cat, because of the lower temperature of the cat burn. I thought an air tight stove was a thing of the past.

I have also wondered if there were a significant hot spot close to the cat as they are running pretty hot, and are usually located close to the top of the stove. I suppose the design and construction of the stove makes some difference as to how the stove distributes this extra heat, and why the BK is so successful in low slow burns with cooler vent gas. It looks to me that the top right above the cat should be real hot.

Those with experience with these stoves please speak up.

 

[Wet1]

53,

Non-cats are built that way so they burn cleaner. Modifying the inlet so the stove can be choked down further will allow the stove to operate in a manor that will pollute far more than the EPA would ever accept. Even with a "stock" EPA non-cat, the secondary combustion is only active for a fraction of the entire burn, meaning many of your BTUs go up the flue anyway. But if you want a smoke dragon, save your money and buy an old school smoke dragon rather than screwing around with a perfectly good new EPA stove by messing with the inlet.

A cat in comparison will burn the vast majority of it's burn cycle with the cat active. It will burn much cleaner when choked way down, which it will also do at a lower point than a non-cat can. Even if a non-cat is modified to be choked way down to extend the burn, it will not be able to do so cleanly since the burn will be way below the point of reaching secondary combustion.

Regarding your question about the hot spot with a cat, yes the area around the cat itself will be hottest when the cat is really eating. It's not uncommon for the cat to reach way over 1200° (I've heard as high as 1800°), so it should come as no surprise that that area around it will be the warmest part of the stove. With that said, the rest of the stove will still remain plenty warm, you wont want to place your unprotected hand on a uninsulated area of it! But don't fear a hot spot, the stove will still be providing plenty of heat.

BTW, attached is a link to the BKK info where they trace the temp through the burn, you'll notice the cat is active through the vast majority of the burn...
(broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/Brochures-En/WoodProductPDF/KingWoodStove.pdf)

 

[BrotherBart]

Cat, no cat, a herd of cats wood volatile gases burn at around 1000 degrees. A cat sets them off at a lower temp but in the cat combustion chamber you have a 1000-1400 degree burn going on and the heat migrating to the rest of the stove. There ain't no way the body of a cat stove can have evenly distributed temps over the body of the stove until somebody changes a few laws of physics. With a non-cat that 1000 degrees or so is occurring in the firebox exposing the brick and sides of the stove to the temps and transferring the heat via the whole stove body. Every non-cat I have ever burned in, EPA and pre-EPA the exhaust was clear at a stove top temp of around five hundred. In the three EPA non-cats I have it occurs at a stove top temp of around four to four fifty because the firebox heats up faster than the exterior of the stove. Where everybody gets this searing heat and short burns from non-cats is the belief that you have to fire the crap out of them up to six or seven hundred degrees or so and make the burn tubes play like a cat. Were that so the user's manuals would say that since the EPA testing requires that the stove be operated by the manual. Not one that I have ever seen says anything about blasting off and clamping down with a ferocious secondary burn going on. They say start a fire, get up to the temp you want and level off. Since too many people think leveling off is closing the primary air all the way down, they all have fixed primary and secondary air inlets that won't let the stove be choked. And secondary combustion is taking place whether there is a light show up top or not. The wood burns nicely with the secondary tubes picking off the stray gases that try to sneak by.

Ain't nothing wrong with a cat stove if that is what a person wants to burn. Personally I still think they are like watching a heat pump run. I think a cat wood furnace would be the ideal. Hide it in the basement and rock on. In the living space I want a nice fire cruising along behind that glass along with a nice long burn. And I have said it here a dozen times, I don't think that a cat stove costs more in maintenance parts than a modern non-cat. Up top there is stuff that takes the punishment of the heat and will have to be replaced in either one of them. And the dollars are about the same for either one.

Waiter check please. I need to let these folks get back to talking about their BK stoves.

 

[53flyer]

To clarify, I don't own a cat stove but I really appreciate hearing both sides. It may appear that I favor one side or the other based on what side of the debate I'm referring to because I'll sometimes ask devil's advocate type Q's iot better understand both sides.

A cat sets them off at a lower temp but in the cat combustion chamber you have a 1000-1400 degree burn going on and the heat migrating to the rest of the stove. There ain't no way the body of a cat stove can have evenly distributed temps over the body of the stove until somebody changes a few laws of physics. With a non-cat that 1000 degrees or so is occurring in the firebox exposing the brick and sides of the stove to the temps and transferring the heat via the whole stove body.

If the cat's combustion chamber were 1000-1400 why wouldn't those temps be evenly distributed over the body just as much as a non-cat would have internal temp distributed? By evenly distributed I'm obviously not talking about the exact same temp being on all parts. I'm referring to an even distribution "pattern" of that heat (as in gradually loosing heat the further away from the cat it gets. I'm actually surprised the cat's combustion chamber would be that hot. If it's active around 500deg (400 with SS) I'd expect it to be more like 500-800 around and in the cat combustion chamber. In an insert the majority of heat will be obtained via the ceramic glass in the front anyway so the sides don't matter as much I believe. Right?

Every non-cat I have ever burned in, EPA and pre-EPA the exhaust was clear at a stove top temp of around five hundred. In the three EPA non-cats I have it occurs at a stove top temp of around four to four fifty

So you're saying the internal temp of a non-cat is still over 1000 deg (to have secondary burn) with a stove top temp of 400-450?

 

[daleeper]

53,

Non-cats are built that way so they burn cleaner. Modifying the inlet so the stove can be choked down further will allow the stove to operate in a manor that will pollute far more than the EPA would ever accept. Even with a "stock" EPA non-cat, the secondary combustion is only active for a fraction of the entire burn, meaning many of your BTUs go up the flue anyway. But if you want a smoke dragon, save your money and buy an old school smoke dragon rather than screwing around with a perfectly good new EPA stove by messing with the inlet.

A cat in comparison will burn the vast majority of it's burn cycle with the cat active. It will burn much cleaner when choked way down, which it will also do at a lower point than a non-cat can. Even if a non-cat is modified to be choked way down to extend the burn, it will not be able to do so cleanly since the burn will be way below the point of reaching secondary combustion.

Regarding your question about the hot spot with a cat, yes the area around the cat itself will be hottest when the cat is really eating. It's not uncommon for the cat to reach way over 1200° (I've heard as high as 1800°), so it should come as no surprise that that area around it will be the warmest part of the stove. With that said, the rest of the stove will still remain plenty warm, you wont want to place your unprotected hand on a uninsulated area of it! But don't fear a hot spot, the stove will still be providing plenty of heat.

BTW, attached is a link to the BKK info where they trace the temp through the burn, you'll notice the cat is active through the vast majority of the burn...
(broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/Brochures-En/WoodProductPDF/KingWoodStove.pdf)

Oops, wrong thread, Thanks Wet1.

 

[Patapsco Mike]

Bart's just jealous of us BK owners... Seriously though, there is a lot to think about. For instance, in an insert in an exterior chimney, like mine, I don't want even heat distribution from my stove. I want more heat inside my house, towards the front of the hearth in the part of the stove that extends into the room. That is where the cat is on the BK...

Now in a freestanding stove it wouldn't change anything. But it can be an asset in an insert to have most of the heat kept in the front of the stove.

 

[53flyer]

53,...BTW, attached is a link to the BKK info where they trace the temp through the burn, you'll notice the cat is active through the vast majority of the burn...
(broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/Brochures-En/WoodProductPDF/KingWoodStove.pdf)

1) My main problem with the above test is that it's conducted with thermostat set to low (as would be expected for a max time experiment). Sometimes (like in really cold months) a low burn wouldn't put out enough heat to keep the room/space warm During those months I have to believe the thermostat would need to be set on at least medium and sometimes high. The problem’s that my understanding is a cat will be damaged if the stove's ran above a certain temp for very long and "I think" that temp is loser than where damage can occur to a typical non-cat. Is that correct?

2) I'd like to see BK do 2 comparison tests with the thermostat set at medium and high respectfully so as to show the difference in the chart.

3) One other thing I just read about and am a bit concerned with: I read that if set too close to a rear wall the thermostat could read inaccurately higher temps and not re-open as much as it should when the stove is cooling down. Assuming that were true, I'f assume it to be even more troublesome for an insert application where most of the stove is behind a surround???...
---------------------------
BrotherBart- Have you seen my Q to you in post 32. It seems like you might be aggravated but I'm simply trying to gather information "from both sides" and regardless of you doing it due to convictions or simply from the devil's advocate perspective, you seem to provide the most compelling anti-cat arguments. I'm getting lots of good pro-cat arguments but am equally interested in your perspective as well. Thanks.

 

[BrotherBart]

Cat chambers burn at 1000-1200 degrees. Period. No matter when the cat lights off. As to even heating of the body, your frying pan is hotter on the bottom than on the sides just like a cat stove is hotter on the top than the rest of the stove body.

The only thing I am aggravated with is myself for getting into this thread. ;-P "Devils advocates" can keep one of these things going for a week and for no point because they are not making a decision. Anything that can be rehashed here is said many times in other threads on the subject.

 

[53flyer]

Cat chambers burn at 1000-1200 degrees. Period. No matter when the cat lights off. As to even heating of the body, your frying pan is hotter on the bottom than on the sides just like a cat stove is hotter on the top than the rest of the stove body.

Yes and I believe the exact same frying pan comparison could be made for a non-cat. Thanks for the reply.

EDIT1:

I did answer the one on wood length for a Princess, hope you saw that.

Yes rusty I've seen your replies and I really appreciate them as well. I've just been trying to keep this thread from getting too long to the point people don't read/comment. That's why I tried replying to a lot of people at once (post 18) but it appears most people don’t read a post "that appears" long which is why I'm reposting some of those Q's as smaller 1-2 Q posts.

EDIT2- Thanks Patapsco, great point. What are your thoughts irt the Q I raised (#3) post 35?

 

[stockcarver]

And with the non-cat the heat is distributed and transferred from the whole stove body. Not just from a hot spot in the top of the stove and migrated to the rest of the stove. And it goes on and on and on.[/quote]

Can you please expand on this? I thought non-cat stoves had to be built that that way because they have to burn hotter to stay in the clean burn zone. I've read that the temp to get efficient secondary in a non-cat is around 1000* and that a cat achieves this as low as 500* which is why a cat can be shut down so much lower. Is that wrong?

I'm also unclear about the "hot spot". Is that because the cat is at the top? Once the cat's been engaged for an hr or so won't the heat in the stove even out just like in any other stove? Are you saying the cat's area may be around 500-600 but the rest of the stove's inside would be significantly different? In such a small space I'd expect the firebox to be fairly uniform.[/quote]


I certainly hope you don't leave BrotherBart, you contribute well informed experience and opinion that keeps this subject from getting dull. If you were offended, I apologize, and certainly mean no disrespect.
I can mostly refer to my experience with the BK, it has been almost 20 years since burning a conventional stove. My combustor will reach spikes (maybe 2 or 3 hours) of 1800 to 2000 degrees burning dry pine and pinon (close to fat lighter pine for resin content) This temp is measured by a probe nearly touching of cat. 18 inches above that, on the stack, at the same time, flue temp reads about 300 on the stack thermometer. You would think at that temp it would glow red on the stove top, at least burn the paint off, but it does not, and has not. The design of the BK is very efficient at radiating heat into the room, and the surface of the stove is large enough that it does not need to go radioactive to put off comfortable heat. There is a difference in stoves designed to radiate heat into the room and those designed to retain a good deal of it for efficient burn.

The kings have a large square footage of surface to these stoves, and that translates to comfortable heat radiation. A poorly designed stove will glow red because it cannot efficiently get rid of the heat in a useful manner.

Smaller surface area stoves must get considerably hotter to heat a room, and they are not pleasant to get close to when doing it.

You might be amazed at the amount of creosote INSIDE my firebox. As BrotherBart touched on, it would make a great furnace. As I have mentioned before, it is not a beautiful, romantic, or particularly decorative wood stove. It is, however, the most efficient way to put the heat of wood into a comfortable living space, for extended periods, using the least amount of wood possible, with practical technology we have today. As Ive gotten older, function and simplicity are things I seek.
When I was younger, I took great pleasure hunting wood, cutting, hauling, splitting and stacking copius amounts of it. Then building, maintaining, and above all enjoying a cheerful fire. I got a kick out of throwing the windows open during a bitter cold night, privately pitying my friends who were paying large sums of money to the power and oil companies to keep there homes liveable. (Well, somethings don't change, speaking for myself) As time went on however, I wanted to do other things rather than be a stove attendent, that is when I went to the BK. I still get the flames (for a while) but I can leave in the winter over night without wondering if I am coming home to frozen pipes, and sleep through the night without having to stoke the stove. Buying and hauling 1/3 less wood for the same effect, and for those things, I will sacrifice a bit of glamour.
I don't have a good grasp of mathmatics and engineering, others can better describe these things on graphs, with statistics, I can only tell you what my experience is living with them.

 

[daleeper]

53,...BTW, attached is a link to the BKK info where they trace the temp through the burn, you'll notice the cat is active through the vast majority of the burn...
(broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/Brochures-En/WoodProductPDF/KingWoodStove.pdf)

1) My main problem with the above test is that it's conducted with thermostat set to low (as would be expected for a max time experiment). Sometimes (like in really cold months) a low burn wouldn't put out enough heat to keep the room/space warm During those months I have to believe the thermostat would need to be set on at least medium and sometimes high. The problem’s that my understanding is a cat will be damaged if the stove's ran above a certain temp for very long and "I think" that temp is loser than where damage can occur to a typical non-cat. Is that correct?

2) I'd like to see BK do 2 comparison tests with the thermostat set at medium and high respectfully so as to show the difference in the chart.

3) One other thing I just read about and am a bit concerned with: I read that if set too close to a rear wall the thermostat could read inaccurately higher temps and not re-open as much as it should when the stove is cooling down. Assuming that were true, I'f assume it to be even more troublesome for an insert application where most of the stove is behind a surround???...
---------------------------

The true advantage of the cat is LOW and slow. I don't think anyone has made the claim that a cat will make wood put out more heat than it has stored in it. When run at mid and high settings, it will use wood at the same rate that a non-cat will.

I believe that both the cat and noncat stoves are prone to damage when run above certain temperatures.

On the insert question 3, it could be possible that the thermostat is adjusted to compensate for being enclosed. I have not seen anyone posting about having problems with the thermostat system on a BK insert, so I am assuming that BK has that issue under control.

 

[CO2Neutral]

If I go back to OP's question it seems as though burn time/performance is the key feature. FWIW, I went down this road a year ago and if I was buying a stove PURELY for performance/long burn times I would definetely buy a BK. However, wood heat -- as you know -- is, and maybe should remain an emotional thing. For that reason, myself included, I bought a stove that appealed to my senses (nice fire to watch, etc.) So the performance factor wasn't everything. I think it's ok to not buy the world's longest burning stove -- just make sure you buy what you want.

My advice: go with your gut and have fun with it. If you have to sell it you'll come close to being even steven.

 

[stockcarver]

1) My main problem with the above test is that it’s conducted with thermostat set to low (as would be expected for a max time experiment). Sometimes (like in really cold months) a low burn wouldn’t put out enough heat to keep the room/space warm During those months I have to believe the thermostat would need to be set on at least medium and sometimes high. The problem’s that my understanding is a cat will be damaged if the stove’s ran above a certain temp for very long and “I think” that temp is loser than where damage can occur to a typical non-cat. Is that correct?

2) I’d like to see BK do 2 comparison tests with the thermostat set at medium and high respectfully so as to show the difference in the chart.

3) One other thing I just read about and am a bit concerned with: I read that if set too close to a rear wall the thermostat could read inaccurately higher temps and not re-open as much as it should when the stove is cooling down. Assuming that were true, I’f assume it to be even more troublesome for an insert application where most of the stove is behind a surround???...
—————————————-

The true advantage of the cat is LOW and slow. I don’t think anyone has made the claim that a cat will make wood put out more heat than it has stored in it. When run at mid and high settings, it will use wood at the same rate that a non-cat will.

I believe that both the cat and noncat stoves are prone to damage when run above certain temperatures.

On the insert question 3, it could be possible that the thermostat is adjusted to compensate for being enclosed. I have not seen anyone posting about having problems with the thermostat system on a BK insert, so I am assuming that BK has that issue under control.



1- I don't know what the problem is. It is proof under measured labratory conditions that the stove can radiate heat for 40 and more hours. Try loading a manual control stove and not touch it to adjust something after the fire is established.
If you tried that with any other stove you would have a stack choked with creosote, and it would be very unlikey to stay ignited anywhere near that long. Certainly you would get more heat over a shorter time with a higher setting on the BK, but still the useful heat time is longer than you can get with other models of stoves.
There would be plenty of BK owners howling like scalded cats if it did not perform as advertised.
I have seen my cat on the princess and king' reach max on the thermometer (1900 plus degrees) countless times, and stay there for several hours each time. It does not explode, crumble, or make the stove glow red. I don't worry about pampering the cat, it really doesn't require it, and I just replaced a cat after 5 seasons that was still working, just not at peak form. I can only speak for the BK's, other cat stoves apparently don't make as good of use of the technology.


---"The true advantage of the cat is LOW and slow. I don’t think anyone has made the claim that a cat will make wood put out more heat than it has stored in it. When run at mid and high settings, it will use wood at the same rate that a non-cat will."---

It's true, you can't get more energy than the wood contains, but the king puts more heat into the room where it is needed, not up the stack where it ain't needed. If running the cat too hot will destroy it in short order, you couldn't prove it by me.

The BK runs so efficiently that it really needs insulated pipe down to the stove. Stack temps are almost cold. That is where the rubber meets the road, useable heat in the room.


As far as heat reflection from a wall tricking the thermostat, I cannot say it might not be a problem, but it would be wise to follow the specs on installation that they clearly state. I had one installed 12 inches from the wall and had no problem with it for more than 10 years. It might have performed different if I had done it different, who knows. It worked just fine regardless.

I would be surprised if the insert model didn't use a different intake system and thermostat location as the freestanding model, however I've not owned the insert model and cannot comment with any authority.

 

[Patapsco Mike]

Cat chambers burn at 1000-1200 degrees. Period. Thanks Patapsco, great point. What are your thoughts irt the Q I raised (#3) post 35?

I find it tough to believe it never occurred to a BK stove designer that an insert would be close to a wall on the back and sides... It does not seem to be a problem in my insert. That's all I can tell you.

 

[Lanningjw]

would be surprised if the insert model didn’t use a different intake system and thermostat location as the freestanding model, however I’ve not owned the insert model and cannot comment with any authority.<<<<<

I do own the BK insert,
That is correct. The insert is very different than the stove, princess model. Its a good insert but I do not think you could get a 20 burn time with the insert, maybe you can with the princess stove model. I get 12 hour burn times.
18 inch splits go E/W. Wish more of my wood was not split and I could see how it does with 8 inch rounds. I am still learning how to get the most out of this insert. It make a hot of heat and the windows are open.

 

[53flyer]

The true advantage of the cat is LOW and slow. I don't think anyone has made the claim that a cat will make wood put out more heat than it has stored in it. When run at mid and high settings, it will use wood at the same rate that a non-cat will.

1- I don't know what the problem is. It is proof under measured labratory conditions that the stove can radiate heat for 40 and more hours. Try loading a manual control stove and not touch it to adjust something after the fire is established. If you tried that with any other stove you would have a stack choked with creosote, and it would be very unlikey to stay ignited anywhere near that long. Certainly you would get more heat over a shorter time with a higher setting on the BK, but still the useful heat time is longer than you can get with other models of stoves.

dale- I'm not sure where "make wood put out more heat than it has stored in it" came from because I was never talking about that.
carver- I wasn't saying there's a problem with doing the test at low. Simply that it would be more useful (to me at least) to see the same type of test done at med and low so the 3 separate tests could be looked at side-by-side. The low setting test seems fine for someone who would generally never need more than a low setting (like people further south) but people with months of 10-30deg wx won't be able to get by with 5000-7000BTU/hr from a long slow burn so at that point the low/slow test becomes irrelevant right? As far as laboratory conditions: I'd much rather they had obtained test results from an independent third party. Why? Because "any" in house testing must be taken with a few grains of salt no matter who the manufacturer &/or product is. That's not a hit on BK, many manufacturers do the same thing. If I ran BK and really wanted to bolster my claims and get rid of those grains of salt I'd simply have used independent testing and had low/med/high tests done.

I wish consumer reports would've done a wood burning stove & insert test. One of those "as seen on TV" type investigations where news reporters take products and test their claims via secondary labs would work as well. That would be very interesting to see or read (for me at least).

Lanning- How old is your insert? I've seen some really old looking BK inserts on CL. When you mention the windows are open are you talking about your house windows? I only know of one piece of glass on the Princess. Thanks

 

[RustyShackleford]

The BK runs so efficiently that it really needs insulated pipe down to the stove. Stack temps are almost cold.

Damn, there it is again. Maybe I'll spring for the $200 worth of DVL, and good
folk here will buy it barely used for 66-2/3 cents on the dollar if I am not impressed.

 

[stockcarver]

Wait up there, Brother Bart, are you going to stick me with the waiters tip.....

 

[daleeper]

dale- I'm not sure where "make wood put out more heat than it has stored in it" came from because I was never talking about that.

When I saw your comment about wondering what the line chart would look like with the thermostat set on medium and high. Burn time will shorten. How much is going to depend on a lot of variables. I thought you were headed toward the fact that the cat stoves will not have that long burn time when turned up, and wanted to state that up front that nobody was claiming that. Sorry that I made the wrong assumption.

I have enjoyed this thread, and really want to hear from stove owners experience with these stoves. Blaze King owners in the past have been relatively quiet around hear, and I want to hear them.

It is quite funny that this forum does have a "stove of the year" and this is Blaze King's year. The Summit was a few years ago, and now we are hearing of some problems with a few stoves. Well in a couple of years when people start to have problems with their Blaze King, the forum will have moved on to another stove. I can't buy a new stove every year, so I read this forum, studying and drooling over some of these stoves as I save for the one I think will work best for me and my space.

 

[Lanningjw]

<<<Lanning- How old is your insert? I’ve seen some really old looking BK inserts on CL. When you mention the windows are open are you talking about your house windows? I only know of one piece of glass on the Princess. Thanks>

I installed it on Oct of this year. It was on the floor of the dealer last Feb, and I p/u for $1,850, w/o the gold door trim. Its so warm in Minnesota right now that I have had to have the house windows open to not over heat the house.


FYI...
Cost of a new combustor from Condar for the Princess PI1010A needs a rectangular combustor 3.6 x 10.6 x 2, which is part number CC-511; the cost on this unit is $182.00, plus $12.50 shipping & handling. Thats not to bad....

 

[Wet1]

Blaze King owners in the past have been relatively quiet around hear, and I want to hear them.

No, I think it's more of a matter of BK owners in the past have tried to tell others about the incredible burn times/performance and have been chastised and ridiculed for their 'crazy' talk since almost no other wood stove will match the BK... so others think it's complete BS. People tend to doubt what they don't know or understand, so I think it's good that there are more BK (and WS owners to a certain extent) that can help others understand and believe in cat technology. BK has just taken wood burning to another level by including not only the cat, but also a large firebox, and that great automatic thermostat.

It is quite funny that this forum does have a "stove of the year" and this is Blaze King's year. The Summit was a few years ago, and now we are hearing of some problems with a few stoves. Well in a couple of years when people start to have problems with their Blaze King, the forum will have moved on to another stove. I can't buy a new stove every year, so I read this forum, studying and drooling over some of these stoves as I save for the one I think will work best for me and my space.

Yes, we've had the BK, the WS FV, the Summit, and the 30-NC (which ironically BB wasn't so down on that "stove of the year"), but I think it's important to point out that the BK stoves have been around for a looooong time in almost the same identical configuration and they are very well proven at this point. Any real design problems were ironed out decades ago.