Should I Get a Blaze King? (New & Confused)

[kborndale]

Absolutely. I know I'll have to be stoking and feeding a larger, higher temp fire. But, I'm in what is known as an interior rain forest, similar to the coast of BC, Canada and WA, USA except instead of rain all the time, it snows a ton and the temperatures hover below freezing most of the time. Not very cold here. Mild winters. An unusual zone. A few cold snaps here and there when an Arctic cold front sneaks in, where it goes to around 4F (-20C) but they typically only last a few days. The world is warming in general anyway. I'm happy with my BK and they seem to both overhyped and undervalued for their abilities quite often. There are a lot of variables and some subtle nuances as to their applications.

Im not knocking blazekings, they are great stoves. At those temps if you have a tight, well insulated house you could probably run it like shoulder season all winter. But if an average insulated house, if it's cold enough to snow you will have to crank it up.

 

[bholler]

My BK is so great low and slow. Saves me a ton of fiddling around with wood chunks, poking the fire, adjusting a damper. I love the bimetallic spring that creates an auto damper system. It means a small stove can be almost like a gas furnace all night. No need to get up and re-feed the fire. My BK is good at smoldering a fire to make it last. I'm certainly glad I bought one but I see your points. Perhaps they are overhyped and much is a sales pitch? But, every owner of one tells me how much they love 'em and several posts in this forum have pointed to burning less wood after installing one.

What other stoves have you used? Yes the low and slow is great for mild weather but for me that time is very short and once it gets cold I see no difference in wood consumption or burn times between the Princess and the Regency I used previously in the same house. And I have never messed with the stove after loading it getting it to temp and shutting it back. Also never gotten up to load a stove.

Again Blaze kings are great stoves and I recommend them in many cases when I think they are a good fit. But I don't think they are the best fit for everyone

 

[BC_Josh]

Look at the emissions testing. Cats and non cats are very similar over all

Looks like I lost the bet. Luckily, I only wagered my pride. I just read some studies by universities and governments and, yes, it is either inconclusive or stating that newer stoves, whether catalytic or not, have a lot less emissions than older "traditional" wood stoves... OK. Well, I suppose the auto damper on the Blaze Kings, one could argue emit less particulates due to the fact that they just burn less wood than other stoves when you set them on low and slow?

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it. Here I was so smug bragging about my new stove. I still love it though.... but I hope the catalytic burner doesn't need replacing too often. I like the auto damper anyway. Seems like a great stove but from comments in here, a lot of folks can buy a less expensive option and get the same effects. There are non-cat wood stoves with auto dampers too right? I thought the old Valley Comfort we had when I was kid was like this?.....

 

[bholler]

Looks like I lost the bet. Luckily, I only wagered my pride. I just read some studies by universities and governments and, yes, it is either inconclusive or stating that newer stoves, whether catalytic or not, have a lot less emissions than older "traditional" wood stoves... OK. Well, I suppose the auto damper on the Blaze Kings, one could argue emit less particulates due to the fact that they just burn less wood than other stoves when you set them on low and slow?

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it. Here I was so smug bragging about my new stove. I still love it though.... but I hope the catalytic burner doesn't need replacing too often. I like the auto damper anyway. Seems like a great stove but from comments in here, a lot of folks can buy a less expensive option and get the same effects. There are non-cat wood stoves with auto dampers too right? I thought the old Valley Comfort we had when I was kid was like this?.....

I would expect 2 to 3 years per cat.

 

[begreen]

Okay, first time I've heard this.... A catalytic burner on cars, for example, sure helped California clean up it's smog..... similar with woodstoves I'd wager a bet.

Not a great equivalent. In the case of stoves there is more than one way to achieve lower emissions. Both cat and non-cats are able to reduce emissions greatly. The difference between .9 gm/hr and 1.1 is really small.

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it. Here I was so smug bragging about my new stove. I still love it though.... but I hope the catalytic burner doesn't need replacing too often. I like the auto damper anyway. Seems like a great stove but from comments in here, a lot of folks can buy a less expensive option and get the same effects. There are non-cat wood stoves with auto dampers too right? I thought the old Valley Comfort we had when I was kid was like this?.....

It's a good stove and thermostatic control is nice. We had it on our 1979 Resolute and liked it. The point is that there are other options that are also good depending on the home and the user's needs.

 

[ericm979]

Looks like I lost the bet. Luckily, I only wagered my pride. I just read some studies by universities and governments and, yes, it is either inconclusive or stating that newer stoves, whether catalytic or not, have a lot less emissions than older "traditional" wood stoves... OK. Well, I suppose the auto damper on the Blaze Kings, one could argue emit less particulates due to the fact that they just burn less wood than other stoves when you set them on low and slow?

Fewer particulates per hour (maybe) when turned down but about the same at equivalent heat outputs or per unit of wood burned. They're all inside the EPA limits so there's not big differences between them.

The big advantage of the catalytic stoves is being able to turn then down farther and they will still burn clean. The reburn types need a minimum air flow for the reburn to function.

 

[bholler]

Fewer particulates per hour (maybe) when turned down but about the same at equivalent heat outputs or per unit of wood burned. They're all inside the EPA limits so there's not big differences between them.

The big advantage of the catalytic stoves is being able to turn then down farther and they will still burn clean. The reburn types need a minimum air flow for the reburn to function.

Yes absolutely that is the advantage of cat stoves. So if someone needs low output obviously a cat stove is the clear choice. But if you don't why pay for cats that you won't benefit from

 

[BC_Josh]

What other stoves have you used? Yes the low and slow is great for mild weather but for me that time is very short and once it gets cold I see no difference in wood consumption or burn times between the Princess and the Regency I used previously in the same house. And I have never messed with the stove after loading it getting it to temp and shutting it back. Also never gotten up to load a stove.

Again Blaze kings are great stoves and I recommend them in many cases when I think they are a good fit. But I don't think they are the best fit for everyone

When I was a kid, in the 80's, we had a Valley Comfort (which is affiliated with Blaze King, I think) I'm not sure what other kinds of stoves I've used, it was in houses that I house sat, or baby sat in, and had to load the fire. When I was a kid, almost all my friends had woodstoves and they often had a big box they'd build next to it, and in those days, we burned a lot of wood, every household probably 4 to 5 cords as their primary heat source. So, mostly indirect experiences using other folks' stoves.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[BKVP]

Thank you for the invite to do so. When you consider FBV there is, in percentage terms, a significant difference. I will agree that once you get this clean burning, there is likely not much difference when burned in the real world. But, when asked to compare the actual certification data, published by EPA, well. there it is.

One additional observation to ALWAYS remember, not all stoves were tested to the SAME METHODS! I've posted this many times before, the end of test which influences Btu's. emissions and efficiency is different between the two methods. I encourage everyone to always read the test reports and not just manuals, brochures or even EPA's list. The test reports show every detail and while they a voluminous, they do provide every detail.

BKVP

 

[Carol Lynn]

Well, I see you're in Nevada.... how often would you use your stove? Won't you mostly be lighting one small fire in the evenings?
I'm in the Rockies in S.E. BC, Canada here so I need a lot of heat in the winter months, as it hovers below freezing most of the winter with a few cold snaps (-20C/-4F) that last a few days usually.

That quote sounds a little high to me anyway. I paid $7K Canadian (about $5K US dollars), just two months ago, to have a smaller Blaze King fully installed with insulated chimney up through my first floor, through my attic and out the roof. Maybe the insert unit you were looking at, itself is expensive to begin with? My stove was $3,500.xx Canadian ($2,500.xx US) and that's including the 12% sales taxes I paid. The stainless steel, double walled chimney and installation was about another $3,500.xx Canadian.

You can burn a significant lesser amount of wood with the Blaze Kings which is great. I don't know enough about them to rave about them too, too much, but from all reviews you get a nice even constant heat with them, like having a gas or electric stove. And, that's what I'm finding. Yep, love mine. I feel like it's one of the best investments I've ever made. I know I'll be getting back the money in time (and then saving money) instead of giving it over to the gas company that keeps asking for more and more.

I feel so relaxed in the evenings, too.... that wood heat melts my aching bones! I get to sleep faster.

Hello, Is your Blaze King a stove it insert? Does it heat without power?

 

[BC_Josh]

Hello, Is your Blaze King a stove it insert? Does it heat without power?

It's not an insert, it is a stand alone wood stove. And, it works without electricity.

The thing about catalytic stoves, is they require a hot burn for the first 20 minutes or so, to get a good char on the wood, before you turn it down for a long slow and low burn. So.... If you're in a climate which is moderate, you might find that hot stage to be too much. I struggle in the shoulder seasons myself, since I have to have the door open a bit for the first hot burn time. I augment with an oil-filled heater as well, when I'm not using the stove.

 

[crstrode]

Little backstory, we are on oil baseboard heaters right now and it is EXPENSIVE. It costs us about $550-650 a month depending on the weather and we are absolutely over it.

We are looking to invest in an insert for our fireplace. We went down and talked to a dealer today and we've opted to go the wood burning insert route, because we really want to be able to use it if the power goes out. The dealer is suggesting we go with a Blaze King. We have an open layout with about 2400sqft. The price though, good golly. They are quoting us between $7000-8000 with instillation.

So my question is... are Blaze Kings worth it? Is there another option I am missing that is just as good? We just want something that is easy to use, can heat a relatively large space and burns for a long time. I am not concerned about aesthetics.

I spent sround $6000 for a Blaze King Sirocco Insert, about 26 feet of liner, all installation labor, materials, permits, and inspections. This was 4 years ago.

I am glad, and very happy I did it when I did. The performance of the Blaze King insert is truly amazing to an old guy that grew up with open fireplaces and traditional wood stoves.

Your estimate sounds correct and fair (considering the current value of Biden Bucks).

 

[begreen]

Hello, Is your Blaze King a stove it insert? Does it heat without power?

In general terms, the more an insert sits out on the hearth, the better it will heat during a power outage. Of the Blaze King options, the Princess is probably the best for this.

 

[Tron]

is they require a hot burn for the first 20 minutes or so, to get a good char on the wood, before you turn it down for a long slow and low burn. So.... If you're in a climate which is moderate, you might find that hot stage to be too much.

Not really. I live in a warm climate, and I usually put it on "high" when lighting it and 10 minutes later the cat is at temperature, upon which I close the bypass. By that time, it just has started radiating heat, and I turn it down to cruise mode then. So no, I don't really bake myself out of the house here...

 

[Highbeam]

Not really. I live in a warm climate, and I usually put it on "high" when lighting it and 10 minutes later the cat is at temperature, upon which I close the bypass. By that time, it just has started radiating heat, and I turn it down to cruise mode then. So no, I don't really bake myself out of the house here...

I agree, the long 20 minute recommended hot burn with each load is NOT a requirement and often times can be counterproductive. With good dry wood you can get the stove so hot during that warm up period that the thermostat has closed the throttle closed or nearly so. Then it's like chopping the throttle and pollution ensues.