Stage one of Blaze king princess install

[Patapsco Mike]

If you don't see any smoke, and your cat is active, you are doing it right. Turn it up if you want more heat.

Just wait until you have a few days ashes in the stove, it works even better.

It really is a remarkable stove. In shoulder season you can get just the right amount of heat and cut your wood use in half while enjoying ridiculously long, clean burns.

 

[SolarAndWood]

The only way you are going to see flames after the initial burn off is if you have the Tstat set way above the normal range. At 1.5, I barely get glows. No smoke out of the stack after the initial burn off and the bypass has been closed for 30-45 seconds.

 

[ecocavalier02]

Thats exactly whag i wanted to here. Just wanted to make sure im doin it write. This is night and day compared to the othwr stove. It was like having a second job to get it to work.

 

[RustyShackleford]

If you don't see any smoke, and your cat is active, you are doing it right.

I think I know the answer to this question, but checking ... What if the cat is very active (i.e. temp
needle at least halfway into the "active" zone), but there's still smoke ? It's steam, right ...

 

[SolarAndWood]

Or the wood is wet. Does what you are seeing look almost clear?

 

[RustyShackleford]

Or the wood is wet. Does what you are seeing look almost clear?

Oh yes, that's what I meant - steam from wet wood.
I dunno about almost clear, hard to say, but certainly not dark.

 

[ecocavalier02]

well only being in the 40's today i loaded it up at 5 am. burnt it hot for bout a half hour then slowly dialer her down to little of 1. came home from work at 3 was still in the active zone.. just now opened her up to stirred up the coals a little then shut her down again and its climbing even higher into the active zone again. reload before i go to bed. i cant believe it. this is awesome

 

[North of 60]

So far This thing i can't really even believe it. its been way in the active zone and cat is still glowing red. no smoke from chimney. and i have it down to 1.5 now for the past few hours. And i can actually sit it my basement without getting cooked out of there. By now with the other stove i would have opened the door bout 4 or 5 times to just try and get it to burn off the smoke and even after that it was questionable. Then not to mention it would have probably overfired as well when i shut the damper. it was one or the other with that frekin stove. Ill keep updates. im really am in amazement. ill keep you guys posted on how it keeps going. Also my wood is really good to as well so its helping out a lot. 2 years dried wood is def a huge help.

You hit the nail on the head eco. Congratulations and enjoy the night and day difference between the two stoves.

 

[ecocavalier02]

and now im really understanding why guys say they dont really throw all that much wood in. just three or four decent size pieces and ur good to go. you dont have to kill yourself trying to stuff wood in. before it was try and pack it in as tight as you can just to make sure there was enough coals 7 or 8 hours later. theres no worry with that with this beast.

 

[ecocavalier02]

ive been figuring out as well when i reload and burn it on high for the firs 20 30 minutes to keep the glass clean that the stack will have some steam coming out soon as i crank her down to bout 2.5 it disappears completely. is that maybe cuz its burning so hot and there just a ton of moisture being burned off at once?

 

[ecocavalier02]

anybody else see this. ? i do have the thermostat past the 3 mark as well like 3.5 i guess it is. its a matter of 20 minutes when i turn it down to that 2.5 it goes away really fast.

 

[Todd]

I don't have the BK but I get the white steam for about the first few hours after engaging the cat then it goes away and all I see is some heat waves. I think it has something to do with the gasing off at the beginning of the burn, maybe when you turn it down it slows that down some. I don't think it means there's anything wrong, as long as you don't see it turn to smoke and your temps don't fall you should be ok.

 

[North of 60]

ive been figuring out as well when i reload and burn it on high for the firs 20 30 minutes to keep the glass clean that the stack will have some steam coming out soon as i crank her down to bout 2.5 it disappears completely. is that maybe cuz its burning so hot and there just a ton of moisture being burned off at once?

With your stat more opened up, then that means more air is travelling past the combuster along with the extra smoke/fuel on a fresh load. Ive come to the conclusion that the cat cant burn that volume going through it fast enough. So some is steam and I think some is smoke/wasted fuel that does head out the chimney. Its kinda like an old 4 barrel rochester carburetor on a small block 350 Chev under load on a hill with the pedal to the floor with the RPMS dropping. Some unburnt fuel is gonna get thru until you let off the pedal. = the combuster has reached its max volume of fuel ratio to the cubic feet of air travelling through it.
Remember also the more air/volume travelling through the stove on a fresh load gives it less time to also be preheated from those two large tubes you see in the top L/R of the stove. This is for the first bit actually cooling off the combuster lowering its efficiency. The full load is blocking off the heat to those tubes for a short period untill the flames are really rolling and the internal box temp has risen. My angle /thought on it anyhow. Cheers

 

[ecocavalier02]

if you look on the second to last page of the manual it says temps in the cat between 700 hundred to 1400 degrees are recommended. its says temps between 1400 to 1600 are common but its best when in between the 700 to 1400. but the higher temps will shorten the life on the cat. on the stock king thermometer theres no number but that thing is way tanked to the top of the active zone and from the pics of been looking into buyin a condar with numbers that when the need is all the way its at close 2000 degrees. so that amount of heat it cant keep up. thats why it says it'll shorten the life as well. to much smoke at once to keep up. so im with you on that one north.

 

[KevinK]

...being somewhat new to these more efficient stoves, ...I found these posts very informative
Thanks, ...and by the way, ...great install

 

[ecocavalier02]

No problem. Is ur new stove a cat as well?

 

[KevinK]

No problem. Is ur new stove a cat as well?

....the Oslo is not. ...but I have no experience with the cat type stoves, ...so I'm in learning mode

 

[ecocavalier02]

Well i am really getting a taste now how this beast heats!! temps down to 5 degrees out last night with subzero ind chill. VERY windy. reloaded at 7 last night after a 14 hour burn. let it cook on a little over 2 for a little over an hour and got the temps upstairs back up to 68 and 75 in the basement where stove is. then i turned it down to 1.5 for the night and was still 61 on the first floor this morning when it was like 5 degrees out. today i will really try to heat it up more cuz were going on like a 3 day spell of sub zero temps. so i just might load it up 3 times a day for the next couple days. but this thing is really amazing and the heat output on 2.5 and three really is scary. lol. also i might add i have single pain OLD windows. so a very drafty house. also the glass stays crystal clear. the 20 minute burn on high really does keep it spotless. and i really crank it down low after.

 

[SolarAndWood]

You tested the waters with those long burns on a few splits while it was in the 40s, now its time to open her up a little and see what she can do.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Well i am really getting a taste now how this beast heats!! temps down to 5 degrees out last night with subzero ind chill. VERY windy. reloaded at 7 last night after a 14 hour burn. let it cook on a little over 2 for a little over an hour and got the temps upstairs back up to 68 and 75 in the basement where stove is. then i turned it down to 1.5 for the night and was still 61 on the first floor this morning when it was like 5 degrees out. today i will really try to heat it up more cuz were going on like a 3 day spell of sub zero temps. so i just might load it up 3 times a day for the next couple days. but this thing is really amazing and the heat output on 2.5 and three really is scary. lol. also i might add i have single pain OLD windows. so a very drafty house. also the glass stays crystal clear. the 20 minute burn on high really does keep it spotless. and i really crank it down low after.

So... what your saying is you really miss your old Dutchwest and wish you still had that stove instead?

 

[ecocavalier02]

So... what your saying is you really miss your old Dutchwest and wish you still had that stove instead? [/quote]



haha. oh man i think id rather heat my house with a torch than go back to that thing.

 

[ecocavalier02]

I got another ? For ya guys. My stove being in the basement ive heard a couple people say it would be a good idea to have an outside air kit. What advantage will this give me. ? I already have a line ran down a wall next to the stove from the previous stove its a three inch line. Will it be worth it to hook it up

 

[begreen]

If the other stove needed the OAK to run well, it's very likely the BK will benefit from it too.

 

[ecocavalier02]

i am having no issue with starting the stove and it is burning fine. i never had a draft issue as well with the other stove i just did it cuz i had so many problems with the stove and thought thats why is wasn't everburning. because there wasn't enough air and then thought that might be the issue. this stove is working absolutely great. the wood always looked like it was burning good in the other stove as well its just the hell i went through with it i thought it was maybe why i needed it on the other one. i never get smoke in my face and the new load of wood takes off right of way. i was just wondering what advantage i would get? i really mean everything seems great to me with the way its working. im still in amazement

 

[North of 60]

i am having no issue with starting the stove and it is burning fine. everything seems great to me with the way its working. im still in amazement

This is the same way I felt. When I have been asked to compare between my last two stove. I say you cant compare them. You just cant. Not even close. You gotta experience it to believe it. AND dont even waste your time explaining it to Brobart. You know the saying about an old dog and new tricks :zip: %-P