Blaze King Ashford is up and running!

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
With the stat set at 2 (medium), it's true for me. All winter. 1560 SF house. In a much colder climate than Long Island. With very seasoned oak, hard maple, beech, ironwood, hickory. On different occasions, I have weighed each individual piece prior to loading, and have fit 100 lbs of wood into the thing with careful wood geometry in the confines of the firebox. It lasts a while. I fill it only once per day, at night before bed.

I have no reason to exagerate or deceive anyone on this forum, that's just the way it is.

Right, you put in 100 lbs of wood for a 24 hour burn in a 1500' home. I put about 30lbs of wood in for a 12 to 16 hour burn, in a 2200' house. That's about exactly what my neighbor and I have concluded after comparisons late last winter.
 
I put about 30lbs of wood in for a 12 to 16 hour burn,
There are only so many btus in a pound of wood you know..lol.
I doubt there is that much diff in the two stoves as far as extracting those btu's..just saying. Cheers!
 
Like the comedian Louis CK says, "like everything else on the Internet, it's just arguing." :)

Love the stove! Planning to move in a year, stove shopping now, and this has made the list!

Wife likes the PH, I like the BK. In our mild Oregon climate (40's and damp all winter) a bk may do it
 
Webby,

Have you been burning the Cape Cod along with the Ashford to see how they compare ?
 
Right, you put in 100 lbs of wood for a 24 hour burn in a 1500' home.
So, now you do think that a 24 hour burn is possible in the dead of winter?

Your neighbor burns 3X the amount of wood you do? WTF? There is no reason that a properly functioning BK would burn that much more than a PH at any time of year. Every year I use about 1/3 less wood than my buddy's Quadrafire 3100 and another's Quad Isle Royale (I know they're not cat stoves). Even though it holds much more wood per load, the BK is very wood miserly, be it a single burn cycle or over an entire heating season. I would think the BK and PH would be similar in usage; maybe something is out of whack with the neighbor's BK?
There is a LOT of fuel left in the BK after a 24 hour cycle. 100 lb loads are not the norm, as you really have to pack the wood carefully and pick out just the right pieces to fit together, which isn't something that I regularly do, and the nature of the wood's shape doesn't always allow it. A normal load cycle, once per day, is: I rake the coals to the front, open the air up full to burn down the coals, and the stovetop goes to 500+ ::F for a few hours before reload. It would easily go 30+ hours without touching it and still be 350-400ish stovetop temp, but that screws up my loading and sleeping schedule. Sometimes I go 1-1/2 days, when I have a day off or on a weekend. If it's -30 ::F overnight, I will burn it a little hotter and use the blowers, so the reload time is reduced somewhat.

But I have a King model, let's get back to the Ashford!
 
Right, you put in 100 lbs of wood for a 24 hour burn in a 1500' home. I put about 30lbs of wood in for a 12 to 16 hour burn, in a 2200' house. That's about exactly what my neighbor and I have concluded after comparisons late last winter.
100 lbs? I better start weighing my wood....
 
I think webby is our our best source of true data...same house, tries many different stoves. Yes there are always more variables, (wood, weather) but he provides pretty good data.
 
Well, you can always run the BK without turning it down so low. Run at the same consumption rate as a Cape Cod, I anticipate the BK's glass would stay clean, too. It's nice to have the option to burn lower, when conditions call for it, though.

Yes, my glass stayed nice and clean burning at a higher setting with a nice flame show. It's just those long 24 hour burns that dirty up the glass.
 
You bk guys are bringing in the PH. Hmmmm, wonder why? I didn't.

I just mentioned the REAL burn times folks are getting in the BK's. I did not compare a PH. But since you guys brought it up; My neighbor 3 doors down has a bk king. He is burning more wood than he can get. He burned 3 times the wood I did last year, and he burns about the same I do, about 75% of the time. His house is 2600 ft, mine is only about 2200 or so. But, mine is on stilts, up off ground (no insulating ground....), and has a top floor of 75% glass, 30 year old drafty glass that has been replaced poorly (the replacement glass does not fit properly).

He loves his king, now, and in the spring he loved it. He was not a very happy camper in the dead of winter. I personally would love to have a bk in the shoulder seasons, and the PH in Winter. That would be the best of both worlds.

The bk is a great stove. Id love to build a house with a basement, designed for wood heating with proper air flow to upper floors..... Ideal for wood heating, and stick a big bk down there hidden away heating. Then just put a little ornamental stove just for affect in the living room area for "fun". But I know I would be feeding it in the winter!
Your neighbor is a really bad example! It think the great state of Alaska would be a good example, if they performed poorly in the cold why would most houses in Alaska have a King?
Just face it dude, the PH isn't for everybody! It's a great stove, I'm sure. There is no way it can compare to a Kings burn times, a comparable sized stove sure, but not a king. You have no real experience with a Blaze King or any other EPA stove would be my guess.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jeff_t and Highbeam
Well, you can always run the BK without turning it down so low. Run at the same consumption rate as a Cape Cod, I anticipate the BK's glass would stay clean, too. It's nice to have the option to burn lower, when conditions call for it, though.
That's true, but its just a different kinda burn. The cape cod is more like a fireplace, beautiful burn but is more like a 12-16 hr stove. The Ashford can burn with big active flames ,once its reduced it looks like it just goes out. And the glass gets a little dirty on the sides like most BKs. The advantage is a 20-30 hr burn, even in the winter time. :mad:
If a beautiful fire is what your after, then it might not be your thing.
 
That's true, but its just a different kinda burn. The cape cod is more like a fireplace, beautiful burn but is more like a 12-16 hr stove. The Ashford can burn with big active flames ,once its reduced it looks like it just goes out. And the glass gets a little dirty on the sides like most BKs. The advantage is a 20-30 hr burn, even in the winter time. :mad:
If a beautiful fire is what your after, then it might not be your thing.
My Firelight 12's are exactly the same way. When I crank them down, it's a steady glow with an occasional flame licking up. Stovetop at 300F, cat at 1200F. In fact, they shut down so tight that I get back-puffing on the one with the shorter flue, if I try to dial it down all the way. No such trouble on the one with the taller flue, though.

My point is that it's good to have the option to burn both ways. I shut mine down tight for overnight, or when I'm not home, and burn them with a little flame when we get home in the evenings and want to pump a little more heat. It's nice to have a stove that provides that full range of burn rates, and I don't think any stove can match BK's technology, in this regard.
 
  • Like
Reactions: webby3650
My point is that it's good to have the option to burn both ways. I shut mine down tight for overnight, or when I'm not home, and burn them with a little flame when we get home in the evenings and want to pump a little more heat. It's nice to have a stove that provides that full range of burn rates, and I don't think any stove can match BK's technology, in this regard.

This is a great summary. BK is the most efficient stove. This means that nomatter what, no stove will do the same job for less wood. Kinda blows any PH argument out of the water. Then you have the ABILITY to CHOOSE between extremely long or short burn times. That is unique to the BK, no other stove has that range of operation. Other than looks, I see no place where PH is superior, and there's more to life than a pretty face, the ugly ones try harder.

I weighed a load into my BK princess, a full load of our relatively soft wood and it was only 43 lbs. Easily ran 24 hours before reload.

If BK had the ashford available when I bought my princess, I would have likely bought it instead. Underneath, the ashford is the same size but with cleaner emissions so there are some tweaks. No idea how they tweaked it to be cleaner but they retained the burn times so it must have been smart. I haven't looked at the chart in awhile, did BK lose some efficiency in order to reduce emissions on the ashord/chinook30 box?
 
Your neighbor is a really bad example! It think the great state of Alaska would be a good example, if they performed poorly in the cold why would most houses in Alaska have a King?

Most houses in Alaska have 30 year old barrels heating the home. Your kidding right?

Just face it dude, the PH isn't for everybody! It's a great stove, I'm sure. There is no way it can compare to a Kings burn times, a comparable sized stove sure, but not a king. You have no real experience with a Blaze King or any other EPA stove would be my guess.

I'm not sure why you keep bringing in the PH? We are discussing the BK. And the PH is only a 2.8 box, the BKK is what, a 4.3 box. BIG difference.

So, now you do think that a 24 hour burn is possible in the dead of winter?

Yes, in a smaller house with no blowers on, not at -10 outside with blowers and real heat. But my personal observation was, when it was cold out and he needed lots of heat, he did not get anywhere near 24 hours.

Your neighbor burns 3X the amount of wood you do? WTF? There is no reason that a properly functioning BK would burn that much more than a PH at any time of year. Every year I use about 1/3 less wood than my buddy's Quadrafire 3100 and another's Quad Isle Royale (I know they're not cat stoves). Even though it holds much more wood per load, the BK is very wood miserly, be it a single burn cycle or over an entire heating season. I would think the BK and PH would be similar in usage; maybe something is out of whack with the neighbor's BK?

Again, the PH is a 2.8 box, the BK is a 4.3 box, much different. I do not think there is anything wrong with his bk, it performs nicely. Like I said, he loves it in the shoulders (now and last spring), he gets great long slow burns, and doesn't care he can't see a fire, he just wants a bit of heat to take the chill out of the house. But the performance was much different in the dead of winter when it was really burning and heating. There is a big difference between heating a home, and just warming a stove on a long burn.

You guys keep saying "I don't use much wood....", but over in the wood threads, your posting you burn 8 and 10 cord a year. Which is it?

If it's -30 ::F overnight, I will burn it a little hotter and use the blowers, so the reload time is reduced somewhat.

-30 overnight? Really? It hasn't hit anywhere near -30 air temperature in NY state in many many many many many years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oldhippie
This is a great summary. BK is the most efficient stove. This means that nomatter what, no stove will do the same job for less wood. Kinda blows any PH argument out of the water. Then you have the ABILITY to CHOOSE between extremely long or short burn times. That is unique to the BK, no other stove has that range of operation. Other than looks, I see no place where PH is superior, and there's more to life than a pretty face, the ugly ones try harder.

I weighed a load into my BK princess, a full load of our relatively soft wood and it was only 43 lbs. Easily ran 24 hours before reload.

If BK had the ashford available when I bought my princess, I would have likely bought it instead. Underneath, the ashford is the same size but with cleaner emissions so there are some tweaks. No idea how they tweaked it to be cleaner but they retained the burn times so it must have been smart. I haven't looked at the chart in awhile, did BK lose some efficiency in order to reduce emissions on the ashord/chinook30 box?

Jotul was comparing a Cape Cod to a BK. Somehow you change it to a PH vs BK? You have somekind of PH paranoai?
 
Here's a quesiton, to get back on track:

How does the Ashford compare to the Chinook? Specs wise anyway, since I doubt anyone has had both .....?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oldhippie
We're discussing the Ashford... I think it has a 2.75 box. Webby will be able to give us good reports on relative wood consumption as we get into winter.
 
The Ashford, Sirocco and Chinook are built around the same 2.75 fire box and should have identical burns and output.
 
Like the comedian Louis CK says, "like everything else on the Internet, it's just arguing." :)

Love the stove! Planning to move in a year, stove shopping now, and this has made the list!

Wife likes the PH, I like the BK. In our mild Oregon climate (40's and damp all winter) a bk may do it
The BK is ideal for the NW climate. It was designed to burn our softwoods very frugally.
 
The BK is ideal for the NW climate. It was designed to burn our softwoods very frugally.

WOW, never thought of that! I bet they do great with those softwoods that normally burn to fast..... suprised we don't hear more about that?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oldhippie
I was not kidding about Alaska,
WOW, never thought of that! I bet they do great with those softwoods that normally burn to fast..... suprised we don't hear more about that?
maybe I forgot to mention that. All my burns so far have been with tulip, and a few pieces of cherry. It excels with soft wood!
 
Have to second that fact. BK stoves are very popular in Alaska. People living there can't afford to have their stove go out before they return from work.
 
Really? It hasn't hit anywhere near -30 air temperature in NY state in many many many many many years.

From the NY State Climate Office:
Some 30 communities have recorded temperatures of -40° or colder, most of them occurring in the northern one-half of the state and the remainder in the Western Plateau Division and in localities just south of the Mohawk Valley. The winters are long and cold in the Plateau Divisions of the state. In the majority of winter seasons, a temperature of -25° or lower can be expected in the northern highlands (Northern Plateau) and -15° or colder in the southwestern and east-central highlands (Southern Plateau).
 
Lot's of good points in this thread.
Let's remember that comparisons of heating different homes need to consider the houses' insulation and tightness, as well as the owners' temp preference. i.e keeping a drafty place @75° vs. a tight place @70°. (Of course, we all know this, but I didn't see it mentioned in this thread, so. . .)
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.