Blaze King - how often have you changed your CAT?

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/85992/ might answer your question.

$2900 seems a bit steep on that side. That's almost east coast pricing, though I don't know how the Canadian dollar thing works out.

Any Blaze King owner will tell you to buy it, you won't be disappointed. The King is definitely more stove than I need, but the controlled long burns are amazing, and it suits our somewhat busy life perfectly. Tell us a bit about your home and heating needs.

Welcome, by the way.

My stove doesn't need a cat yet or anytime soon but I would be willing to replace it every year if I had to. To me the stove is that good! I think North of 60 is on his 5th or 6th season with his. If you burn 24/7 and take care of it I think 3-4 years is more typical before the cat will start losing performance.

Thanks for saying that, I feel the same way.

Happy New Year To All My Fellow Wood Burners!

In response to this question of the lifespan of catalytic combustor, the EPA asked the very same question. The Catalytic Hearth Coalition engaged OMNI Environmental Test Labs (an EPA certified test lab) to do a study to address the EPA's questions.

The results of that study are posted at: http://www.chc-hpba.org/

In a nutshell "years" is not the determining factor to the longevity of a combustor life span. In fact, it is hours of exposure or use and a few other little issues such as fuel, gasket maintenance, misuse (like cleaning with a gun brush!) etc.

It is not uncommon at all to see combustor work at 80% of their capacity well into 8+ years. In some warmer regions with limited use, we have seen them last 14 years.

The fact is, not all catalytic wood stoves are designed the same in regards to combustion design, so certainly there are some that do not last as long. (Relative to hours of exposure.)

Blaze King made, way back in 1983, a Hybrid Wood Stove that featured secondary air tubes and a catalytic combustor. Owners of those stove have reported seeing combustors lasting longer than a decade, again subject to hours of use.

Hey, he's back. Your posts in the thread I linked above were what I meant for the OP to see.

The aliens took me away but didn't like my suggestions so they brought me back!

Chris

BKVP said:

The aliens took me away but didn't like my suggestions so they brought me back!

Chris

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So it is true! These stoves burn so well due to alien technology! :lol:

Asoul said:

Hi all

Looking at a blaze king princess woodstove and wondering how often does a catalytic converter need to be changed?

Considering if the cost of the stove ($2900) and required maintenance ($cat) is worth the expense compared to say an efficient secondary burn stove like a PE Super 27.

Thanks for your input.

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Its funny, or sad..., but a cord of wood here on the east cost, costs ~$250, the price of a CAT is about the same... I think with a BK you can save about a cord, or more, a year so its a wash - that is IF you replace it every year, which you don't need to.

Well I have been thinkng about a Blaze King stove due to the wonderful reviews on this forum. I would like to purchase a stove and have it installed anytime before next winter. To perform due diligence on the actual install I called around to local chimney sweeps in the general area (central mass) to have them come out and take a look at my layout. Anyway I got a call back tonight from one of them and he said to stay clear of any CAT stove as they are junk and create more creosote in the chimney than non-CAT. This guy was quite adamant to go with an EPA stove, but one that is not a CAT. BTW, this guy has never heard of BK, but also said stay away from soapstone (he recommends quadrafire and progressive?).
Anyway from someone that owns a CAT stove:
1. How long does a CAT usually last?
2. How difficult is it to take out and clean the CAT?
3. Does a CAT stove burn dirtier than a non-CAT stove?

Any recommendations, because I was all set to buy a CAT stove and really like the idea of being able to regulate the burn and temp in the BK. I do not know of anyone that owns a CAT stove, so I need as much advice (pros/cons) of owning a CAT or not. Thanks.

Mark

1. Was answered in a nutshell in post #4 above. Depends on how much you use it, and how you treat it.
2. I've never taken mine out. I've brushed the face of it with a very soft paintbrush. I've also passed the shop vac very carefully, very closely across the front and back of it. This works well to remove fly ash.
3. Balls out, wide open burning, a non cat is usually cleaner. Low burn rate is where the cat stove shines. I brushed my chimney after two months of mostly smoldering burns, and got about a cup of dusty soot. I have more creosote inside the firebox than the chimney.
You won't be disappointed by the performance of a Blaze King. It's an incredibly easy stove to operate. Like all EPA stoves, dry wood is the key to happy burning.
Feel free to share a little about your house and layout.

Thanks for the reply jeff_t.

My house is a ranch style home, newly built in 2010, so the house is pretty tight. The placement of the stove would be at one end of the house and in the "great room". The great room is ~1,000 sq ft and that is my living room, kitchen and dining room all as one large open floor plan with cathedral ceiling.
My main thought on getting the BKK is that it burns clean, so the class A chimney that would be installed should remain fairly clean and I can better regulate the stove temp so not to heat us out of the house. When that chimney sweep told me that CAT stoves burn dirtier and require more frequent cleanings I was floored. Everything I have read on this site staes that CAT stoves are clean, as long as you are burning good, seasoned wood. I just want to make sure that I am making the right decision. BK's are not cheap, especially here in Massachusetts.

Heat2012 said:

Anyway from someone that owns a CAT stove:
1. How long does a CAT usually last?
2. How difficult is it to take out and clean the CAT?
3. Does a CAT stove burn dirtier than a non-CAT stove?

Any recommendations, because I was all set to buy a CAT stove and really like the idea of being able to regulate the burn and temp in the BK. I do not know of anyone that owns a CAT stove, so I need as much advice (pros/cons) of owning a CAT or not. Thanks.

Mark

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1. Use determines life of the combustor. One study I read said 10k to 12k hours but didn't report what efficiency they used to determine it was time for replacement.

2. I changed mine, took a few minutes, bought it from BK dealer so it was old one out, some cleaning & new one in.
I put in a ceramic, original in the stove was Stainless steel. New one came with gasket taped on so all I had to do was slide it into place.
Some have posted that the ceramic ones are brittle & break very easy when taking them out.
My "learning curve" plugged the SS one. Now I have it as a spare, ready to go.
Ref post when I replaced it:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/70546/

3. Buy all studies I've read, cats are the cleanest burning. Rated high by the EPA.
Ref EPA rated wood stoves, emissions & efficiency chart:
http://www.epa.gov/Compliance/resources/publications/monitoring/caa/woodstoves/certifiedwood.pdf

I reduced my wood consumption by more than 40% when I went to the BK-K Cat stove. (9-10 cord per yr to 5 - 6 cord per yr.)
Cleaner burning, better control, more better heat in the house not up the chimney.
Took a while to learn to burn with a cat stove, the operations manual instructions were good (when I finally read them).
I get well over 20 hour burns with good heat output the whole time on outside temps above 20°f,
Shorter burn times when sub zero temps ( 12 hour is about the shortest) but really cranking out the heat for 12 hours

Dry wood is key. I found 2 years to season birch & I get real good performance, 1 year seasoned (recommended) did OK, The 2 + year seasoned, dry wood is a very noticeable difference.

Heat2012 said:

Anyway from someone that owns a CAT stove:
1. How long does a CAT usually last?

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As others have mentioned, BKVP answered this question in this post...Chris - VP of Blaze King

2. How difficult is it to take out and clean the CAT?

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It is very easy to remove. A perforated steel plate, intended to prevent flame impingement, can easily be removed with no tools. This will give you access to the cat. You may need a flat blade screwdriver to help pry the cat out of it's housing. But, this is not difficult at all...I can have my cat out in less than 1 minute. As for cleaning...if you burn good, dry wood you should not have to remove the cat to clean it. According to BKVP...get a hot fire going, and the cat glowing, this usually will keep the cat clean.

3. Does a CAT stove burn dirtier than a non-CAT stove?

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Based upon everything I have read, the answer would be "No". Last winter was my first season burning wood, and I did not have ideal wood to burn. The wood I had was averaging around 25% moisture content...less than 20% is recommended. After nearly 4 months of 24/7 burning, I brushed my chimney and got maybe 1/4 - 1/2 cup of black flakes. My chimney is around 25' overall length.


Based upon the chimney sweeps suggestions, I would say that...not all cat stoves are created equal. I have no regrets spending the money on the BK King.

The sweep doesnt know what hes talking about, not sure if hes repeating things hes heard or hes cleaned dirty flues that burned a cat stove but if run properly it will be as clean as a secondary burner.

bogydave said:

Heat2012 said:

Anyway from someone that owns a CAT stove:
1. How long does a CAT usually last?
2. How difficult is it to take out and clean the CAT?
3. Does a CAT stove burn dirtier than a non-CAT stove?

Any recommendations, because I was all set to buy a CAT stove and really like the idea of being able to regulate the burn and temp in the BK. I do not know of anyone that owns a CAT stove, so I need as much advice (pros/cons) of owning a CAT or not. Thanks.

Mark

Click to expand...

1. Use determines life of the combustor. One study I read said 10k to 12k hours but didn't report what efficiency they used to determine it was time for replacement.

2. I changed mine, took a few minutes, bought it from BK dealer so it was old one out, some cleaning & new one in.
.

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So, how many years did you get out of the original ?

I put 20 cord through my stove before it was not lighting off quite the way it was before. I ordered and installed a spare. The original will get cleaned up, wrapped in the package that the replacement came in and sit on the shelf until the replacement reaches that point. Delivered cost was $259 for the combustor and installation was trivial. Here's the whole story.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/89860/

Thanks all. I just found it strange that a guy that cleans chimneys for a living would tell me to steer clear of CAT stoves. He did say several times that he is not familiar with BK, in fact he has never heard of them. He stated he has been cleaning chimneys for about 15 years and notices that CAT stoves produce more creosote. I think dry wood is the #1 factor.
This guy does not a have any axes to grind with any brand of stoves as he does not sell them, he just cleans chimneys and installs liners, etc.. I definitely want a BK for the longer burn times, ability to better regulate stove temps and hopefully be cleaner or at least as clean as any comparable stove. He made a point of saying that CATs need to be cleaned about 3x per year? I think much of this is due to poor wood. I am not sure if burning low would make the CAT any dirtier or plug up faster. This winter has been out of the ordinary, so I would imagine a lot of BK owners on here have burned at a lower temp than normal. Has this warm winter with lower burns affected any BK Cats or made the chimney any dirtier than normal? Doesn't sound like it to me from what I have read on this forum. I think his main point is that a CAT stove burns "cooler" and with that the chimney does not get as hot and creates more creosote build up.

BTW I still will be getting that BK, most likely installed over the summer.

I lightly brush the face of the combustor off once a month or so. It is a 90 second easy job. Not sure why but it seems like I get more on the face when rockin and rollin than when burning low. It may just be that more material is going through it.

Heat2012 said:

I think much of this is due to poor wood.

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I think you have nailed it...it's the wood. When I talk to local people that burn wood stoves, they seem puzzled by the idea of truly dry wood, or they don't want to be bothered with keeping wood on hand to season fully.

Also, the folks your sweep is encountering may not be operating their cat stoves properly. From what I have read on this forum, a cat stove is operated differently from a non-cat stove...but it is certainly not difficult at all. You just have to learn the process.

I can tell you from experience...you are in the right place, and getting quality information right here on this forum.

BTW I still will be getting that BK, most likely installed over the summer.

Click to expand...

You won't be disappointed as long you use dry wood.

Heat2012 said:

Thanks all. I just found it strange that a guy that cleans chimneys for a living would tell me to steer clear of CAT stoves. He did say several times that he is not familiar with BK, in fact he has never heard of them. He stated he has been cleaning chimneys for about 15 years and notices that CAT stoves produce more creosote. I think dry wood is the #1 factor.
This guy does not a have any axes to grind with any brand of stoves as he does not sell them, he just cleans chimneys and installs liners, etc.. I definitely want a BK for the longer burn times, ability to better regulate stove temps and hopefully be cleaner or at least as clean as any comparable stove. He made a point of saying that CATs need to be cleaned about 3x per year? I think much of this is due to poor wood. I am not sure if burning low would make the CAT any dirtier or plug up faster. This winter has been out of the ordinary, so I would imagine a lot of BK owners on here have burned at a lower temp than normal. Has this warm winter with lower burns affected any BK Cats or made the chimney any dirtier than normal? Doesn't sound like it to me from what I have read on this forum. I think his main point is that a CAT stove burns "cooler" and with that the chimney does not get as hot and creates more creosote build up.

BTW I still will be getting that BK, most likely installed over the summer.

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That would be true if there was much of anything left in the exhaust of a CAT stove to Crosote up on a chimney. They do run lower temps and volume is my guess due to running at a lower draft but they reburn 90% or the creosote causing stuff out of the smoke before it leaves.

If you get the CAT up to say 1500F every so often and keep it there for a few hours at least you will burn most stuff off.

I have a CAT stove and this is my first full season running it as it was installed in FEB 2011. My CATs are easy to pull out, there is a plate that is in the top of the stove with 4 nuts to pull off of some threaded studs. The top plate and cats come out with it as one unit. I did pull them prior to burning and sucked just a tiny amout of ash from around them. This season i have not touched them and they still light off fine, and with good large load can hit north of 1700F if i let um.

billb3 said:

bogydave said:

Heat2012 said:

Anyway from someone that owns a CAT stove:
1. How long does a CAT usually last?
2. How difficult is it to take out and clean the CAT?
3. Does a CAT stove burn dirtier than a non-CAT stove?

Any recommendations, because I was all set to buy a CAT stove and really like the idea of being able to regulate the burn and temp in the BK. I do not know of anyone that owns a CAT stove, so I need as much advice (pros/cons) of owning a CAT or not. Thanks.

Mark

Click to expand...

1. Use determines life of the combustor. One study I read said 10k to 12k hours but didn't report what efficiency they used to determine it was time for replacement.

2. I changed mine, took a few minutes, bought it from BK dealer so it was old one out, some cleaning & new one in.
.

Click to expand...

So, how many years did you get out of the original ?

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Had about 8 months of burn time on it. smaller holes & I plugged it, not burning hot & ash.
Original is still good,
I plugged it with spruce ash, after I pulled it I replaced it with a ceramic one. (larger holes)
I put the SS one on the shelf as a spare after cleaning it.

Dumb question how do you clean the back of the cat,I've cleaned the front but can't seem to get to the back of it,what an i missing?

ohlongarm said:

Dumb question how do you clean the back of the cat,I've cleaned the front but can't seem to get to the back of it,what an i missing?

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Pull the pipe off.