Blaze King Princess and King question

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BrowningBAR

Minister of Fire
Jul 22, 2008
7,607
San Tan Valley, AZ
Question about low burns and controlled burns.

On a low burn, what is the stove top temp at?

What type of active cat burn time would you receive from the Princess and King with the stove top at 400 degrees throughout the burn cycle?
 
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I don't even monitor stove top temps. Since this is a cat stove, the only thing making heat is the cat and that leads to a single really hot spot on the top of the stove that is most accurately measured with the cat temp probe. The rest of the stove is so cold that the paint hasn't even cured yet.

So you really ought to be concerned with where on the stove top one is measuring.
 
I think I average around 400 for a 24 hour burn at a setting of 1.5, could prolly go 40 hours at #1.
 
I can only keep the stove top 400 for around 12 hours in my princess set on about 1.75.. This is in the area around the cat (maybe 6" circle). I usually start with the stove top a little hotter than that (around 550,set on 2.25) and then dial it back until its running around 400. During this time, the WHOLE stove top is hot but the area over the cat is definitely hotter.
 
Sorry, I missed some of the question, if I were to dial it back further (say 1.25-1.5) I could go 24 hours with the top at about 250.. But this will not heat my house. These setting will change a bit as the season progresses, the colder temps will allow me to burn just as hot with a lower thermostat setting. I guess the draft gets stronger. But it doesn't change that much, maybe by .25 or so.

Jason
 
Yeah, going by stove top temps and comparing to other stoves probably isn't real accurate. Even with the PH, I can have pretty high top temps without geting much overall heat in some circumstances. I think a couple folks have stated 6,000 to 8,000 btu's at the lowest burn for the Princess. It's probably in BK's literature. Somewhere just north of a 1,500 watt heater, but this is for 20 or 30 hours. I think the BK's are well tested and it seems like their literature is not bogus like many.
 
Yeah, going by stove top temps and comparing to other stoves probably isn't real accurate. Even with the PH, I can have pretty high top temps without geting much overall heat in some circumstances. I think a couple folks have stated 6,000 to 8,000 btu's at the lowest burn for the Princess. It's probably in BK's literature. Somewhere just north of a 1,500 watt heater, but this is for 20 or 30 hours. I think the BK's are well tested and it seems like their literature is not bogus like many.
I'm not comparing other stoves. I am specifically asking about Blaze King and what type of temps the stove is running at during a low burn and what I could expect when running the stove at a higher temp.

The 30 is between a Princess and a King. It is a steel stove that is approximately the same size and mass of the Princess. I know how that stove heats at specific temps. I also run cat stoves, so I am aware that a low burn from a cat stove may offer higher temps at certain locations.

I wanted to know what type of temps a low burn on a BK stove provided and what length of burn a BK stove offers when run at 400-500 degrees.
 
I wonder what the difference is between Todd's setup and jtb51b's setup. Could be wood. Looks like jtb51b runs it at a higher setting to achieve the same temp.
 
I don't even monitor stove top temps. Since this is a cat stove, the only thing making heat is the cat and that leads to a single really hot spot on the top of the stove that is most accurately measured with the cat temp probe. The rest of the stove is so cold that the paint hasn't even cured yet.

So you really ought to be concerned with where on the stove top one is measuring.

That isn't accurate for all cat stoves.
 
My stove will hold 350-400, with a full load of oak, for 30-36 hours. It starts off hotter for a bit until it settles in. That also includes a boost for a bit in the evenings and mornings. It will run a good 24 at 500 before it cools off a little. Open the thermostat for a few more hours.

This is a magnetic thermo over the cat. It's about 50° off compared to my buddy's IR, and those temps are corrected.
 
I wonder what the difference is between Todd's setup and jtb51b's setup. Could be wood. Looks like jtb51b runs it at a higher setting to achieve the same temp.

I would imagine it has something to do with wood, as well as a lot to do with draft. I couldn't imagine how draft (vacuum) would not affect the setting being used to achieve a set temperature. I have a fairly short chimney with 2 90's and its an exterior (un-chased) chimney in a much warmer climate.

Jason
 
That isn't accurate for all cat stoves.
Didn't you say you didn't want to compare other stoves? Maybe be was talking about these stove in particular?

Jason
 
I would imagine it has something to do with wood, as well as a lot to do with draft. I couldn't imagine how draft (vacuum) would not affect the setting being used to achieve a set temperature. I have a fairly short chimney with 2 90's and its an exterior (un-chased) chimney in a much warmer climate.

Jason
That seems about right. The 90s will create a challenge. Thanks for the info.
 
Just reloaded full load of Oak, burned it hot around #2 for 30 minutes, stove top up to 600+, then turned her down to 1.5, stove top dropped down to 545, cat 1200, internal flue 350, stove sides 275. I'll keep an eye on it for you, I don't expect to reload til tomorrow afternoon.
 
That seems about right. The 90s will create a challenge. Thanks for the info.
I have looked into trading off one of them for a set of 45's as well as going to double wall in the process but I have not made the switch. With the problems I was having with the stove prior to this year I really wanted to see some improvement before I went forward with throwing $$ at the setup.

Jason
 
I'm not comparing other stoves. I am specifically asking about Blaze King and what type of temps the stove is running at during a low burn and what I could expect when running the stove at a higher temp.

The 30 is between a Princess and a King. It is a steel stove that is approximately the same size and mass of the Princess. I know how that stove heats at specific temps. I also run cat stoves, so I am aware that a low burn from a cat stove may offer higher temps at certain locations.

I wanted to know what type of temps a low burn on a BK stove provided and what length of burn a BK stove offers when run at 400-500 degrees.

Ok. I guess I assumed you were comparing to other stoves. Glad you're not.
 
If you want a long slow burn putting out 8-12k btu's..the king will do it.
If you want to crank her to 80k..you can do that also.
Like someone said the colder it gets they draft more on their own and you don't change things much unless really cold and windy.
It's easy to run but you will have a dirty glass most of the time..it is what it is..sometimes cranking her up will clean off the glass.
I can go 2 to 4 weeks before I need to clean out some ash..depending on wood burned and temps.
You can crank this thing when it's down to coals and heat for a few more hours easy.
Sometimes I throw a couple cups of pellets to help burn it down(full air) and to raise my stove temp..mostly when it's really cold out before reloading.
I ran the same stove but non cat for years..there is no comparison.
Much more even room temps now throughout the house and I'm warmer and saving prolly 33% on my wood.
What works for me may not for others...tons of variables from house to house.
 
Didn't you say you didn't want to compare other stoves? Maybe be was talking about these stove in particular?

Jason
Good point. That is correct.
 
Like someone said the colder it gets they draft more on their own and you don't change things much unless really cold and windy.
Question; If I am running more than one BK, would this be a problem? Let's say I am running three Princess stoves. Will the weather make them harder to control if I want them to stay at a low burn?
It's easy to run but you will have a dirty glass most of the time..it is what it is..sometimes cranking her up will clean off the glass.
Understood.

The point of my questions was for long term decision making since it seems like BK will be releasing a Princess sized stove with an more conventional look soon.

So, long term, I am trying to plan accordingly. Down the road (undetermined as that is) I would update all three stoves to an ideal setup, whatever that might be. Right now I am pleased with what I have accomplished, but I know I could improve things if my budget was different. Under a perfect situation I would expand the height of the fireplace in the kitchen to allow for what ever stove I wanted.
 
That isn't accurate for all cat stoves.

To expand on this, the reason why I am asking for stove temps as oppose to cat temps as it gives me a better idea as to what type of heat the stove is providing and how it relates to me needs.
 
That's the problem, you are linking stove top temps of a BK to something more important, overall output. It's not like a non-cat where the whole top plate is a huge radiator and the temp of the top is pretty much consistent. You have a hot spot in the middle and then relatively cold stove everywhere else. Would be useful if you had the average temp of the whole top or of the whole stove, then you could use it to compare to your current setup which seems to be your goal.

The BK chinook 30 is the same size as the princess but uses their most modern firebox. I suspect that the future stoves will be a chinook firebox with a different skin. Not many chinook30 owners yet.
 
Question; If I am running more than one BK, would this be a problem? Let's say I am running three Princess stoves. Will the weather make them harder to control if I want them to stay at a low burn?

Understood.

The point of my questions was for long term decision making since it seems like BK will be releasing a Princess sized stove with an more conventional look soon.

So, long term, I am trying to plan accordingly. Down the road (undetermined as that is) I would update all three stoves to an ideal setup, whatever that might be. Right now I am pleased with what I have accomplished, but I know I could improve things if my budget was different. Under a perfect situation I would expand the height of the fireplace in the kitchen to allow for what ever stove I wanted.

Well I have just the one king but I never once had a problem keeping it in low burn in the two years that I have had it..not once.
I just set the t stat on 1 and no flames!
I can't speak for others though.
Having 3 burning in diff stages would be interesting to say the least.
Big house eh?
 
Question; If I am running more than one BK, would this be a problem? Let's say I am running three Princess stoves. Will the weather make them harder to control if I want them to stay at a low burn?
I would say no, they are easy to control in any weather condition-- they will just vary slightly from geographical location to geographical location. You might also see some differences from the different chimney setups. But not a HUGE difference. The output will still stay the same while the number you set as well as the burn times might vary somewhat. I would say in a single house with 3 stoves you would not see the large differences that Todd and I see from Alabama to Michigan.

Understood.

The point of my questions was for long term decision making since it seems like BK will be releasing a Princess sized stove with an more conventional look soon.

So, long term, I am trying to plan accordingly. Down the road (undetermined as that is) I would update all three stoves to an ideal setup, whatever that might be. Right now I am pleased with what I have accomplished, but I know I could improve things if my budget was different. Under a perfect situation I would expand the height of the fireplace in the kitchen to allow for what ever stove I wanted.

I don't know what I can offer to help you with your decision making process, I would say start with one stove and move forward-- just as you would with anything else! Good luck.. I
 
Well I have just the one king but I never once had a problem keeping it in low burn in the two years that I have had it..not once.
I just set the t stat on 1 and no flames!
I can't speak for others though.
Having 3 burning in diff stages would be interesting to say the least.
Big house eh?
Crappy layout combined with draftiness. The draftiness will be minimized as the years go on, but it will never be remotely close to a modern home.
 
Crappy layout combined with draftiness. The draftiness will be minimized as the years go on, but it will never be remotely close to a modern home.
Well with 3 stoves you would certainly want a long burn time.
Of course you could adjust each one to the demand that is needed and maybe just run one or two sometimes..of course you know all that.
This house was built in 1986..two story colonial ..2500sg.ft.,good windows and insulation.
My stove is at the east end..16x27 room...garage is at the west end.
With this stove 9 to 10 face cords a season and we are warm..really warm most of the time.
Wife likes it around 76 or so..it's always at least 70 in the morning...coldest area maybe 67.

Man if I was you and needed 3 one of those would be a progress hybrid!
 
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