Hopeful for new Blaze King

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Sleepy Callis

Sleepy Callis

New Member
Feb 14, 2015
22
TN
I purchased a Buck 81 in the fall of 14..... New install in a new to us house.... The 81 is a good stove but the burn times are a lot shorter than I was expecting with 15-20% wood... I wanted a bk when I bought the buck but opted out because of the size height of the bk.... The opening is 34"w x 31"h..... Can I use the bk without the legs or pedestals?? Like the pic below jus sitting flat on the hearth


image.jpg Sorry the about the pic couldn't figure out how to turn it
 
What burn times are you getting?
 
Sleepy Callis said:
3-4 hours occasionally 5
Click to expand...
Just curious, if you were interested in a BK, why'd you get the 81? Seems the 80 would be the obvious substitute, for someone lusting after a BK.

Which model BK were you considering?
 
I let the dealer talk me out of a cat stove all together... He does sell them but recommended against it... He reasoning was they were more problematic than a traditional non cat stove... Looking back I should have bought what I wanted to start with... But all is not lost I need a stove for my shop anyway..... My only concern with the BK is the height if the legs and or pedestal can't be removed
 
Sleepy Callis said:
3-4 hours occasionally 5
Click to expand...

Buck can be very generous with their firebox size specs but you should get more out of the 81. What stovetop temp do you have after 5 hours? What kind of wood are you burning and how dry is it?

Have you looked into a Woodstock Ideal Steel? Will probably be cheaper than the BK and has a rear-exit for an easier install.
 
Stove top about 200 face will still be around 350.... Been burning a mix of 3 year old beech and pecan its was 17-18% when I checked at Christmas ... I haven't looked at the Ideal Steel but I'll check it out thanks
 
cannon said:
The BK Princess classic doesn't have legs or a pedestal,it would sit right on your hearth.
Click to expand...

You might even be able to run a king classic. On my ultra princess the pedestal is welded on.
 
Sleepy Callis said:
Stove top about 200 face will still be around 350.... Been burning a mix of 3 year old beech and pecan its was 17-18% when I checked at Christmas ... I haven't looked at the Ideal Steel but I'll check it out thanks
Click to expand...

350 F at 5 hours could be better especially with the dry and dense hardwoods you are burning. Are you filling up the firebox to the max? How far are you turning down the air control? Is there a full (insulated?) liner to the top in the chimney? Nevertheless, it sounds like you would benefit from a larger stove in any case if those temps are not sufficient.
 
Usually the fire box is packed full... The air control is wide open until it reaches 450-500 range then start turning down until only about 1/4" open... It'll cruise 600-650 for an hour or so then starts falling off drastically.... I maintain higher temps but have to keep feeding it
 
I have the princess with legs, no ash pan. Just measured it - with legs its 33 1/2" high, without legs its about 25" you have to include the little air vent thing on the back of the stove, its sticks up about 1 1/2" from the stove top. I don't recommend installing this stove without legs or pedestal, it seems that the stove is designed to be off the ground so the thermostat control can operate correctly, also if you add a blower (recommended) your air draw will be impeded, if you need to install it in your exiting fireplace get an insert, there designed to go in there. Just my 2 cents
 
I would install a Princess insert not a freestanding stove. As noted in Joful's thread, the thermostatic control is in the back of the freestander. If there is too much heat build up in the fireplace cavity, the thermostatic operation can be erroneously affected. Talk with BK about this.
 
Sleepy Callis said:
Usually the fire box is packed full... The air control is wide open until it reaches 450-500 range then start turning down until only about 1/4" open... It'll cruise 600-650 for an hour or so then starts falling off drastically.... I maintain higher temps but have to keep feeding it
Click to expand...

Your operation sounds fine; maybe starting to turn down the air a bit sooner may help a bit but will hardly make a tremendous difference. I am surprised that your temps start falling so quickly. How many coals are left when you reload? When you measure the moisture of your wood do you resplit a few pieces and press the pins in the center of the fresh surface?

Buck says the firebox is 2.4 cu ft; did you ever measure yours for its actual size?
 
begreen said:
I would install a Princess insert not a freestanding stove. As noted in Joful's thread, the thermostatic control is in the back of the freestander. If there is too much heat build up in the fireplace cavity, the thermostatic operation can be erroneously affected. Talk with BK about this.
Click to expand...



Will the princess insert put of the the heat say compared to the other freestanding stoves?
 
I haven't measured the firebox but I believe it's every bit of 2.4... The first reload after start up the coals are pretty much burnt up usually by the 3rd reload is when I have issues with excessive coals and try to burn them down before filling again.... I don't have a problem with how the stove heats... It'll really put it out I just wish I could get longer burn times... For instance for an all night burn I have to load at least once during the night maybe twice depending on the temps outside.... And keeping the stove burning during the day while at work is next to impossible... Most of the time requiring a complete restart from cold by the time I make it home... I just re split some if my splits and checked the mc again. 18-21%
 
Sleepy Callis said:
Will the princess insert put of the the heat say compared to the other freestanding stoves?
Click to expand...
Compared to what you currently have setup? I think so. It would be best to call BK support regarding your questions about using their freestanding stove there.
 
Sleepy Callis said:
I haven't measured the firebox but I believe it's every bit of 2.4... The first reload after start up the coals are pretty much burnt up usually by the 3rd reload is when I have issues with excessive coals and try to burn them down before filling again.... I don't have a problem with how the stove heats... It'll really put it out I just wish I could get longer burn times... For instance for an all night burn I have to load at least once during the night maybe twice depending on the temps outside.... And keeping the stove burning during the day while at work is next to impossible... Most of the time requiring a complete restart from cold by the time I make it home... I just re split some if my splits and checked the mc again. 18-21%
Click to expand...

Something sounds wrong here. A 2.4 cu ft stove should not need a reload at night when filled with dry hardwood nor burn out completely during the day. If it is not the wood maybe a problem with draft? How tall is the chimney? Do you have a full liner?
 
The BK classic is designed to sit on the hearth,mine has the fan kit.The stove is 27 1/4 inches to stove top,29 inches to top of fan shroud.
 

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Hey sleepy can you tell us a bit about your installation? Is the chimney on an outside wall? Is the liner insulated? Is there a proper top plate and block off plate in place? How tall is your chimney? Does the liner go all the way from the unit to the too of the chimney? Thanks.
 
It's not on an outside wall.... It's 21' class a ss double wall straight from the stove out the roof... No offsets or turns in the flue.... Inside the stove there is a baffle directly above the secondary burn tubes but that's it
 
Grisu said:
Something sounds wrong here. A 2.4 cu ft stove should not need a reload at night when filled with dry hardwood nor burn out completely during the day. If it is not the wood maybe a problem with draft? How tall is the chimney? Do you have a full liner?
Click to expand...

There are still coals in the morning after an all night burn if I dont reload but my temps have fallen so low by that time I'm not getting hardly any heat from the stove.... Something else I've noticed is the stove top temps are considerably less than the face above the door... For instance if I'm at 600-650 on the face... The top will only be around 400... This may be normal but I thought they would be closer
 
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