2015-2016 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)

Poindexter · Oct 18, 2015

I thought of one other thing also, please refer to condescension v- sheepishness above.

It could be that the factory fan kits on the A30, even a factory freak, may not make enough convection for you to fall head over heels, because of your unique situation. The fan kit works great for me, but my stove is not in a stone cave; mine is in the living room out in the open. What we got, I think, is a pair of four inch biscuit fans on a 12vdc supply, with a rheostat. CFM ratings are not at my fingertips, my google-fu is at ebb this time of night.

I recall in your "help me pick a new stove" thread last year we talked about putting a $20 box fan in the oldest part of the house at the foot of the stairs pointing at the stove cave. No I am not a stalker. This idea was a non-starter because of the aesthetics of colonial era housing. My dad and step mom used to own a c 1780 farmhouse in upstate NY. Besides the epic fireplace in the parlor, there was a tall narrow closet like thing about 3/4 of the way up the stairs to the bedrooms, let into the stone chimney, specifically for a muzzle loader with a wooden peg to hang a powder horn from and keep the powder dry, also convenient for answering the door in the middle of the night. They live in Sarasota now.

You probably own a lot of power strips to compensate for your lack of electrical receptacles and I can respect that as a lifestyle choice.

It could very well be that you can utilize more convection than the factory fans provide.

Given a $20 box fan from Wal-Mart is out, how about a $120 Honeywell air filter at the foot of the stairs, with the output pointing at the stove? Its a black column maybe 7" diameter, about three feet tall, has a HEPA filter in it. Moves almost as much air as a box fan, doesn't look trashy?

Alternatively, how about picking up three 8" biscuit fans that run on 120vac instead of 12vdc, frame up with birds eye maple or fiddle back walnut or some other fussy thing, and set that on the floor in front of the stoves on the floor blowing cold air into the stove cave fireplace thingies you are working? I would be comfortable running my A30 wide open throttle with such an arrangement on the floor perhaps 16-20 inches in front of the glass.

I ran a AAA-133 on a trio of barracudas finishing up my bachelors many many years ago, RAID 5. Triple 8" fans on 120vac delivered more than 10x the airflow of 6" 12vdc biscuits, I am sure such an arrangement would leave the 4" 12vdc fans on the factory A30 fan kit in the dust.

At the risk of belaboring the point, you aren't trying to heat the stone, or necessarily even the air in the house. Its the people in the house you want to keep warm, without the pipes freezing.

Best wishes.

Woody harrelson · Oct 18, 2015

Poindexter said:
I thought of one other thing also, please refer to condescension v- sheepishness above.

It could be that the factory fan kits on the A30, even a factory freak, may not make enough convection for you to fall head over heels, because of your unique situation. The fan kit works great for me, but my stove is not in a stone cave; mine is in the living room out in the open. What we got, I think, is a pair of four inch biscuit fans on a 12vdc supply, with a rheostat. CFM ratings are not at my fingertips, my google-fu is at ebb this time of night.

I recall in your "help me pick a new stove" thread last year we talked about putting a $20 box fan in the oldest part of the house at the foot of the stairs pointing at the stove cave. No I am not a stalker. This idea was a non-starter because of the aesthetics of colonial era housing. My dad and step mom used to own a c 1780 farmhouse in upstate NY. Besides the epic fireplace in the parlor, there was a tall narrow closet like thing about 3/4 of the way up the stairs to the bedrooms, let into the stone chimney, specifically for a muzzle loader with a wooden peg to hang a powder horn from and keep the powder dry, also convenient for answering the door in the middle of the night. They live in Sarasota now.

You probably own a lot of power strips to compensate for your lack of electrical receptacles and I can respect that as a lifestyle choice.

It could very well be that you can utilize more convection than the factory fans provide.

Given a $20 box fan from Wal-Mart is out, how about a $120 Honeywell air filter at the foot of the stairs, with the output pointing at the stove? Its a black column maybe 7" diameter, about three feet tall, has a HEPA filter in it. Moves almost as much air as a box fan, doesn't look trashy?

Alternatively, how about picking up three 8" biscuit fans that run on 120vac instead of 12vdc, frame up with birds eye maple or fiddle back walnut or some other fussy thing, and set that on the floor in front of the stoves on the floor blowing cold air into the stove cave fireplace thingies you are working? I would be comfortable running my A30 wide open throttle with such an arrangement on the floor perhaps 16-20 inches in front of the glass.

I ran a AAA-133 on a trio of barracudas finishing up my bachelors many many years ago, RAID 5. Triple 8" fans on 120vac delivered more than 10x the airflow of 6" 12vdc biscuits, I am sure such an arrangement would leave the 4" 12vdc fans on the factory A30 fan kit in the dust.

At the risk of belaboring the point, you aren't trying to heat the stone, or necessarily even the air in the house. Its the people in the house you want to keep warm, without the pipes freezing.

Best wishes.

What, couldn't sleep?

kennyp2339 · Oct 18, 2015

Siray13 said:
Has anyone looked at this? What do you think about the damage?

Wow, what happened to that thing, I hope it wasn't there stellar freight company they speak of in the ad. I wonder if the firebox is compromised.

kennyp2339 · Oct 18, 2015

Its Sunday morning, outside temp 27deg, inside is 71. Threw a full load of eastern white pine in about 12 hrs ago, cat still active, not much left in the fire box, burning just below setting #2. blower on lowest setting.
I was having a problem with the cat stalling (below setting #2, tail end of the burn), some smoke coming out the stack (at setting 2 1/2 through out the burn) I added another 3ft section to my chimney and it seems that all my problems disappeared, I think I had a weak draft that was causing the issues, I'm also noticing slightly higher stack temps (floating around 300deg, 18" above the stove collar)
I love burning pine in this stove, my old stove (US stove 2500) would just take off and the load would only last 4- 5 hours, 12hrs of useable heat from a lower btu wood, perfect in my book.

Swamp Fox · Oct 18, 2015

Yeah, I'm a "fair weather" friend or should I say a foul/cold weather visitor as I seem to only visit Hearth during the burning season. (I think I'm an old timer on this site, but can't remember when I first joined.). But I thought I would offer some info regarding my BK. If I remember correctly, back then us BK owners' comments regarding BK performance was met with some degree of skepticism. Things have surely changed since then!
Ten years of burning in my BK King...some notes and observations: I purchased my BKK in Dec 2005 and installed it in Jan. 2006. I live outside Charlotte, NC and, at the time, the nearest dealer was 260 miles away requiring one trip to order and another trip to pick up the stove. The stove cost $2500 +tax. Stove replaced an old existing non cat stove, requiring I only reconnect to existing chimney that is 12 foot from T to cap. The chimney is a SS liner in a brick chimney. I had the liner insulated in 2012. The stove came with a Sud Chemie Prototech Combustor. In 2006 I purchased a replacement Combustor to have on had if needed. It is still in the box and never removed. Last year, I cleaned the original Combustor for the first time using recommendations of distilled water and vinegar. This morning I started my first "break in" fire for the season. Combustor lit off and was red all across it.
In the beginning I had some questions regarding operation, Combustor performance, and replacement gaskets, etc. Even back then BKVP (Chris) was readily available to take my calls and answer my questions. (Glad he is still around and still providing guidance to BK owners.)
Living outside Charlotte, NC the winters would be considered mild. Usually beginning around end of Oct./beginning Nov. I run the stove 24/7 and heat an approx. 1500 square foot single story/ well insulated house. Burn season ends usually sometime in March. I average between two and two and one-half cords of wood per season (90% oak; 10% hickory and maple seasoned for three years or more). In mid Oct. is when I clean the chimney and stove in prep for new burn season. Every chimney cleaning has involved removing my double wall Dura Vent connector pipe, and cleaning chimney from top down with rods and wire brush. Every cleaning has consistently resulted in four to five cups of flakey/granular looking creosote. This year, I purchased a Soot Eater for chimney cleaning. Not sure of my confidence level in the Soot Eater I decided to first clean from bottom up (connector pipe removed) with the Soot Eater and measure amount of creosote and then clean from top down with rods and wire brush and measure again. Using the Soot Eater I collected four cups of creosote. Cleaning again from top down with rods and brush resulted in an additional
three-quarters of a cup of creosote. With only 3/4 cup of creosote being "missed" by the Soot Eater, I think future cleanings will be done with Soot Eater so I won't have to climb up on ladders and roof again (at 68 years of age, my confidence level on ladders has diminished through the years.).
Regarding gaskets. Through the years I have replaced all gaskets (door, glass, and bypass). I have noticed there is quite a bit of difference. Typical gaskets I have bought from local resources were really not high density. Even the ones I bought off the internet, labeled high density were not. Last year, I finally ordered replacement gaskets from BK and replaced all gaskets. In my opinion, there is a significant difference/improvement in seal with the BK factory gaskets. I didn't have to replace any gaskets during this years cleaning and inspection.
Final comment: through the years, info from those on this site have not only helped me with information regarding stove operation/burning, but have turned me on to Super Cedar Fire Starters, Soot Eaters and more. Many thanks to all!

BKVP · Oct 18, 2015

Siray13 said:
Has anyone looked at this? What do you think about the damage?

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Blaze-King-As...Stove-Metallic-Black-/361409225524?nav=SEARCH

Thank you for posting this link. It should be noted that in order for the unit to have sustained that much damage, significant damage may have also been done to the firebox. Blaze King does not sell cast parts, so if someone were to buy the units, they would have to weld or repair the unit on their own. Also, there would be no manufacturer warranty on the unit. We have seen freight damaged units that sustained enough damage they would not be safe to use in any circumstance. This is truly a buyer beware situation.

Chris

Ashful · Oct 18, 2015

Wow... lots of activity for one day. Will try to answer 'em all.

Poindexter said:
On my last year's model, a "30" not a 30.1 the correct TStat setting was for the hard stop to be at 6 oclock. Fairly simple adjustment, turn the tstat up to the hard stop, loosen the allen screw in the knob, twist the knob to six oclock, tighten the allen screw, done. If it is your 30.1 with the hard stop at 5 oclock I haven't read the correct answer to that on here yet, or I forget having read it.

Thanks. Mine are both Ashford 30.1's, based on the updated brick pattern and ash plug, but one does have an old "numbers" sticker on the dial. Just wasn't sure if there was a flat on that shaft, to which the knob keys, but I guess you're saying there's none.

Poindexter said:
I only have one stove, one fan kit. Given the caves your stoves are in I would probably just put the fan kit that blows the most air onto the stove that is in the harder part of the house to heat, put the slow one in the part of the house that is easier to heat and play with the fan kits on other Ashfords when visiting other homes.

I probably wasn't clear. The fan kits on both stoves have the same max speed, but one can be turned down about 3x farther than the other. One seems like it has very little adjustment range (i.e. "high" or "medium/high", no "low"). BKVP posted a procedure on how to adjust this, just gotta go back and dig it up, but wishing they did it at the factory, so I didn't have to take it apart and do it myself.

Poindexter said:
Nope, that won't be your problem. Put the tstat knob where you want it based on what clothes your wife is wearing.

We're running in different modes. Unless I start buying wood by the semi load, I'll never heat this place 100% with wood. So, I settle for the pace my sanity allows. That means 2 loads per day in the stove heating about 4000 sq.ft. , and 1 load per day in the stove heating about 2000 sq.ft. I know they won't keep up with the demand, at that burn rate, but I don't care. The oil-fired boiler will pick up the slack.

Poindexter said:
I thought of one other thing too Ashful. Please understand I am not trying to be condescending. Really I kinda feel maybe a little bit responsible for you choosing to replace your radiant Jotul's with convective Ashfords. Just a little.

lol... not even remotely! I was negotiating to buy an Ashford 30 in July 2012, two years before you joined the forum! BKVP had indicated I could have one by that fall, but then they had some delays in bringing the stove to market. So, I bought the second (and then third) Jotul F12 as a stop-gap measure. Then I had time to relax, and watch you guys work out the bugs, before buying two for myself.

Poindexter said:
I know you are a grown adult and an experienced engineer and made an informed decision based on multiple inputs, yada yada; but I am still going to feel a little guilty or sheepish if you don't love these stoves.

Not to worry... I'm loving the stoves! These little bugs are worth discussing, but don't take away from the fact that these are the most kick-ass performing stoves on the market today.

Poindexter said:
Imagine we house swapped in January, or at Xmas. Down to -20dF in my suburban shoe box I would encourage you to have the fan kit running, even just ticking over and set the tstat wherever feels good to you. At -30dF to keep the house comfortable you'll want the fan kit and the Tstat likely both at about medium. At -40df you'll want the tstat and and fan kit both at wide open throttle, but you'll still be reloading the stove on hot coals with no match or kindling required every twelve hours. Down around -45dF or -50dF the degree loss per hour on my insulation envelope crosses an exponential knee and you'll need to reload every 6-8 hours.

I can't even imagine what would happen to this joint at -20F... not to mention -50F! Holy crap. Minimum temperature in the 4 years I've been here is -4F. Good advice, but I'll need to add about 60F to each of your numbers. ;lol

Poindexter said:
Likewise, I would listen very carefully to what has worked for you in your stone monolith. I would even write it down and ask intelligent questions. Once your flight was wheels up I would turn both fan kits up to high to get the strongest possible convection current out of those caves, and adjust the house temperature with the tstat. I wouldn't fool with fractional setting like 0.8 or 0.6, I would only turn the tstat down to about 1 on the 30 dial or 1 oclock on the 30.1 dial. If the house was "too hot" with the Tstat at 1 (oclock) and the fan kit on the highest possible setting, only then would I relent and start slowing the fan kit speed down.

Hmm... I'll have to see how this goes. My hope was just keeping the fans on a very low setting, to get a little convection, without having to listen to their noise. Convective heat transfer coefficient is dependent on air velocity, but so is the temper

Poindexter said:
It could be that the factory fan kits on the A30, even a factory freak, may not make enough convection for you to fall head over heels, because of your unique situation.

If I were really pushing enough wood thru these stoves to try and carry the heat load of this joint, then I think you'd be on to something, here. However, given my plan to just run at a set rate of 2 loads per day to take load off the oil boiler (read, "oil bill"), I'm expecting the factory fans will keep up just fine. After all, I'm not putting so much heat out of either stove, and 12 or 24 hour burn rates, that those fans can't strip it off easily enough.

Poindexter said:
I recall in your "help me pick a new stove" thread last year we talked about putting a $20 box fan in the oldest part of the house at the foot of the stairs pointing at the stove cave. No I am not a stalker. This idea was a non-starter because of the aesthetics of colonial era housing. My dad and step mom used to own a c 1780 farmhouse in upstate NY. Besides the epic fireplace in the parlor, there was a tall narrow closet like thing about 3/4 of the way up the stairs to the bedrooms, let into the stone chimney, specifically for a muzzle loader with a wooden peg to hang a powder horn from and keep the powder dry, also convenient for answering the door in the middle of the night. They live in Sarasota now.

Sounds like a cool place! This house has remarkably few "character" items like this, although I've lived in many that do. This house was built by a Mennonite minister, and they were very plain folk, particularly ca.1770.

Poindexter said:
You probably own a lot of power strips to compensate for your lack of electrical receptacles and I can respect that as a lifestyle choice.

This old joint has been plumbed, HVAC'd, and wired as well as any new home. Some of the wiring is still pretty old (think 1940's cloth-wrap multi-conductor), but there's no shortage of receptacles. I even have a receptacle in the fireplace in the main part of the house, where I plug in the fan kit!

Poindexter said:
Given a $20 box fan from Wal-Mart is out, how about a $120 Honeywell air filter at the foot of the stairs, with the output pointing at the stove? Its a black column maybe 7" diameter, about three feet tall, has a HEPA filter in it. Moves almost as much air as a box fan, doesn't look trashy?

I have a little 8" desk fan that I put on the floor in an unused corner, which gets the job of circulation done. So far, the convection fan on the BK has been enough to not even pull that fan out of the closet, so far this season, but we'll have to see how it goes when it gets cold. We've only dipped below 30F once, and we're still seeing 50F - 60F days.

Poindexter said:
At the risk of belaboring the point, you aren't trying to heat the stone, or necessarily even the air in the house. Its the people in the house you want to keep warm, without the pipes freezing.

This is where the Jotuls failed. I believe a radiant stove in a stone house just can't work, and hope this year proves me right. Yeah, you want to keep the people warm, but you have to make the air warm to do that! You can make the air warm by heating it directly (convection), or by heating the objects with which the air is in contact (radiant). When those objects are infinite heat sinks, the latter will always fail.

Poindexter said:
Best wishes.

Thanks! Good advice.

BKVP · Oct 19, 2015

Ashful said:
Wow... lots of activity for one day. Will try to answer 'em all.

Thanks. Mine are both Ashford 30.1's, based on the updated brick pattern and ash plug, but one does have an old "numbers" sticker on the dial. Just wasn't sure if there was a flat on that shaft, to which the knob keys, but I guess you're saying there's none.

I probably wasn't clear. The fan kits on both stoves have the same max speed, but one can be turned down about 3x farther than the other. One seems like it has very little adjustment range (i.e. "high" or "medium/high", no "low"). BKVP posted a procedure on how to adjust this, just gotta go back and dig it up, but wishing they did it at the factory, so I didn't have to take it apart and do it myself.

We're running in different modes. Unless I start buying wood by the semi load, I'll never heat this place 100% with wood. So, I settle for the pace my sanity allows. That means 2 loads per day in the stove heating about 4000 sq.ft. , and 1 load per day in the stove heating about 2000 sq.ft. I know they won't keep up with the demand, at that burn rate, but I don't care. The oil-fired boiler will pick up the slack.

lol... not even remotely! I was negotiating to buy an Ashford 30 in July 2012, two years before you joined the forum! BKVP had indicated I could have one by that fall, but then they had some delays in bringing the stove to market. So, I bought the second (and then third) Jotul F12 as a stop-gap measure. Then I had time to relax, and watch you guys work out the bugs, before buying two for myself.

Not to worry... I'm loving the stoves! These little bugs are worth discussing, but don't take away from the fact that these are the most kick-ass performing stoves on the market today.

I can't even imagine what would happen to this joint at -20F... not to mention -50F! Holy crap. Minimum temperature in the 4 years I've been here is -4F. Good advice, but I'll need to add about 60F to each of your numbers.

Hmm... I'll have to see how this goes. My hope was just keeping the fans on a very low setting, to get a little convection, without having to listen to their noise. Convective heat transfer coefficient is dependent on air velocity, but so is the temper

If I were really pushing enough wood thru these stoves to try and carry the heat load of this joint, then I think you'd be on to something, here. However, given my plan to just run at a set rate of 2 loads per day to take load off the oil boiler (read, "oil bill"), I'm expecting the factory fans will keep up just fine. After all, I'm not putting so much heat out of either stove, and 12 or 24 hour burn rates, that those fans can't strip it off easily enough.

Sounds like a cool place! This house has remarkably few "character" items like this, although I've lived in many that do. This house was built by a Mennonite minister, and they were very plain folk, particularly ca.1770.

This old joint has been plumbed, HVAC'd, and wired as well as any new home. Some of the wiring is still pretty old (think 1940's cloth-wrap multi-conductor), but there's no shortage of receptacles. I even have a receptacle in the fireplace in the main part of the house, where I plug in the fan kit!

I have a little 8" desk fan that I put on the floor in an unused corner, which gets the job of circulation done. So far, the convection fan on the BK has been enough to not even pull that fan out of the closet, so far this season, but we'll have to see how it goes when it gets cold. We've only dipped below 30F once, and we're still seeing 50F - 60F days.

This is where the Jotuls failed. I believe a radiant stove in a stone house just can't work, and hope this year proves me right. Yeah, you want to keep the people warm, but you have to make the air warm to do that! You can make the air warm by heating it directly (convection), or by heating the objects with which the air is in contact (radiant). When those objects are infinite heat sinks, the latter will always fail.

Thanks! Good advice.

Ashful,

Each rheostat has a very small nylon adjustment screw to set the low (when the blades start turning) setting. You will need 15 minutes and a small jeweler's flat blade screwdriver. Just turn on the fan rheostat to the lowest setting, and adjust the screw to the point the blades are just turning nice and slow. We do set these at the factory, but there are multiple staff, each setting the "low" rpm. No two are precisely the same in their setting. You will need to take the fan assembly with the rheostat off (right hand side) as you face the stove. Look for the white or black nylon screw on the rheostat box. You are simply changing the impedance.

Stay warm!
Chris

Ashful · Oct 19, 2015

Thanks, Chris! That saved me some digging. Again, kickass stoves. Came down to 70F in one wing of the house, on a partial load, and 73F in the other. Easily exceeding the 24 hour burn times, to the point where I'm going to have to start figuring out what to do with coal build up.

Woody harrelson · Oct 19, 2015

BKVP said:
Ashful,

Each rheostat has a very small nylon adjustment screw to set the low (when the blades start turning) setting. You will need 15 minutes and a small jeweler's flat blade screwdriver. Just turn on the fan rheostat to the lowest setting, and adjust the screw to the point the blades are just turning nice and slow. We do set these at the factory, but there are multiple staff, each setting the "low" rpm. No two are precisely the same in their setting. You will need to take the fan assembly with the rheostat off (right hand side) as you face the stove. Look for the white or black nylon screw on the rheostat box. You are simply changing the impedance.

Stay warm!
Chris

I like the new avatar

mwhitnee · Oct 19, 2015

It was cold enough this weekend in Mass, down in the 30's so heat was needed. I think I loaded the stove 3 times. One load I was timing had serious coals at 23 hours. So much easier with better wood and a great stove.

How often do people here clean out the ashes? I thought it would be piling up after 7-8 loads but it really hasn't.

Poindexter · Oct 19, 2015

When the stove is running full time I usually burn down the coals as one of the Sat AM chores.

Just flip the lever to bypass the cat, open the tstat up to the 430-500 position. Every little while use that wrangler tool that comes with the stove to kinda heap the coals up in the middle of the stove. Sometime after lunch mine is usually burned down far enough to scrape a bunch of ash through the hole in the floor, rake remaining coals forward and do a hot reload into a warm stove, generally the cat is ready to engage but waiting for the fresh load to completely ignite.

Highbeam · Oct 19, 2015

mwhitnee said:
How often do people here clean out the ashes? I thought it would be piling up after 7-8 loads but it really hasn't.

That depends very much on wood species. With douglas fir I can go months of 24/7 burning before the ash has even begun to take a bite out of the nice 6" deep ash belly of the princess. The king gets a 9" ash belly. When you do remove ash it's not because the ash is spilling out of the door but because you can fit 4 or five more splits in the bottom and extend your burn time that much more when the ashes are gone.

Ashful · Oct 19, 2015

I've been running the one Ashford 24/7 for about 10 days (well, really two weeks with a 4-day break in the middle), and the ashes are pretty deep, to the point where I can really only fit 1 row of splits in under the cat frame. I'm burning nothing but oak, all seasoned 3 years. My splits are too large for this stove, tho, and I could likely fit more wood with smaller splits, or if they were cut short enough to do E/W in this stove.

Anyone out there using a 30.1 have comments on ease of ash plug removal / reinsertion? I tried it once, and found it pretty difficult, to the point where I think I might use shovel and bucket next time, rather than the ash pan. Another option might be modifying the removal tool, changing the 90-degree bend on the end to 45 degrees, to match the angle of the lifting strap on top of the plug. The 45 degree strap angle just doesn't seem to work with the 90-degree tool, as it doesn't allow me to get the plug to the right clocking orientation for reinsertion, without the tool hitting the edge of the door opening, if that makes any sense.

mwhitnee · Oct 19, 2015

Ashful said:
I've been running the one Ashford 24/7 for about 10 days (well, really two weeks with a 4-day break in the middle), and the ashes are pretty deep, to the point where I can really only fit 1 row of splits in under the cat frame. I'm burning nothing but oak, all seasoned 3 years. My splits are too large for this stove, tho, and I could likely fit more wood with smaller splits, or if they were cut short enough to do E/W in this stove.

Anyone out there using a 30.1 have comments on ease of ash plug removal / reinsertion? I tried it once, and found it pretty difficult, to the point where I think I might use shovel and bucket next time, rather than the ash pan. Another option might be modifying the removal tool, changing the 90-degree bend on the end to 45 degrees, to match the angle of the lifting strap on top of the plug. The 45 degree strap angle just doesn't seem to work with the 90-degree tool, as it doesn't allow me to get the plug to the right clocking orientation for reinsertion, without the tool hitting the edge of the door opening, if that makes any sense.

Yeah I wondered about that, just might be easier to shovel it out. I have not tried taking out the plug or using the ash pan yet though. The firebox is so big on the king it just seems to make sense to shovel it- plenty of room.

kennyp2339 · Oct 19, 2015

We are in a pretty good cold snap right now, low temps in the 20's highs in the forties, I was raking some leaves yesterday when the neighbor came over to say hi, he asked why I wasn't burning yet, with it so cold out, I told him I had a fire going 24/7 since Thursday night, he look at my chimney and said oh yea, where's the smoke then? He just couldn't figure it out lol.

begreen · Oct 19, 2015

Love it when you can take them inside the warm house to show them the stove burning warmly.

robk · Oct 19, 2015

Got our install done. Waiting on the hearth extension I ordered to schedule inspection.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1445306387.480624.jpg

MacinJosh · Oct 20, 2015

How many of y'all installed your own hearth pad and stove? Trying to decide if I want to try to install a King myself or hire a pro. How difficult of a DIY project are we talking here? I don't want to get in over my head. There used to be an old Buck stove in the house before I bought it but the owner removed it and patched the drywall in the ceiling where the flue was. Still have the flue from the ceiling up to the roof though it has seen better days. Would likely want to replace that as well.

Also, if there is a DIY thread I missed on here, feel free to send me the link.

Thanks!

Highbeam · Oct 20, 2015

mwhitnee said:
Yeah I wondered about that, just might be easier to shovel it out. I have not tried taking out the plug or using the ash pan yet though. The firebox is so big on the king it just seems to make sense to shovel it- plenty of room.

It's not just the huge firebox that makes the king much easier to live with it's that the king has a large portion of the firebox below the door. It has a "belly" 9" deep for ash to accumulate before it starts falling out of the door. The new stoves have mostly done away with the belly which requires the user to empty the ash more often.

BKVP · Oct 20, 2015

Belly Depth:

King models....... 9"
Princess Models....... 6"
Princess Insert......5.75"
Ashford 30.1, Sirocco 30.1, Chinook 30.1....2.75"
Ashford 20.1, Sirocco 20.1, Chinook 201.....2.75"
Briarwood II.......1.75"

mwhitnee · Oct 20, 2015

MacinJosh said:
How many of y'all installed your own hearth pad and stove? Trying to decide if I want to try to install a King myself or hire a pro. How difficult of a DIY project are we talking here? I don't want to get in over my head. There used to be an old Buck stove in the house before I bought it but the owner removed it and patched the drywall in the ceiling where the flue was. Still have the flue from the ceiling up to the roof though it has seen better days. Would likely want to replace that as well.

Also, if there is a DIY thread I missed on here, feel free to send me the link.

Thanks!

1) Start a new thread explaining your intentions and HAVE PICTURES of the stove room/venting/chimney.
2) Are you handy? If not you should probably have a pro do it.
3) Remember wood stoves are extremely heavy.

Highbeam · Oct 20, 2015

BKVP said:
Belly Depth:

King models....... 9"
Princess Models....... 6"
Princess Insert......5.75"
Ashford 30.1, Sirocco 30.1, Chinook 30.1....2.75"
Ashford 20.1, Sirocco 20.1, Chinook 201.....2.75"
Briarwood II.......1.75"

Average split width - 5". So yeah, a big difference. To be fair, the 2.75" is very much typical of other stove brands. It just ain't 9".

MacinJosh · Oct 20, 2015

mwhitnee said:
1) Start a new thread explaining your intentions and HAVE PICTURES of the stove room/venting/chimney.
2) Are you handy? If not you should probably have a pro do it.
3) Remember wood stoves are extremely heavy.

Thanks. Will do.

MacinJosh · Oct 20, 2015

Can you buy from Blaze King directly or do you have to go through a dealer? Any retail dealers that sell Blaze King like Rural King or Tractor Supply or is it just small business owners? Thanks

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