Found Kuma insert has OAK. Any other large inserts have OAK?

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Mr. Jones

Feeling the Heat
Oct 25, 2012
265
Kennewick, Washington
I know this is usually a free standing stove option. I've found a 10 year old model on CL for sale. I haven't heard much about them, and was wondering about it's burn times. It's a large box, but I've seen one person state he gets like 12 hour burn times with a huge cat stove, while BK boasts 30 plus. If this is true, what's with the huge difference? Does buck inserts have an OAK? Any others? Thanks.
 
Many large inserts have an OAK option. They can't be sold in certain states without it. BK stove owners seem to report the longest burn times. Note that this is during milder weather. When it's cold outside the burn times come down to close to the same as non-cat stoves.
 
Many large inserts have an OAK option. They can't be sold in certain states without it. BK stove owners seem to report the longest burn times. Note that this is during milder weather. When it's cold outside the burn times come down to close to the same as non-cat stoves.
Question. Is there any hybrid stove with both cat and secondary burn tubes for when it gets colder, to switch to the secondary tubes? Also, how are the burn times so different with the bk stoves? Aern't they about the same size, and same technology? 12 hours vs almost 40 hours? If the BK princess insert had an OAK, I'd just go with that and not think twice, but they don't.
 
That's curious considering it's made in WA. Pinging @BKVP on this question.

The big Kuma is a nice looking insert. Here is a recent post about this insert that you may find helpful.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/kuma-sequoia-insert-install.140772/
I don't think they're made here but I could be wrong. I think it's just the head quarters in walla walla now. I think they have 2 different manufacturing locations. One's in canada. The other I'm not sure about.
 
I don't think they're made here but I could be wrong. I think it's just the head quarters in walla walla now. I think they have 2 different manufacturing locations. One's in canada. The other I'm not sure about.
Both plants produce stoves. We watch material costs, labor costs and exchange rates closely. Ashfords are made in Walla Walla.
 
That's curious considering it's made in WA. Pinging @BKVP on this question.

The big Kuma is a nice looking insert. Here is a recent post about this insert that you may find helpful.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/kuma-sequoia-insert-install.140772/
The Princess insert does not have a provision for a fresh air kit. As for states that do not permit inserts to be sold if they do not have a fresh air kit, that I will look into. ( It is the law in all 50 states for mobile home solid fuel heaters) As for burn times, I have mentioned this before but here it goes again.

Our burn times always (90%+) exceed other units, regardless of shoulder season or dead of winter. Respectfully to BeGreen, the thermostat in our units provides a more even heat out put as a result of the continual adjustments taking place.

Look, cord wood is not a metered fuel. It's really that simple. When you have a stove that requires humans to adjust the amount of heat produced by the stove and you care to remember cord woods very nature and how it burns.

Put a thermocouple 30" above the flue collar of ANY stove with a manual air control, load 30lbs or whatever will fit into the firebox. Set the air control immediately to where you like it. Now go away for 6 hours. A chart recorder attached to the thermocouple will show erratic heat outputs. Not because of the brand name but because of the technology of a manual air control and the inherent way cord wood burns. By the way, we have done this many, many,many, many times. If you sit in front of the same unit and repeat the test, but include a digital reader and make continual adjustments to the manual air control, you can increase the burn times on EVERY SINGLE UNIT WE TESTED.

Do the exact same experiment with one of our stoves. You'll thank the Lord above the line is not your EKG! When you set the thermostat to the desired heat out put. 6-40 hours later check the chart recorder. Flat lined until it runs out of fuel. Think of the thermostat as a shock absorber.

Now this post might get censored because it is considered "promoting", but it doesn't change it from being thruthful.

Hopefully it will not be removed because it is in direct response to the question posted here in this thread.

By the way, we manufacture two manual air controlled units and other they both have the same erratic heat outputs as every one we have ever tested, and they say BK on them.
 
Thanks BeGreen, read the exceptions...
 
There are several postings on this stove. Do a search on Hearthstone Homestead. Note that there are several rear vent stoves that might work in this case and that soapstone is not the best for cooking on. Also, there are nice inserts that do project out further onto the hearth. What is the lintel height of the current fireplace and what insert is currently installed?

PS: What happened with the Kuma Sequoia?
 
The kuma doesn't stick out far enough. If I'm starting from scratch, I might as well learn as much as I can, and get one with all the features I want. 23 inch height. The one for sale was a 10 year old model. For a grand more, I can get a brand new one, and newer model.
 
23" is too low for rear venting stoves. Is there a raised hearth? Can you post a picture of the current setup?
 
Not sure how to make phone pics smaller, so the new site won't accept them now. Basically, I've got an old lopi upstairs. Downstairs we used to use the old 82 ish blaze king king. That's about as big as I can fit in my current setup on either fireplace. If there was such a thing as a newer EPA stove just like the blaze king that stuck out far enough for a kettle, and had OAK, I'd be happy. Top vent. The kuma was almost there, including the size, but just doesn't stick out far enough for me. There's an ash dump I think I can use for the outside air. Snake a hose through that and be done with it.
 
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