2015-2016 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)

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First time experiences, trials and observations often help other too. That is why certain statements like burn seasoned wood have become mantra.

I think there is a lot of us where if our stove had numbers, we would still struggle to get the point across to others "Set it to a 4." Trying to describe to someone "Listen for the *clink* sound of the air flapper, then adjust appropriately from there..." well, I might as well be trying to tell them how to split atoms.
 
Questions from a new Princess owner...... Thanks in advance!

Loaded 10 medium sized logs at 7PM last night. Set the stove on what I'd say is "low". Cat was glowing when we went to bed and at 4AM when I got up to...um...yeah...you guys know...

At 6 AM there was a good bed of coals....cat gauge was a good bit above active.....but the cat isn't glowing....

School me on if this is AOK, please. No mention in the operating instructions/etc. Not enough coffee in me to spend a few hours searching through posts. Thoughts? Just needs a reload? T-Stat set too low? Gotta be something simple.... but without the experience to know... um..yeah...

Lemme say this though... WOW...JUST WOW....

Thanks folks.
 
The cat doesn't need to glow to be working. It only glows above 1000*. As long as it is showing in the active, it's working.

It's referenced a couple times in this very thread ;)
 
.... I find that a little cumbersome since you basically start at 8 O'Clock (high) and end at 10 O'Clock (low)....

I am pretty sure that even on the swoosh stoves, the knob should not be going past the 6 o'clock position when turning to high. And there is no value in going past 1 o'clock-ish on low. Most stoves will close the flapper at 1 when they are cold, so a warm stove will close a bit above that.
 
The cat doesn't need to glow to be working. It only glows above 1000*. As long as it is showing in the active, it's working.

It's referenced a couple times in this very thread ;)

Thanks blueguy. I figured the info was here... but it's far too early to wade through 50 pages to find it.
 
Thanks blueguy. I figured the info was here... but it's far too early to wade through 50 pages to find it.

There's an easy way to get to the point and bypass a zillion pages on any bulletin board. In your Google search engine, type "cat glowing site: hearth.com" and you will immediately see the multitude of threads on this site that discuss glowing combustors. This method works well for any website if you want to find specifics :)


Edit: For it to work properly, take the space out from between the colon and hearth. For some reason, this forum keeps changing the colon and heart to a heart emoticon, so in order to bypass that, I put a space in.
 
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I'm pretty sure they do have some instructions. It says not to mess with it!;lol

Yeah yeah I know. I never can leave stuff alone. I did another adjustment and think I got it close. Called BK and left a message. Will see what they have to say on Monday. Word to the wise done mess with that set screw! But the thermostat is silky smooth now :)
 
Starting to think these BK's are as boring as pellet stoves. Takes the adventure out of wood burning. ;lol

Glad to see a back puff. At least something I can relate to.
This thread is also
 
Hi, all. I grew up with fireplaces and got my first wood stove back in August (a Blaze King Princess Insert). I have been burning it pretty much nonstop since then, and I've read a hojillion pages of stuff on the internet (including this whole thread!), but still have a few questions.

1) When reloading the stove hot, the manual says to put the thermostat at max, the fan off, wait 2 minutes, open the bypass, wait 2 minutes, and crack the door. The purpose of the procedure is to cool off the cat a little and introduce cool air slowly to avoid thermal shock to the cat, right? So why do the instructions say to turn the fan off before starting? Wouldn't the fan on high cool the firebox at the top, and therefore cool the cat a little before you crack the door? Wouldn't a better procedure be 'fan on high, thermostat on low, wait 2 minutes, open the bypass, thermostat on high, wait 2 minutes, crack the door' ? It seems like there'd be less chance of thermal shock that way, but maybe the procedure is accomplishing some other goal as well.

2) I haven't burned in really cold temperatures yet (I've been amazed by the low and slow capabilities of this stove, though). I have read that these stoves are able to burn on high for a full load. I've also read that direct flame impingement on the cat is Bad. ...if I put my thermostat at 50%, I'm going to have flames on the cat's intake. I feel like if I put the thermostat at 100%, I'd have flames out the chimney. =D I usually run it at ~5% on warm days (45-60F, what a december this has been), and ~10-25% on colder days (30-45F). How does one burn on high (or medium, for that matter) without having flames impinge the cat? Load a quarter load in the very back? Aside from "my cat is bathed in flames", how else do you tell how hot is too hot? I've read lots of posts saying that stovetop temp is not a good measure, and that the cat thermometer isn't good for checking internal temperatures.

3) The firebox has firebrick that extends up a few inches in the rear of the stove, and then the top of the firebox has no firebrick at the rear. Am I missing some bricks (I think not, because I don't see any kind of a retaining system for the 'missing' ones)? Is it OK if wood gets loaded into this area?

4) How do I sweep the chimney liner without pulling the insert out? Can I just open the bypass and sweep from the top? Won't a bunch of crud land up behind the cat, which you can't remove without buying a gasket? Is it possible to disassemble something inside the stove and get a plastic bag under the flue pipe?

I'd also like to apologize in advance if my percentage-based thermostat notation further confuses The Great Sticker Debate, but I wasn't sure the insert's thermostat had the same range of motion as other stoves, so I went with a percentage of the adjustable range rather than an "O'clock" notation. :)

Cheers, and thanks in advance!
 
I am pretty sure that even on the swoosh stoves, the knob should not be going past the 6 o'clock position when turning to high. And there is no value in going past 1 o'clock-ish on low. Most stoves will close the flapper at 1 when they are cold, so a warm stove will close a bit above that.
This is correct.
 
I'll leave the sweeping and flame impingement to others, but on loading:

1. The purpose of turning off the fan is simply to get an accurate reading off the cat probe thermometer. On some BK's, the fan blows air across an exposed portion of the cat probe thermometer shaft, and this affects the reading. I actually don't bother turning the fans off, as I always have them on the same speed, and know by now how much that off-sets the reading.

2. No problem loading above the brick. Load 'er full!
 
Yeah yeah I know. I never can leave stuff alone. I did another adjustment and think I got it close. Called BK and left a message. Will see what they have to say on Monday. Word to the wise done mess with that set screw! But the thermostat is silky smooth now :)
Claybe,

If you allowed or intentionally allowed the set collar, the one next to the thermostat body, to rotate on the axis of the rod, your thermostat cannot be calibrated in the field and it needs to be reset in our factory. If you are referring to the set screw in the knob itself, you should just turn the rod clockwise until it stops, set the white line if the knob pointing straight down at the floor and tighten the small Allen set screw.
 
Hi, all. I grew up with fireplaces and got my first wood stove back in August (a Blaze King Princess Insert). I have been burning it pretty much nonstop since then, and I've read a hojillion pages of stuff on the internet (including this whole thread!), but still have a few questions.

1) When reloading the stove hot, the manual says to put the thermostat at max, the fan off, wait 2 minutes, open the bypass, wait 2 minutes, and crack the door. The purpose of the procedure is to cool off the cat a little and introduce cool air slowly to avoid thermal shock to the cat, right? So why do the instructions say to turn the fan off before starting? Wouldn't the fan on high cool the firebox at the top, and therefore cool the cat a little before you crack the door? Wouldn't a better procedure be 'fan on high, thermostat on low, wait 2 minutes, open the bypass, thermostat on high, wait 2 minutes, crack the door' ? It seems like there'd be less chance of thermal shock that way, but maybe the procedure is accomplishing some other goal as well.

2) I haven't burned in really cold temperatures yet (I've been amazed by the low and slow capabilities of this stove, though). I have read that these stoves are able to burn on high for a full load. I've also read that direct flame impingement on the cat is Bad. ...if I put my thermostat at 50%, I'm going to have flames on the cat's intake. I feel like if I put the thermostat at 100%, I'd have flames out the chimney. =D I usually run it at ~5% on warm days (45-60F, what a december this has been), and ~10-25% on colder days (30-45F). How does one burn on high (or medium, for that matter) without having flames impinge the cat? Load a quarter load in the very back? Aside from "my cat is bathed in flames", how else do you tell how hot is too hot? I've read lots of posts saying that stovetop temp is not a good measure, and that the cat thermometer isn't good for checking internal temperatures.

3) The firebox has firebrick that extends up a few inches in the rear of the stove, and then the top of the firebox has no firebrick at the rear. Am I missing some bricks (I think not, because I don't see any kind of a retaining system for the 'missing' ones)? Is it OK if wood gets loaded into this area?

4) How do I sweep the chimney liner without pulling the insert out? Can I just open the bypass and sweep from the top? Won't a bunch of crud land up behind the cat, which you can't remove without buying a gasket? Is it possible to disassemble something inside the stove and get a plastic bag under the flue pipe?

I'd also like to apologize in advance if my percentage-based thermostat notation further confuses The Great Sticker Debate, but I wasn't sure the insert's thermostat had the same range of motion as other stoves, so I went with a percentage of the adjustable range rather than an "O'clock" notation. :)

Cheers, and thanks in advance!
The insert thermostat is opposite from the freestanding stoves.
 
Regarding the pre-open door checklist: besides cooling the cat, I believe turning the stat up is to heat the flue with the remaining fuel and hopefully avoid smoke spillage when opening.
 
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2) I haven't burned in really cold temperatures yet (I've been amazed by the low and slow capabilities of this stove, though). I have read that these stoves are able to burn on high for a full load. I've also read that direct flame impingement on the cat is Bad. ...if I put my thermostat at 50%, I'm going to have flames on the cat's intake. I feel like if I put the thermostat at 100%, I'd have flames out the chimney. =D I usually run it at ~5% on warm days (45-60F, what a december this has been), and ~10-25% on colder days (30-45F). How does one burn on high (or medium, for that matter) without having flames impinge the cat?

You're way overthinking things. The flame guard prevents flame impingement. Load it up, crank it up and burn away. Trust the designers and engineers ;)
 
Regarding the pre-open door checklist: besides cooling the cat, I believe turning the stat up is to heat the flue with the remaining fuel and hopefully avoid smoke spillage when opening.
Yes
 
Regarding the pre-open door checklist: besides cooling the cat, I believe turning the stat up is to heat the flue with the remaining fuel and hopefully avoid smoke spillage when opening.

I have found that the open stat just revs up whatever fuel is left to make more spoke to spill out of the door. It doesn't make enough heat to create enough heat for a strong draft.
 
I have found that the open stat just revs up whatever fuel is left to make more spoke to spill out of the door. It doesn't make enough heat to create enough heat for a strong draft.
My experience is different. No smoke spillage issue here, but I run on high while going to fetch wood to brighten up the remaining oaks for sorting them from the ash, and an easy start on the new fuel.
 
My Tstat knob spins freely well beyond the confines of the swoosh...so I just stay within the swoosh?

Nope. Turn the tstat all the way open to the stop, loosen the set screw (be careful not to turn the shaft at all), point highest point of swoosh at 6 o'clock and retighten set screw.

Edit: all the tstats turn well past the lowest setting counter clockwise - this is normal.
 
My Tstat knob spins freely well beyond the confines of the swoosh...so I just stay within the swoosh?
As stated by blueguy, max setting is straight down, 6 o'clock. The knob will spin "lower" than the swoosh, but turning it down past maybe 2 o'clock position has no effect. Essentially, find the spot where you hear the internal damper click shut on a cold stove, and that's your lowest functional setting.
 
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For reloads I disengage the cat, turn off the fan, turn the Tstat to high and go feed the cat.

When I come back in a few minutes I can open the door without smoke spillage or smoke rollout or what have you, and I have a pretty good draft established to get the new pieces lit off quick...

Restart the fan kit when the cat is re-engaged and clearly taking off.

When my wood is dry enough I leave the fan kit running during the reload sequence, this year my wood pile isn't that dry.
 
For those with the same one-track mind as I, he means felinus domesticus.

Indeed. As a substitute one might as well go fed the Canus familiaris or make a pot of coffee.
 
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