2015-2016 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)
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HarvestMan
Burning Hunk
The liquid angle makes it a bit difficult to read as you need to go by the middle for the scales to match at zero - but I guess not so hard to do. And now that you know this, what do you differently with the controls on your stove?
drz1050
Minister of Fire
Regarding the bypass plate replacement: is the plate removable on the newer stoves? Mine is an Ashford 30.1. I was checking it out the other day, and there's not much wiggle room.. the tabs welded to the corners prevent it from turning sideways.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
Yes, in fact it is easier than older models because the baffle plate behind the cat is moveable. You must lift one of the short ends up and keep opposite end down. This takes advantage of the diagonal increase measurement.
drz1050
Minister of Fire
baffle plate: that plate that swings on the hinge just behind the cat probe?
There are tabs that hold the welded nubs from being lifted up much... they looked to be removable if I took the cat out, but didn't want to go that far just yet. End of the season I will.
There are tabs that hold the welded nubs from being lifted up much... they looked to be removable if I took the cat out, but didn't want to go that far just yet. End of the season I will.
You read it by using the trailing edge of the liquid.
I won't be running my stove any differently, it's just for my own reference.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
Yes and the tabs are retainers. When you pull the cat, they are removable. We designed it so no tools are needed to disassemble, although a pocket knife make it easier.
becasunshine
Minister of Fire
Hello, is the BKVP online at the moment? We need help here, pretty quickly if available.
Please message us if you are here. We also have a call into our stove shop.
Thank you!
EDITED TO ADD: Stove shop contacted, problem solved. We are OK.
Please message us if you are here. We also have a call into our stove shop.
Thank you!
EDITED TO ADD: Stove shop contacted, problem solved. We are OK.
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BKVP
Minister of Fire
becasunshine
Minister of Fire
Not a problem, we are OK.
Hubs and I were just discussing the need to get back to this thread.
One simply does not send up the Blaze King bat signal, invoke the Blaze King VP on Hearth.com and then walk away without explanation, whether one is OK or not.
Had a problem with the damper/burn control settings knob. Took a bit to sort it out. Stove wanted to burn hot last night and today anyway. A cold weather front blew in last night with very dry air and steady high winds right off of the water, and we are burning seasoned dry wood.
Today we kept turning the knob back and turning it back and the stove was still going strong. Just about the time we both started speaking our minds about it, to the effect that it doesn't matter how windy it is outside or how dry this wood is, we need to be able to shut this stove down if we need to do so, I noticed that we had no back stop on the control knob. That's when we realized that we could spin the knob 360' without stopping, and with no effect on the air supply to the stove.
Fortunately we didn't have a blast furnace sized load of wood in the stove, so while it was burning hot it didn't have enough fuel on board to run away from us, but that is a helpless feeling, not being able to shut the stove down. That's why I sent up the BK bat signal in both directions, here and with a call to our stove shop.
Didn't occur to either of us to look at the shaft to which the knob is attached, to see if that was turning at all while we were spinning the knob.
Fortunately our stove shop is super responsive and the owner was on the phone with us within minutes. With his instructions, Hubs took the knob off and turned the shaft with a wrench to shut the air down to the stove. That worked quickly, and a few minutes later the stove was cool enough for Hubs to reinstall the knob properly.
No harm, no foul, and the glass on the stove and the chimney are clean now.
<:3~
blueguy
Feeling the Heat
Yet another reason to love the thermostat. I can remember the first time I did the one hour, let er' rip shoulder season burn off . I realized then how well the thermostat controls the burn. Can't tell you how many times I was surprised by what my smoke dragons and tube stove were doing when I'd sneak up on them in the middle of the night. No surprises with the BK though. Boringly reliable helps me sleep!
becasunshine
Minister of Fire
becasunshine
Minister of Fire
Yes, bypass was closed the whole time. Obviously we were within CAT activation range 
so that wasn't an issue. We both remember BKVP advising strongly against letting the stove go wide open without the bypass engaged so we never do that- as soon as the needle says CAT active we engage the bypass.
Like all of you we continue to be impressed with this stove.
As soon as the stove shop owner mentioned the screw that tightens down the knob, both of us were all "OH FOR PETE'S SAKE" at ourselves.
We really should have been able to figure that out on our own, simply by looking at the adjacent shaft.
Oh well, this is our first wood stove all on our own. I'm thinking back to the old school wood stoves that family had back in the day. I don't remember fiddling around with the dampers on those, but for some reason I *think* I remember more of the rod type damper controls. But, I could be referencing our Napoleon pellet stove and confusing the two.
so that wasn't an issue. We both remember BKVP advising strongly against letting the stove go wide open without the bypass engaged so we never do that- as soon as the needle says CAT active we engage the bypass.Like all of you we continue to be impressed with this stove.
As soon as the stove shop owner mentioned the screw that tightens down the knob, both of us were all "OH FOR PETE'S SAKE" at ourselves.
We really should have been able to figure that out on our own, simply by looking at the adjacent shaft.Oh well, this is our first wood stove all on our own. I'm thinking back to the old school wood stoves that family had back in the day. I don't remember fiddling around with the dampers on those, but for some reason I *think* I remember more of the rod type damper controls. But, I could be referencing our Napoleon pellet stove and confusing the two.
Not sure how true this is for everyone. I have forgotten to turn mine down after reload and the stove top got up to 860 with no sign of slowing down. Bypass was closed. It scared the hell out of me. I'm not sure how hot is too hot for this stove, but that seems excessive. My wood is usually below 10% moisture content which may be the issue.
I'm assuming your stovetop temp was taken directly above the cat? That's a common high temp in that location, move it to one side of the stovetop for a more average temp reading. Usually about 650.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
If you measure directly over the cat, then temps as high as 900 may be seen. Dry wood, excellent draft and all being equal, such temps are o.k. Remember, the cat gets to 1,200F or higher.....
Ok, thanks. This is my first wood stove in my second year, so I still have a lot to learn. That's why I love this site. The manual doesn't specify max temps or where to measure them. I just found the hottest spot (over the cat) and went with that. I ran almost all of last season without a thermometer until I started wondering whether I was burning hot enough (I wasn't). No buildup in the chimney yet though. I cleaned every month last year. I cleaned after the first cord this year and barely got anything out.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
The over the counter thermometers have a wide range or margin of error. The IR guns seem to be more consistent. What we all need is one of those FLIR cameras!
I've had two Fluke IR guns. Both were destoyed at work. I guess I'm just not interested enough to purchase another. I'm with you on the FLIR camera though. Lots of different uses for them. I knew I guy that used one to find an infection on his horse.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
They work for all sorts of stuff....like measuring exhaust gas temps from a BBC set of custom headers. Tells you which cylinders may be running a little hotter than others.
Maybe I could take a picture of my wife while she is standing there with arms crossed to see if she is heated!
Maybe I could take a picture of my wife while she is standing there with arms crossed to see if she is heated!
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