2015-2016 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)

Jeff in Maine said:

Above I made a mistake is the type of cedar I have here. We have Northern White Cedar not Eastern White Cedar I guess I was thinking of Eastern White Pine . As far as heating with soft wood yes I suppose fire is fire but I cannot see how pine would ever burn as long as Beech . If I ever talked like that around here I would be laughed out of the state I think .
You may be correct I would have to try it to see but,.. pine is pine and beech is beech the BK is a nice stove but pretty sure she aint magic.
I don't pay for any firewood I cut my own here. I have thousands of cords of wood on my property, I have about 300 cords of pasture pine ( field pine / scrub pine ) the main stem goes up about 10'-16' then it turns into a mass of limbs no good for anything really. I would love to get rid of it, if I have my property harvested next winter I am hoping the price of pine pulp is up enough for a contractor to make it a viable option to harvest it. They would take one grade 2 or 3 butt log ,..2 or 3 pulp logs maybe 8 foot long and about a 1/2 cord of limbs hopefully chipped. If I thought it would heat my house as good as hardwood that would be a good way to get rid of it, burn it up!

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I burn pine because my property is almost all pine.

That said, pine is a great firewood for shorter burns. I believe you personally have recently had a day when you wanted a hot fire that heated up the house fast and didn't coal up? That's pine's job! Split some up for next year. Seasons faster than oak, too. Much less BTUs per cord and shorter burns are the downside, but it's good to have both tools in your toolbox.

All those branches have great BTUs in them too, and burn fast and hot.

jetsam said:

I burn pine because my property is almost all pine.

That said, pine is a great firewood for shorter burns. I believe you personally have recently had a day when you wanted a hot fire that heated up the house fast and didn't coal up? That's pine's job! Split some up for next year. Seasons faster than oak, too. Much less BTUs per cord and shorter burns are the downside, but it's good to have both tools in your toolbox.

All those branches have great BTUs in them too, and burn fast and hot.

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yes I am going to put up a 1/2 - 3/4 cord of soft wood for next fall.

Jeff in Maine said:

Above I made a mistake is the type of cedar I have here. We have Northern White Cedar not Eastern White Cedar I guess I was thinking of Eastern White Pine . As far as heating with soft wood yes I suppose fire is fire but I cannot see how pine would ever burn as long as Beech . If I ever talked like that around here I would be laughed out of the state I think .
You may be correct I would have to try it to see but,.. pine is pine and beech is beech the BK is a nice stove but pretty sure she aint magic.
I don't pay for any firewood I cut my own here. I have thousands of cords of wood on my property, I have about 300 cords of pasture pine ( field pine / scrub pine ) the main stem goes up about 10'-16' then it turns into a mass of limbs no good for anything really. I would love to get rid of it, if I have my property harvested next winter I am hoping the price of pine pulp is up enough for a contractor to make it a viable option to harvest it. They would take one grade 2 or 3 butt log ,..2 or 3 pulp logs maybe 8 foot long and about a 1/2 cord of limbs hopefully chipped. If I thought it would heat my house as good as hardwood that would be a good way to get rid of it, burn it up!

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I live in a milder climate, my stove is properly sized for my space in my climate so I almost never run on high, or even reload during the day. Often I run on 24 hour cycles, we never have a problem with coaling. If you slowed your stove way down, pine will burn for a very long time in a BK. It's not magic, but if you are just burning smoke, then burn times are pretty incredible!

Beech as crap wood? I've got plenty of Oak and Hickory in my wood pile but I wouldn't bypass a Beech. In fact, on my property I cut them to save the Oaks and Hickory. They feed the wildlife, and in return, helps feed us!

But what would I know.? I have a Blaze King so a few BTU's either way don't make a big hill of beans to me

tarzan said:

Beech as crap wood? I've got plenty of Oak and Hickory in my wood pile but I wouldn't bypass a Beech. In fact, on my property I

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I was simply trying to make a point. Oak and hickory etc are so prevalent here that the lighter woods are less desirable to many. But those lighter woods would be sought after in other parts of the country.. For the record, I don't pass on any type of wood!

Jeff in Maine said:

Good morning everyone,
Sorry if I came off as a a-hole but I was pretty frustrated at the time. I was just telling my wife that we need to put up a pile of some sort of soft wood for next year.

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No problem.

Jeff in Maine said:

thinking maybe 3-4 cords or so.

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Fixed that for you.

Another thing you can do with a belly full of coals is just fill the box above the coals with however much softwood will fit, get it running good and turn the Tstat down to you comfort level.

I think of the cat probe as a volt meter. It tells me the potential of the cat, the voltage. When I am starting a new fire in a cold stove I am not running any amperage/ current / smoke through the cat, but I still know what the potential of the cat is.

When the burn is running good and the cat is eating a lot of smoke, the cat probe is showing me votls * amps = watts, total power.

In the coaling stage it is back to being just a volt meter. All very nice that the cat is hot enough to be active, but if i am not feeding it any smoke it is just a hot combustor, not a working combustor.

At my house it is a working (smoke eating) combustor that conducts a lot of heat into the top metal of the firebox where the fan kit and convection deck can strip it off to heat the air in the house. Sort of like rain makes corn and corn makes whiskey, smoke makes the cat work and the working cat makes, well never mind.

Poindexter said:

No problem.




Fixed that for you.

Another thing you can do with a belly full of coals is just fill the box above the coals with however much softwood will fit, get it running good and turn the Tstat down to you comfort level.

I think of the cat probe as a volt meter. It tells me the potential of the cat, the voltage. When I am starting a new fire in a cold stove I am not running any amperage/ current / smoke through the cat, but I still know what the potential of the cat is.

When the burn is running good and the cat is eating a lot of smoke, the cat probe is showing me votls * amps = watts, total power.

In the coaling stage it is back to being just a volt meter. All very nice that the cat is hot enough to be active, but if i am not feeding it any smoke it is just a hot combustor, not a working combustor.

At my house it is a working (smoke eating) combustor that conducts a lot of heat into the top metal of the firebox where the fan kit and convection deck can strip it off to heat the air in the house. Sort of like rain makes corn and corn makes whiskey, smoke makes the cat work and the working cat makes, well never mind.

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You don't need to "fix" my posts I meant 3/4 of a cord as in 75% of one cord.

So many people have been on edge and uptight lately. Lighten up, it's just a fire, burn it!

webby3650 said:

So many people have been on edge and uptight lately. Lighten up, it's just a fire, burn it!

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Better yet....take a picture of your pet in front of your BK and post it to the PRIZES thread.

BKVP said:

Better yet....take a picture of your pet in front of your BK and post it to the PRIZES thread.

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Dogs are dominating. Anyone got a ferret?

I'm working on getting a stove installed in a pond in the living room so I can submit a fish photo.

I've got plenty of pets in front of the stove; just lack the bk so far. Hopefully I fix that this summer with a princess. Really enjoying all the pictures though.

BKVP said:

Better yet....take a picture of your pet in front of your BK and post it to the PRIZES thread.

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I saw that thread Chris, made me a little teary eye'd..
Ya see, the morning of Jan. 23rd. our puppy, Moose died..
It was a record snowfall till it was done..
He was out playing in his 1st. real snow with the kids around 9;30 am. for 20-30 minutes, came in, and was ready for a nap, he was whupped, kids went back outside, he laid down, I petted him, he went to sleep...........He never woke back up..
He was a Cane Corso Mastiff, he weighed 60 lbs, and would have been 16 weeks old the next day...Awesome pup..
I think it hit me harder than the wife and kid..
Tore me up pretty good ......Were gonna get another one and love him just as much...
Sorry for the sad story, but it is life !!

BTW.......On a happy note:::
My BK King Ultra is happily heating a 5600 sq. ft. house, using probably 1/5th-1/6th. of the wood my OWB would be using...

showrguy said:

I saw that thread Chris, made me a little teary eye'd..
Ya see, the morning of Jan. 23rd. our puppy, Moose died..
It was a record snowfall till it was done..
He was out playing in his 1st. real snow with the kids around 9;30 am. for 20-30 minutes, came in, and was ready for a nap, he was whupped, kids went back outside, he laid down, I petted him, he went to sleep...........He never woke back up..
He was a Cane Corso Mastiff, he weighed 60 lbs, and would have been 16 weeks old the next day...Awesome pup..
I think it hit me harder than the wife and kid..
Tore me up pretty good ......Were gonna get another one and love him just as much...
Sorry for the sad story, but it is life !!

BTW.......On a happy note:::
My BK King Ultra is happily heating a 5600 sq. ft. house, using probably 1/5th-1/6th. of the wood my OWB would be using...View attachment 174942

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I know the breed, so I am very sorry to hear about your pup. Going back several years, my German Shorthair, Sage, was shown in nearly every Blaze King brochure. I did not even fire a shot the last time we hunted together and I still went home with two pheasants. She was that good, she could just catch them. It's tough.

showrguy said:

I saw that thread Chris, made me a little teary eye'd..

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Aww I have a dog named Moose too. She doesn't like the stove though! (Think it's the blower fan noise that puts her off.) Poor old lady is 14, on chemotherapy, and probably on the way out too. She's been a great dog though, and was well-named.

She is also Very Sweet.

After running with clean glass for a couple weeks we had some milder weather move in today. Mid 20's to mid 30's for the next few days. Will be nice to have black glass for a while.

Maybe premature but my mind starts wondering toward trimming the fruit trees then planting the garden about this time every year.

BKVP said:

I know the breed, so I am very sorry to hear about your pup. Going back several years, my German Shorthair, Sage, was shown in nearly every Blaze King brochure. I did not even fire a shot the last time we hunted together and I still went home with two pheasants. She was that good, should could just catch them. It's tough.

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After Labs (must stay loyal! ) the German Shorthaired Pointer is my favorite breed. I absolutely love the personality, disposition and work drive. Those are some intense, intelligent working dogs! I've loved every one I've ever met. A family down the street has a GSP and he and Sam are fast friends. If we walk past his yard and we don't see him, he barks for us to come over and say hi. He is in charge of watching over a house full of kids and I've never seen a dog happier with his job. GSPs are on my short list if we ever get another dog, although I do consider it carefully. We are active but (not due to any beliefs or convictions, just due to the directions life and career took us) we don't hunt. GSPs need a job and, even though we are active people and have access to water, I worry that we won't keep a GSP busy enough to be happy. But, we keep Sam busy enough, and that's saying something!

I am not as familiar with mastiffs. I've only met a couple but again, I loved the ones I met. I had the chance to meet the most loving Old English Mastiff when Sam was a puppy. He was a big gentle giant (about the size of a Shetland pony) watching over his human baby while Mom and Grandma got their things settled in the minivan. It was adorable. That baby will grow up as the safest baby on the planet, I'm sure, albeit covered in dog drool. My sympathies for your loss, Showrguy. If it's any consolation, Moose was loved, blessed and happy, and passed as peacefully and pain free as anyone could hope.

jetsam said:

Dogs are dominating. Anyone got a ferret?

I'm working on getting a stove installed in a pond in the living room so I can submit a fish photo.

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It's our only chance against that Dachshund picture!

Poindexter said:

I think of the cat probe as a volt meter. It tells me the potential of the cat, the voltage. When I am starting a new fire in a cold stove I am not running any amperage/ current / smoke through the cat, but I still know what the potential of the cat is.

When the burn is running good and the cat is eating a lot of smoke, the cat probe is showing me votls * amps = watts, total power.

In the coaling stage it is back to being just a volt meter. All very nice that the cat is hot enough to be active, but if i am not feeding it any smoke it is just a hot combustor, not a working combustor.

At my house it is a working (smoke eating) combustor that conducts a lot of heat into the top metal of the firebox where the fan kit and convection deck can strip it off to heat the air in the house. Sort of like rain makes corn and corn makes whiskey, smoke makes the cat work and the working cat makes, well never mind.

Click to expand...

Huh. Interesting. Never thought about it that way before. So basically, during a coaling phase, you have radiant heat, not a combination of radiant and combustion heat, which explains why a stove full of coals won't cut it in a challenging situation. Right?

All of this is expanding my way of thinking about heating with a wood stove. This is old school thinking, I guess, but back in the day we lived for getting that good bed of coals in the bottom of the fireplace or wood stove. It was almost to the point that burning the wood was the method one used to achieve coals.

But, back in the day, the major function of a wood stove was to act as a heat sink and a radiator.

I guess this is pointing out above all else that CAT stoves are a newfangled thing for me.

becasunshine said:

Huh. Interesting. Never thought about it that way before. So basically, during a coaling phase, you have radiant heat, not a combination of radiant and combustion heat, which explains why a stove full of coals won't cut it in a challenging situation. Right?

All of this is expanding my way of thinking about heating with a wood stove. This is old school thinking, I guess, but back in the day we lived for getting that good bed of coals in the bottom of the fireplace or wood stove. It was almost to the point that burning the wood was the method one used to achieve coals.

But, back in the day, the major function of a wood stove was to act as a heat sink and a radiator.

I guess this is pointing out above all else that CAT stoves are a newfangled thing for me.

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You need a bed of coals to ignite wet or green wood in the old noncats. Maybe you don't NEED it but it sure helps.

becasunshine said:

Huh. Interesting. Never thought about it that way before. So basically, during a coaling phase, you have radiant heat, not a combination of radiant and combustion heat, which explains why a stove full of coals won't cut it in a challenging situation. Right?

All of this is expanding my way of thinking about heating with a wood stove.

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I am learning a lot this year. it is my first season as a regulated burner in an EPA non-attainment area for air quality. I go outdoors to look at my stack plume a lot the last few months.

So you are coaling right? Big old bed of coals in the stove, thermostat on high, cat probe needle way up into the active zone, but the house feels kinda cold? Turn your fan kit off so the folks without convection decks can play too. Wait ten minutes.

Bundle up, go outdoors and look at your plume. Ought to be nearly invisible. You'll have to walk around some. Ideally the three points A) your eyeball B) top of the stack and C) primary light source ought to make a 90 degree angle, or as close as you can get, with the top of your stack as the apex.

Got a good look at it? Pretty clean huh?

K. Go back indoors. Flip the lever from engaged cat to bypassed cat. Don't change anything else. Wait ten minutes. Go back outdoors and look at your plume again.

No change huh? If your plume is still clean it is because your coals aren't making any cat food. The cat is hungry, but you are just teasing it having it all hot and bothered but nothing on the table to eat.

So go back in. Push everything to the back, rake the coals off the ash pile to the front, put one small split of dry softwood on top of the coals, close the door, re-engage the cat, wait ten or fifteen minutes, check your plume again. Then come back in and see if the house isn't noticeably warmer already.

I did this more or less all day one day during Christmas. One split burning hot/ full throttle is enough (my wood my stove my envelope) to keep the house warm at outdoor temperature X. It is a lot easier to load the stove, turn the Tstat to some lower setting and forget it for 12 hours. But if I have a bunch of coals built up I can burn one small split at a time loaded every two hours or so to keep the house warm while the coals are burning down.

I burnt about a face cord of poplar lately and I really think a root cause of problem coaling is sub-optimal fuel choice. If I could transplant the house I have in Alaska to say northern Indiana I would burn oak in the shoulder seasons when I could think about 24-36 hours between reloads and coasting on the coals. I would save my local Indiana pine for really cold weather when I didn't want a bunch of coals preventing me from filling the stove back up.

^^ Very enlightening.

So this is one of the advantages of a CAT stove. I was aware that CAT stoves wring more BTUs out of fuel by burning the products of combustion as well as the wood, but this is a detailed explanation of how that happens.

I get it on the coals vs. active wood burning with products of combustion for the CAT.

Thank you!

I think the fresh split engulfed in flames will increase the draft thus helping the coals burn quicker also.

Putting a nice piece of dry wood onto a big bed of red hot coals is an instant lesson in why a $10 pair of welding gloves is a good investment.

jetsam said:

Putting a nice piece of dry wood onto a big bed of red hot coals is an instant lesson in why a $10 pair of welding gloves is a good investment.

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I'm forever trying to pack every split of wood possible in a load to the point of searching for the perfect split to fill a certain spot in the stove. As a result I'm usually wearing a burn or two on my hands or wrist.

I've had a few pair of welding gloves but our Chocolate Lab is forever chewing the fingers out of every pair of gloves she can get ahold of. Inevitably, it will happen that she gets her chance so I just gave up on gloves for now.

I use these. The added length protects all the way to the elbows. Our engineers wear much more costly ones of the same design.