2015-2016 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)

[Woody harrelson]

I have to look through the glass with a flashlight to see what the hell is going on. hahaha that's a low and slow fire

 

[mwhitnee]

I never shut mine down either.

Lol doubt it really matters much. It's so crappy out here.

 

[Woody harrelson]

Lol doubt it really matters much. It's so crappy out here.

yeah but we got lucky with how the hurricane went thank god!

 

[mwhitnee]

I have to look through the glass with a flashlight to see what the hell is going on. hahaha that's a low and slow fire

Ditto. It's more like a wood evaporator than a wood burner.

One forum member said the glass looked like dragon eyes- I now see why. I can see the cat glowing very even.

The house is very warm! Almost getting blasted out of the room, which means when it gets really cold I should be pretty good here.

The best thing will be on the cold mornings where I come down and pack the stove rather than wondering if I have to light it again.

 

[Woody harrelson]

I'm curious what everyone's stove top temps are when they have the stove setup for a 24hr burn. Are you able to keep a 500 stove top temp and still get a 24hr burn. Are you higher or lower then 500? Thanks

 

[Woody harrelson]

Also when do you consider the burn is over? When the cat goes inactive? When the stove top temp drops below a certain temp? Etc.

 

[Poindexter]

I don't measure my stove top temps. When my wife reaches for socks or long pants or etc its time to load the stove, or turn up the tstat.

I love that I probably will not have to light the stove again until March, pauses to brush the flue excepted.

 

[turbojoe]

from what I have read a better draft will allow you to run a lower thermostat setting, but like I said, it's only what I have read

At 12' mine doesn't like to be run much under 1.5.... I would imagine there are slight differences from stat to stat and wood is also a factor.
Not that it won't operate on 1. it will just stall eventually.

 

[turbojoe]

I'm curious what everyone's stove top temps are when they have the stove setup for a 24hr burn. Are you able to keep a 500 stove top temp and still get a 24hr burn. Are you higher or lower then 500? Thanks

You could probally hold 500 ST on a King for that long
On my Princess i call it when it drops below 300 ST.. It will run 500 during the middle of the run but will drop back into the 300 range for the last 3 to 5 hours... and that is a guess because outside temp makes a big difference.
This time of season a good bed of coals could produce 300 ST for hours

 

[Highbeam]

Measuring stove top temp on a bk cat stove is a almost a waste of time. The cat is the heat source during most burn rates but on high rates the web firebox makes heat. Since that hot cat, think 1000+, is right under the stove top measuring stt will just be an indirect measure of cat temp. So that hot spot on top will always be 500-700 but what's important is how much of the rest of the stove is 500-700. Was it this thread that showed the pic of a new stove top with flat paint just in a circle above the cat?

 

[turbojoe]

Measuring stove top temp on a bk cat stove is a almost a waste of time. The cat is the heat source during most burn rates but on high rates the web firebox makes heat. Since that hot cat, think 1000+, is right under the stove top measuring stt will just be an indirect measure of cat temp. So that hot spot on top will always be 500-700 but what's important is how much of the rest of the stove is 500-700. Was it this thread that showed the pic of a new stove top with flat paint just in a circle above the cat?

Good point Highbeam. I didn't think to ask were it was being measured.
And yes that was a break in post that had that pic.

 

[Highbeam]

Thank you. It's just been cruising at 500 stove top temp all morning and putting out a lot of heat. Have fan on medium and ceiling fans in the room (big room) and it's starting to disperse the heat nicely throughout the house. In the 40s here in mass and rainy/windy.

Chimney has some smoke coming out of it but not too bad, kinda wispy smoke. I would imagine i would see more smoke given the weather?

I did the first break in and cooled it down but just kept running the stove in the morning, bringing it back to temp. Didn't really feel I have to shut the stove down.

When the cat stalls that means your fire isn't making enough heat and smoke for it to stay active. Usually it's because you turned it down too low. The next issue is your wood quality. Wet or green wood requires more air. Finally draft. This time of year draft is weak due to warm outside temps so a higher setting is needed. If the cat temp is active and the stove cruising along then there should be no smoke. Steam from wet wood is white, smoke is usually blue.

 

[mwhitnee]

When the cat stalls that means your fire isn't making enough heat and smoke for it to stay active. Usually it's because you turned it down too low. The next issue is your wood quality. Wet or green wood requires more air. Finally draft. This time of year draft is weak due to warm outside temps so a higher setting is needed. If the cat temp is active and the stove cruising along then there should be no smoke. Steam from wet wood is white, smoke is usually blue.

This is all great info Highbeam thank you. I noticed no smoke when it stopped raining here.

I'm just wondering how to prevent over firing the stove, and i figure i need to accurately measure the stove"s temp somehow.

I need a way to know how far I can push the stove- I know when it gets colder heating this 2400 sq foot house with one stove won't be as easy.

 

[blueguy]

The tstat will prevent the stove from over firing once the bypass is closed.

 

[mwhitnee]

The tstat will prevent the stove from over firing once the bypass is closed.

Whaaat? So I can just crank it up all the way with a full load of wood and not have to worry about it? Are you saying that it's essentially "over-fire proof" by design?

 

[tjcole50]

Can anyone confirm if the princes insert can only accept 16" wood at the bottom of the box? Having a monster pile of 18-20" rounds sucks if so. Anyone know the exact dimensions of the fire box? L/w/h?

How long does thr princess insert cruise at 600 st? I dont know a whole lot about cat stoves but is that cat temperature used as far as the blower felt heat if that makes sense

 

[blueguy]

Whaaat? So I can just crank it up all the way with a full load of wood and not have to worry about it? Are you saying that it's essentially "over-fire proof" by design?

Yup. If you do a search here, you'll see. To further reinforce, I have a fire going right now, and I had the stat full open with the bypass closed for about 45 mins to try and clean the cat, and the flue temps didn't go over 800, with the stove top getting to 600 at the edge.

 

[Poindexter]

At 12' mine doesn't like to be run much under 1.5.... I would imagine there are slight differences from stat to stat and wood is also a factor.
Not that it won't operate on 1. it will just stall eventually.

I ran 13'6" of pipe all year last year. It was enough in cold weather, but the stove was really tempermental at low tstat settings, I seem to recall it settled down below freezing and ran great below 0dF, when I wasn't really using low settings anyway.

I added two feet of pipe over the summer, A30 manual calls for 15' minimum, I got to 15'6". Stove runs like a dream on low settings with the outdoor ambients in the +40s dF and the Tstat at 1 oclock.

 

[jeff_t]

Measuring stove top temp on a bk cat stove is a almost a waste of time. The cat is the heat source during most burn rates but on high rates the web firebox makes heat. Since that hot cat, think 1000+, is right under the stove top measuring stt will just be an indirect measure of cat temp. So that hot spot on top will always be 500-700 but what's important is how much of the rest of the stove is 500-700. Was it this thread that showed the pic of a new stove top with flat paint just in a circle above the cat?

I've seen the stovetop at 500+ over the cat at low burn, with the front of the stove under 350. I've also seen the same 500-550 at high burn with the front of the stove over 750.

 

[Poindexter]

Whaaat? So I can just crank it up all the way with a full load of wood and not have to worry about it? Are you saying that it's essentially "over-fire proof" by design?

Yup. I ran mine at wide open throttle from mid December in to early February last winter. Most of the time I was loading every 12 hours, when it was really really cold out with the fan kit on high and the house fan on high to get warm air back to the bedrooms I was filling the box with birch at 0530 and 1900ish, and filling the box with spruce at 0200 and 1600ish.

Didn't even discolor the enamel.

 

[turbojoe]

I ran 13'6" of pipe all year last year. It was enough in cold weather, but the stove was really tempermental at low tstat settings, I seem to recall it settled down below freezing and ran great below 0dF, when I wasn't really using low settings anyway.

I added two feet of pipe over the summer, A30 manual calls for 15' minimum, I got to 15'6". Stove runs like a dream on low settings with the outdoor ambients in the +40s dF and the Tstat at 1 oclock.

Same here, ran great below 40F. It's running today on 1.5 @ 50F outside. Can't complain,with only 12'
I probally should get it to 15' before winter.

 

[drz1050]

Same here, ran great below 40F. It's running today on 1.5 @ 50F outside. Can't complain,with only 12'
I probally should get it to 15' before winter.

Straight shot up, or do you have any elbows?
Same question for you, Poindexter...

Just had an Ashford installed here, height is right about 16' with 2 30 deg elbows in the attic space.

 

[turbojoe]

Straight shot up, or do you have any elbows?
Same question for you, Poindexter...

Just had an Ashford installed here, height is right about 16' with 2 30 deg elbows in the attic space.

Straight shot here.
I would think you will be alright with the 30's

 

[tigger]

I threw 1/3 of a load into my princess around 11:00 am this morning and it's still cruising along. It's been in the high 40's and raining most of the day. Nice and toasty in here.

 

[mwhitnee]

Yup. I ran mine at wide open throttle from mid December in to early February last winter. Most of the time I was loading every 12 hours, when it was really really cold out with the fan kit on high and the house fan on high to get warm air back to the bedrooms I was filling the box with birch at 0530 and 1900ish, and filling the box with spruce at 0200 and 1600ish.

Didn't even discolor the enamel.

That's really great news. One less thing to worry about. Ill be burning cherry all season.

15 hours later my stove is still going and a good amount of wood is left. House is very warm.