2015-2016 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)
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MacinJosh
Feeling the Heat
Well that's not good.
I was getting some Pacific Energy parts from a dealer that didn't sell BK one day, and I was whining about the trouble I had finding a BK dealer that would order parts for me. He said he could get any part or stove I wanted through his distributor, he just wasn't a Blaze King dealer.
Might pay to ask around. And unless something has changed, BK's dealer locator isn't especially accurate.
Several members have run into this problem with the "dealer locator" then called BK and gotten a list of recommended dealers that did not show up on the locator.
They're nice folks, speak English with a WA accent, and will answer the phone to talk with you.
MacinJosh
Feeling the Heat
So I called Blaze King and she confirmed the nearest dealer to Louisville is in Columbus, IN (ironically my hometown). [emoji36][emoji36][emoji36]
She was going to check with someone else there and get back to me. Surely to God there has to be someone in the area that deals Blaze King. They're not a tiny brand are they?
A local guy here that gets fantastic reviews and did my fireplace sweep last year deals with Regency stoves. Don't know much about them.
Anyway, hoping to hear something back from Blaze King. I emailed the Columbus guy just on the long shot they service all the way down here. About 1h15m away. Doubt it.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
If you do an Ashford 30.2, where you replace this ashpan with an extra 6" of belly, you could sell me two more stoves. [emoji12] Given the difficulty of getting the ash plug out and back in, versus just shoveling out the stove, I'd rather just have the extra belly depth!
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Poindexter
Minister of Fire
I think y'all east coasters ought to be pinging webby#### (3650 maybe? he hasn't posted lately.)
Anyroad, IIRC webby is a BK dealer far enough east to have access to multiple hardwoods, and plenty of experience burning down those coals.
In my situation I "need" wood with short coal times so I can reload fresh splits. If I end up moving to CT or MD or etc, yup, i am going to order in a Blaze King and learn to deal with hardwood coaling stages.
I think if BK changes the firebox dimension they would have to put the new firebox through the entire EPA cert process again, but if they get good market penetration and you guys are all struggling with it , then it might be worth their time and trouble... Just saying, I look forward to webby's remarks...
In the meantime you may want to put some birch and spruce in your stacks for next winter, nice short coaling stage and minimum ash, at the end of the day all the EPA cert stoves out there today ran the EPA test on Doug Fir crib wood.
FWIW about 120 MBTU is about all I can get out of my single A30 in a 8 month burn season. You are going to be burning some oil this winter I see.
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Poindexter
Minister of Fire
I do remember once last winter I couldn't get my coals burnt down fast enough. I shoveled out baseball sized chunks of red hot coals, dozens of them, to make room for fresh splits so I could get more heat out of the stove faster. It was -48dF and dropping at the time.
Isaiah53
Member
I purchased my Ashford 30 in this fashion through a non-dealer. Mostly because I was very comfortable with the service I was getting from the local shop with my primary heating system. It was considerably more expensive in my case, but it can be done.
That same dealer also has a store somewhere further south, can't remember where. They also don't display anything in Columbus, they are primarily a chimney sweep business. They recently picked up the line.
MacinJosh
Feeling the Heat
MacinJosh
Feeling the Heat
Still haven't heard anything back from Blaze King yet and I did a dealer search for the entire state of Kentucky. BKVP, any advice? Surely I'm not the first person in the state of Kentucky in need of a BK dealer.
The rest of you Kentuckians that have BK stoves, how did you go about acquiring yours? Looks like I'm heading towards DIY whether I like it or not.
The design and efficiency of the BK line is what I found appealing along with all the positive reviews here. Maybe I need to branch out and look at other brands that my local delaers support like Regency. What say y'all?
The rest of you Kentuckians that have BK stoves, how did you go about acquiring yours? Looks like I'm heading towards DIY whether I like it or not.
The design and efficiency of the BK line is what I found appealing along with all the positive reviews here. Maybe I need to branch out and look at other brands that my local delaers support like Regency. What say y'all?
Surely theres a dealer in KY..
We've got most BKs on display and in stock if you wanted to make a road trip to Bloomington, IN. We travel to extreme southern IN, but haven't ever went into KY. Wouldn't be possible this time year anyway.
MacinJosh
Feeling the Heat
Might do that. Still got plenty of family in Columbus so we head north often and I was just in Nashville at Brown Co. park for a wedding. Bloomington ain't that far away off 46. Do you own a shop there? Do you install BK stoves? Thanks.
*EDIT* I see the Fireplace Center. Nice website.
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drz1050
Minister of Fire
So need a little advice.. I currently have marginal draft on my Ashford 30.1. It's ok, but there's a good amount of smoke, and the cat has stalled with a load of envi blocks. Running 15'8 of pipe with 2 30s in the attic. Going to be adding a couple feet, but how much to add? Was going to put another 2' section on top, but not sure if a little 2' would really make a difference? Should I add 4' instead?
drz1050
Minister of Fire
So need a little advice.. I currently have marginal draft on my Ashford 30.1. It's ok, but there's a good amount of smoke, and the cat has stalled with a load of envi blocks. Running 15'8 of pipe with 2 30s in the attic. Going to be adding a couple feet, but how much to add? Was going to put another 2' section on top, but not sure if a little 2' would really make a difference? Should I add 4' instead?
Deeper belly in place of the ashpan means a bigger firebox. Hmmmm, an Ashford "king". I am a big fan of extra large cat stoves since they have the almost the same low output as a small cat stove but with a fuel tank almost twice as big for burn times almost twice as long. What's not to like? Slightly more cost, slightly bigger footprint, the 8" flue on BIG models.
Your old jotuls like some other cast iron stove designs probably had a pretty superior ash pan and grate system. The BK system suffers most IMO from a tiny ash pan that fills up with only a small amount of ashes and of course that plug. The reason I've used it a few times now is that it really does minimize ash flyout compared to shoveling into a bucket. Ash flyout makes a mess and an unhappy wife.
Regency is one of many American manufacturers of plate steel, and a couple cast iron looking non-cat stoves, they also have that one 5100 model hybrid stove that has good specs but no so good reviews. They will not have the long burn times nor the efficiency of a blaze king. They will be cheaper.
I would travel to pick up the BK and hire a local company to install. I have never been back to my BK dealer for anything.
After 5' above the roofline you need to add braces to the roof. Certainly go up to the 5' line at a minimum. Above that it can get a little funny looking and hard to clean from the top.
Hello Blaze Kinger's . I have an 8 inch pipe on my old stove, so I am looking at the King model because I don't want the expense of changing the chimney.
However I am worried that the King might put out too much heat. The heat comes in handy when it is super cold and the power goes off, but as the stove is beside our dining/living area if it gets too hot when outside temperature is around the freezing mark we won't use it. (Which is the issue with our current stove that does not really damper down)
Blaze King state that the low BTU rate is 15, 475. I am wondering if I will have any success burning at a lower rate with a smaller fire or bigger damper.
We do live in soft wood country so that should help. Fir and hemlock mostly.
Also I am wondering about the fresh air kit. Will the stove burn hotter or cooler with the fresh air? I am probably looking for less performance. I am also thinking a blower is a good idea but have the same question with it.
The other option is to go with the 6 inch model and convert to my 8 inch pipe and see how that works. I have about 12 different opinions from 8 people on that issue.
Thanks!
However I am worried that the King might put out too much heat. The heat comes in handy when it is super cold and the power goes off, but as the stove is beside our dining/living area if it gets too hot when outside temperature is around the freezing mark we won't use it. (Which is the issue with our current stove that does not really damper down)
Blaze King state that the low BTU rate is 15, 475. I am wondering if I will have any success burning at a lower rate with a smaller fire or bigger damper.
We do live in soft wood country so that should help. Fir and hemlock mostly.
Also I am wondering about the fresh air kit. Will the stove burn hotter or cooler with the fresh air? I am probably looking for less performance. I am also thinking a blower is a good idea but have the same question with it.
The other option is to go with the 6 inch model and convert to my 8 inch pipe and see how that works. I have about 12 different opinions from 8 people on that issue.
Thanks!
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drz1050
Minister of Fire
I already have roughly 4' above the roof. Any extention is going to require a brace, I know that... wondering if 2' would do me any good, or should I do 4?
The folks that have done it report that even 2' is a noticeable difference. If I were you I would go buy a cheap section of single wall pipe (even hvac duct) and temporarily shove it into the top of your class A to test the difference. You can buy a 4 foot chunk and then cut it down to 2' to test the difference.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
See Highbeam's post 594, just a few up from yours, in which he addresses this issue. His answer is spot-on, in that you almost can't go too big with a BK... they can be run at remarkably low output temps.
And yes, Highbeam, an ash pan without a grate feels almost entirely useless, after running that configuration the last 4 years. I never shoveled ash, or pushed it thru a hole with a plug. Fine ash just fell thru the grate during the course of leveling out the coal bed before loading, and anything larger than a small marble would stay top-side, until it had been completely consumed. A perfect self-regulating system. I suspect BK does not roll this way, due to the perceived diffuculty of maintaining a perfect seal on the ash pan door, although I never really had issues with that myself.
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