2015-2016 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)

[HarvestMan]

lot of haters

Jealousy and regret can be ugly.

Busted!
We listen to this when plotting our hateful and jealous posts.

I got enough of jealousy
And hate inside of me
To keep me warm, it keeps me warm
Can't settle for nothing less
Been trying to prove myself
Since I was born, since I was born
Helplessness just burns me up inside
I can't see the Savior for the light
What I want of yours may not be right
Well I want nothing, that ain't truly mine
If I could I would stop caring
But I don't like hearing
I'm not good enough, I'm not good enough
I know that it's not too late
But I don't want to go away
And let it burn me up, let it burn me up
Helplessness just burns me up inside
I can't see the Savior for the light
What I want of yours may not be right
Well I want nothing, that ain't truly mine
Helplessness just burns me up inside
I can't see the Savior for the light
What I want of yours may not be right
Well I want nothing, that ain't truly mine​

 

[Usernamemustbeunique]

I'm with you. I bought a BK after much research because I thought it would be the best stove for me and it has proven itself. There has been nothing up to this point that has caused me to think I could have made a better choice.

There's a lot of love for BK around here but a lot of haters to. It seems like if you even mention BK in a thread you better be ready to defend your position because the quotes are coming! No other stove seems to bring the anti's out in such a way.

Thats how you know your on the right track.

 

[sequoia]

Even with the stove turned up to full, as long as the bypass is closed, you won't over fire the stove. While it may get toasty in the house, the stat will keep it under over fire.

With the bypass closed is there any possibility of over fire? If not, how's this possible?

 

[Poindexter]

With the bypass closed is there any possibility of over fire? If not, how's this possible?

I have _heard_ that fuel in the 8-11%MC range can off gas more quickly than the combustor can clean up, resulting in a fuel rich condition that is hot enough and just needs an oxygen molecule to make a thumping noise.

 

[blueguy]

With the bypass closed is there any possibility of over fire? If not, how's this possible?

The tstat will close at a set temp. If the bypass is closed, the stat will work just like it does at lower temps - closing when the firebox hits a certain temp. While I have no idea what that temp is, I have run my stove packed full at WOT, and the flue temps never exceeded 900* and the stove top never passed 650* measured at the edge of the stove top. As long as the bypass is closed and is adjusted properly, the stat will work as designed

 

[sequoia]

I have _heard_ that fuel in the 8-11%MC range can off gas more quickly than the combustor can clean up, resulting in a fuel rich condition that is hot enough and just needs an oxygen molecule to make a thumping noise.

So instead of going by my IR measurement at the base of the flue I should measure off to the side ?

 

[blueguy]

You can measure anywhere on the stove top, just realize that the immediate vicinity around where the cat sits will provide a false reading that is much hotter than the rest of the top.

 

[Highbeam]

Yippee Yippee, my new BK door gasket is on the way. 34$ shipped including 9% sales tax. These aren't terribly expensive and apparently are exceedingly important on these stoves to keep the stat in control, keep the cat from dying early, and to keep smoke in the stove. My dealer recommended against RTV and said to use gasket cement but I think I'll follow BKVP's lead and use the ultra black rtv or even the copper highest temp version.

 

[tarzan]

Yippee Yippee, my new BK door gasket is on the way. 34$ shipped including 9% sales tax. These aren't terribly expensive and apparently are exceedingly important on these stoves to keep the stat in control, keep the cat from dying early, and to keep smoke in the stove. My dealer recommended against RTV and said to use gasket cement but I think I'll follow BKVP's lead and use the ultra black rtv or even the copper highest temp version.

I used Rutlands gasket cement when I replaced mine before this burning season. So far so good but I doubt you would have any trouble with anything you mentioned that you may already have on hand.

No problems taking the door off to make it easier to scrape the old stuff out of the channel either.

 

[webby3650]

Yippee Yippee, my new BK door gasket is on the way. 34$ shipped including 9% sales tax. These aren't terribly expensive and apparently are exceedingly important on these stoves to keep the stat in control, keep the cat from dying early, and to keep smoke in the stove. My dealer recommended against RTV and said to use gasket cement but I think I'll follow BKVP's lead and use the ultra black rtv or even the copper highest temp version.

I would definitely use silicone, not cement. I often find that cement won't even stick to the door frame if silicone was used originally. Many manufacturers are going to silicone rather than cement.

So what's with the BK fanboy? I'm assuming you also got attacked in another thread? We could be long lost brothers!

 

[Ashful]

You missed an amusing thread, webby. Some Woodstock owners turning a used Princess v Ideal Steel purchasing question into a "let's compare the Ideal Steel to every BK ever built" thread. They didn't appreciate some of Highbeam's observations, and scoring system.

 

[Highbeam]

I would definitely use silicone, not cement. I often find that cement won't even stick to the door frame if silicone was used originally. Many manufacturers are going to silicone rather than cement.

So what's with the BK fanboy? I'm assuming you also got attacked in another thread? We could be long lost brothers!

Just some good natured fun with fellow stove enthusiasts in another thread. Brothers indeed. I honestly would love to trade my nc30 for a plain IS. 93000 btu! Perfect for the shop.

 

[rdust]

Thinking about ordering a new cat to have on hand. Mine is still getting me by with good light offs/no stalls but I don't think the heat or efficiency is what it used to be. It seems to smoke a little more at the beginning of the burn but not for hours on end. I noticed my cap looked more dirty then it has ever before. It's a big mesh so it won't plug but can't recall it looking that bad in the past. I did adjust the bypass so maybe that will help the cap.

Anyway the million dollar question is steel or ceramic? My ceramic has worked great and honestly outperformed my life span expectations. I was hoping for 3 seasons and I'm well into my 5th. What are the new Princess stoves being shipped with?

 

[webby3650]

Just some good natured fun with fellow stove enthusiasts in another thread. Brothers indeed. I honestly would love to trade my nc30 for a plain IS. 93000 btu! Perfect for the shop.

The shop is a good place for an IS. All your buddies will think it was your very first attempt at welding! Or possibly assume it's a failed shop class experiment?

 

[webby3650]

Thinking about ordering a new cat to have on hand. Mine is still getting me by with good light offs/no stalls but I don't think the heat or efficiency is what it used to be. It seems to smoke a little more at the beginning of the burn but not for hours on end. I noticed my cap looked more dirty then it has ever before. It's a big mesh so it won't plug but can't recall it looking that bad in the past. I did adjust the bypass so maybe that will help the cap.

Anyway the million dollar question is steel or ceramic? My ceramic has worked great and honestly outperformed my life span expectations. I was hoping for 3 seasons and I'm well into my 5th. What are the new Princess stoves being shipped with?

My vote is for Ceramic.

 

[jetsam]

Anyway the million dollar question is steel or ceramic? What are the new Princess stoves being shipped with?

My 2015 Princess insert came with ceramic.

I went into it expecting to replace it after 1 season (40% MC wood, wife not 100% on reloading procedure = lots o' thermal shocks)- but it still looks perfect and performs very nicely. I am interested to try steel, but it seems the cat that came with my stove will be with us at least one more year- and next year the wood will be drier and the operational errors less.

Edit: I can just see my warranty claim now.

Me: "Uhh, new cat please."
BK: "Hey, you're the guy with the 40% wood and the iffy reloading procedure from hearth.com!"
Me: "Uhh, no, that is.... some other guy. Definitely."
BK: That guy sent our VP his mailing address, and it is the same as yours."
Me: "We uhh... share a mailbox. He isn't allowed to come into the house. Never touches the stove, that other guy."
BK: "We'll get back to you."

 

[tarzan]

My 2015 Princess insert came with ceramic.

I went into it expecting to replace it after 1 season (40% MC wood, wife not 100% on reloading procedure = lots o' thermal shocks)- but it still looks perfect and performs very nicely. I am interested to try steel, but it seems the cat that came with my stove will be with us at least one more year- and next year the wood will be drier and the operational errors less.

You may have already said, if so I missed it. Did you go through a full season burning green wood and your cat is still performing fine? If so, that is amazing news. How did the stove perform?

 

[Rossco]

Harvestman:

Yeah the glass is still rocking the clean shaven look. Just had a gander at it. Looks great now the wood is coaling.
The mini flame show was around for a while after, maybe a rich vain of 'Pitch' in that piece of wood.

High beam:

Enjoy the clean glass. We burn differently as I heat from the basement, If you retained a clean glass with hardwood, we know it's chasing you out of the house.

 

[jetsam]

You may have already said, if so I missed it. Did you go through a full season burning green wood and your cat is still performing fine? If so, that is amazing news. How did the stove perform?

Not a full season yet (started in september, been burning pretty much 24/7 except for xmas week when it was 70 here)- and not all of the wood is green (I have green oak and moist but long-dead deadfall pine in abundance). The stove has been doing a great job keeping the living room at 75 all season, but I get nowhere near the burn times that other folks do- with a load of mostly 'bad' wood I can expect maybe a 4-6 hour medium-high burn or a 8-12 hour medium low burn.

This summer I'll be pulling out my professional install and installing insulation, cement board, and a blockoff plate- plus constructing a wood shed or two and maybe a solar kiln. I expect much better performance out of the stove next year- less wood, longer burns, same temp.

All that said, bad wood is not in fact instant death to a ceramic cat. If it dies after 1 year I will happily replace it though- my savings on my first post-stove oil delivery was enough to buy me two or three new cats.

 

[HighTon]

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.....

That makes me feel better about forgetting the stove on WOT. I still wouldn't trust it on that setting and that was way more heat than I needed for my 1800 sq-ft. Even at -10F, the middle of normal keeps my house around 70 most of the time. I did have a morning when the house was only 62 in the morning (I think it was around -8 outside and windy) and it took all day to get back to 70. Next time that happens it's nice to know that I can run higher than I was. I'm still a newbie and learning something new all the time thanks to this forum.

 

[rdust]

My vote is for Ceramic.

That's the way I've been leaning. Happy with the original ceramic so don't see a real reason to switch.

 

[HighTon]

In Reno, you could be getting wood below 8% MC, stored in a shed. Around here, we bottom out at 11%, in the dryest part of the year.

http://www.woodworkerssource.com/images/ch12_Page_04.jpg

I store mine uncovered for this reason. I figure a little moisture might do some good. I cut standing dead juniper, split and measured immediately at 8% last year. We have had several extremely dry years prior to this year though.

 

[Highbeam]

My 2015 Princess insert came with ceramic.

I went into it expecting to replace it after 1 season (40% MC wood, wife not 100% on reloading procedure = lots o' thermal shocks)- but it still looks perfect and performs very nicely. I am interested to try steel, but it seems the cat that came with my stove will be with us at least one more year- and next year the wood will be drier and the operational errors less.

Edit: I can just see my warranty claim now.

Me: "Uhh, new cat please."
BK: "Hey, you're the guy with the 40% wood and the iffy reloading procedure from hearth.com!"
Me: "Uhh, no, that is.... some other guy. Definitely."
BK: That guy sent our VP his mailing address, and it is the same as yours."
Me: "We uhh... share a mailbox. He isn't allowed to come into the house. Never touches the stove, that other guy."
BK: "We'll get back to you."

The manufacturer tells us that 95% of cat failures are from a leaky door gasket and not from green wood or procedural issues. Your cat is fine but with drier wood will come superior performance.

 

[Woody Stover]

Decided to have a gander at the CAT. Looks brand new.

Fire won't clear plugged cells or really any of that buildup in he cells. A soft brush on a vacuum will clear that up pretty quick. A quick vacuum and you'll find it acts very differently

I'd definitely vac it, then blow out the honeycomb with lung power (not compressed air.) I give 'em a bath every couple years.

I've been promoted to fanboy status! I want to thank the committee of non BK owners for their votes.

Yippee Yippee

Yep. But the thread got shut down before I got a chance to award you an even greater honor....King of the Kool-Aid Kwaffers.

 

[tarzan]

Looking more and more likely that we will be snowbound for a couple days or more starting tomorrow. Going to get the generator closer to the house today since if we get the snow that is predicted the atv won't be able to trek the 200 yards up hill to the house with it. After that we'll go out after some esintials like beer and gasoline. I'm sure my wife will add to that list but that's all I can think of then, set back beside the idling BK and enjoy the ride.