2016-17 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK) Part 2

[Niko]

Sorry fellas if i post this on our thread but he has been on the attack since i try to promote BK stoves to new hearth memebrs. This guy just seems very very unprofessional for someone that states he is in the Sweep business.

 

[Gotrek]

Man I loaded my stove at 6pm last night and its still going its been 19 hours and there is still enough wood to go another 2-3 probably. Crazy I didn't believe it. But wow.

I didn't even load it full like you guys do. I think I put about 8 smallish (4-5"sized splits (alder, oak, cherry mix).

Granted it is above freezing today and it rained last night.

 

[lsucet]

Thanks, this is the kind of real world responses I was looking for.

So when you say shut the thermostat down, you are moving it to the lowest possible setting and are then able to get your 24hr+ burn?

If I might ask too have you had any creosote build up issues? Again I'm not trying to dig at BK's. Just discuss them. I'm well aware that any and all stoves can produce excessive creosote for various reasons.

This last Fall temperatures were a little crazy, with a different in some cases of up to 40 degrees between day and night. It was like that for almost a month with some days getting up into low 70s. i didn't have to change tstat setting that much. I can tell you that 99% of the time just stays at the sweet spot that works for me. till now I never see the cat going inactive at that setting regardless the outside temp. about creosote, i went twice to the roof and disconnect sections and look, everything looks in order both times. I think the creosote problem is more into the firebox that in the chimney.

If the cat stays active at that point what is going thru is not much and the cat eat it easy. remember with bypass closed everything has to go thru the cat. at that point what's going thru it just keeping the cat active. also remember that if draft is low so is the amount of gassing from the wood, keeping a lower box temp cause the cat is not getting much fuel at same setting when it opens. this is what I think is going on in there, but i can be wrong. Take into account that this is my experience and others can have different experience based on setup, locations, draf, etc.
If i wait for my cat getting down almost into inactive zone to reload, i get screwed, cause at that point i have not enough coals to relight the new load. I always load with cat well into active zone. the 20 to 30 minute burn depending how tight i can reload takes care most of creosote in the firebox.

Last night just dropped to 30 df here and now is 42 df. I did not touch the tstat dial for nothing. i just turn the fan off early this morning. it will stays like that till tonight or when it will need reload. Hope this help

 

[tarzan]

This last Fall temperatures were a little crazy, with a different in some cases of up to 40 degrees between day and night. It was like that for almost a month with some days getting up into low 70s. i didn't have to change tstat setting that much. I can tell you that 99% of the time just stays at the sweet spot that works for me. till now I never see the cat going inactive at that setting regardless the outside temp. about creosote, i went twice to the roof and disconnect sections and look, everything looks in order both times. I think the creosote problem is more into the firebox that in the chimney.

If the cat stays active at that point what is going thru is not much and the cat eat it easy. remember with bypass closed everything has to go thru the cat. at that point what's going thru it just keeping the cat active. also remember that if draft is low so is the amount of gassing from the wood, keeping a lower box temp cause the cat is not getting much fuel at same setting when it opens. this is what I think is going on in there, but i can be wrong. Take into account that this is my experience and others can have different experience based on setup, locations, draf, etc.
If i wait for my cat getting down almost into inactive zone to reload, i get screwed, cause at that point i have not enough coals to relight the new load. I always load with cat well into active zone. the 20 to 30 minute burn depending how tight i can reload takes care most of creosote in the firebox.

Last night just dropped to 30 df here and now is 42 df. I did not touch the tstat dial for nothing. i just turn the fan off early this morning. it will stays like that till tonight or when it will need reload. Hope this help

I feel ya on the crazy shoulder season weather. We are having similar weather right now in January I would just let the stove go cold if I didn't wake up screaming every time the furnace kicks on.

 

[lsucet]

I feel ya on the crazy shoulder season weather. We are having similar weather right now in January I would just let the stove go cold if I didn't wake up screaming every time the furnace kicks on.

The way I avoid that to happen was: I ripped The sucker out the wall.lol. that way for sure, i don't think to have it like a back up and get mad when i had to call the propane guy. lol

 

[Squisher]

Thanks for the reply Isucet. My question regarding creosote though is specifically about creosote in the chimney which sounds like isn't an issue for you. So obviously like any stove, good burning practices and good fuel basically negate creosote concerns. But what I'm curious about is if people have noticed a tendency to creo up a bit more or risk of it happening quickly and building up fast during times of low burning and warm outdoor temps?

I'm curious too if it's others experience that they mostly run just the same setting throughout the burning season?

 

[Squisher]

I will say again. I am in no way looking to knock these cats. I know full and well you can't run a baffle stove slow and low and if you try to you will have a creosote mess.

Just trying to learn and fully understand this technology. Maybe I'll have one for my shop one day? Maybe I won't? Regardless the more I can learn about them will only help me be a better sweep. So I follow your guys thread and ask the odd question.

 

[kf6hap]

When running low, the very top of the flue it most susceptible and may or may not become cold enough to permit the formation of creosote. I would not worry about the whole flue becoming a mess. Just check it in 30 days. The gasses coming out of the cat are above 500F. Get a flue probe and, by experimentation, determine the lowest flue temp that produces the desired results. Mine never gunks up but others have. It is a science experiment. Cat stoves burn the cleanest at low burn rates as residency time in the cat is much greater. This is born out in the installation manual burn rate vs particulate rate chart. Bottom line:

Burn as low as you want while keeping the cat active. Check the flue in 30 days. Most likely all will be well. If not, bump the operating temp up slightly, clean, and recheck in another 30 days.

Happy burning.

 

[Gotrek]

2 more hours and I'll have a 24 hour burn on less then a full load. Crazy and its 80 in the main house.

 

[tarzan]

2 more hours and I'll have a 24 hour burn on less then a full load. Crazy and its 80 in the main house.

No matter how many times you here about 24 hour burns there's nothing like witnessing it for the first time.

 

[tarzan]

Ironically, I found the limits of running with the thermostat completely shut today. Was 61*F here today with a light drizzle. I walked by the stove and noticed it had fallen out of active. Needle was right in that empty spot between inactive and active. I didn't bother to open the bypass on the well charred load, just turned the thermostat up for a bit.

 

[kf6hap]

Is anybody using one of those little thermoelectric fans atop their stove? If so does it do any good or is it largely a curiosity object for my dog to be amazed by?

 

[Gotrek]

Not on my bk. But on my small century stove in the shop I do and yes it does love the air well but not as well as an electric fan

 

[lsucet]

Is anybody using one of those little thermoelectric fans atop their stove? If so does it do any good or is it largely a curiosity object for my dog to be amazed by?

I bought one when i had the other stoves and a week later quit on me, I contacted Amazon and they send me another one. It also quit on me in about a week or so.
I figured, the fans were ok, I just toasted them. they can be sensitive to high temp and that stove used to get hot. I still having the last one just on top of the BK deck but I know i should let it go to the trash.lol, but is ok, decoration.

 

[Ashful]

Is anybody using one of those little thermoelectric fans atop their stove? If so does it do any good or is it largely a curiosity object for my dog to be amazed by?

Your dog doesn't understand thermo-electric coolers? [emoji14]

My BK has a convection deck, so a fan sitting atop that would be less likely to get damaged by high temperature, but also less effective than the BK blowers, which direct the air thru the convection deck.

 

[Gotrek]

They are sensitive because they are basicaly just a peltier cooler with a fan attached. Same device as used in some small fridges just backwards.

 

[daleeper]

Is anybody using one of those little thermoelectric fans atop their stove? If so does it do any good or is it largely a curiosity object for my dog to be amazed by?

Forget the dog, I love watching it. I have one on my BK Princess Ultra that does not have the convection deck. It stirs the air, but you can't really feel the breeze. I would like to try one of the new Smartfan's as it looks like it may move more air than the ecofan that I have. My stove also has the fan on the back, but it moves too much air in my space, so I don't use it much. It also works as a good visual of the stove temp. When it slows down, I know that it is about time for a reload. I also like the fact that it is absolutely quiet.

 

[webby3650]

Is anybody using one of those little thermoelectric fans atop their stove? If so does it do any good or is it largely a curiosity object for my dog to be amazed by?

I had one for a short time. It was free, I gladly regifted it. It's just a novelty, and they are easily destroyed by a serious wood burner.

 

[Gotrek]

Fun fact if you have a broken one you can use it to trickle charge small batteries using your stoves heat.

 

[dh1989]

Mid-season cleaning:

2540 lbs of mixed hardwoods (mostly red/white oak) 12-15% MC. Yielded about 1/3 cup black powder creosote after cleaning with the sooteater:

Before cleaning:


After cleaning:



Note there is a 30 deg offset up there and it is hard to see past it, but the sooteater made it all the way to the cap.

 

[showrguy]

High beam,
I've seen you post about calibrating the cat probe, per the manual..
I can't find anything like that..
Can you explain the procedure ?Or point me to it ?
Thanks..

 

[Highbeam]

Mid-season cleaning:

2540 lbs of mixed hardwoods (mostly red/white oak) 12-15% MC. Yielded about 1/3 cup black powder creosote after cleaning with the sooteater:

Before cleaning:
View attachment 193310

After cleaning:
View attachment 193311
View attachment 193312

Note there is a 30 deg offset up there and it is hard to see past it, but the sooteater made it all the way to the cap.

Uh oh, you sooteated your probe meter!

So 2500# of oak. Is that like 3/4 of a cord?

 

[Highbeam]

Thanks for the reply Isucet. My question regarding creosote though is specifically about creosote in the chimney which sounds like isn't an issue for you. So obviously like any stove, good burning practices and good fuel basically negate creosote concerns. But what I'm curious about is if people have noticed a tendency to creo up a bit more or risk of it happening quickly and building up fast during times of low burning and warm outdoor temps?

I'm curious too if it's others experience that they mostly run just the same setting throughout the burning season?

The BK operated primarily as intended (low/medium output) makes creosote at a higher rate than a non-cat but not unreasonable, you can still make it through the season safely burning on low without sweeping if you do everything right. I would have thought that the cat stoves would have super clean flues but no, and low flue temps are the culprit I suspect. Those guys burning on high settings all the time should have cleaner flues.

In the warm weather I definitely use a higher setting. This is due to the lower draft strength but when you think about it the higher setting doesn't actually correspond with a higher burn rate in this case. The weaker draft pulls the same amount of air through the larger opening so it's a wash. Burn times are unchanged. My house needs less heat when it's warm so I let the fire go out between loads. Additional creo deposits are more likely due to more cold starts with the cat bypassed.

The guys with really tall flues that get strong draft even when it's very warm out are more able to utilize low burn rates in the warm weather.

The quickest I've ever seen gunk build up was when I tried for the ultra low burn, active cat and very low setting. Internal flue temps were just 250 and it only took a week to start plugging the cap. You've got to maintain flue temperatures above the condensation point.

 

[showrguy]

Uh oh, you sooteated your probe meter!

So 2500# of oak. Is that like 3/4 of a cord?

Did you miss post # 171 ??

 

[Poindexter]

I have an ecofan left over from my previous stove. It is in the next season yard sale shelf.

When the power goes off it is better than nothing. When i have electricity the deck and fan kit on my bk are dramatically more effective.