BK Princess insert - short burn problems.

[twowoodstoves]

hi all, new here, looks like a great place to get advice.

i have a princess insert attached to 30' of chimney ss lined in an old house, in the middle of the house.

my problem is that i'm only getting 7-8 hour max burn times with the insert, i suspect i have excessive up-draft, i can hear the air whistle into the insert when the t-stat is on low, the door seal is air tight.

can anyone help?

thanks!

 

[Todd]

What's your t-stat setting at for these burns? 30' chimney is pretty tall and it will pull hard, probably need to burn at the lowest setting possible.

 

[twowoodstoves]

What's your t-stat setting at for these burns? 30' chimney is pretty tall and it will pull hard, probably need to burn at the lowest setting possible.

hi Todd, thanks for the reply.

the t-stat is on low for night time burns.

 

[pgmr]

Since it's an insert, you probably can't use an inline pipe damper, unless you fixed it in the best position somehow. I suppose you could add a reducer at the top and a smaller cap to try to slow the flow down.

Another option would be to reduce the cross sectional size of the inlets (both the primary and secondary). Aluminum foil tape could be used to do testing. The trouble with this method is that it will still roar like a blacksmith's forge during reloads.

 

[jtb51b]

Does your door get dirty any or does it stay very clean?

Jason

 

[rdust]

A strong draft will cause less issues with a BK stove, once the air is fully closed(you'll hear the distinct sound when going to low) you'll only pull air through the small hole in the flapper. Being you're in BC what type of wood are you burning? From what I've read here the inserts have less burn time than the freestanding stoves. Tell us about your wood and how you're running the stove.(burn in times, fan settings etc.)

Edit: we also had some users with stoves that had the T-Stat wound backwards. Thread Detailing Issue

 

[twowoodstoves]

i'm reluctant to restrict the air intake and other mods for house insurance problems.

the door does get dirty, up to 2/3s black to dark brown.

i'm burning first growth douglas fir. split log, size up to 18"long x 4"wide.
during the day i open up the t-stat to high or half, at night time the t-stat is set at low.

on the old mummer fisher insert, i would get 12 hour burns no problem.

thanks for the help, very interesting!