BK owners:
New owner, and I have been running my BK 24/7 since Thursday 09/30, here are my observations: After going from a 20 to 30 minute high burn setting (3) down to about medium (2.5, then 2 over a 15 minute period), the flames will slowly diminish, but a random wisp of flame from the fuel will ignite in the top of the firebox. The flame in the top of the box will "roll" for a period anywhere from a few seconds up to a minute, and then go out. This happens repeatedly for 5 to 10 minutes. Coming down from a high firing rate, the catalyst is bright red. During this random secondary burn time, when there isn't rolling flame in the top of the box, I can see dancing, rolling flame behind the flame guard, in front of the catalyst grid. I believe the incoming flue gas is being ignited by the heat of the catalyst before it actually enters the grid. Occasionally the flame behind the guard will spill out of the side enough to also ignite the entire top of the firebox. The same scenario plays out when turning the thermostat up in a 1/2 increment (example: from 1.5 to 2, or 2 to 2.5). During these secondary burnoffs, the stovetop gets hot, around 800 degrees according to the stovetop thermometer placed directly to the right of the factory supplied active/inactive probe.
How much secondary burn do you see in your stoves? I was wondering if other users see the same thing. Will this small flame behind the flame guard prematurely damage the catalyst?
I have had full 24 hour burn cycles over the weekend using hard maple, beech, and oak. I loaded the stove with 54 lbs of fuel (I weighed it), burned on high for 30 minutes, turned down in 1/2 increments every 10 minutes, until reaching a setting between 1.5 and 2. I never opened the door again for 24 hours, and had plenty of coals and even a bit of wood that was still intact. A great machine, I don't think I will use any fuel oil this winter AT ALL! (Unless I go to Quebec for a week in Feb.) I've had a few people stop and check it out, they are amazed when I tell them the last time I put wood in it, and that the stove top is 500F but there is no flame and no smoke coming out the chimney!
New owner, and I have been running my BK 24/7 since Thursday 09/30, here are my observations: After going from a 20 to 30 minute high burn setting (3) down to about medium (2.5, then 2 over a 15 minute period), the flames will slowly diminish, but a random wisp of flame from the fuel will ignite in the top of the firebox. The flame in the top of the box will "roll" for a period anywhere from a few seconds up to a minute, and then go out. This happens repeatedly for 5 to 10 minutes. Coming down from a high firing rate, the catalyst is bright red. During this random secondary burn time, when there isn't rolling flame in the top of the box, I can see dancing, rolling flame behind the flame guard, in front of the catalyst grid. I believe the incoming flue gas is being ignited by the heat of the catalyst before it actually enters the grid. Occasionally the flame behind the guard will spill out of the side enough to also ignite the entire top of the firebox. The same scenario plays out when turning the thermostat up in a 1/2 increment (example: from 1.5 to 2, or 2 to 2.5). During these secondary burnoffs, the stovetop gets hot, around 800 degrees according to the stovetop thermometer placed directly to the right of the factory supplied active/inactive probe.
How much secondary burn do you see in your stoves? I was wondering if other users see the same thing. Will this small flame behind the flame guard prematurely damage the catalyst?
I have had full 24 hour burn cycles over the weekend using hard maple, beech, and oak. I loaded the stove with 54 lbs of fuel (I weighed it), burned on high for 30 minutes, turned down in 1/2 increments every 10 minutes, until reaching a setting between 1.5 and 2. I never opened the door again for 24 hours, and had plenty of coals and even a bit of wood that was still intact. A great machine, I don't think I will use any fuel oil this winter AT ALL! (Unless I go to Quebec for a week in Feb.) I've had a few people stop and check it out, they are amazed when I tell them the last time I put wood in it, and that the stove top is 500F but there is no flame and no smoke coming out the chimney!
