Blaze King T-stat Questions
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It's got to have something to do with combustion air control. They must of figured out the least amount of air needed to keep the the stove burning without it getting out of control during peak out gassing. Or maybe they had help from aliens?
Be warned; Not all aliens have our best interest at heart. The folks at BK just got lucky...
Well for me the "magic" of my stove is when it's on "low" during the shoulder seasons.(t-stat doesn't play a role) The air supply on these stoves appear to be very well thought out/designed in order to burn low and clean the way they do.
I do think the t-stat contributes to the medium/high burn success of the stove keeping the burn steady and even which eliminates the ups and downs that come from burning wood. If the fire gets too active the air closes, if it starts cool off too much it opens. The burn times at these settings seem to be much more aligned with other stoves in it's size range but I have a feeling they don't burn as even and keep the house as comfortable as my BK stove. Some may think that's magic but when most people are talking about the magical BK stoves it's for their long burn times on low.
Regardless of where the magic comes from I've been impressed with my BK from day one.
Just took off the cover to my t-stat to check it out. There are 2 screws holding the cover on and 1 longer screw that I'm thinking has something to do with how far it opens up? Mine doesn't close all the way shut til it's a bit below #1. It does look pretty simple, still don't understand why more manufactures don't do this.
My stove has an older manufacture date(2006 was "new" off the showroom floor) and it only has the 2 screws, I believe hotcoals had the third screw in his BKK. It seemed the older stoves didn't have the 3 screws while some of the newer ones did, I think Solar only had the two like mine. Your close point seems about the same as mine.
I think it's Ultra vs Parlor/Classic. Somebody else looked at their newer Ultra and it had only two.
I posted some in this thread:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/blaze-king-thermostat-faulty.48603/
And it's a thread every BlazeKing owner, especially new ones, should check out - because it contains important information that BK thinks is "not a problem" enough to bother informing owners about it.
Ah i see simple enough. Sure do wish i had one of them things, t start that is.
Shoulder season:
I've been wondering about the BK's and shoulder season. Everyone talks about how great it is to have 20+ (or more) hour burns during shoulder season when not much heat is needed. I'm wondering how much heat the stove is producing on a full load turned all the way down.
It's pretty typical for my shoulder season to have daytime temps in the 60s or even 70s with night time lows in the 30s or 40s. I just build a small fire at night and by the time the stove goes cool, the day is warming up again. I'd be afraid the house would get very hot during the day with a fire still burning (not to mention wasting wood). So, what do folks do? Can you really turn the stove almost "off" during the day and then open it up a bit the next evening?
I've been wondering about the BK's and shoulder season. Everyone talks about how great it is to have 20+ (or more) hour burns during shoulder season when not much heat is needed. I'm wondering how much heat the stove is producing on a full load turned all the way down.
It's pretty typical for my shoulder season to have daytime temps in the 60s or even 70s with night time lows in the 30s or 40s. I just build a small fire at night and by the time the stove goes cool, the day is warming up again. I'd be afraid the house would get very hot during the day with a fire still burning (not to mention wasting wood). So, what do folks do? Can you really turn the stove almost "off" during the day and then open it up a bit the next evening?
Of course, the Classic in my garage that I am working on has only two. It was built in '05.
That's pretty much it. My SOP is to load it up at night and warm the place up, then cut it back for the night. In the am I would crank it back up for a while, shut it down for the day, and open it back up in the evening. Load it up the next night and repeat. Kinda like building multiple small fires, only easier. The cheapy Rutland thermo would run about 250° on top of the cat, and I could hold my hand on the stove almost anywhere else. With nothing coming out of the chimney. But it requires a decent draft and DRY wood.
I got surprised one day this spring by mid 70s and sunshine, and had to open a few windows. Otherwise, it's perfect for 60s during the day and 30ish at night.
Ah yes, I remember that thread, good info Rusty. I think mine is wound right, it seems to be working as advertised.
Also noticed you stove looks pretty close to the wall? I was told the t-stat can be effected with close clearances. BK recommends 8".
My stove dialed down on low isn't much more than a 1500W electric space heater after it settles into the burn. If I load it at night when it's cooler by the time the stove settles in for the daytime it shouldn't heat the house excessively.(mid 70's maybe) I won't need a fire with daytime temps in the 70's but if it's in the 60's and cloudy with lows in the 30's I'll need something to chase the cold.
I think "shoulder" season is defined a little different by everyone, for me if temps are getting above the 30's I still consider it the "shoulder" season. But that should be handled in a different thread.
Yeah, there's nothing in the manual, but Chris mentioned something to me about that; I don't think he made a specific recommendation, but he might have said 4". I just don't want mine farther out into the room and it seems to be working fine. The problem would be that the masonry wall (behind the stove) warms up and then when the stove cools off the wall keeps the thermostat warm and it doesn't open as much as it should. I don't think that's happening though. And if it is, I imagine it just means my stove runs a bit cooler during the wee hours, which is fine with me - I'm gonna crank the thermostat open when I wake up anyhow.
BTW, Chris is a really good helpful guy. I think it's someone else there who I thought was rudely dismissive about the reverse-wound thermostat issue.
In a word - yes. Assuming your firewood is really nice and dry, so the fire doesn't go out when it's "almost off". I built a new firewood gazebo and started cutting my wood two years ahead of time when I got the BK, because it works *so* much better with really dry wood.
It was Chris that told me 8" but he also said it's hard to pinpoint an exact distance and could be a little less depending on the material behind the stove and amount of air movement.
The secret to the long burn times is this Magic Knob that only BK customers know about:
Todd
Hope you really enjoy the new stove. I'll be anxious to hear comparisons from your old WS stoves for heat output and burn times once we get to the cold. You are a pioneer - the only WS to BK convert ever recorded on Hearth.com.
Hope you really enjoy the new stove. I'll be anxious to hear comparisons from your old WS stoves for heat output and burn times once we get to the cold. You are a pioneer - the only WS to BK convert ever recorded on Hearth.com.
Waulie said: ↑
I'll add to the "DRY WOOD" is key for low, slow, cooler burns.
Also key is tight, double wall stove pipe & a good tight chimney. Leaks can cause the draft to reverse.
With a few years of experience with the BK, an improved flu, & dry wood, I can burn shoulder season low fires, for long periods & low heat output.
(Outside temps 30° to 45° & house around 72°)
My first year, I had single wall pipe with air leaks, then double wall with a few air leaks, & 1 year seasoned wood, & could not burn on low. I would overheat the house at temps above 40°.
Now I have tight double wall stove pipe, 2+ year dry wood & can get long, low heat output. I'm not having to open doors & windows to cool down the house.
Yet at -20° I can crank it up, turn on the fan & stay warm.
Can you really turn the stove almost "off" during the day and then open it up a bit the next evening?
I'll add to the "DRY WOOD" is key for low, slow, cooler burns.
Also key is tight, double wall stove pipe & a good tight chimney. Leaks can cause the draft to reverse.
With a few years of experience with the BK, an improved flu, & dry wood, I can burn shoulder season low fires, for long periods & low heat output.
(Outside temps 30° to 45° & house around 72°)
My first year, I had single wall pipe with air leaks, then double wall with a few air leaks, & 1 year seasoned wood, & could not burn on low. I would overheat the house at temps above 40°.
Now I have tight double wall stove pipe, 2+ year dry wood & can get long, low heat output. I'm not having to open doors & windows to cool down the house.
Yet at -20° I can crank it up, turn on the fan & stay warm.
Mine does pretty well with single-wall. But I guess I have pretty good draft. YMMV. Just sayin', don't necessarily buy into the expense and more-complicated installation of double-wall, just because BK specifies it (they'll admit not everyone needs it), if you can conveniently try single-wall first.
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