How forgiving is the Blaze King ?
- Thread starter kwikrp
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
Todd
Minister of Fire
Cat stoves are less forgiving than non cats when it comes to wet wood. If you engage the cat too soon with wet wood you can cause thermal shock to the cat and major plugging problems. The big BK would be more forgiving with wet wood since they use a steel cat that resists thermal shock, but you can also burn a little hotter in the bypass mode for a little longer til the sizzling stops. You will lose some efficiency and burn time but sometimes you don't have a choice if your wood isn't up to par.
learnin to burn
Feeling the Heat
What Todd Said - I'm using the King and have wood that is 20 - 25% on average. When it's warm out my draft isn't the best either. I just make sure I burn on high until I can't see steam coming off the wood. The steel cat does resist thermal shock in the sense that it won't crumble and fall apart but if you run too much moister through it, it will warp and not seat correctly but it will still work.
SolarAndWood
Minister of Fire
I've burned a lot of junk this fall. Just burn off the moisture and it is good to go. Not sure you can get around poor draft though. The low stack temps require a decent pipe.
- Status
