New BK owner

[Keith E]

so yes, it is normal for firebox creosote to accumulate on those single wall steel parts. Not on bricks or the cat chamber though.

Yes it's only on the metal. Bricks and cat guard are all clean

 

[Ashful]

Steel walls will get covered in this goo, but as long as your cat is active, chimney should stay clean. I say "should", because there have been a few isolated incidents of folks with clogged chimney caps (I think Highbeam was one).

Reloading:

1. Turn t'stat to high, burn coals down to an acceptable level.
2. Open bypass. Turn off blower.
3. Open door, load wood.
4. If wood isn't already caught by the time you're done loading (it should be if it was dry), close door but don't latch.
5. Latch door when wood is caught.
6. Wait until wood is charred and/or cat probe indicates active. This should take 5 - 10 minutes, never more.
7. Close bypass, and run on high 20 - 30 minutes. This is for the purpose of burning out the aforementioned creosote in the firebox and window.
8. Turn down to desired setting, and enjoy the long burn.

 

[rdust]

On the 6th season with my Princess. I replaced the cat this year, I just burn the stove how I want and don't worry much about it. The new cat will be over-active for a while. Here is mine right now 15 minutes after reloading. Sure the cat temp is hotter than I want but I have zero concerns.

 

[Highbeam]

Steel walls will get covered in this goo, but as long as your cat is active, chimney should stay clean. I say "should", because there have been a few isolated incidents of folks with clogged chimney caps (I think Highbeam was one).

Reloading:

1. Turn t'stat to high, burn coals down to an acceptable level.
2. Open bypass. Turn off blower.
3. Open door, load wood.
4. If wood isn't already caught by the time you're done loading (it should be if it was dry), close door but don't latch.
5. Latch door when wood is caught.
6. Wait until wood is charred and/or cat probe indicates active. This should take 5 - 10 minutes, never more.
7. Close bypass, and run on high 20 - 30 minutes. This is for the purpose of burning out the aforementioned creosote in the firebox and window.
8. Turn down to desired setting, and enjoy the long burn.

Good procedure except I only run #7 to 30 minutes once a week or so to burn off a week's worth of low burning firebox goop. It kind of dries out the goo or converts it from something shiney to something that flakes off. Normally no more than the standard 15 minutes on this step and sometimes only a few minutes if flue temps are quite high.

On the first part about clogged caps. If your flue temps are too low, even when the cat is active, you can get condensation in the flue. There is lots of water and other stuff in the stove exhaust that is happy to condense out and form stuff on the cold parts of your system if you are running flue temps too low. That condensation won't be distilled water, it will be creosote and can accumulate into something flammable and which can clog your cap. Maintaining a minimum flue temperature to prevent this is a common requirement of stove burners regardless of brand or technology.

Several of us well seasoned burners BK have cap gunk and just deal with it during annual sweeping but during low burn experimentation with an active cat I found the rate of accumulation extremely high. I have a condar flue probe meter and now follow the colored zones on that dial to keep the flue temps above the minimum safe temperature line.

 

[Ashful]

I have a condar flue probe meter and now follow the colored zones on that dial to keep the flue temps above the minimum safe temperature line.

Isn't the validity of those arbitrary colored zones entirely dependent on flue height and probe location? Someone with a 15 foot chimney wouldn't have the same minimum probe temperature requirement as someone with a 30 foot chimney, if the goal is a common minimum cap temperature.

 

[Highbeam]

Isn't the validity of those arbitrary colored zones entirely dependent on flue height and probe location? Someone with a 15 foot chimney wouldn't have the same minimum probe temperature requirement as someone with a 30 foot chimney, if the goal is a common minimum cap temperature.

I wouldn't call them arbitrary but perhaps overly conservative. I could just as easily conduct experiments where I reduce the flue temps in stages over weeks and gauge the accumulation to determine the ideal flue gas temperature. Variable outside temperatures would create additional testing.

The lesson learned is that you can't ignore flue temperature. An active cat alone is not enough if you desire to keep the flue system clear. I was able to hold 200 degree internal flue temps for over 30 hours and a very active cat. Cool performance but what a mess it made!

 

[Ashful]

I hear what you're saying, Highbeam, but I still think there's something unique happening in your situation. I'm running pretty slow, getting daily 24 hour burns out of a 2.65 cu.ft. firebox, and my cap screen stays clean. My cats are new, so maybe that's why I'm not having any issue, but I thought you had installed a new cat recently. Time will tell, but I won't be surprised if you find something else going on, there.

 

[Keith E]

Just a little update. It's down to 22* right now and my first floor is a cozy 68 and my upstairs where the bedrooms are is warmer than that. Are you guys running yours stoves 24/7 through the heating season?

 

[Ashful]

Just a little update. It's down to 22* right now and my first floor is a cozy 68 and my upstairs where the bedrooms are is warmer than that. Are you guys running yours stoves 24/7 through the heating season?

I run at least one stove 24/7 from mid-October thru at least March, without shutting it down even once. The second stove runs 24/7 mid-November thru March, and shorter fires overnights in October and early October.

I don't run out of the need for heat until May, but I usually run out of desire to keep loading stoves by early April, and start spending stove-tending energy on yard work about then.

 

[Keith E]

Wow how many cords do you go through?

 

[Ashful]

Wow how many cords do you go through?

I'm a special case, but most figure 3 - 4 cords per year per stove, if they're running 24/7.

 

[Keith E]

Well I'm starting to get the hang of this stove. I'm filling in the am and getting a good 14hr burn and filling at night around 8 and keeping the house good till morning before I leave for work. My wife said today she was happy we saved up a bit more and went with the BK. She didn't have to tend to the stove at all today while I was at work. Got home at 430pm today and the house was 72. I couldn't be happier with my BK!!

 

[lsucet]

You are going to love it, wait, you already do. lol
I have BLAZE KING fever. I just get mad sometimes, cause nothing else to do and every time I look in there still lots of wood left. Lol

 

[Keith E]

Yes I know what you mean. The last couple evenings I've had to turn up the thermostat to get rid of the remaining wood in there so I could pack it full for the overnight. This thing is amazing.