Pulling the trigger on on my insert (BK Princess)

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pwaggs

New Member
Aug 5, 2014
13
Washington DC
Thank you for the input and help finding a dealer in my previous thread:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...-to-install-a-stove-they-did-not-sell.129513/

I ended up finding a very highly rated dealer that will in fact offer factory prices on the BK units and installation and service. I decided to go with the BK Princess insert, because a) this blog reports so highly on the unit, b) the control over the temp output (Living room with stove in it is not huge and my wife is concerned we will be driven out by the stove), c) Pacific Energy Neo 2.5 was too hard to find in DC, I would have had to order (In fairness, PE wrote me back after being closed for a period of the summer and referred me to a dealer 30 miles away who would sell and support the stove. I had just already traveled so far down the BK road...)

Ok, so I am not sure what the forum rules are in terms of listing prices and things, but I offer this in terms of education as I have been so educated by this site and also because I have not mentioned that I am doing this entirely remotely while deployed in Afghanistan. So I need to establish my scope of work entirely up front as I will not be there to supervise or ask questions during the project. So I'd like to throw out a scope of work and ask if I should insist on certain things.

So this is what I am looking at now:
BK Princess Insert Stove Body: $2,617
Gold Door: $514 (I will redirect this to black, I have no idea why they are recommending gold)
Panel: $373
Standard Shroud Gold Trim: $65 (again, I will have this adjusted to black)
Liner Kit and Installation: $1,500
Tax: 6%
Total: $5,373.14

My questions basically refer to the scope of work: Will this installation as presented to me by the dealer and sweep include a block off plate? Should I insist on a particular type of chimney liner? I do know that the sweep has determined that my chimney is "filthy", though the cleaning of that will be included in the afformentioned price and be completed before the liner is installed.

Are there any glaring omissions here? Do I need to be particularly insistent on anything from 12000 miles away. I'd like to get off of the airplane in January and have everything working. Or is this too hard for a remote project and something that should wait for a January install? Wouldn't this all be more expensive in January???

I have included a general photo of living room with fireplace so that you can get an idea of existing fireplace. Dealer has said that both BK Princess Insert and PE NEO 2.5 will fit.
 

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  • Pulling the trigger on on my insert (BK Princess)
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You better work out the block off plate with the installer. Insist on it, don't let him talk you out of it or just stuff roxul in it.

If the chimney is in the interior of the house, an insulated liner may not be necessary, but I would still use one because of the already low flue temps of the BK. It will draft better and you'll see less buildup. If the existing chimney liner is damaged, cracked, missing mortar, etc, you need an insulated liner anyway. Do you know the interior dimensions of the chimney?

It looks like you'll need an extender in front of the hearth. NFPA says 16" minimum. You can use a temporary extender that you can put away when done burning for the season.

I personally don't like the gold door. My sister's King has one, and it discolors and looks terrible if it isn't kept up on.
 
Roger. I am definitely going to go with the black. My parents had a fantastic wood stove in the 80s that had gold (brass) trim and that is how I learned to Brasso and clean glass. Never again.

I will insist on a blocker plate and the insulated liner. The chimney is not an external wall, however, I understand your comment about the flu temps with the BK. The chimney is not damaged from what I have been told, but I'd rather go with the liner now and avoid a retrofit later.

As for the hearth, the dealer says that I am in regs by a quarter of an inch on his projections. So I may very well go with a temporary extender rather than redoing the floors.

My big concern right now is scheduling the work. I am starting to lean to having this done when I return. My wife does not feel comfortable at all overseeing the installation and I would like to be on top of it so that I can be familiar with it should repairs or modifications be needed down the road.

I think that with the $1,500 install I should be able to get the blocker plate and insulated liner without adjusting the install price dramatically if at all. I'll keep the board posted. I am still chuckling ing at the assumption I would want the gold trim kit. They must have an extra one laying around the showroom.
 
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Just pick up a piece of sheet metal from HD and have it ready for him to cut and install, he shouldn't put up a fuss if you have the material there. I paid under $10 for the sheet metal I used for my block off plate. Since I'm installing a new stove and have to reposition my liner I'm in the process of making a new one, under $10 and some tin snips is all it takes.
 
After consulting with my wife, I have decided to have the installation delayed until I return home from this deployment. Wife does not want to be the only person there taking notes during installation, and I want to be there to see how the installation works and do things like have Roxul and a blocker plate ready to go when the guys get there. So I will be a little late joining the Wood Stove movement.

Now to see if I can find seasoned wood online for my mid season installation.
 
It's very hard to find a true seasoned wood. If I was you I would buy compressed bricks: bio, eco etc. and save myself form a potential of a big disappointment. Modern stove just don't want to burn unseasoned wood.
 
After consulting with my wife, I have decided to have the installation delayed until I return home from this deployment. Wife does not want to be the only person there taking notes during installation, and I want to be there to see how the installation works and do things like have Roxul and a blocker plate ready to go when the guys get there. So I will be a little late joining the Wood Stove movement.

Now to see if I can find seasoned wood online for my mid season installation.
Would you please send me a pm with your homes location please. Thank you for your service.
Chris Neufeld
Vice President
Blaze King Industries, Inc.

aka BKVP
 
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Please inform me of the dealers business name you are working with.

Chris
 
Chris-way to step up! Class act!
 
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