Replacement thermostat no longer available from Blaze King - now what do I do??

[craigs]

I have a KTJ302 and love it but I fear the thermostat is not working correctly. There is a 50/50 chance the coil is bad vs someone installing a bigger "tension spring" on the adjuster rod which is binding the works. I have a couple PMs out to guys on this forum with older stoves hoping they can help with photos of their thermostat parts to find out if the spring is wrong. I will post photos of my parts later when I get home.

However, if I need a new thermostat does anyone have any ideas of using a different part? I love this stove and don't want to replace it simply because I can't get a small piece like this. I'd buy a cheap unused stove to scrounge it's parts but don't see them for sale often enough to rely on that. Besides, it's cold outside NOW!

Thanks!
Craig

 

[lukem]

I have a KTJ302 and love it but I fear the thermostat is not working correctly. There is a 50/50 chance the coil is bad vs someone installing a bigger "tension spring" on the adjuster rod which is binding the works. I have a couple PMs out to guys on this forum with older stoves hoping they can help with photos of their thermostat parts to find out if the spring is wrong. I will post photos of my parts later when I get home.

However, if I need a new thermostat does anyone have any ideas of using a different part? I love this stove and don't want to replace it simply because I can't get a small piece like this. I'd buy a cheap unused stove to scrounge it's parts but don't see them for sale often enough to rely on that. Besides, it's cold outside NOW!

Thanks!
Craig

Are you sure your stat is bad? I've been following your posts and what you are describing doesn't sound too far from what I've got going on with my KTJ304. It will cruise and once the firebox/wood get hot it will spike a little and then settle back down. Remember this is wood, not natural gas and it will burn somewhat inconsistently.

Before you write the stat off as defective, move your thermometer to the stovetop. When you feel like it is spiking and running away on you... let it go for a while and see if regulates itself. Don't worry about overfire until the stovetop gets near 650 (these things can take the heat, especially for short amounts of time)...then back it off. If it runs away at a lower setting then your stat my in fact be bad.

BTW...I will usually run mine on a setting of 3.5 - 4 on the dial.

I've only been burning in this stove for a couple weeks and it does take some finesse. Once you get a routine its gets easier.

So, grab a cold one or two, devote an hour to stove-sitting, and do the experiment. I would hate to see you go through the trouble of hunting down a new stat when it may be fine in the first place.

 

[craigs]

My concern about the tstat comes from a couple different places. First, it was bent when I got it. The spring that puts tension on the rod which controls it seems pretty long and actually pushes the tstat coil out of shape (again, my pics later will help everyone see). I doubt that bending it will affect it much (it was easily bent back into shape), but with it twisted as assembled now, I wonder if it's binding. With the thermostat coil removed the damper swings effortlessly so that's not a problem. Secondly, when running the stove I see absolutely no movement in the damper whatsoever. I think part of my temp regulation problem is that the tstat is not moving the damper. This will allow it to get hotter than it should and then colder than it should as the airflow stays the same with no compensation. Can you guys watch your damper move around or does it happen too slow to watch? If it wouldn't MELT, I'd put my digital camera next to the stove to record a time-lapse movie to see if there was any change. But I really think it's not moving at all. Remember this thing was used when I got it. Who knows, some mechanical genius may have replaced a broken thermostat with some regular metal wound around a pen to make the coil shape thinking it was just a connector of some sort. Stranger stuff has happened.

I have done the stove sitting thing for several days now. Although I haven't let it go very long when it starts to heat up, I feel I've done it enough to know that the temp really isn't regulated like it should be. When it goes from 300 to 500 in 5 minutes for no apparent reason, I got really scared. Also, I'm thinking that at 650 I'd be freaking. At 500 I thought I was gonna need one of those silver suits like the airport crash guys wear just to approach the stove! LOL

Even if my thermostat turned out to be ok I was hoping to have a spare on the shelf; I'm kinda wierd that way. Bummer.

Thanks again,
Craig

 

[SolarAndWood]

I haven't seen the damper but I did an experiment with the tstat a few weeks ago. Got a full firebox of small split pine raging at 3.5 with the blowers on. Pulled the plug on the blowers to see if it would overfire. The adjustment was very quick and it was back down to temperature within moments.

 

[lukem]

My concern about the tstat comes from a couple different places. First, it was bent when I got it. The spring that puts tension on the rod which controls it seems pretty long and actually pushes the tstat coil out of shape (again, my pics later will help everyone see). I doubt that bending it will affect it much (it was easily bent back into shape), but with it twisted as assembled now, I wonder if it's binding. With the thermostat coil removed the damper swings effortlessly so that's not a problem. Secondly, when running the stove I see absolutely no movement in the damper whatsoever. I think part of my temp regulation problem is that the tstat is not moving the damper. This will allow it to get hotter than it should and then colder than it should as the airflow stays the same with no compensation. Can you guys watch your damper move around or does it happen too slow to watch? If it wouldn't MELT, I'd put my digital camera next to the stove to record a time-lapse movie to see if there was any change. But I really think it's not moving at all. Remember this thing was used when I got it. Who knows, some mechanical genius may have replaced a broken thermostat with some regular metal wound around a pen to make the coil shape thinking it was just a connector of some sort. Stranger stuff has happened.

I have done the stove sitting thing for several days now. Although I haven't let it go very long when it starts to heat up, I feel I've done it enough to know that the temp really isn't regulated like it should be. When it goes from 300 to 500 in 5 minutes for no apparent reason, I got really scared. Also, I'm thinking that at 650 I'd be freaking. At 500 I thought I was gonna need one of those silver suits like the airport crash guys wear just to approach the stove! LOL

Even if my thermostat turned out to be ok I was hoping to have a spare on the shelf; I'm kinda wierd that way. Bummer.

Thanks again,
Craig

Sounds like you've done your homework on this one. Good job.

If you see visible damage (bending/twisting) that's not good. Mine won't quite regulate as quickly as solarandwood mentioned...it takes a couple (2-3) minutes. I've never pulled the cover off to watch the damper move either. I would volunteer but I'd probably break something in the process....that, and I don't think I could take the heat that close long enough...you're right...500* on these monsters will make you sweat just by looking at the stove LOL.

I would think there has to be a part out there somewhere...you may have to call around all over, but you could probably find someone to ship you one.

I hope it works out for you...good luck.

 

[lukem]

[Can you guys watch your damper move around or does it happen too slow to watch? If it wouldn't MELT, I'd put my digital camera next to the stove to record a time-lapse movie to see if there was any change. But I really think it's not moving at all. ]

You could try to make a temporary indicator on your damper out of aluminum foil (or something) to give a reference point on your damper movement...instead of sacrificing a camera to the dragon...random thought.

 

[mbutts]

Here are some pics of my stove. I hope this helps. I am not sure if mine is set up correctly as I am not the original owner of the stove. I have no idea what the numbers should be on the dial for the heat knob. The previous owner painted over them. If someone could post a pic of that, Ill paint new ones on my dial. I also am posting some pics of my the damper flapper (cover removed )

 

[mbutts]

Concerning the tension spring, that is only used to keep the knob from moving and causing your setting to change when the flapper would open and close. The damper flapper is on the other side of the bi metal thermometer and should turn fairly easily to regulate air flow into the stove.

 

[craigs]

Thanks for your pics! I sent you a PM which you can disregard since you put them here. Didn't you get my photo from the other day? If not, here you go. Sorry, mine isn't in the greatest of shape back there but it will give you some idea of where to start.

Craig

 

[craigs]

..........and from the looks of the parts in your pics, I'd say I'm in big trouble. The rod appears slightly different as does the coil. I'm thinking these parts were missing and someone cobbled together a few things to get it going. They possibly didn't know that coil was a thermostat. Who knows, I may only have a piece of brass instead of a real thermostat. Rats!

Craig

 

[BigBlockChevy]

Don't panic! Some of the old KT's had different loops. There were some that had a "leg or L" on them. The one in the picture has a "loop". The ones with the leg or L shape actually also had a different rod too. These parts are in scrap yards all over the northwest. Post a picture or two of you set up and them you may get some repsonse(s).

 

[mbutts]

Ya post a pic of what you have. Does yours have the tag on the back? I think they have a serial number on them. I can check on mine and see if it does.

 

[craigs]

Ok I think I may know what's going on. I will post pics soon after I dry out (been plowing snow since supper time). Without the knob on the end, the spring is pushing the thermostat which is pushing on the damper. I installed a smaller spring thinking it was the spring's fault, but now I have too little pressure on the rod so I think the tstat may be turning it and the damper at the same time resulting in crappy performance. With the knob on the end of the rod it should allow the damper to "float" on the thermostat as it should instead of everything floating around as it is now. I understand this in my head and hope I'm conveying it in a way everyone else can too lol.

The rod does look cobbled together and the coil may or may not be correct. But once the control knob gets here, I think I'll find out real quick if this coil will work or not.

Craig

 

[craigs]

Well, after surviving Snowmageddon, I think I've plowed for nearly 15 hours between last night and today. But several family members and neighbors can get out of their driveways with no problems so all is well. Seeing an abandoned car in the neighborhood from last night was wild.

But anyway, back to my tstat problem. My last post made it sound like I had solved my problem. I really thought I had. Today I made a collar that fits on the end of the adjuster rod. The collar has a set screw so once I put it on the rod, I took the pressure off the damper and then tightened it down. Before tightening the set screw next to the thermostat coil, I turned the damper and it was really free (no pressure from the rod like before). So I tightened the set screw and thought I was all set.

However the stove is still doing the same thing. I think the coil is either shot or it's a replacement part that doesn't work. The stove will heat up or cool down with no movement of the damper and now I know for sure it's not in a bind. Attached is a pic of the setup as it came on the stove. As you can hopefully see, the rod is actually 2 pieces welded together where the bend is. The coil sits in a cut at the end of the rod and the rod is then crimped to hold it. I have no idea if it's correct or not, and I will buy a thermostat setup (coil/rod/spring/washers/knob) from any 302/303/304 King if you guys can find them for me used or in the scrap yard. There shouldn't be any reason why the "loop" style wouldn't work as mbutts has that type on his 302. I hate to buy another used stove just to get these parts but I have to consider it because I now have a real safety issue here. As I typed this post, my temp creeped up from 350 to 550 in a few minutes and I had to manually close the damper to cool it down. In case it makes any difference or helps, my serial number is KTJ 2881.

Thanks for any assistance in finding the correct parts!
Craig

EDIT - I have discovered that the coil works with a hairdryer. Because I would like to have spare parts for my older stove I would still be interested in whatever you may find. You can see the continuation of my Blaze King saga here https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/52320/