High Vally 2500 or Blaze King Princess??

[mellow]

Anyway, Mellow, you don't seem all that happy with your Appalachian.

Where are you pulling that from?

 

[Dave A.]

Where are you pulling that from?

I would go with the BK, High Valley is a nice stove but if you can afford the extra $$ to get the BK it is worth it. The bimetallic coil on the BK makes life much easier when it works. The High Valley is simular to my stove, you have to set the incoming air yourself and sometimes you just don't have time to fool with it, the automation of that on the BK is priceless.

 

[mellow]

I do not have the $$ to buy a BK, that does not mean I am not happy with my stove.

Quit trolling.

 

[Dave A.]

Perhaps if you had explained yourself when you recommended the BK over the High Valley (and then said yours was comparable to the High Valley) there wouldn't have been the confusion.

Not trolling. Just trying to clear up your inconsistencies. But you seem to be having a bad day, so I won't reply to you any further.

 

[LakeMurraySC]

Anyway, Mellow, you don't seem all that happy with your Appalachian. Might have been better to go with the Blaze King? Something for LMSC to keep in mind. Though cost and looks (if the Chinook or Sirocco won't work) are factors.

I have not priced them yet, i figure a High Vally 2500 will cost from $2000.00-$2500.00 and the Blaze King Princess cost $2400-$3100.00. I suspect the lower figures are inline being the begenning of summer. If i like the Princess best then i have no problem with the higher cost. I will drive 100+ miles if i find a better price and if its worth it. The Blaze King stoves have an automatic air controll ? and i wonder if this is somthing that could break or wear out. I still am not sure how it works but this is what seperatse them from the other brand of stoves with 20+ burn hours. Seems i heard or read that it dosnt require electricity to do this. Any-1 know how this works??

 

[Dave A.]

There are several "super" threads (long running for months and years) on the BK stoves which you should look at and will probably answer all questions you'd have on them. Unless there's a post that comes up you won't see the thread unless you run a search -- use terms like BK, Princess, Blaze King in your search and there will be numerous replies in those threads.

For cat stoves, BK does indeed seem to be the Cadillac. Yes, no electricity required. There are several experts/owners here on the stove who will likely reply. When I was looking several months ago prices seemed higher -- just wish someone had advised me to wait for lower prices in the warmer months (of course, the dealers lie if you're looking in season and deny that prices drop in the off season).

Edit: One I'm thinking of was 2012-2013 Performance Thread -- Everything BK
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/2012-2013-blaze-king-performance-thread-everything-bk.93182/

 

[Dave A.]

Seems the pour insulation should work fine, i wonder how messy it is pouring it down a tight chiminy. Seems poured insulation would creat a safer chiminy being that it consumes all the space around the ss liner. The liner might be a bit beat-up getting it down the chiminy.

There are some messages/threads about this. Try a search on "vermiculite liner insulation" or something similar. I saw a picture of bricks removed. Haven't seen any detailed photos of it being done. Photo was of someone showing his installer doing it.

And I don't recall where anyone did it himself and described it well. The idea is that you need to put something at the bottom first to support the first pour. Two man job -- one supports the pour at the bottom, the other pours from the top. And enough is poured down to form a plug for the rest. The first pour is done onto a support at the base (something like Roxul batts held at the bottom of the chimney below the first tile and around the liner to keep the liquid from falling down. That has to harden. And then the rest of the pour can be done.. Some bricks are removed to gain access from the outside (for an exterior chimney) right below the first tile to stuff in the roxul at the bottom around the liner.

Rockland sells an inflatable pillow type device that will fill the chimney placed up from inside the fireplace, which they recommend for the pour--but I can't figure how it would go around the liner.
Apparently the pros like to do it from the outside since with the liner in place, there's not much room to work inside the fireplace up above the damper area. But you can't just pour it down and expect to harden without having a base for it to pour onto.

That's how I recall it being done. I may have some details wrong. So you may want to find the messages to read yourself. If you end up doing it, you might want to chronicle and photograph it, since there doesn't seem to be too much here about it.

 

[pen]

People do use vermiculite and perlite around liners, but not all liner mfg's will warranty the liner if it's used.

If pour down is what you want / need, thermix is what you need to be shopping for.

http://www.amazon.com/DuraVent-Flex...e=UTF8&qid=1368274862&sr=8-1&keywords=thermix

 

[Highbeam]

The Blaze King stoves have an automatic air controll ? and i wonder if this is somthing that could break or wear out. I still am not sure how it works but this is what seperatse them from the other brand of stoves with 20+ burn hours. Seems i heard or read that it dosnt require electricity to do this. Any-1 know how this works??

If you insist on an insert then the princess insert looks about like any other steel insert, not nearly as bold as their stoves. What's not to like? The firebox is designed for straight in loading and forget 20+ hours, think 30+ hours. I easily get the 30+ even burning low btu swamp wood like alder, willow, and red cedar.

The thermostat has been used by BK for decades now and they have not changed the design. This is how it goes when you have a good thing. No electric, and if it were to fail it would snap closed and revert to a slow burn. People often buy and use BKs for primary heat, that's full time heating for years and they don't wear out the stat. It works like a choke stove on an automotive carburetor, as the spring coil heats up it tightens up and closes the intake butterfly.

 

[chimneylinerjames]

In an insert application if you want to use the pour down insulation you will not want to fill the smoke chamber up with the insulation. What I have done in the past is ordered an extra top plate. The liner will be slid down the chimney, leaving plenty of extra length sticking into the fireplace. Install the top plate on the bottom of the liner, from inside the fireplace and pull up from the roof. This will provide a "bottom plate" to stop the insulation from escaping. You may have to cut the top plate to get a better fit/seal. Then you can hold the top plate there with some 2x4's underneath pushing up on it. Or whatever you find that works. I would pour the first bucket or 2 in semi damp so it hardens up nice and hard.

Read the instructions, it requires very little water. Then after you know it isn't leaking out from the bottom, continue filling to the top.

 

[Dave A.]

The word vermiculite was only used as a search term for where to find messages about installing poured in insulation.

I think it was generally understood that only liner mfr recommended insulation should be used in order to maintain warranty and gain desired UL rating.

Edit: But searching for messages may no longer be necessary thanks to James' good tips on installation.

 

[LakeMurraySC]

I am looking for a wood stove with a 6" flue being that my clay liner is 7"x11" and not a full 7" at that. I plan on putting a 30 foot - 6" ss liner and pour in insulation in myself. A High Vally rep. said a 6" flue adapter and a 6"chiminy instead of a 8" liner would work fine. Both the High Vally 2500 and Blaze King Princess seem like great choices , hard to decide. Also dont heasitate to recomend another stove. The High Vally 2500 weighs more, 565lbs, 130lbs over the Princess at 435lbs. also the 2500 has a 3.5 cu foot firebox n the Princesses firebox is 2.85cu/foot. On the other hand the Blaze King Princess is more efficient and has a burn time far longer than the High Vally. My house is 1900sf open layout. Any suggestions or recomadations ??

Well every-1, im deffinatly in favor of the Blaze King Princess although the High Valley is a good stove as well. I have learned so much from yall and really appreciate all the good help and information. I will hopefulle post photoes (never posted a photo before but im sure ill figure it out) of the liner and stove install. thxx

 

[pete97]

Blaze King Princess insert is what i would recommend. Great stove, great CAT design, awesome heat and burn times and fantastic customer service.

 

[begreen]

The Princess with a 5" or 5.5" liner is how I would go if the intent is to heat 24/7 with the stove. How is your wood supply for this season?

 

[Hogwildz]

The princess calls for only a 6" liner to start with doesn't it? No need for 8".

 

[Kevin*]

Bk! You will be so freak'n happy with it.