Blaze King and customizing

  • 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.
With that kind of space, I bet your window will stay nice and clean, since you'll always be on high burn.

I love my BlazeKing, but in your case I might take a look at the Woodstock Progress Hybrid too. It's one of the few cat stoves beside BK that's worth considering, it can throw a little more heat, but doesn't have the same low and slow capabilities as the BK King. You could create/extend your hearth pad on the floor in front of the fireplace, and it has a rear exit option to go up your chimney., so you could keep the asthetics.

https://www.woodstove.com/index.php/progress-hybrid
 
Last edited:
The ph is a decent stove but it is just 2.8 cf optimistically which is smaller than my princess! I’d have a hard time recommending someone move down to such a small stove for the sake of higher output.
 
Last edited:
The ph is a decent stove but it is just 2.8 cf optimistically which is smaller than my princess! I’d have a hard time recommending someone move down to such a small stove for the sake of higher output.

Agree, I guess I was more thinking that a rear exit might be more suitable for sitting in front of the fireplace. But a hearth pad sitting in front of the fireplace hearth might get a Blaze King low enough to top exit and 90 into the fireplace.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Highbeam
Ok, so the Kuma Sequoia arrived today and Im doing a burn in outside right now. It was 93 today and the Kuma is bringing the heat to the backyard. Lol. After doing some measuring, it is going to take some clearancing inside the firebox to make this fit downstairs. So Im not sure if Im going to install the Kuma upstairs or downstairs. Ive got some decision making to do this week.
 
Last edited:
cabin_zps7smoylpa.jpg IMG_20161222_151253882_HDR_zps2zlk5hle.jpg
Rockey, since this is your thread, could you please post some more pictures of your "cabin" ??
It's georgeous, and I'm sure I speak for everyone here, we'd like to see more of it..

Finally got some time to post a few pics.

IMG_20180520_112142724_zpsuzihfk7b.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sweet pics! Standing on worlds tallest step ladder or _g
You may want to check with BK. I thought they required 3 foot straight up before making a turn on the King? I may be wrong but its worth looking up in the manual. Or ask @BKVP
 
Beautifull place Rockey,
Thanks for the Picts.,,, a few years ago there was a TV show that was about timber made houses, yours looked like one of those featured..
 
Sweet pics! Standing on worlds tallest step ladder or _g
You may want to check with BK. I thought they required 3 foot straight up before making a turn on the King? I may be wrong but its worth looking up in the manual. Or ask @BKVP
Moresnow is correct. Get at least 3’ before any transitions/offsets. Our recommendations are based upon the majority of installations where spillage was an issue. Is it possible it can work without as much vertical rise, yes. But it’s unlikely in our experience.
 
Haaaaaaaa;lol Always good for a laugh!

Not to rule out infestations in other parts of the country, I’d just like to point out that the Edwards Plateau has the highest density population of White-tail deer in the country (and we have a lot of mule deer, too). We moved here when my youngest was one, and two of his first three words were “deer” and “stag”. My olders learn their vocabulary from books, hence their use of the term “stag” rather than “buck.” We haven’t been able to convert them yet. Just last night at dinner, there was a shout of “stag,” and all the kids were at the window trying to count points through the leaves. (And yes, we try to teach them civilization, and they haven’t been converted to that yet either.)
 
@BKVP, you can hunt with the front bumper of your pickup truck, in my neighborhood. Almost ran into a pack of four at the end of my driveway, headed to work early this morning.

My wife tags one with her car every second year, on average.

Nice place. Heating that sq.ft. entirely with wood is the domain of a fit (read: young) retiree. You better have ample spare time to burn. I’m at 7800 sq.ft. of total heated space, with two BK’s heating about half of it. I’ve put some serious money into my wood processing and hauling operations, to improve efficiency as much as I deemed practical, and time is still my primary constraint.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: SuperJ
@BKVP, you can’t hunt with the front bumper of your pickup truck, in my neighborhood. Almost ran into a pack of four at the end of my driveway, headed to work early this morning.

My wife tags one with her car every second year, on average.

Nice place. Heating that sq.ft. entirely with wood is the domain of a fit (read: young) retiree. You better have ample spare time to burn. I’m at 7800 sq.ft. of total heated space, with two BK’s heating about half of it. I’ve put some serious money into my wood processing and hauling operations, to improve efficiency as much as I deemed practical, and time is still my primary constraint.


Yes, you are absolutely right. Heating this much space with wood takes a lot of time to process wood. Luckily I have a tree service drop off free wood every year - 20+ cords so Im never short on wood. We heated the past two winters using the central boiler. It has a 60+ cu ft firebox so it goes through wood like nobody's business. The lines weren't insulated very well going from the boiler to the house so it drives me nuts knowing Im losing all those BTUs to the ground. I want to minimize the amount of boiler use obviously. I probably shouldve just installed a gasifier with new lines. But that doesnt solve the issue of wood burning ambience that we enjoy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lsucet
Now we’re on the same page. Folks ask why I’m burning two stoves, when my need is obviously more inline with a boiler (our house is much more spread out than yours). I always tell them that, if I’m going work this hard to fell, process, and handle firewood, I want to enjoy a stove (or three) in my living room.

If you have someone dropping, and good system worked out for that, then you’re in great shape. How do you manage disease in your own trees, since the stuff they’re dropping off is likely often infested?
 
  • Like
Reactions: heavy hammer
Once you figure out where the two stoves are going to go and get through a winter or two you will figure it out. If you need extra heat in the real cold days you have a backup. You could always insulate the lines from the boiler to the house. I know this doesn't solve the problem your trying to fix but you will figure it out. Why not put an ibeset in the fireplace. That's what I did at my house a summit insert upstairs on the first floor in the fireplace opening, I did consider a stove but the insert looks much better. Then i run the sequoia in the basement. My average heating cost for oil the last two years has been about $150.
 
I'm only heating about 4000sq feet much less than you but I believe you will figure it out, both of those stoves put out some heat!
 
How hard is it going to be getting an 8" liner down a 10" X 10" clay chimney about 36'? Its not a straight shot, as it has to go around the 1st floor fireplace to get downstairs. Do they make a winch for pulling the liner? How in the heck would it be possible to pull an insulated liner down that?
 
Yes, you are absolutely right. Heating this much space with wood takes a lot of time to process wood. Luckily I have a tree service drop off free wood every year - 20+ cords so Im never short on wood. We heated the past two winters using the central boiler. It has a 60+ cu ft firebox so it goes through wood like nobody's business. The lines weren't insulated very well going from the boiler to the house so it drives me nuts knowing Im losing all those BTUs to the ground. I want to minimize the amount of boiler use obviously. I probably shouldve just installed a gasifier with new lines. But that doesnt solve the issue of wood burning ambience that we enjoy.

There's a couple threads in the boiler forums where people dig up their lines and use spray urethane to coccoon them, then bury 'em up again.
 
There's a couple threads in the boiler forums where people dig up their lines and use spray urethane to coccoon them, then bury 'em up again.


Thats odd, I started a thread last year in the boiler section about losing 10 degrees from the boiler to the house and I dont remember anyone ever suggesting that. Not that it matters, my lines are buried under the driveway. Im now leaning towards putting the Kuma downstairs and getting a gasifier boiler. the wife doesnt really want the mess and the even heating really is nice. We can still enjoy the ambience of the Kuma downstairs. Who knows what Ill end up doing. I really want to get the Kuma in soon because its going to be cold enough to burn next week.
 
How hard is it going to be getting an 8" liner down a 10" X 10" clay chimney about 36'? Its not a straight shot, as it has to go around the 1st floor fireplace to get downstairs. Do they make a winch for pulling the liner? How in the heck would it be possible to pull an insulated liner down that?
Yes they make hoists for pulling liners. I would pull it up in your case. If it is 10x10 it will be tough going through the offsets. Have you checked with the manufacturers to see how their stoves will run on 36'???
 
Talk with kuma you might not have to use a liner. My setup doesn't have a liner. They told me that my clay pipe was within their specs for their product. I'm not saying to not use one, I would talk with kuma first. My chimney is only 22 feet not as tall as yours but give them a call see what they have to say. My chimney is also offset for the basement connection.
 
Talk with kuma you might not have to use a liner. My setup doesn't have a liner. They told me that my clay pipe was within their specs for their product. I'm not saying to not use one, I would talk with kuma first. My chimney is only 22 feet not as tall as yours but give them a call see what they have to say. My chimney is also offset for the basement connection.
Did they confirm that your chimney is built to code and in good condition before giving you that advice? How did you make the po ositive connection required between the stainless and clay.
 
I just told them about the setup I had, design of the chimney, clay tile size, and asked how they recommended doing a liner and connecting the stove. They said as long as the chimney is in good shape up to code and meets the requirements, that I did not necessarily need to have a liner. My clay flue I believe is 10x10. They said for their manufacturer specs that the sequoia was originally designed before liners were a thing. I'm not saying they told me to never use a liner they said I did not necessarily need one for my setup, but that if I noticed burn problems, draft problems excessive creosote buildup, etc that I might have to have a liner put in it.
 
I just told them about the setup I had, design of the chimney, clay tile size, and asked how they recommended doing a liner and connecting the stove. They said as long as the chimney is in good shape up to code and meets the requirements, that I did not necessarily need to have a liner. My clay flue I believe is 10x10. They said for their manufacturer specs that the sequoia was originally designed before liners were a thing. I'm not saying they told me to never use a liner they said I did not necessarily need one for my setup, but that if I noticed burn problems, draft problems excessive creosote buildup, etc that I might have to have a liner put in it.
They havnt been in buisness long enough for it to have been designed before liners.

Did you confirm proper clearances on your chimney? And how did you connect to the clay?
 
I'm not trying to start an argument or give misleading info. That's why I said to talk with kuma. I have stove pipe going from the stove through a masonry thimble that goes into the chimney. The thimble is in the block wall in the basement, away from anything combustible by over two feet. My hearth is seven feet by eleven feet. Single wall pipe can be used but double wall pipe is recommended. Clearances and instructions are in the manual for using single and double wall pipe, as well as going from the stove through a wall how it is to be built and clearance numbers. I setup my stove up the best I could by talking with kuma and the stove dealer giving all numbers factors of chimney design, height flue dimensions, thimble height, and size. I was a brick layer for over 12 years so I have a pretty good idea what to look for if there were defects, or damage plus I had the guy I worked for that built chimneys for over 35 years inspect it. Then a home inspector looked it over before the house was purchased as well as the insurance company that insures my house. If my setup is incorrect or I'm giving unclear or misleading info I'm sorry maybe I'm not explaining myself, but I would not do anything incorrectly or out of code or wrong.
 
I'm not trying to start an argument or give misleading info. That's why I said to talk with kuma. I have stove pipe going from the stove through a masonry thimble that goes into the chimney. The thimble is in the block wall in the basement, away from anything combustible by over two feet. My hearth is seven feet by eleven feet. Single wall pipe can be used but double wall pipe is recommended. Clearances and instructions are in the manual for using single and double wall pipe, as well as going from the stove through a wall how it is to be built and clearance numbers. I setup my stove up the best I could by talking with kuma and the stove dealer giving all numbers factors of chimney design, height flue dimensions, thimble height, and size. I was a brick layer for over 12 years so I have a pretty good idea what to look for if there were defects, or damage plus I had the guy I worked for that built chimneys for over 35 years inspect it. Then a home inspector looked it over before the house was purchased as well as the insurance company that insures my house. If my setup is incorrect or I'm giving unclear or misleading info I'm sorry maybe I'm not explaining myself, but I would not do anything incorrectly or out of code or wrong.
I am not trying to start a fight either. Just trying to make sure your setup is safe. Did you check to see if you had the required clearances between the outside of the masonry structure and combustible materials. Did you have the clay liners inspected?

And there is a big difference between going through a crock into a chimney and going upthrough a fireplace. I see no problem with your type of chimney as long as its built correctly. Going into a fireplace is totally different
 
  • Like
Reactions: heavy hammer