Thank you for the advice! I must have done something right, as the last few fires were dialed-down ones, but it's all dry and flaky in there. But the bottle brush is a good idea, that might be flexible enough to get behind there. Still not sure why they deliberately left a cavity behind there that's hard to get to, but knowing BK there's a reason for this somewhere...
2020-21 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK)
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If those side shields weren’t welded in some people would remove them thinking that they’re helping the stove make heat. Then the stove would be unsafe at listed clearances. I would prefer solid firebrick instead of the shields but since the stove walls lean in it’s probably easier to make the stove way they did. I’d bet more than 95% of stoves don’t get cleaned behind the shields.
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
My (Chinook 30.2) walls are not leaning - but I still have those shields. I am trying to find a tough bottle brush (with plastic, not metal bristles, though).
I would say more like 99% and I am part of that %. This year will be different.
I just feed push a 2 foot section of 1/4” vacuum hose onto my air compressor blow gun nozzle then push it behind the shield. Puff puff blows all the chunks out the back ant into the firebox. I use the same hose, same low pressure, to blow out the cat. It’s stiff enough to push the stubborn chunks.
Oh, I never doubted that the shields have a function. I was just wondering if there would have been a way to close them off to the creosote accumulation.
I agree, it probably doesn't hurt not to clean behind them, it's just something I wondered while cleaning the stove...
Going to let the stove burn out tomorrow morning I think. Supposed to freeze or come close overnight. But then warm up to the mid 70’s by the end of the week. I’ll keep enough kindling on hand if we get a cold night, but I’ll likely do the final burn in a week or so to burn out the creosote before running the soot eater up the flue and cleaning it for the summer.
We expect 20s tonight. Too cold for the new chicks. Too cold to not heat your home. Each night will dip into the 30s even though daytime highs might be in the 70s. That’s not enough heat unless you have a furnace.
Nealm66
Minister of Fire
I’ve been burning Idaho logs for a week now and they definitely work excellent ( at least for my house) for these warmer days. Gets up to about 73ish but definitely cooler than the Doug fir. I stick 3 in twice a day and turn it down pretty low. When I reload it’s barely above the cat minimum but still a lot of fuel left. I initially was loading 7-8 and 24hr reload . Cut a big dying hemlock down a couple weeks ago on a tree job but it was pretty green and didn’t take any because of wood shed space issues. Really need to get going on next winter’s supply though. Got a couple big maples coming up and on the fence about them. A firewood selling friend says they definitely burn longer than fir but lots more ash. Not sure if they’d be dry for next season either.
Next season or this coming season? If you want to burn it fall of 2021 then you’re gambling and you’d better get it split and stacked like yesterday! I’ve had 21/22 wood split and stacked under cover since June of 2020. Hemlock is meh, maple is actually pretty great. I’d take it over Doug fir if it was solid and straight. The ashing quality of maple really helps slow it down for more burn rate control.
Nealm66
Minister of Fire
Ya, I’m hoping to get some fir snag tree jobs but probably shooting myself in the foot. Still have my neighbors that have 180 acres with quite a few dead fir snags to get me through but it’s a big family that all burn so I hate to take from them even though they insist. I take the ones they don’t want to mess with that require climbing and pulling or tight shots but still
Nealm66
Minister of Fire
Do you think maple would be ready by next winter? They’re completely green, probably 30” and a decent trunk. Maybe 3 cord
Got a heat pump. So long as it’s in the high 30’s or 40’s overnight (which the forecast here says it will be by Wednesday) that will keep us warm enough. Might burn just overnight tomorrow and Tuesday. Depends on how cold it actually will get.
Some maple I saved from becoming firewood. Got plenty I’ll burn, but these logs were totally worth milling instead of splitting.
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I myself don't think it would be. Use a lot of maple myself and realized it's much lighter and drier when cut in the fall when it's storing back into the ground. Spring is so wet and heavy as it's feeding moisture upwards. Especially if you want to keep split size on the larger side. Cut all my maple in the fall now. To the point now I'm 3 years ahead and stove is working wonderful.
Nealm66
Minister of Fire
It's spring now so next winter is 22/23. Yes, split and stacked this summer the maple logs will be ready for 22/23. If you meant this winter (21/22) then it is possible to dry our bigleaf maple in one full summer if you have it processed right away, split well and the drying conditions are good. You need at least one full summer for our PNW woods, two is better.
Forecast is for 77 this weekend! Nice. I might be able to let the BK cool off. Do some gardening.
Nealm66
Minister of Fire
Nealm66
Minister of Fire
Nothing in those maples I’m cutting down. I usually let customer know and guys will buy it standing if it’s any account.
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
Im sitting here scratching my head lol, 1st.. I'm getting ready to rotate wood from the outside stacks to the shed, my wood shed is broken up into (2) 2 cord bays, (1) 1 cord bay and (1) 3 cord bay, this year I burnt the full one cord bay and only 1/2 of the 3 cord bay, doesnt make sense that I reduced my consumption by a full 1.5 cords since I burnt my typical Nov thru now (not everyday this spring) but still a full 1.5 cords? Idk but I have a section of the 3 cord shed that has had wood in it since I built the thing since I rotate every other year 4 & 4 cords, so now I'm stuck with picking through the remaining wood, transferring it to the 1 cord bay then reloading the 3 cord and stuffing the remaining 1/2 cord into the front of the 3 cord bay... labor, labor, labor.
Next is the weather... going to top off my inside bucket for the final time, looks like a cold rain coming starting tonight, will have the stove running tomorrow and Friday, maybe part of Saturday to and thats it I think, house is getting way to much radiant heat now during the day with the sun.
Next is the weather... going to top off my inside bucket for the final time, looks like a cold rain coming starting tonight, will have the stove running tomorrow and Friday, maybe part of Saturday to and thats it I think, house is getting way to much radiant heat now during the day with the sun.
Nealm66
Minister of Fire
How big is your wood shed? I’m interested in your floor plan for the wood as I think it might work well for running a few different species of wood for the different weather
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
I’ve also got about a cord of this year’s wood left in a bay that will be refilled with green soon. What to do with that old wood? Take it out, fill the bay mostly with green and then top off with the old cord? Lots of extra work. If I just leave it there then that wood may never get burned.
I am in a sort of similar predicament. The back of my city shed has about a cord of norway maple and BL that I have not been able to get to for the past 6 seasons. This fall I plan to bring about a cord less of seasoned wood from the lake.
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