Need Recommendation if I Replace My Blaze King

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I have no idea how that would have rusted there......

Other then water getting on top of the stove in that area how the heck does that even rust like that?
 
That made me think of galvanic couples at the welds/cat probe tube or stove collar.
 
that seems like it would be excesive in that short of time even if it was some kind of weird reaction. It spreads way our from the hole.
 
Parallax, is that a draw collar above the flue collar? If so, is the draft hard to start for the stove?
 
that seems like it would be excesive in that short of time even if it was some kind of weird reaction. It spreads way our from the hole.

A galvanic couple is not a weird reaction. It's how most corrosion happens.
And the stove was installed in 2014, that is not at all a short time for this.

But, with a proper design and proper install this should not be happening.
 
I think we have enough clearance. I am concerned about new technology. With hindsight, it was a mistake to buy the Ashford 30 before the kinks were worked out.

Looks like neither the T6 or the F55 have an enamel option. The Machchester does and so does the T5. I'm not sure my wife will agree to any stove that doesn't have the brown enamel finish, having gotten used to it with the Ashford. If those were my choices, which one would you suggest given the size of our home and the fact that it's to supplement the minisplit system.
We had the blue-black enamel finished Castine and were in love with it. I had to talk myself and my wife into giving that up. In retrospect, it was the right move and we don't regret it.
 
Parallax, is that a draw collar above the flue collar? If so, is the draft hard to start for the stove?
Yes, it's a draw collar. Hasn't worked in a while. Have to take it apart and resplice a wire that keeps coming lose. The heat seems to take its toll. The stove isn't so much hard to start but if not done very carefully we can get smoke in our home. Had high winds today and we were getting some smoke. The draft isn't great. Probably because we have a lot of really tall trees. Another reason we might be better off with a non-cat stove.
 
We had the blue-black enamel finished Castine and were in love with it. I had to talk myself and my wife into giving that up. In retrospect, it was the right move and we don't regret it.
That is a nice looking stove. Albeit discontinued.
 
Yes, it's a draw collar. Hasn't worked in a while. Have to take it apart and resplice a wire that keeps coming lose. The heat seems to take its toll. The stove isn't so much hard to start but if not done very carefully we can get smoke in our home. Had high winds today and we were getting some smoke. The draft isn't great. Probably because we have a lot of really tall trees. Another reason we might be better off with a non-cat stove.

That smoke rollout issue and the door gasket leakage issue. Plus not needing long burns anymore. Sounds like you’re ready for an easy breathing stove.

You’ll need to repair the probe hole rust before selling it anyway. If you punch the broken off stem of the meter into the stove it simply falls down behind the cat and can be retrieved through the flue collar when the chimney is removed. I could get it from below but it takes a little flexibility. Cut it off and grind it flush with the stove top and punch it down into the stove with a nail and hammer. The stem is coated copper (I believe) and should be a pretty loose fit in the hole.
 
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Yes, it's a draw collar. Hasn't worked in a while. Have to take it apart and resplice a wire that keeps coming lose. The heat seems to take its toll. The stove isn't so much hard to start but if not done very carefully we can get smoke in our home. Had high winds today and we were getting some smoke. The draft isn't great. Probably because we have a lot of really tall trees. Another reason we might be better off with a non-cat stove.
That is another reason to look at the Alderlea. It's an easy breather and works ok in weaker draft situations. I wish Tom's shop was still in Fairhaven. He would have taken care of you.
 
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That smoke rollout issue and the door gasket leakage issue. Plus not needing long burns anymore. Sounds like you’re ready for an easy breathing stove.

You’ll need to repair the probe hole rust before selling it anyway. If you punch the broken off stem of the meter into the stove it simply falls down behind the cat and can be retrieved through the flue collar when the chimney is removed. I could get it from below but it takes a little flexibility. Cut it off and grind it flush with the stove top and punch it down into the stove with a nail and hammer. The stem is coated copper (I believe) and should be a pretty loose fit in the hole.
Thank you, Highbeam. That's really helpful.
 
That is another reason to look at the Alderlea. It's an easy breather and works ok in weaker draft situations. I wish Tom's shop was still in Fairhaven. He would have taken care of you.
Yes, I remember that shop. Was sad when it closed up. So the Alderlea's going to be a better choice, you think than the Hearthstone? Also, assuming my wife insists on an enamel finish, do you think we can make due with the T5 (given the size of the home but also the fact we're just supplementing another heating system)? Typically, when we're burning the Ashford, we've got it running low and slow so I assume the T5, with its higer temp burn, would work. We'd just be reloading a smaller box more often. Do you concur?
 
Do you have any heat source other than mini splits and this stove? I ask because it is not necessary for a wood stove to do 100% of the job if you have another option for extreme cases.

T5 is about 2cf and the BK is about 3. I’m sure that the t5 at high burn makes way more heat than the bk on low. So if you’re willing to keep feeding it then you can beat the bk at even medium settings.

I would like the t5 if going noncat for my 1700 sf.
 
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Do you have any heat source other than mini splits and this stove? I ask because it is not necessary for a wood stove to do 200% of the job if you have another option for extreme cases.

T5 is about 2cf and the BK is about 3. I’m sure that the t5 at high burn makes way more heat than the bk on low. So if you’re willing to keep feeding it then you can beat the bk at even medium settings. Of course, you’ll burn more wood.
Yes, I think it's 2.9 for the Ashford and 2.1 for the T5. The T6 says it's 3.0. I'm going to ask the dealer if they plan to introduce an enamel T6 because that sounds ideal.

We have a few other heat sources that we don't use. The house was originally set up for radiant but it's an extremely inefficient system so we don't use it. There's also a propane fireplace which we run occasionally for ambiance but it pumps out quite a bit of heat. Not sure how fast it burns the propane. We have a 500 gallon propane tank buried by the side of the house. I fill it once a year, in summer when prices are lowest. Of course, in a pinch there are space heaters too. My sense is we'd be fine with the T5 but it would be nice to have more capacity.

The F55V2 seems a bit smaller as well, perhaps similar to the T5. Which potentially brings me back to the Manchester. So many choices.
 
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The F55 has a 2.8 cu ft firebox and the F45 has a 2.4 firebox, so both a little larger the the T5 but I don’t think they have enamel options unless that’s something new?
 
The F55 has a 2.8 cu ft firebox and the F45 has a 2.4 firebox, so both a little larger the the T5 but I don’t think they have enamel options unless that’s something new?
Should not only consider the size of the firebox but BTU output as well. Some stoves will emit more BTU's for identically sized firebox.
 
I ended up with a stove smaller than I knew I needed because it looked better. (F500 didn’t come in ivory in 2018). It looks amazing 8 cold months out of the the year. Heats the house fine all but the two or three coldest weeks. With other heating appliances available you should be able to get by on the T5 but it means running hot and reloading frequently when it’s cold. It’s a trade off.

Personally I’d keep the Ashford and get it up and running in tip top shape. It heats well, looks great and put the extra money towards another home improvement project.
 
Looks like the 500V3 has enamel options but the others don't.
I ended up with a stove smaller than I knew I needed because it looked better. (F500 didn’t come in ivory in 2018). It looks amazing 8 cold months out of the the year. Heats the house fine all but the two or three coldest weeks. With other heating appliances available you should be able to get by on the T5 but it means running hot and reloading frequently when it’s cold. It’s a trade off.

Personally I’d keep the Ashford and get it up and running in tip top shape. It heats well, looks great and put the extra money towards another home improvement project.
This is another possibility. Having had so many challenges with this stove, it might be nice to have something easier to deal with. But it's not the stove's fault that the installation was bad. Assuming it can be fixed and we can run it without smoke leaking into our home. The other day, when the temperature outside picked up and the wind was blowing hard, we started to smell smoke. In that moment, I felt a strong desire to move on from this stove.
 
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Looks like the 500V3 has enamel options but the others don't.

This is another possibility. Having had so many challenges with this stove, it might be nice to have something easier to deal with. But it's not the stove's fault that the installation was bad. Assuming it can be fixed and we can run it without smoke leaking into our home. The other day, when the temperature outside picked up and the wind was blowing hard, we started to smell smoke. In that moment, I felt a strong desire to move on from this stove.
The Ashford probably has a better reputation than the the new F500 V3. I understand where you are coming from. I just checked both stove have 15’ minimum flue requirements. Is if you smoke issue is draft related it could still be an issue with the F500.
 
The Ashford probably has a better reputation than the the new F500 V3. I understand where you are coming from. I just checked both stove have 15’ minimum flue requirements. Is if you smoke issue is draft related it could still be an issue with the F500.
Thanks for that feedback.
 
The fairly consistent feedback I'm getting is leading me in the direction of the PE Anderlea T5, unless PE has the T6 in brown enamel by the time they're again in stock. It seems that right now no one near me has one and PE doesn't have those lines running, so realistically this would be something that could happen in time for next year's burn season.

That or fix the Ashford and make due with it. The install was messed up by the dealer so that's something I need to work out too. I'm an attorney and am working with Blaze King to hopefully come to a mutually agreeable resolution. Hopefully we'll get there and then I can choose a direction forward. Really appreciate the advice.
 
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Here's to you being happy with a stove - whichever it is!
 
The fairly consistent feedback I'm getting is leading me in the direction of the PE Anderlea T5, unless PE has the T6 in brown enamel by the time they're again in stock. It seems that right now no one near me has one and PE doesn't have those lines running, so realistically this would be something that could happen in time for next year's burn season.

That or fix the Ashford and make due with it. The install was messed up by the dealer so that's something I need to work out too. I'm an attorney and am working with Blaze King to hopefully come to a mutually agreeable resolution. Hopefully we'll get there and then I can choose a direction forward. Really appreciate the advice.
Before replacing it, there are 2 issues evident that have nothing to do with the stove. The first is weak and possibly reversing draft and the second is water infiltration. Both need to be solved regardless of the stove choice. Otherwise, this scenario may repeat itself. Where did the water come from? Could be the result of condensation in a cold, reversing draft flue? Is there a humidifier in the house?
 
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