2018-19 Blaze King Performance Thread Part 2 (Everything BK)

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Stay warm. The same weather is staring to move into our valley.
Calling for -19*C for tonight. It will be cold for the next 4 days.
 
Well it seems like the cat came back to life last night,
using same wood, I loaded up after 12hrs, got stove up to temp
then started to set back the stat and the cat lit right up with the
gauge getting pretty high and the cat glowing bright red.
Outdoor temps where 8f when loaded at 7pm and -5f right now
with the cat still half way up in the active zone and box still about
half full, quite happy this morning:)
Ps; still waiting on new cat I ordered on monday morning, still hasn't shipped.
 
Just to review, if for newer folk more so than you, a cat will still glow and provide secondary burn, even when it is failing. But as the catalyst is depleted, it loses its ability to maintain that secondary burn at low temperatures. This is why cat activity after a half day at low burn is a much better indicator of cat condition, than checking it an hour or three into a medium or high burn.
 
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well, put in a half load last night around 17:30 and ran it a few ticks below high until it was gone (about 22:30). Then stuffed the stove full of birch and jack pine and charred it up good and set the tstat around a medium burn which ate that load up in about 7.5 hrs, keeping the stove room at 20*C all night (cooler down in the bedrooms, and holding at 10*C in the basement). Was perfect timing for my reload this morning. Have the stove dialed down to low again for the day - yesterday this kept the house at 17*C which was good enough. Hoping for similar results today. Daytime high is -20*C here, overnight low calling for -41*C with high tomorrow of -30*C. Definitely have to shorten up the burn cycles to keep the house comfortable when it's like this. But, with a bit more tending, the stove can keep up. Hoping not to turn on the furnace but we'll see. Starting tonight it's not forecast to get above about -30*C for a few days...
 
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MissMac said:
well, put in a half load last night around 17:30 and ran it a few ticks below high until it was gone (about 22:30). Then stuffed the stove full of birch and jack pine and charred it up good and set the tstat around a medium burn which ate that load up in about 7.5 hrs, keeping the stove room at 20*C all night (cooler down in the bedrooms, and holding at 10*C in the basement). Was perfect timing for my reload this morning. Have the stove dialed down to low again for the day - yesterday this kept the house at 17*C which was good enough. Hoping for similar results today. Daytime high is -20*C here, overnight low calling for -41*C with high tomorrow of -30*C. Definitely have to shorten up the burn cycles to keep the house comfortable when it's like this. But, with a bit more tending, the stove can keep up. Hoping not to turn on the furnace but we'll see. Starting tonight it's not forecast to get above about -30*C for a few days...
Click to expand...

Wow. Stay warm and keep an eye on them pipes in the basement!
 
MissMac said:
well, put in a half load last night around 17:30 and ran it a few ticks below high until it was gone (about 22:30). Then stuffed the stove full of birch and jack pine and charred it up good and set the tstat around a medium burn which ate that load up in about 7.5 hrs, keeping the stove room at 20*C all night (cooler down in the bedrooms, and holding at 10*C in the basement). Was perfect timing for my reload this morning. Have the stove dialed down to low again for the day - yesterday this kept the house at 17*C which was good enough. Hoping for similar results today. Daytime high is -20*C here, overnight low calling for -41*C with high tomorrow of -30*C. Definitely have to shorten up the burn cycles to keep the house comfortable when it's like this. But, with a bit more tending, the stove can keep up. Hoping not to turn on the furnace but we'll see. Starting tonight it's not forecast to get above about -30*C for a few days...
Click to expand...

I remember a thread on this forum a few years back, I think the primary discussion was masonry heaters, which were likely most popular in Russia 100 years ago as massive ceramic structures built into the house. Anyway, someone posted a link to an article discussing average indoor temperature preferences by nationality and region, and there was a very clear trend: folks in colder climates generally keep their houses much warmer than those in warmer climates. By nationality, Russia (and by region, Siberia) kept their houses something like 15F - 20F warmer than the USA average. It was completely the opposite of what we might assume, that folks in colder climates are more used to living in cold houses.

I say this because I see you living at -40 to -30C (which is very roughly -40 to -20F, for those who can’t do the math in their head), but keeping your house relatively cool at 20C (68F). I also used to prefer a cooler house, say 68F, when I only ran central heating. Many here told me that’d change with wood heating, and I’ve found they’re right, now I don’t like the house to drop below 71F, and I’m happier at 73F.
 
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Ashful said:
I remember a thread on this forum a few years back, I think the primary discussion was masonry heaters, which were likely most popular in Russia 100 years ago as massive ceramic structures built into the house. Anyway, someone posted a link to an article discussing average indoor temperature preferences by nationality and region, and there was a very clear trend: folks in colder climates generally keep their houses much warmer than those in warmer climates. By nationality, Russia (and by region, Siberia) kept their houses something like 15F - 20F warmer than the USA average. It was completely the opposite of what we might assume, that folks in colder climates are more used to living in cold houses.

I say this because I see you living at -40 to -30C (which is very roughly -40 to -20F, for those who can’t do the math in their head), but keeping your house relatively cool at 20C (68F). I also used to prefer a cooler house, say 68F, when I only ran central heating. Many here told me that’d change with wood heating, and I’ve found they’re right, now I don’t like the house to drop below 71F, and I’m happier at 73F.
Click to expand...


Very interesting.

But I think in Mac’s case (he will correct me if I am wrong), he is pushing the Princess to its limits and only getting the stove room
temp to 20*C. Everything has its limits I suppose.

(*C x 1.8 + 32 = *F) for those who prefer calculators
 
Last edited:
Ashful said:
I remember a thread on this forum a few years back, I think the primary discussion was masonry heaters, which were likely most popular in Russia 100 years ago as massive ceramic structures built into the house. Anyway, someone posted a link to an article discussing average indoor temperature preferences by nationality and region, and there was a very clear trend: folks in colder climates generally keep their houses much warmer than those in warmer climates. By nationality, Russia (and by region, Siberia) kept their houses something like 15F - 20F warmer than the USA average. It was completely the opposite of what we might assume, that folks in colder climates are more used to living in cold houses.

I say this because I see you living at -40 to -30C (which is very roughly -40 to -20F, for those who can’t do the math in their head), but keeping your house relatively cool at 20C (68F). I also used to prefer a cooler house, say 68F, when I only ran central heating. Many here told me that’d change with wood heating, and I’ve found they’re right, now I don’t like the house to drop below 71F, and I’m happier at 73F.
Click to expand...
I actually prefer to keep the living room area of the house where the stove is between 23-25*C in the winter, because it feels so good. However, with the current outdoor temps. I'm trying to balance heat load with stretching burn times long enough for a decent overnight nap. If I could have kept it warmer than 20*C overnight I would have, but then I would have had to get up in the wee hours for a reload. it was definitely colder than we like, especially in the far side of the house where we sleep. had my little hood on in my pjs. and when it's this cold, we definitely notice some of the drafts that we have, and i start to daydream of the benefits the OAK could create in this situations.

I think for the next several days i'm either going to be sleeping on the couch to catch the fire before it goes out on shorter, higher burns, or else give in and let the furnace kick on. but man, when it's cold like this, that thing hoovers propane like a thirsty moose. makes me cringe when i have all this wonderful wood sitting around just waiting to be burned.
 
Diabel said:
Very interesting.

But I think in Mac’s case (he will correct me if I am wrong), he is pushing the Princess to its limits and only getting the stove room
temp to 20*C. Everything has its limits I suppose.

(*C x 1.8 + 32 = *F) for those who prefer calculators
Click to expand...
Not quite. The 20*C overnight burn was on roughly a medium stove setting, with the fans on low. I was trying to draw out the burn time enough to get a decent overnights sleep. It was definitely cooler down in teh bedrooms at the far end of the house however. So, it could have been hotter, but i would have had to sleep by the stove to keep her fed.
 
MissMac said:
Not quite. The 20*C overnight burn was on roughly a medium stove setting, with the fans on low. I was trying to draw out the burn time enough to get a decent overnights sleep. It was definitely cooler down in teh bedrooms at the far end of the house however. So, it could have been hotter, but i would have had to sleep by the stove to keep her fed.
Click to expand...

Why not just put that propane system on an automatic thermostat, to bring the living space back up to 23C in the morning? If you’re running that stove all day and all night, it is carrying the majority of your heating load, whether the propane needs to kick in a bit to bring you up that last 3C or not. This is the way I run my house, since it’s too large to handle entirely with wood stoves. The oil-fired boiler has to kick on to heat remote zones where the wood stove heat will not go, and even to provide a degree or two supplemental to the primary areas on very cold mornings, but I am putting an enormous dent in that oil bill.

I did as you are, trying to heat the joint 100% with wood the first two years with my stoves. It proved to be frustrating. Now, with the oil supplementing, I’m really not spending that much more, and sanity has returned.
 
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MissMac said:
well, put in a half load last night around 17:30 and ran it a few ticks below high until it was gone (about 22:30). Then stuffed the stove full of birch and jack pine and charred it up good and set the tstat around a medium burn which ate that load up in about 7.5 hrs, keeping the stove room at 20*C all night (cooler down in the bedrooms, and holding at 10*C in the basement). Was perfect timing for my reload this morning. Have the stove dialed down to low again for the day - yesterday this kept the house at 17*C which was good enough. Hoping for similar results today. Daytime high is -20*C here, overnight low calling for -41*C with high tomorrow of -30*C. Definitely have to shorten up the burn cycles to keep the house comfortable when it's like this. But, with a bit more tending, the stove can keep up. Hoping not to turn on the furnace but we'll see. Starting tonight it's not forecast to get above about -30*C for a few days...
Click to expand...

Just west of you in Winnipeg, still learning the Princess. Nobody is home right now so I do 12 hour loads and almost don't care if the furnace comes on a bit here and there. It's interesting how much colder it gets, but it also affects the draft.

One thing we found, we had a bit of willow and wow does that light up! Great for starting loads.
 
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Ashful said:
Why not just put that propane system on an automatic thermostat, to bring the living space back up to 23C in the morning? If you’re running that stove all day and all night, it is carrying the majority of your heating load, whether the propane needs to kick in a bit to bring you up that last 3C or not. This is the way I run my house, since it’s too large to handle entirely with wood stoves. The oil-fired boiler has to kick on to heat remote zones where the wood stove heat will not go, and even to provide a degree or two supplemental to the primary areas on very cold mornings, but I am putting an enormous dent in that oil bill.

I did as you are, trying to heat the joint 100% with wood the first two years with my stoves. It proved to be frustrating. Now, with the oil supplementing, I’m really not spending that much more, and sanity has returned.
Click to expand...
I actually have an Ecobee smart thermostat and some remote sensors in the house that control the HRV and the furnace - it's a very slick set up. If I'm honest, the reason that I try not to use the furnace is because it makes me a bit nervous having the furnace and the stove running at the same time. I know that the furnace has its own dedicated air supply and exhaust - i just had a brand new system installed 3 winters ago. And, I have had the furnace on in little dribs and drabs while running the stove, but something about it just makes me nervous. I suppose I'm afraid that somehow the furnace will create a draw on the house and cause the stove to back-puff or reverse draft. It's never happened, but i think that's the root of my hesitation. So for us, I will run the furnace if the stove is off or vice versa, but i'm just not there comfort wise to really let the 2 work in tandem, although you're right, it would make life simpler enjoying the best of both worlds in this mighty cold.
 
No sir...
 
My furnace will kick on every now and then when its real cold out and there is never a problem
running either stove, does not affect the flames one bit when it starts
 
jetsam said:
Fixed that for you!
Click to expand...
That was a good one, but I think I couldn’t meet the King clearances in my fireplaces, anyway. Also, do the kings have a complete convection jacket, like the Ashford?
 
Ashful said:
That was a good one, but I think I couldn’t meet the King clearances in my fireplaces, anyway. Also, do the kings have a complete convection jacket, like the Ashford?
Click to expand...

The king makes more heat but I bet you’d still need some oil heat.

The king, like the princess, is available in three trim levels. The most jacketed is the ultra with the optional convection deck, pedestal, and fan kit to cover the rear. The side shields cover the sides. Open half top and front.

Still considered a convection stove as if there is any such thing. All stoves are both convective and radiant.
 
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Highbeam said:
The king makes more heat but I bet you’d still need some oil heat.

The king, like the princess, is available in three trim levels. The most jacketed is the ultra with the optional convection deck, pedestal, and fan kit to cover the rear. The side shields cover the sides. Open half top and front.

Still considered a convection stove as if there is any such thing. All stoves are both convective and radiant.
Click to expand...

Good to know. Yes, I’d still need some oil, due to the layout of the house, and some areas being completely isolated from the stoves. It’s not exactly the Winchester Mansion, but it is a rambling broken-up layout, which requires almost a dozen different heating zones.
 
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Tegbert said:
No it does not. Unless they changed it for the gen 2s.


Lopi Rockport
Blaze King Ashford 25
Click to expand...

This is a huge bummer. Even the old Buck smoke dragons had an automatic thermostat that when up to temp... it kicked on. Wish they would add the feature or a way for homeowners to modify it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I think I'm done with the princess, these cats are a pain in the butt.
I ordered a new cat during the weekend, just received it in the mail, the company sent the wrong one, we're suppose to have a major storm here in 2 days followed up by some pretty rough arctic air, well I'm between a rock and a hard place here, a position that I don't like being in and I refuse to be in, so rather then wait a 2 weeks (turn around time, the company wont ship the new proper sized cat until they receive the other one sent in error back) I'll be going to HD and buying a nc30, (I know it can do the heating job)
So craigslist the princess goes. Good luck BK'ers it was a fun 4.5 seasons.
 
kennyp2339 said:
I think I'm done with the princess, these cats are a pain in the butt.
I ordered a new cat during the weekend, just received it in the mail, the company sent the wrong one, we're suppose to have a major storm here in 2 days followed up by some pretty rough arctic air, well I'm between a rock and a hard place here, a position that I don't like being in and I refuse to be in, so rather then wait a 2 weeks (turn around time, the company wont ship the new proper sized cat until they receive the other one sent in error back) I'll be going to HD and buying a nc30, (I know it can do the heating job)
So craigslist the princess goes. Good luck BK'ers it was a fun 4.5 seasons.
Click to expand...
PM me your phone number. Perhaps I can help,
 
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kennyp2339 said:
I think I'm done with the princess, these cats are a pain in the butt.
I ordered a new cat during the weekend, just received it in the mail, the company sent the wrong one, we're suppose to have a major storm here in 2 days followed up by some pretty rough arctic air, well I'm between a rock and a hard place here, a position that I don't like being in and I refuse to be in, so rather then wait a 2 weeks (turn around time, the company wont ship the new proper sized cat until they receive the other one sent in error back) I'll be going to HD and buying a nc30, (I know it can do the heating job)
So craigslist the princess goes. Good luck BK'ers it was a fun 4.5 seasons.
Click to expand...


if you car was sitting in the driveway with a flat tire, I suppose you would wait till you needed to go some where to think about fixing it.
 
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