2013-2014 Blaze King Performance Thread(everything BK)

[BKInsert]

I always thought the firebox between the freestanding and insert were the same. I could've swore when I bought mine the BK site had them both listed at 2.85, now the insert is listed at 2.54? I must be losing it!

I can fit a touch over 17" on the first layer and a little longer once I'm above the bricks. I'd be interested in having a Princess owner measure their firebox, I'd like to know where the difference between the two is at.

You are losing it LOL... No you are not, I had the same issue when I was looking at them at the dealer vs. advertised by the BK site. The information was not precise when they first came out and I guess now they corrected it... Before I bought the insert I actually went to a dealer and measured the firebox on a few of the models, I think I posted the results on the Arboristsite, i need to check and see if I can get the information and repost it here.
Actually… the best would be if BKVP would be kind enough to post the information for everyone right here!

 

[Highbeam]

The deal seems to be that the insert has a very small "belly" below the load door. That lack of depth makes it easier to fit into fireplace openings but also takes away from firebox volume.

 

[HotCoals]

Nothing like waking up on a Sunday morn and knowing there is still great heat coming off your stove that you loaded 12 hours ago.
74 in the house and prolly won't load again till after the Bills lose again today!
It wasn't much over a half load if you're wondering why the short burn time..lol.

 

[johnstra]

You must be able to burn lower than me. I can't get that on half a load. Not that I'm complaining. I'm reloading with full loads of lodgepole at 24 hour intervals and the house temperature is nice and steady. When we get a good cold snap I'll try a full load of oak and see how that behaves.

 

[HotCoals]

Well the load was 2 year old locust and it was more then half but not 2/3 loaded.
She was down as low as she will go. That's usually where I burn unless it's really cold.
I was just wanting to see how the locust would do in this warmer weather.
I didn't char the wood much before shutting down either...but there was decent coals.

 

[privatejoker75]

Today is the one month anniversary of our first BK Chinook 20 fire and it's still going. It was down to red coals a few mornings, but that was due to forgetting to top it off the night before. I love this thing.

 

[weatherguy]

The deal seems to be that the insert has a very small "belly" below the load door. That lack of depth makes it easier to fit into fireplace openings but also takes away from firebox volume.

Aha, that was my suspicion, I think the free stander can get an extra row of splits in a load, hence the longer burn times.

 

[aansorge]

I've been on a 24 hr burn cycle for about a week. I'm doing my reloads in the morning before work. Two leather satchel loads fill it up. Throw it in, close the door, take my shower, get dressed, shutdown the bypass, eat and drink coffee, turn down the air and head to work.

House stays 80 in the stove room and 74 to 76 elsewhere. Blower has not been used yet.

 

[BKInsert]

I've been on a 24 hr burn cycle for about a week. I'm doing my reloads in the morning before work. Two leather satchel loads fill it up. Throw it in, close the door, take my shower, get dressed, shutdown the bypass, eat and drink coffee, turn down the air and head to work.

House stays 80 in the stove room and 74 to 76 elsewhere. Blower has not been used yet.

I am confused here, do you close the door when you take a shower?

 

[claybe]

Aha, that was my suspicion, I think the free stander can get an extra row of splits in a load, hence the longer burn times.

That is correct. I haven't measured but it looks like the "belly" is about 4-6 inches down from where the door ledge is. Do the free standing princess stoves have a deeper belly?

 

[Quentin2]

Guess I'll jump in, last week did 3 break in burns, first night set off alarms 4 times, day two and three 1 alarm. Shut the gas furnace off Saturday and loaded it full but not tight with beetle kill spruce, reloaded at 20 hours on glowing coals.

Went to work 21 hours later and cat was inactive but still a couple glowing half splits, I didn't load. Downstairs stayed 77-80 while upstairs ranged from 68-74. Very impressed and confident in this stove now ( bk king)

My house is 2850, stove is downstairs, kinda warm here though 40-50 I think, oh yeah stove t stat set lower than 1 pretty much whole time

 

[Carlcox]

Does anyone use the ash pan and clean out on your King Ultras? Seems like it is more hassle than worth. I just shovel it out. I have not really tried. Others opinions?

 

[Quentin2]

Does anyone use the ash pan and clean out on your King Ultras? Seems like it is more hassle than worth. I just shovel it out. I have not really tried. Others opinions?

Well I haven't used the ash pan yet, I'm curious to test out the claims of a cord of wood burned without cleaning. I figured it would be better to have it and not use it versus wanting it and not having it.

Plus I couldn't stomach the look of the parlor or classic

 

[jeff_t]

The ash pan is actually okay. It holds more than it looks like it should, and the cover is nice. I just hate fishing the plug out. I've used it a couple of times, but I find it easier to shovel.

As for burning a cord without shoveling, that would depend on the wood. Some leaves a lot more ash than others. It's possible, I suppose.

 

[HotCoals]

2/3 of a cord i have gone without taking ash out..a full cord ..I don't think I would or could.

 

[nellraq]

2/3 of a cord i have gone without taking ash out..a full cord ..I don't think I would or could.

New Topic--Chinook 30 question
The top of the chinook is a "convection" plate -- the actual top of the stove is 2.5 " below the plate.
I have my thermometer on the convection plate--just south of the cat thermometer.
The thermometer usually gets up to about 450 degrees--stays there for hours then slowly comes down.
My question: If the temp reads 450 on the convection plate, what is the actual stove top temp 2.5" below?
I've tried pointing my IR through the grill at the front, but you can't get an accurate measurement.
Anyone out there figured this out?

 

[aansorge]

Sounds a bit high.

 

[Highbeam]

New Topic--Chinook 30 question
The top of the chinook is a "convection" plate -- the actual top of the stove is 2.5 " below the plate.
I have my thermometer on the convection plate--just south of the cat thermometer.
The thermometer usually gets up to about 450 degrees--stays there for hours then slowly comes down.
My question: If the temp reads 450 on the convection plate, what is the actual stove top temp 2.5" below?
I've tried pointing my IR through the grill at the front, but you can't get an accurate measurement.
Anyone out there figured this out?

Can't you pop the top off? I thought I read that the top could be somewhat easily removed should you need to cook on the top in a power outage. No tools but you'd probably want to let it cool a bit.

 

[Highbeam]

Does anyone use the ash pan and clean out on your King Ultras? Seems like it is more hassle than worth. I just shovel it out. I have not really tried. Others opinions?

I have essentially the same ash pan on my ultra and I don't use it. The plug and chute design pans, such as this, are better than those pan designs which introduce another door gasket to leak but they still lack functionality. When you empty the ashes in a stove of this size you will be able to fill a bucket. The volume of ashes in that one bucket represents many loads from the ash pan. In any case, you need to manually move the ashes either into the chute or into your bucket so you have to wonder, why bother with that little ash pan?

 

[Highbeam]

So I've noticed that my cat probe meter no longer returns to the bottom of the inactive zone when cold. It drops way lower like off the scale. This is after just about 1.25 years of burning. The meter seems to go up and down at appropriate times but just drops way down when cold. Also, upon startup, it takes a long time to get up above into the active range even after the flue temps have long exceeded 600.

The manual instructs us to adjust the dial if after "years" of service the cold reading is wrong. Has anyone else had to do this? My condar probe meter in the flue reads room temp spot on after several years of service.

Is there a chance that the cat meter has failed? or is adjustment typical at this young age?

 

[weatherguy]

I had to adjust mine after one year HB. I ended up buying a Condar with numbers and had to adjusted that one also.

 

[Todd]

So I've noticed that my cat probe meter no longer returns to the bottom of the inactive zone when cold. It drops way lower like off the scale. This is after just about 1.25 years of burning. The meter seems to go up and down at appropriate times but just drops way down when cold. Also, upon startup, it takes a long time to get up above into the active range even after the flue temps have long exceeded 600.

The manual instructs us to adjust the dial if after "years" of service the cold reading is wrong. Has anyone else had to do this? My condar probe meter in the flue reads room temp spot on after several years of service.

Is there a chance that the cat meter has failed? or is adjustment typical at this young age?

I'm willing to bet your cat probe is off, I've had a couple probes do this to me over the years. I'd calabrated it back to room temp and see what happens. I have an extra Condar cat probe with numbers if you want it.

 

[Highbeam]

I'm willing to bet your cat probe is off, I've had a couple probes do this to me over the years. I'd calabrated it back to room temp and see what happens. I have an extra Condar cat probe with numbers if you want it.

Thanks guys, I'll do the adjustment tonight if the stove has cooled enough from yesterday's fire. Warm, dark, and rainy in my neighborhood so the stove is running at low output.

Thanks for the offer Todd, but I'll stick with the factory meter for now.

I'm burning 100% douglas fir in the stove now, MC less than 13%. This wood makes almost no ash so I am getting lower burntimes with it than I do with much lower btu, but ashier, hardwood species. Little dirtier glass than with the hardwoods too.

 

[rdust]

Thanks guys, I'll do the adjustment tonight if the stove has cooled enough .

Stove doesn't need to be cold only the probe. Pull it out, let it cool down, adjust and re-insert.

I've had to adjust mine twice since I've owned the stove.

 

[rdust]

Last night I had had the worst time getting the cat to light off. I've never had it happen before, not sure if we had a low pressure area above the house or what. The probe was in the active zone and rising, I closed the bypass and darn near snuffed out all the flames, opened the bypass back up and let the fire gain life back, closed it again and snuffed them out again, opened the bypass one more time and it finally stayed going after closing the bypass. The cat was bright and stayed red for a while before dimming out. The stove had a normal stove top temp this morning and no smoke out of the chimney.

Hopefully the load tonight goes better.