2014-2015 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)#2

[Poindexter]

Poindexter, odd question I know but at what temps can the average Alaskan be comfortable in a T-shirt?

I know my wife complains if it drops bellow 74*F in here but she is spoiled to the wood heat and there's nothing the electric furnace can do to keep her warm anymore. I would imagine after a brutal winter like you describe she would be thankful for 65*.

My wife puts on quilted snow pants and starts talking about moving someplace where the hunting and fishing isn't so good, at +60dF.

My limit for being out in it for any significant length of time is -30dF. There is nothing I need to do outdoors so badly that it can't wait until later. Just to run out to my truck and get it started, jeans and a tshirt in the driveway for 90 seconds, about -30dF. To shovel the driveway in jeans and a tshirt, about -10dF. To sit down outdoors and have a malted milkshake, about +20dF.

Before I could afford central air I was uncomfortably hot and sticky nine months out of the year in KY and NC.

I would say about +20dF for the "average Fairbanksan" I'd see a 5-50 mix of lightweight jackets v- short sleeve shirts.

I have half a cord of wood in the garage after doing my "one thing" outdoors today. Trying to work up the motivation to take house trash to the transfer station.

 

[Highbeam]

Allow me to clarify one point TennDave.

Imagine placing 50 lbs of wood in an open pit. Due to unregulated air infusion, the burn rate and time would be uncontrolled. On that all will agree. Now place the same 50 lbs in ANY OTHER stove with a manual air control. As the fire becomes more involved, the room temp will increase as heat output and burning of the fuel becomes more involved. On that we can agree as well. However, as opposed to the open pit, you can go turn down the amount of air allowed into the firebox, which will drop room temperature. When it get too cold, you open the air control to increase the heat output. Can we agree on this as well? With regard to our products, We have had many studies and field comments showing the heat output is more consistent than an HVAC system. That has been my own experience as well.

Now, place the 50 lbs in a Blaze King catalytic, thermostatically controlled stove. As the fire increases and burn rate and temps also increase, I will go do something else, like fishing or hunting or working on my car, but I DO NOT NEED TO GO ADJUST for the unevening burning nature of cord wood, which is not a metered fuel. The thermostat does that for me....and other Blaze King owners.

That is both the key to the long burn times and increased efficiency. One other point, efficiency is not equal at all burn rates. When someone says "This stove is only 1% or 2% more efficient, that is the overall efficiency. Truth be told, Blaze King stoves are VASTLY more efficient in the low burn rates than other stoves and that is how 80% of folks operate wood stoves, according to dealers, consumers, EPA and industrry studies.

You are indeed fortunate to own one of Tom's stoves. Thay are a great company with outstanding products, staff and customeer support.

You say efficiency is higher in the low burn rates. Many of us use those low burn rates most of the time. Now that I am buying wood, efficiency is an important part of the fuel comparison calculations. Can you estimate the efficiency of a bk at low burn rates?

 

[BKVP]

You say efficiency is higher in the low burn rates. Many of us use those low burn rates most of the time. Now that I am buying wood, efficiency is an important part of the fuel comparison calculations. Can you estimate the efficiency of a bk at low burn rates?

When I return, I can look it up for you....

 

[NinjaTech]

70 here today, stove was completely shut down and I did my first sweeping after several cords. I gotta say I'm impressed with how little came out. I was not expecting this.

 

[rdust]

Upper 30's here today and lows still in the 30's. Here is 12 hours in, without the blowers running, stove room is hanging around 76 rest of the lower level about 70. Tomorrow looks like the last decent day(30's) for a while so I plan to give the chimney a mid season cleaning after this load burns out.

Still makes me laugh seeing this much wood after 12 hours.

 

[Wolves1]

When you guys reload your stove and stove temp is still active do you close the bypass right away?

 

[kennyp2339]

When you guys reload your stove and stove temp is still active do you close the bypass right away?

It depends, if im in the active zone but just on coals I first turn the air up to setting 3, open bypass, rake coals, load, let the wood catch fire (2min) close bypass, keep air open then turn it back to what ever setting after 5 min. If I'm loading on a live fire I just open the bypass (smoke reasons) throw what ever pieces right in there, close the door and close the bypass walk away. My wood is real dry though, so it catches fire relatively fast.

 

[ambull01]

Thank you. Painted it myself. Hard to get black paint covered with cream, but had to get the WAF. It makes it a pain now with the single wall that needs to be replaced with double. The new pipe will need painting and that means ordering more paint, and it ain't cheap!

What does WAF mean? Are you putting on double wall because of high temps and the painted stove?

 

[begreen]

WAF=Wife Appeal Factor. BK strongly recommends their stoves be installed with double-wall pipe. It's good advice for any install, but particularly important with cat stoves due to the lower flue gas temps.

 

[rdust]

Upper 30's here today and lows still in the 30's. Here is 12 hours in, without the blowers running, stove room is hanging around 76 rest of the lower level about 70. Tomorrow looks like the last decent day(30's) for a while so I plan to give the chimney a mid season cleaning after this load burns out.

Still makes me laugh seeing this much wood after 12 hours.
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About 24 1/2 hours in, air is on 3. I've been raking and burning down coals for a couple hours now. If I wasn't trying to cool of the stove off so I could sweep the chimney there would still be heat for a while longer. My wife did run the blower for few hours this morning she said the stove room was 74 when she woke up around 6am.

 

[turbojoe]

Had mine down for a little over 48 hours to sweep.
I pull my conector pipe and sweep from the bottom.
I noticed the stove was a bit to warm to set tools on. 148F
Finished the top side, went to clean out the firebox and found plenty of hots : Removed about 75% of the ashes threw in a few dozen starter splits, 2 minutes later a fire... 48 hours. Good stuff BK
"My cold dead hands" means my guns and my Blaze King...

 

[bobdog2o02]

When you guys reload your stove and stove temp is still active do you close the bypass right away?

Depends on how much I add, what species,'and how big the splits are.

 

[Quentin2]

When you guys reload your stove and stove temp is still active do you close the bypass right away?

Your supposed to let the wood char first. Kinda subjective, I don't like to waste wood. I try to let it run for at least a couple minutes, I'm often short on time like in the mornings so I'll hold the door open an inch and turbocharge the process. I think the old bks the bypass was linked to the door so if the door was shut so was the bypass. I kinda got a feel for it now, if the fresh load is too much for the coals I'll give it some time.

 

[turbojoe]

He said "Turbocharge" lol

 

[Poindexter]

When you guys reload your stove and stove temp is still active do you close the bypass right away?

I think it comes down first to how much draft you got, ie how tall is your stack and what is your outdoor temp, and second, how dry is your fuel?

If the cat stalls, you engaged too soon. If the cat takes right off you did fine.

 

[HotCoals]

What the heck is going on in here???

 

[tarzan]

What the heck is going on in here???

Welcome back, you got a lot of catching up to do!

 

[Usernamemustbeunique]

Around my part oak is hard to get as a fuel source and expensive. However, I found some oak pallets. They are painted blue and the paint is not thick. Any chance these would be fine to burn in my sirocco as long as I cut out the metal bits?

 

[jeff_t]

What the heck is going on in here???

WHERE have you been? I was a little worried.

 

[Highbeam]

Around my part oak is hard to get as a fuel source and expensive. However, I found some oak pallets. They are painted blue and the paint is not thick. Any chance these would be fine to burn in my sirocco as long as I cut out the metal bits?

No. No paint. Even the zinc on the galvavnized nails is a nogo.

 

[Calentarse]

Around my part oak is hard to get as a fuel source and expensive. However, I found some oak pallets. They are painted blue and the paint is not thick. Any chance these would be fine to burn in my sirocco as long as I cut out the metal bits?

Absolutely not. The paint will surely damage your cat

 

[HotCoals]

WHERE have you been? I was a little worried.

Had a rough few months getting my breathing under control. Too many years of smoking.
But with some meds I'm doing good and ready to ruffle up some feathers!

I can tell you my stove has been keeping very comfortable..doc was telling me I should not have a wood stove..funny guy he is!

Thanks for wondering about me. Cheers!

 

[rdust]

Thanks for wondering about me. Cheers!

The other day I was thinking to myself how quiet it had been since you haven't been around. Nice to have you back!

 

[Quentin2]

What length are you guys with kings cutting your splits to? For the most part I'm 18". The bottom part of the stove is kinda irritating, I think it needs 17 or less but the rest of the stove can take 20" guessing. 17 is an odd annoying number to me, makes all the math difficult. I've been cutting 6' logs throwing in truck and then bucking 4 18" pieces. Plus 18" helps me figure my cords as well.

 

[TX-L]

What length are you guys with kings cutting your splits to?

I try for 16" +/-, but don't measure them, I just eyeball the next cut. After cutting so many cords over the years, I'm fairly consistent. I have a Mingo marker http://themingomarker.com/ that sprays a paint mark every 16", but I hardly ever use it. It does work very well though.

I know the stove will accept longer pieces, but the 16 inchers work well and are easier to handle and split. While math would prove that a 17" or 18" piece will yield more weight and therefore more BTUs than the same piece of wood that was cut to 16", I think real world results would be next to nothing. I cull any shorter pieces for N/S loading the Lopi Liberty at camp, which has a relatively shallow firebox.