2015-2016 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)

[drz1050]

Is the smell steady, or has it been decreasing over time? Possible that you're smelling the paint curing?

You sure it's not coming from the door? Or collar?

You could run a little test... pull the probe out, put a little piece of gasket material there and weigh it down, then run another burn.

 

[Turbinetodd]

The smell is not steady only when the cat is glowing and the smell is not curing paint i had that on the first few burns so i know what that smells like.
It is hard to tell exactly where it is coming from sometimes from around thermometer and other times from top left corner of door.
I was thinking of some sort of hi temp sealant under the thermometer and see what happens. I find it hard to believe the chimney is too short since it starts great and never get any smoke when door is open and get great run times. But i am new to wood stoves so i am not sure that is why i am asking people with more experience than myself and maybe someone else has experienced this.

 

[Scoutin Wyo]

What does the fire box look like when you get the smells? Rolling flames or is it black with flames just popping up every few minutes?

 

[drz1050]

My bet is that it's leaking out the door.. replace the gasket with a healthy dose of RTV, that's been curing the Ashford ones with the smoke problem. Mine is in progress now, just waiting on the gasket from BK

 

[moresnow]

wanted to take aa minute to thank those who chimed in on my post yesterday. I took a look at a Princess and decided it was just to large to fit in my available space. I guess I am in the market for a smaller unit. Thanks. If you have recomendations fire away.

 

[drz1050]

wanted to take aa minute to thank those who chimed in on my post yesterday. I took a look at a Princess and decided it was just to large to fit in my available space. I guess I am in the market for a smaller unit. Thanks. If you have recomendations fire away.

The Absolute Steel from Woodstock is getting really good reviews so far..

 

[moresnow]

So I have been reading as well. I need to verify the dimensions of that stove. Any comments on the Ashford 20? Is it more of a decorative short burn type of stove? Or?

 

[showrguy]

So you snuffed the cat. Anytime that excellent wood stops burning (or cat goes inactive) with 40% of the fuel left it means that not enough air is passing through the stove.

It could be that your stat setting is too low but 3 o'clock is right in the middle and quite high. It could be that your stat knob is spinning on the shaft, verify a hard stop full open and the stat pointer pointing straight at 6 o'clock. It could be a clogged screen on the cap, yuk. It could be a clogged cat element but that is very rare. Or it could be that the temperatures were so warm outside that draft is reduced but I just don't see that being an issue with such a tall stack and such a high stat setting. It seems everybody wants to thinks their wood is dry, you seem convinced so we must trust you.

First order of business, verify hard stop full open with stat pointing at 6 o'clock.

Second, clean the screen in the cap. Easy to check.

Temps here the last couple of days have been in the low 30's F. overnight..
My cap does not have a screen to clog..
Wet/damp wood is deffinately NOT the issue..
I have verified positive stop at 6 oclock position.......but also....If I start at 6 oclock, turn stat knob counter clockwise, I can hear the damper close pretty consistently about the 3;15 setting, also the stat knob will continue turning past the 12 oclock position all the way counterclockwise to right about the 8 oclock position, shaft does'nt seem to be sticking.....is this normal ??

 

[Turbinetodd]

What does the fire box look like when you get the smells? Rolling flames or is it black with flames just popping up every few minutes?

The fire box is black with some glowing wood no flames and cat is glowing.

 

[Turbinetodd]

My bet is that it's leaking out the door.. replace the gasket with a healthy dose of RTV, that's been curing the Ashford ones with the smoke problem. Mine is in progress now, just waiting on the gasket from BK

It could be the gasket even though it is only 3 weeks old .I find it difficult to pin point where the smoke is coming from when i get a strong whiff of smoke i try and locate it but by the time i notice it the smoke has spread out and is in the area of the stove . I will have to camp out near the stove and be close when the leak happens. I should clarify it is not a puff of smoke that comes out just a strong smell of smoke that will burn my eyes and sometimes make me cough.

 

[Highbeam]

. I called the Blaze King factory and they said it is impossible cause there is a low pressure in the stove and smoke cannot escape .

Unfortunately that is completely false. They should know better than to say it is impossible as there are plenty of defects that could possibly lead to smoke smell. That said, it is unlikely. The most common leak point is the hinge side of the door gasket. Situate your nose right above the hinge side of the door with the fans off and you should smell the constant leak if it is there.

When you latch your loading door, is it a one finger deal or a whole hand required to fully latch? I found that the door gaskets compress quite a bit at first and then remain good for a long time so after that first compression you may need to tighten the latch.

Burn in paint smell is not a one time thing. It will stink every time you reach a higher temperature. After three weeks of full time burning it should be gone.

Don't seal the probe hole. That's not it.

 

[Highbeam]

Temps here the last couple of days have been in the low 30's F. overnight..
My cap does not have a screen to clog..
Wet/damp wood is deffinately NOT the issue..
I have verified positive stop at 6 oclock position.......but also....If I start at 6 oclock, turn stat knob counter clockwise, I can hear the damper close pretty consistently about the 3;15 setting, also the stat knob will continue turning past the 12 oclock position all the way counterclockwise to right about the 8 oclock position, shaft does'nt seem to be sticking.....is this normal ??

Everything sounds normal except for the stat clacking shut at the 3:15 setting. On a cold stove, most folks report the stat clicking shut at somewhere closer to the 2:00 setting. Each model has a different thermostat so we can't directly compare your king to my princess but if your stat is somehow wound too tightly and closing too early then your symptoms would be the result.

So bottom line, you need to run a higher stat setting than you did to prevent snuffing that cat. Turn it up some.

I don't fuss with long chars or stages when turning the stat to the cruise setting. Cat is active, dry wood has been burning long enough that it won't go out, set the stat and walk away. The stat reduces the intake air automatically. That's why it's great.

 

[Highbeam]

So I have been reading as well. I need to verify the dimensions of that stove. Any comments on the Ashford 20? Is it more of a decorative short burn type of stove? Or?

If the princess or other 30 size stoves are too big then the 20 is the next logical choice. You will suffer a 33% reduction in burn time from 30 to 20 hours, a higher low output setting, and only a minor reduction in physical size.

If you want smaller still then go to Woodstock. They excel at tiny stoves, and have been building them for a long time. Skip the hybrids though and look at the very well proven fireview and Keystone size stoves that are actually cat stoves. Easy 12 hour+ burns.

http://www.woodstove.com/wood-stoves

 

[sequoia]

All I can say about this winter coming to an end is that this is the FIRST time my wife is actually sorry winter is almost over. Thank you BK princess for making my wife and my life so happy!

And thanks to everyone on this site who helped, informed and encouraged me through my entire project!

 

[tarzan]

Ok, the face of my cat became clogged again for the second time in about a month. Both times only required a quick brushing and back in business.

I think most here who have run these stoves would agree that this is not normal but the first time I just blamed it on the Hickory since it leaves a bunch of ashes behind and burning it is the only real change that I can think of. But now, twice in a month! I'm starting to wonder if this is just a weird thing that happened or do I have a problem developing that I haven't pinpointed yet?

Thinking out loud, maybe the inside of the cat is becoming clogged and even though it's not causing a noticeable restriction it's enough to allow a build up on the face of the cat?

 

[webby3650]

Ok, the face of my cat became clogged again for the second time in about a month. Both times only required a quick brushing and back in business.

I think most here who have run these stoves would agree that this is not normal but the first time I just blamed it on the Hickory since it leaves a bunch of ashes behind and burning it is the only real change that I can think of. But now, twice in a month! I'm starting to wonder if this is just a weird thing that happened or do I have a problem developing that I haven't pinpointed yet?

Thinking out loud, maybe the inside of the cat is becoming clogged and even though it's not causing a noticeable restriction it's enough to allow a build up on the face of the cat?

Do you have excessive draft? I've seen accelerated buildup on cats if the chimney was exceedingly tall. When you stir up the ashes draft pulls some ash into the cat, even though it bypassed at the time.

 

[tarzan]

Not excessive, I only have 11' total from stove collar to cap. It works fine even though it's not supposed to would be closer to the truth

Everything seems to be as usual from the weather to the wood to the way I've ran the stove. I have cleaned the cat a couple times in the past but that was more of a, just because the stove was cold and I was thinking about it thing, didn't get much from it.

Ol well, not a big deal, just odd at the least. It has seemed to happen sudden and I did take ashes out right before it happened this time but can't remember if the last time followed that same scenario. I will pay more attention to what's happening the next time I take out ashes though.

 

[Turbinetodd]

Unfortunately that is completely false. They should know better than to say it is impossible as there are plenty of defects that could possibly lead to smoke smell. That said, it is unlikely. The most common leak point is the hinge side of the door gasket. Situate your nose right above the hinge side of the door with the fans off and you should smell the constant leak if it is there.

When you latch your loading door, is it a one finger deal or a whole hand required to fully latch? I found that the door gaskets compress quite a bit at first and then remain good for a long time so after that first compression you may need to tighten the latch.

Burn in paint smell is not a one time thing. It will stink every time you reach a higher temperature. After three weeks of full time burning it should be gone.don't seal the probe hole. That's not it.

I

I have been sniffing around the hinges and that is where the smoke smell is coming from strange only been running stove for 3.5 weeks and gasket is leaking already.
Will adjusting the door latch have any effect on the seal at the hinges or will i have to replace the door gasket ?.

I can close the door with one finger pretty easy to latch. Just waiting for it to burn down so i can try adjusting the latch.

 

[claybe]

Adjusting the latch should take care of it. I wouldn't think you would need to replace the gasket. In fact, I thought it was part of the set up of the stove to check and adjust the door? Loosen the stop nut and adjust away! Let us know if that fixes it.

 

[shoot-straight]

Do you have excessive draft? I've seen accelerated buildup on cats if the chimney was exceedingly tall. When you stir up the ashes draft pulls some ash into the cat, even though it bypassed at the time.

this is timely. my cat was clogged pretty bad as well. i asked chris if it was an overdraft, and he said the opposite, that is was too little draft- said with more draft it would have blown right by. i dissagreed with that thinking at the time. I have 23' of insulated pipe in a masonary chimney BTW.

 

[webby3650]

this is timely. my cat was clogged pretty bad as well. i asked chris if it was an overdraft, and he said the opposite, that is was too little draft- said with more draft it would have blown right by. i dissagreed with that thinking at the time. I have 23' of insulated pipe in a masonary chimney BTW.

Then it sounds to me that there is no explanation. Average draft, excessive draft.. Still happens? Looks like it's just gonna happen on occasion.

 

[Highbeam]

Then it sounds to me that there is no explanation. Average draft, excessive draft.. Still happens? Looks like it's just gonna happen on occasion.

And I only have 12' of flue. Never a hint of anything accumulating on the cat.

 

[begreen]

this is timely. my cat was clogged pretty bad as well. i asked chris if it was an overdraft, and he said the opposite, that is was too little draft- said with more draft it would have blown right by. i dissagreed with that thinking at the time. I have 23' of insulated pipe in a masonary chimney BTW.

Have there been any times when the bypass was forgotten to be opened when reloading the stove or cleaning ash out of the stove?

 

[webby3650]

And I only have 12' of flue. Never a hint of anything accumulating on the cat.

Me either, 1 16' flue and 1 12' flue. Nothing ever in my cat.

 

[tarzan]

And I only have 12' of flue. Never a hint of anything accumulating on the cat.

That's the thing that is odd to me. 1and 1/2 seasons with nothing, then twice clogged within a month.

Something has changed without a doubt. I just need to figure it out.

Me either, 1 16' flue and 1 12' flue. Nothing ever in my cat.