2016-17 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK) Part 2

[kf6hap]

FYI: The flue draw might be .05" or .001806 PSI. 40PSI air/.001806= 55370. So the compressed air is 55,370 times stronger. Gives a different perspective. As velocity doubles the impact energy is squared. This is why sand blasters can remove almost all coatings.

 

[lsucet]

While we are on the topic of cats failing what or when is the best time to do a reload? What temperature is ok to open the bypass and then the door? I guess it's hard for you BK guys to know exactly the temperature but do you let it fall out of the active zone or close to it?


Lopi Rockport

The only time i see my cat inactive is when i get back every weekend and i have to start a dead cold stove.lol
my cat always,till now is well into the active zone when i reload. if i wait to it drop about 9:30 or close to inactive position or so there is not enough coals to relight quick. My is ceramic cat and i heard that ceramic keeps temp at the end longer.

 

[tarzan]

I have coals left for a relight after the stove falls out of the active range but a 12 or 24 hour schedule is my norm so the cat is usually in the active range when I reload.

 

[webby3650]

While we are on the topic of cats failing what or when is the best time to do a reload? What temperature is ok to open the bypass and then the door? I guess it's hard for you BK guys to know exactly the temperature but do you let it fall out of the active zone or close to it?


Lopi Rockport

I reload anytime I need to. If I feel like I should add a few pieces then I do. No real schedule. Just avoid wet or icy wood.

 

[webby3650]

I almost feel stupid for asking but is the blue masking tape okay here? Oh and can the butt joint be anywhere or do you go for a corner?

That tape is gone in an instant, the cat won't care what color it is, it'll make it disappear.

 

[webby3650]

While we are on the topic of cats failing what or when is the best time to do a reload? What temperature is ok to open the bypass and then the door? I guess it's hard for you BK guys to know exactly the temperature but do you let it fall out of the active zone or close to it?


Lopi Rockport

So, do you have a Rockport and a BK?

 

[Tegbert]

So, do you have a Rockport and a BK?

No just the rockport but am considering the ashford 25 for our other fireplace. But the claims of 24 hour reloads or more makes me want a freestanding bk instead too. Just hard to justify buying another $3k stove when this one is paid for and does the job just fine.


Lopi Rockport

 

[lsucet]

I have coals left for a relight after the stove falls out of the active range but a 12 or 24 hour schedule is my norm so the cat is usually in the active range when I reload.

I like to reload with a good bed of coals cause the new load start lighting up quick, less smoke, charr the wood quicker and back to black box again in no time.

 

[lsucet]

No just the rockport but am considering the ashford 25 for our other fireplace. But the claims of 24 hour reloads or more makes me want a freestanding bk instead too. Just hard to justify buying another $3k stove when this one is paid for and does the job just fine.


Lopi Rockport

Realize that the 24 hrs is most of the time spring and falls when temp are not that bad. i just had a couple of days this winter that outside temp dropped into single digits. I burn the stove about half way in the thermostat and i was able to keep the house nice with part of the house about 66 df. I was able to run the stove harder but i was ok with those temp overnight in that part of the house. It was 72 df in AM at the other part that is where 3 bedrooms, kitchen, one bathroom, family room (where the stove is installed) and some small areas are. That is the part of the house we most use. House is about 2300 sf. i still get around 15 hrs out of those loads and good amount of coals to open draft and get some heat from them.

I decide better run the pellet stove in AM,that is installed in that other side. leaving the BK untouched. Many people here confirm that if is real cold you will not see those burn time but i think you will be doing better than some other stove cause of the tstat control.

All what i can say is if you want one and you like it, go for it.

 

[tarzan]

I like to reload with a good bed of coals cause the new load start lighting up quick, less smoke, charr the wood quicker and back to black box again in no time.

Difference in wood. Once my cat goes inactive with hardwood I usually have big, red coals hiding under the ashes ready to light a new load.

 

[lsucet]

Difference in wood. Once my cat goes inactive with hardwood I usually have big, red coals hiding under the ashes ready to light a new load.

I am sure that can be a big difference and big factor. type of WOOD. I notice some differences when I burn some OAK that i have here for years. I just burn some if real cold. sometimes i forgot that i have it.

 

[Ashful]

Difference in wood. Once my cat goes inactive with hardwood I usually have big, red coals hiding under the ashes ready to light a new load.

Neither of my cats ever drop out of active range, when there are still coals visible coals in the stove. Am I alone, here? The coals must be just about gone, or at least completely buried in the ash, before it crosses into inactive. I'm burning mostly oak and ash.

 

[Ashful]

While we are on the topic of cats failing what or when is the best time to do a reload? What temperature is ok to open the bypass and then the door? I guess it's hard for you BK guys to know exactly the temperature but do you let it fall out of the active zone or close to it?

My cat activity has no bearing on when I reload. Here's my routine:

Mornings: Turn stove to max when I come downstairs, go make coffee and water the chickens, then load the stove. Usually the coal bed is too big, but who cares? I need to get to work.

After work: Rake coals to top front, and burn stove on max setting to burn down coals. Throw on a piece of cedar or 2x4, if I need more heat than the coals can deliver.

Evening: As soon as coals are burned down to a reasonable level, load the stove full, and start all over!

The combustor pretty much never leaves the active zone.

 

[lsucet]

Neither of my cats ever drop out of active range, when there are still coals visible coals in the stove. Am I alone, here? The coals must be just about gone, or at least completely buried in the ash, before it crosses into inactive. I'm burning mostly oak and ash.

That's my experience. I know I like a good bed of coals for whatever reason I mentioned before but sometimes I have been distracted with something else and temperature in the house has been ok not letting me notice that is time for reload.lol finding not many coals in there (just enough to light up) next load, but the cat still around 11 o'clock or so.

 

[Woody Stover]

potassium magnate junk is masking the catalyst.

That is the green stuff you may see on the steel cats (potassium manganate.)

blue masking tape okay here? Oh and can the butt joint be anywhere or do you go for a corner?

Should be OK. The smoke when it burns should bypass the side of the cat anyway.

What temperature is ok to open the bypass and then the door? I guess it's hard for you BK guys to know exactly the temperature but do you let it fall out of the active zone or close to it?

You can do it any time, as long as you open the bypass for a few minutes before you open the door, so the cat has a chance to cool off. But usually, I "batch-burn" so I load full, then let the load burn to coals and the stove and cat are already pretty cool when I start thinking about re-loading. I still open the bypass for a couple minutes though.

 

[tarzan]

Neither of my cats ever drop out of active range, when there are still coals visible coals in the stove. Am I alone, here? The coals must be just about gone, or at least completely buried in the ash, before it crosses into inactive. I'm burning mostly oak and ash.

No, you're not alone. To be more specific, when my cat drops out of the active range with softwood there's usually nothing left but ashes. With hardwood, there's always some hot coals buried in the ashes. Not a bed of coals but enough too easily start the next load if I sift them up out of the ashes and to the front.

I reload on a 12 or 24 hour schedule with the cat in the active range most of the time but this winter there has been several exceptions when I reloaded after the cat was inactive. I'm straying from the original question now but sometimes even days after the cat went inactive with coals left burried in the ashes. The princess is "self banking" with a deep belly full of ashes.

 

[kf6hap]

My cat does not drop out until down to a few small glowing nuggets. Stove top at ~175F. They can be raked forward and a new load started. End of season 2.

 

[Poindexter]

My cat activity has no bearing on when I reload. Here's my routine:

Mornings: Turn stove to max when I come downstairs, go make coffee and water the chickens, then load the stove. Usually the coal bed is too big, but who cares? I need to get to work.

After work: Rake coals to top front, and burn stove on max setting to burn down coals. Throw on a piece of cedar or 2x4, if I need more heat than the coals can deliver.

Evening: As soon as coals are burned down to a reasonable level, load the stove full, and start all over!

The combustor pretty much never leaves the active zone.

Sounds like my place in the colder parts of shoulder seasons.

 

[Poindexter]

Whoa. Read @Poindexter 's story on this page from last year's BK thread and his description of the issue matched mine very well.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...rformance-thread-everything-bk.145814/page-46

So he got a new cat after burning 14% spruce which is what I'm doing. It was also clogged and even a chunk of the cat fell off!

I still think that cat got poisoned by a copper jacketed lead bullet. The deceased got shipped to Walla Walla, I got a free in warranty replacement, and I never got a note from BK asking for $$.

The logs I bought had been felled on Fort Wainwright. There have been lonely soldiers walking around in the woods out there for 100+ years. The cat was stained kinda dark where the substrate fell out, with a copper looking wash around it. IIRC copper is not a cat poison but lead is.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

I still think that cat got poisoned by a copper jacketed lead bullet.

The cat was stained kinda dark where the substrate fell out, with a copper looking wash around it. IIRC copper is not a cat poison but lead is.

At first read this sounded plausible since it would not be uncommon for there to be spent rounds in trees. Around here it's illegal to shoot into trees or natural timber (even if it's down and dead) but the world is full of inconsiderate and thoughtless individuals who don't give a damn. So, yes, plenty of rounds in timber.

But, after considering your cat failure further, I realized the lead would need to vaporize to make it to the cat. And the boiling point of lead is 3180 deg. F which I don't think would be possible without melting your stove. The boiling point of copper is even hotter. Is it even possible for the lead in a split of wood to make it to the cat?

 

[Highbeam]

I realized the lead would need to vaporize to make it to the cat. And the boiling point of lead is 3180 deg. F which I don't think would be possible without melting your stove.

I still think that cat got poisoned by a copper jacketed lead bullet. The deceased got shipped to Walla Walla, I got a free in warranty replacement, and I never got a note from BK asking for $$.

The logs I bought had been felled on Fort Wainwright. There have been lonely soldiers walking around in the woods out there for 100+ years. The cat was stained kinda dark where the substrate fell out, with a copper looking wash around it. IIRC copper is not a cat poison but lead is.

I sent my first cat, that didn't make it three years of full time use, back to BK too. No word about why it failed. That one had what the manuals call "minor peeling" which is supposed to be normal. This steel cat has no peeling, it just quit after less than two years of full time use. Looking like the vinegar trick might be coming up soon as a last ditch effort.

I am not loving the 12 hour burn times. The only people that can be happy with a 12 hour burn time are people that haven't had the pleasure of 24 hour burn times! I want my BK back!

 

[Woody Stover]

My cat does not drop out until down to a few small glowing nuggets.

Oblviously, with only some smaller coals left it the stove, the cat has stopped burning smoke quite a while before that. So, with a BK, can you tell when the load is done gassing and the cat is no longer burning smoke? Leaving the air where I originally set it when I cruised the load, about 15-20% open, when the cat is done burning, STT will level off around 250 and stay there for a long time, unless it's cold and I need more heat in which case I'll open the air a bit. I would need to put a probe in the Ks to get an accurate cat reading and see how long it stays "active"....or over 500.

after considering your cat failure further, I realized the lead would need to vaporize to make it to the cat. And the boiling point of lead is 3180 deg. F which I don't think would be possible without melting your stove. The boiling point of copper is even hotter. Is it even possible for the lead in a split of wood to make it to the cat?

Well, I've heard it said that you shouldn't burn zinc-plated nails in a cat stove, but I'm not sure if that advice came from a cat authority. If so, that would indicate that the zinc wouldn't have to be "vaporized" to harm the cat...

I sent my first cat, that didn't make it three years of full time use, back to BK too. No word about why it failed. That one had what the manuals call "minor peeling" which is supposed to be normal. This steel cat has no peeling, it just quit after less than two years of full time use. Looking like the vinegar trick might be coming up soon as a last ditch effort.

You never gave that first cat that crapped out a vinegar bath, did you? I just popped some corn to munch while I await the results of the vinegar bath...

only people that can be happy with a 12 hour burn time are people that haven't had the pleasure of 24 hour burn times!

That's why I haven't boughten a BK, and have instead chosen to remain blissfully ignorant.
Looks like it's a bit coolish out there in the foothills. I might have to fire up tonight, after a couple days off.

 

[tarzan]

I sent my first cat, that didn't make it three years of full time use, back to BK too. No word about why it failed. That one had what the manuals call "minor peeling" which is supposed to be normal. This steel cat has no peeling, it just quit after less than two years of full time use. Looking like the vinegar trick might be coming up soon as a last ditch effort.

I am not loving the 12 hour burn times. The only people that can be happy with a 12 hour burn time are people that haven't had the pleasure of 24 hour burn times! I want my BK back!

Would be interested in the results if you do decide on a vinegar bath. I've saved my old ceramic cat on a shelf along with extra gasket material with intentions of trying it out of curiosity. Like so many other things though, it's still on the shelf. Lol

 

[Poindexter]

At first read this sounded plausible since it would not be uncommon for there to be spent rounds in trees. Around here it's illegal to shoot into trees or natural timber (even if it's down and dead) but the world is full of inconsiderate and thoughtless individuals who don't give a damn. So, yes, plenty of rounds in timber.

But, after considering your cat failure further, I realized the lead would need to vaporize to make it to the cat. And the boiling point of lead is 3180 deg. F which I don't think would be possible without melting your stove. The boiling point of copper is even hotter. Is it even possible for the lead in a split of wood to make it to the cat?

Yup. Not really hot enough to melt metals. And I didn't find any melted metal on or down in the brick when I cleaned the stove very thoroughly at that time.

And I didn't find the rest of a bullet in the ash. I had about four gallons of ash in the stove at the time, didn't run it all through a flour sifter. But i did stir it up real good in a five gallon bucket. If there had been the rest of a bullet in there it should have settled to the bottom of the bucket and i should have found it.

I agree that all three of the above suggest something else happened to that combustor, but I don't personally have a better explanation.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

Well, I've heard it said that you shouldn't burn zinc-plated nails in a cat stove, but I'm not sure if that advice came from a cat authority. If so, that would indicate that the zinc wouldn't have to be "vaporized" to harm the cat.

Well, burning zinc in a woodstove gives off toxic fumes which is where the term "metal fume fever" and "zinc shakes" came from. So that might be a good reason right there not to burn zinc plated nails. The boiling point of zinc is only 1665 deg. F while lead is twice that. Think about it. A piece of pure lead in the bottom of your stove can only damage the cat if some of those atoms can rise up to the level of the cat. And lead is heavy, it's not getting up there in solid form (or liquid for that matter).