2016-17 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK)

[Ashful]

Wow! I knew you burned a lot, but that's insane! I went through 2/3 of a cord from October 8th through November 26th (over seven weeks). Granted, it hasn't been super cold yet this year.

Yep. That's why I didn't buy more Jotuls, despite them being very solid, and some of the most attractive stoves. Great for looking at, but not superb heaters, in a space like mine.

 

[volunbeer]

It was not a big load of wood and the installers said to run it on high and let the smell cook off. The odor is almost gone and so is the wood for the most part. I just cut it back and turned the fan way down. Have plenty of coals now but can still see a lot of brick in the bottom. Will load it here in a bit with a bigger load and work it down to a lower burn for overnight. Definitely happy with the heat - it's 72 upstairs and 74 on the main floor and this is a really big house. We had windows opened to vent the odors from the first burn.

Need to get a good glove for easier loading! From what I remember most recommended raking the coals towards the front before reloading?

 

[webby3650]

So you broke the stove in on high burn with high fans? Did the stove come with instructions for breaking in the paint? I recall smaller fires at first.

You don't need oak. These BKs will burn a very long time on the lowest btu woods available such as cottonwood, pine, or doug fir. Less heat will be available from these woods but it's not like the old days where you needed oak to get long burns and heat.

It says to run it at 450 for a few hours, then run it up 700 or 750 to finish curing the paint. From what I remember anyway.

 

[volunbeer]

I am pretty sure it will cure and settle down. Ran it hot for several hours until no more odor with fan on high. Have a full load going now with fan off and dial set to the middle. Cat is maxed with no visible flame. Heat still seems to be moving around pretty well on it's own. Will get it all figured out over time!

 

[Ashful]

Need to get a good glove for easier loading! From what I remember most recommended raking the coals towards the front before reloading?

I like the heavy suede hearth gloves sold at my local Ace hardware, I'm sure most Ace stores sell the same.

Yes, plow the ash under and toward the rear, the coals will rise to the top. Drag coals forward, and level with ash in the rear. Coals in front will help burn them down faster, and prevent coal build-up over consecutive cold days.

I keep one of these ash rakes hanging by each stove, for this purpose:

(broken link removed)

I also see they have a pair of nice looking women's hearth gloves.

 

[tarzan]

I tend my stove bare handed..... Just saying

 

[Highbeam]

I tend my stove bare handed..... Just saying

Aren't all hearth gloves "women's" hearth gloves?

 

[volunbeer]

Wow - tough crowd says the guy with a singed hand.

Stove has really settled down now - I have it turned almost all the way down and it still has about half the load. Definitely burns much more slowly without the fan. Should still be going in the morning so I can turn it up before my coffee and load it again.

 

[jetsam]

I have a pair of welding gloves that I think cost $10 on Amazon. I can pick up burning splits with those things on.

Edit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MRQAJG/?tag=hearthamazon-20

 

[volunbeer]

I ordered a pair off of Amazon - can't usually go wrong with 4.5 stars. They were 10 bucks. Just fired it up again this morning with no problem. Had a good coal bed after running at half throttle last night. So far, we are happy and warm!

 

[pvfjr]

I have a pair of welding gloves that I think cost $10 on Amazon. I can pick up burning splits with those things on.

Edit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MRQAJG/?tag=hearthamazon-20

My wife burned her forearm pretty good with a similar pair. She reached too far into the stove and the door frame contacted her skin just below the cuff. I think I my have done that myself once as well. I'd recommend a pair of 18" gloves instead of the standard 14". It'll cost you an extra $4 or so:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018VL6T4A/?tag=hearthamazon-20

 

[Gotrek]

My new BK should be here around december 15 ish... Are there any accessories that come with it apart from the stove? Because my dealer is not a regular BK dealer I just want to make sure I get everything I paid for. not that I don't trust them (they've been great) I just want to know.

 

[Ashful]

Manual and poker / plug lifter.

 

[tarzan]

Mine came with an ash rake and a couple fire starters as I recall. Other than the owners manual nothing to pitch a fit about if you don't get them.

 

[volunbeer]

Mine just came yesterday - only accessory was a simple metal poker. Wife is already opening windows and complaining it is too hot! Trying to figure out how to dial this thing back and keep the cat running efficiently.

I ordered a rake, ash bucket and scoop, and gloves on Amazon.

 

[kf6hap]

Gotrek, Consider an outside air kit.

 

[kennyp2339]

Speaking of gloves or lack there of, I got my 1st forearm chevron today.

 

[jetsam]

Speaking of gloves or lack there of, I got my 1st forearm chevron today.

I actually got the gloves because I was tired of getting those little burns, but after I had them a while I realized that they can serve a more important purpose (especially for east-west loaders).

You hopefully don't often need to pick up a burning split off your floor- but when you need to, it is good to be able to do so quickly and painlessly (and without discharging a fire extinguisher in your living room).

There's also the scenario in which someone tries to wrangle one more split into the stove, figures out that it ain't going, and then notices that The Split That Didn't Fit is blazing cheerfully as it hangs halfway out of the stove... (This distressing situation has led otherwise rational people to think, "Hey, I could use this glass door as a hammer....")

 

[tarzan]

I actually got the gloves because I was tired of getting those little burns, but after I had them a while I realized that they can serve a more important purpose (especially for east-west loaders).

You hopefully don't often need to pick up a burning split off your floor- but when you need to, it is good to be able to do so quickly and painlessly (and without discharging a fire extinguisher in your living room).

I do that bare handed to. And throw them in the creek 300 yards away

 

[tarzan]

Mine just came yesterday - only accessory was a simple metal poker. Wife is already opening windows and complaining it is too hot! Trying to figure out how to dial this thing back and keep the cat running efficiently.

I ordered a rake, ash bucket and scoop, and gloves on Amazon.

The cat does not have to be glowing to be working. You probably know that but.....

I'm lucky that I can just shut my thermostat down and stay just barely in the active range but some folks have to find the sweet spot on there thermostat, so to speak.

As long as your in the active range your fine. This should give you a stove top temp just south of 300F. You will likely not be able to find that setting during the first few hours of a fresh load because the cat will be going crazy with the off gassing of a fresh load. Especially a new cat. After the first 3 or 4 hours on a fresh load you can then begin to find that sweet spot.

You will get it figured out soon and I think you will be amazed at the burn times you will be seeing. Especially if you have ran any other wood stove before.

 

[volunbeer]

I am trying to find the sweet spot, but so far it is not near the lowest setting. The cat died on me earlier although the fire got going again when I opened the air. Will keep on experimenting with it. It's going to get a good workout in the next week - we will be down to single digits.

 

[kennyp2339]

I am trying to find the sweet spot

What I've found was to get the fully loaded stove running good (every piece in flames, cat probe high noon or higher) then turn the t-stat control to a little less then o'clock, let it sit like that for half hour, then turn it back a quarter again, let it sit and see what the cat probe is doing (this is just for exploration) once you learn the stove, all of this happens much faster, also its a good idea to do this first without the blower running (if the blower is running you'll get false results)
I tell you once you get your base line dialed in, everything else becomes way easier and you'll start to really enjoy the stove, you may want to get into model building or chainsaw blade sharpening because you will have a lot more time on your hands.

 

[jetsam]

I am trying to find the sweet spot, but so far it is not near the lowest setting. The cat died on me earlier although the fire got going again when I opened the air. Will keep on experimenting with it. It's going to get a good workout in the next week - we will be down to single digits.

If you can't turn the stove way down without stalling the cat, you may have insufficient draft or wet wood. You may have to wait for warmer weather to find out though!

Even when you find "the spot" it will be variable- weather can affect your draft, and the type of wood, size of the splits, and moisture content all come into play. For example right now I have my stove set a blip higher than yesterday- because it's loaded with fairly green pine instead of dry oak today, and even though pine burns hotter, cooking off all the moisture in the wood takes so many BTUs that I need some extra air to keep the cat going.

It's not rocket science; you'll get it figured out.

 

[Shayne]

Ash vacuumed it out yesterday morning after a bit over a week of 24/7 burning, lot easier than my last one as ash stays in the box and does not spill out the front. Still red hot coals left after 32 hrs after vacuum to just throw some more maple on to get it rocking again. Did the paper test to the door and all is good, all around.

Thank you guys for the very interesting posts on save a tree.

Fuel consumption BK vs what you came from.

tarzan: 33% savings (smoke dragons and one tube stove)
webby3650: 67% savings (no stove indicated but non-cat)
Highbeam: 20 to 25% savings (EPA noncat hearthstone heritage)
pvfjr: 33 to 50% (century stove)
Ashful: 67% (Jotul)

I could go through 14 to 24 short cords per season depending on the temps that year. The Cartier 2 I had was a double burner (fire bricks up top) but too old for EPA. I was hoping to the 20 to 25% range but if I get 30% (down to 10 to 17) that would be so awesome.

I tend my stove bare handed..... Just saying

Aren't all hearth gloves "women's" hearth gloves?

I Bare hand logs to fire but I vacuum with these. Picked them up at a local industrial supply store, the steel pipe gets hot when in red hot coals for 5 to 10 minutes. Picks only fine ash and leave the red hot charcoal.


Regards

 

[jetsam]

I Bare hand logs to

Here is a photo of Tarzan. He has just TRIED to barehand a burning log from his stove 300 yards into the creek; you will notice that he clumsily threw it too far and it stuck in the ground. (No gloves, though!)