2017-18 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK)

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I have to just shrug it off sailormike. It's funny but I sweep a few chimneys every year for free. I've got a soft spot for the elderly. But would you believe there is a waiting list for sweeps around here? And they are expensive! There is a industry here that is under developed badly. I have been actually considering transitioning in that direction. Installing stoves, sweeping, and charging windshield time is easier physically that building and concrete. Good money too.
 
Well today was the day I was suppose to get my ashford 30 installed after a giant fiasco. Instead it was a no show, no call. I took a day off work because because someone had to be here for legal reasons. I give people the benefit of the doubt, so I waited till 1600 hours. I called and got the runaround. So I was going to have a friend install it, but tragedy on that end. I bought the BK from the Axemen in missoula, and I may be stuck with it. I do not want to install it myself. I can and do install stoves, but that is for customers, and the insurance company wants a specialist to sign off on the install. (save my premium from increasing). This whole cancelation on a stove is going to take 10 business days. The Ashford 30 is the only stove I wish to purchase, but it simply isn't possible for my family to buy a blazeking in western montana without lies and hastle. I don't blame BK one bit. They can't control the ineptitude of franchise dealers. So I'm off Saturday to settle for another quad or lopi. Bummer. I've sure enjoyed this site. BKVP offered assistance, and I would like to tip my hat to him, but what can he do? There is only one dealer close enough in south western montana. And I doubt corporate BK would come into conflict with the axemen. It is kinda crazy that a fella can not buy the best stove (in my personal opinion) currently on the market in Montana. Maybe that will be bought out in a few years and revamped. I won't give up.
I did try to find a way to p.m. BKVP, but I'm too stupid to figure it out. I have always been in the trades, and am still trying to figure out computer stuff.
@BKVP should be able to do something for you. If your dealer is inept, he will fix you up!
 
One more thing..the axemen told me they could come out the 27th and install the BK but I am not having it. I lost a day at work and they can't promise to reimburse me for just one lost day. But yet I'm suppose to pay for taking another day off for their screw up? Nope. I am not the screw up here. A spade is a spade
 
I bet he could. But just what is fixed Webby? Is BKVP fixed it, I would feel personally obligated to reimburse Him. He is a great asset here already. No problems. I have the gas turned back on the rattling earth stove tonight! I'll enjoy you folks enjoy your BKs.
 
One more thing..the axemen told me they could come out the 27th and install the BK but I am not having it. I lost a day at work and they can't promise to reimburse me for just one lost day. But yet I'm suppose to pay for taking another day off for their screw up? Nope. I am not the screw up here. A spade is a spade
I would demand them to come install on your next day off, be it sat/sun or even a holiday. They are the ones who no call no showed, and you're the customer [emoji41]
 
I bet he could. But just what is fixed Webby? Is BKVP fixed it, I would feel personally obligated to reimburse Him. He is a great asset here already. No problems. I have the gas turned back on the rattling earth stove tonight! I'll enjoy you folks enjoy your BKs.
Well, I was thinking that he could get you your BK without this budget bobs dealer being involved. They sound like a joke...
 
I would demand them to come install on your next day off, be it sat/sun or even a holiday. They are the ones who no call no showed, and you're the customer [emoji41][/QUOTE
The female on the phone was talking to me like I was four. I was shaking when I got off the phone. They were sure sweet when the wife and I went to make a purchase though.
 
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Far too often, this happens to too many people. I've made the biggest purchase on a wood burning system in my life, only to have the same reaction by the shop as you have just gotten. I felt like once they had my money, their attitude towards customer service completely changed. Don't let it get you down, I have since found better people to work with
 
Far too often, this happens to too many people. I've made the biggest purchase on a wood burning system in my life, only to have the same reaction by the shop as you have just gotten. I felt like once they had my money, their attitude towards customer service completely changed. Don't let it get you down, I have since found better people to work with
Just to clarify, my BK purchase went better than some of my others
 
You know this stove is my dream toy so to speak. I've have owned lots of toys and new stuff. I have owned nothing. But the one thing I have always wanted was a brand new, cream of the crop stove. I could care less about say, a new side by side or a something like that. I'm actually feeling better, maybe by morning I will decide to go put the princess in. But that would just remind me of this experience. Have a good evening, I'm hitting the rack
 
IMHO simple is better with wood burning. Couldn't the delay in the thermostat allow stove top temp to come up too fast and too high will burning a full load at WOT? Throw in another variable (draft, wood species/size/dryness, weather) and I'm not convinced the t-stat alone can prevent over-firing.

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Well when the VP of the company says the thermostat is specifically designed to protect the stove from over fire, I tend to believe they made considerations in the design for the delayed response. When he says there is no concern I believe him.
 
One more thing..the axemen told me they could come out the 27th and install the BK but I am not having it. I lost a day at work and they can't promise to reimburse me for just one lost day. But yet I'm suppose to pay for taking another day off for their screw up? Nope. I am not the screw up here. A spade is a spade
Personally I would try to arrange that they come out on a Saturday or your scheduled day off and install it before calling it quits with them. Cooler heads prevail when things like this happen. Calling back and speaking with the owner might be in order. Good luck.
 
Personally I would try to arrange that they come out on a Saturday or your scheduled day off and install it before calling it quits with them. Cooler heads prevail when things like this happen. Calling back and speaking with the owner might be in order. Good luck.
Seems like all too often customer service is not just given but you have to work for it.Talking with the manager and then the owner if need be is definitely in order.

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Don't settle for less. Get a BK.

If you get another stove it will aggravate you because you know better could have been had. The burn time in a BK is phenomenal. It will never rage out of control.

BKs are called boring for a reason.
 
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Well when the VP of the company says the thermostat is specifically designed to protect the stove from over fire, I tend to believe they made considerations in the design for the delayed response. When he says there is no concern I believe him.
Geez, I'm just trying to start a dialogue here. From my personal observations over 2.5 yrs of burning my BK Chinook, I would never leave the stove unattended set on high (#3 on thermostat). While burning the stove on #3 to clean glass/firebox of creosote, I was amazed at how quickly my stove top temp would climb over 600F. The conditions inside the firebox looked like damage would be iminent if left to burn continually on #3. Simply turning the thermostat to#2.5 would extinguish the flames going through screen and combustor, and still provide a phenomenal amount of heat.
 
The fact that flames extinguish with a small adjustment tells you the thermostat is working as it is on the verge of throttling the combustion air.

I have ran mine wide open just to prove it won't overfire. Softwood, very dry. I did this to convince my self the thermostat truly does work and it does. Yes, I too was a skeptic. I worked in the HVAC industry for many years and understand how the thermostat works. a It is an excellent implementation of a bi-metal coil proportional temperature controller. It is extremely reliable.

I believe a few people on this thread do run their units wide open for extended periods during the coldest parts of winter.

These stoves are vary popular in Alaska. That is the acid test, for me.

All this being said, nothing wrong -at all- with being cautious and fire safe.
 
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The fact that flames extinguish with a small adjustment tells you the thermostat is working as it is on the verge of throttling the combustion air.

I have ran mine wide open just to prove it won't overfire. Softwood, very dry. I did this to convince my self the thermostat truly does work and it does. Yes, I too was a skeptic. I worked in the HVAC industry for many years and understand how the thermostat works. a It is an excellent implementation of a bi-metal coil proportional temperature controller. It is extremely reliable.

I believe a few people on this thread do run their units wide open for extended periods during the coldest parts of winter.

These stoves are vary popular in Alaska. That is the acid test, for me.

All this being said, nothing wrong -at all- with being cautious and fire safe.

Thanks for sharing your experience with me. I guess I really never let it get to full operating temp on high to allow the thermostat to kick in on it's own. My Jotul's Max operating temp is 700F on the cooktop, any idea of a Max operating stove top temp ( laser thermometer shot thru convection opening) on BK Chinook 30.1?
 
Being a welded steel stove (my particular stove is the Ashford and is cast-iron clad) I would guess somewhere in the 800s but then again the ultimate "do not exceed" stove top temperature simply does not apply to a BK as the the thermostat will limit the temperature. This "feature" was deliberately engineered into the design.

It is ok to close both eyes if you sneeze. Your house will not burn down.

By the way, have a working smoke detector on the ceiling in the stove room. It is just smart. Keep moving it away until the nuisance alarms stop. No, not that 37 year old one that came with the house. I have 13 of them all around. When you go to sleep your nose does too! You gan prove this with a dog.
 
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Geez, I'm just trying to start a dialogue here. From my personal observations over 2.5 yrs of burning my BK Chinook, I would never leave the stove unattended set on high (#3 on thermostat). While burning the stove on #3 to clean glass/firebox of creosote, I was amazed at how quickly my stove top temp would climb over 600F. The conditions inside the firebox looked like damage would be iminent if left to burn continually on #3. Simply turning the thermostat to#2.5 would extinguish the flames going through screen and combustor, and still provide a phenomenal amount of heat.

I would check that stove for air leaks (including the bypass), then burn a load on wide open throttle, keeping an IR gun handy. If it has no air leaks and still overheats, you have a thermostat issue. (I have never heard of this happening, but it must.)

Either you have a problem with the stove or you have a problem with believing that it works the way it should; either way, a leak check and a high burn oughta fix it!
 
I would check that stove for air leaks (including the bypass), then burn a load on wide open throttle, keeping an IR gun handy. If it has no air leaks and still overheats, you have a thermostat issue. (I have never heard of this happening, but it must.)

Either you have a problem with the stove or you have a problem with believing that it works the way it should; either way, a leak check and a high burn oughta fix it!
The issue is that the stove wasn’t overfiring, it’s just hotter than the OP was comfortable with. 600 is no where near an overfire with a steel stove.
 
Do the Fairbanks smoke police know cat stoves produce steam as a byproduct of combustion or is it always assumed to be particulates?
 
Do the Fairbanks smoke police know cat stoves produce steam as a byproduct of combustion or is it always assumed to be particulates?

They're supposed to be able to distinguish steam from smoke. Often it is a mixture though.
 
I know that if you view steam with light going through it, it can appear as black smoke. Odd thing though, it disappears a certain distance from the hat whereas smoke slowly gets thinner. This is a bad situation.

The opacity on my start up was 25%.
 
I've had some really cool clean steam plumes. There will be a gap from the chimney cap to the start of the steam plume and then after 10 feet or so the plume disappears totally. It looks just like the steam plume from a fossil fuel chimney.
 
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