2017-18 Blaze King Performance Thread PART 2 (Everything BK)

[webfish]

Please continue here. Old thread is here but now locked.


https://hearth.com/talk/threads/201...ead-everything-bk.162287/page-53#post-2206371

 

[BKVP]

Who will be first?

 

[Tegbert]

Its almost like we need a dedicated forum area for these threads.


Lopi Rockport
Blaze King Ashford 25

 

[SuperJ]

First world Blaze King problem:
It's hard to plan maintenance because the stupid thing always has a fire in it! Hours after you figured it would be out and cold.

I keep planning on cleaning the ash out, and doing a dollar bill bypass gasket check. But the stove is always full of of burning coals with lots of life left in them hours after I figured it would be cold. Then it's too late in the day to bother, so I throw a couple splits in and the cycles repeats itself the next day.

 

[lsucet]

I keep planning on cleaning the ash out, and doing a dollar bill bypass gasket check. But the stove is always full of of burning coals with lots of life left in them hours after I figured it would be cold. Then it's too late in the day to bother, so I throw a couple splits in and the cycles repeats itself the next day.

Is it amazing? 24 hrs schedule with temp at night dropping middle to low 30s. during the day open doors and windows. LOL .

Last night i come back into town about 7 pm and the crazy thing still going on. Easy 4 to 5 hrs more.

 

[Highbeam]

When shooting for low flue temps in an effort to gain efficiency and long burn times be sure to keep your temps high enough at the cap to prevent condensation. These stoves can make a mess out of a flue if you aren’t careful.

 

[Poindexter]

How can we be on mkII thread when i jave burnt less than a cord so far this year?

 

[BKVP]

Is it amazing? 24 hrs schedule with temp at night dropping middle to low 30s. during the day open doors and windows. LOL .

Last night i come back into town about 7 pm and the crazy thing still going on. Easy 4 to 5 hrs more.

Isucet,

Are you able to get the heat from the alcove area into the other rooms and how far from the stove is the thermostat with the readings you posted?

Thank you
BKVP

 

[shoot-straight]

I gotta comment on that cat probe. I have never, ever gotten mine beyond maybe the 2-3 o’clock position. Cruising I am usually at 11-12. With bkvps help I have tried everything- even a new cat. Crazy. Last things I am going to do is tighten the bypass. Then maybe try a new bypass gasket.

28’ tall insulated ss lined masonary chimney with two offset 22 deg bends. Not a draft issue. Wood is dry. That I can assure you. Did the kiln wood and even wood block test.

 

[SuperJ]

I gotta comment on that cat probe. I have never, ever gotten mine beyond maybe the 2-3 o’clock position. Cruising I am usually at 11-12. With bkvps help I have tried everything- even a new cat. Crazy. Last things I am going to do is tighten the bypass. Then maybe try a new bypass gasket.

28’ tall insulated ss lined masonary chimney with two offset 22 deg bends. Not a draft issue. Wood is dry. That I can assure you. Did the kiln wood and even wood block test.

I've never made it past 3 oclock.

 

[lsucet]

Isucet,

Are you able to get the heat from the alcove area into the other rooms and how far from the stove is the thermostat with the readings you posted?

Thank you
BKVP

It does look like an alcove but it is open to both sides connecting to other parts of the house. the station is about 15 feet from the stove but there is a big opening in that area after one of my remodeling that connect to the kitchen and to other seating/living room area. I have other stations back there and the temp stays about 4 df colder after i did some more remodeling in that other part of the house and i still working on it. The upper room is about the same as that part of the house getting worse when it drop down to teens. That is why i am installing another Princess and that area and i will work on insulate the upper room next summer. It is an old, old old house with additions.

 

[BKVP]

I gotta comment on that cat probe. I have never, ever gotten mine beyond maybe the 2-3 o’clock position. Cruising I am usually at 11-12. With bkvps help I have tried everything- even a new cat. Crazy. Last things I am going to do is tighten the bypass. Then maybe try a new bypass gasket.

28’ tall insulated ss lined masonary chimney with two offset 22 deg bends. Not a draft issue. Wood is dry. That I can assure you. Did the kiln wood and even wood block test.

I have posted this here before, those cat therms we purchase are not for scientific purposes. The company is the only market provider. I would not worry about "mine is at 3 and yours is only at 12...." Go outside and look up. If after a period of time starting or reloading a fire there is no smoke, all is good.

 

[BKVP]

Here are the approved, extensive cleaning instructions for combustors.

 

[Blazing]

First world Blaze King problem:
It's hard to plan maintenance because the stupid thing always has a fire in it! Hours after you figured it would be out and cold.

I keep planning on cleaning the ash out, and doing a dollar bill bypass gasket check. But the stove is always full of of burning coals with lots of life left in them hours after I figured it would be cold. Then it's too late in the day to bother, so I throw a couple splits in and the cycles repeats itself the next day.

True story! I told the wife last night before I left for work I'd only put half a load in and let it go out before I woke up. Well I awake this afternoon head for the stove planning on cleaning out some ash. Get in the stove room peer in and glowing coals are all over letting me know not today bud lol.

 

[webby3650]

I gotta comment on that cat probe. I have never, ever gotten mine beyond maybe the 2-3 o’clock position. Cruising I am usually at 11-12. With bkvps help I have tried everything- even a new cat. Crazy. Last things I am going to do is tighten the bypass. Then maybe try a new bypass gasket.

28’ tall insulated ss lined masonary chimney with two offset 22 deg bends. Not a draft issue. Wood is dry. That I can assure you. Did the kiln wood and even wood block test.

Seriously? I’m on my third year with the princess and I can peg the cat therm! My king and Ashford were no different. Weird..

 

[shoot-straight]

I have posted this here before, those cat therms we purchase are not for scientific purposes. The company is the only market provider. I would not worry about "mine is at 3 and yours is only at 12...." Go outside and look up. If after a period of time starting or reloading a fire there is no smoke, all is good.

Chris- next time I am home during the day I will take a series of pics of my stack at various points of the burn.

 

[jdonna]

I'm glad you guys started part two. I read through part I in a crash study and got a headache!

Anywhoo, I'm on the BK bandwagon, just installed a Princess Ultra on my main hearth this weekend.

Monitoring stack temps and draft to see how it behaves on my stack. Impressive so far.

I am glad I burned a good load outside on my test chimney to partially cure the paint.

I'll enjoy the hyper reactive cat while it lasts =)

 

[redktmrider]

I gotta comment on that cat probe. I have never, ever gotten mine beyond maybe the 2-3 o’clock position. Cruising I am usually at 11-12. With bkvps help I have tried everything- even a new cat. Crazy. Last things I am going to do is tighten the bypass. Then maybe try a new bypass gasket.

28’ tall insulated ss lined masonary chimney with two offset 22 deg bends. Not a draft issue. Wood is dry. That I can assure you. Did the kiln wood and even wood block test.

The highest I've ever seen mine is about 2 o clock ( with the fans off), most of the time its at 12 with the fans on low.

 

[shoot-straight]

The highest I've ever seen mine is about 2 o clock ( with the fans off), most of the time its at 12 with the fans on low.

Well that’s encouraging

 

[webby3650]

Well that’s encouraging

Just curious, do you guys let it run on high for very long? I always run on high for a while after a reload. Then slow it down after a bit, cat prob almost always goes to 3-4 o’clock, often pegs.

 

[redktmrider]

Just curious, do you guys let it run on high for very long? I always run on high for a while after a reload. Then slow it down after a bit, cat prob almost always goes to 3-4 o’clock, often pegs.

I usually run it on high with the bypass closed for about 20 minutes, but with the fans on. The 2 o clock was was on low burn with the fan off near the end of a burn. I almost always run with the fans on to help spread the heat to the rest of the house.

 

[webby3650]

I usually run it on high with the bypass closed for about 20 minutes, but with the fans on. The 2 o clock was was on low burn with the fan off near the end of a burn. I almost always run with the fans on to help spread the heat to the rest of the house.

Ahh, ok. Fans really play with the Ashford’s therm. I put a brass gas line coupling between the top and inner top to help block the air. It helped.

 

[lsucet]

I do religiously a hot burn on reloads. I Know that sometimes it can overheat the area, but the good is that once I dial it down it keeps higher stove top temp for longer time. By the time that the stove and house want to start dropping temp is almost daylight.
No change in wood consumption but a big differences on emissions. Clean nice burn with no smoking pipe.

I noticed that if I don't try to stretch the burn to get a few hrs more and do hot reloads everything catch quick. Minutes later I see some nice flame on top of firebox like secondaries and no smoke out of chimney.
Is like those flames are eating most of the smoke in the firebox before gets to the cat giving to the cat less resident time and creating a more efficient burn.
If I wait for the cat to start dropping into the inactive zone, I just have ashes in there. I have to start from scratch.

 

[lsucet]

Ahh, ok. Fans really play with the Ashford’s therm. I put a brass gas line coupling between the top and inner top to help block the air. It helped.

My cat probe has a cage that it is the body of a stove top therm but upside down. It is not affect too much by the fans.

 

[Highbeam]

Here are the approved, extensive cleaning instructions for combustors.

These instructions call for pipe cleaner brushing of the cells! Whoa!