2017-18 Blaze King Performance Thread PART 2 (Everything BK)
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shoot-straight
Minister of Fire
Just use the clock method. 3:00 is horizontal. 12:00 is vertical up. 6:00 is vertical- straight down. Everyone can use it.
I have numbers on mine but can't see them, I have an alcove install.
I have numbers on mine but can't see them, I have an alcove install.
MissMac
Minister of Fire
I know you are just trying to get folks all riled up...Why does your bk have numbers? Mine doesn't have numbers... I think numbers would be better
It just blows me away that people are so hung up on these stupid numbers! After having both the numbers and the “swoosh” I could give a rats ass about the numbers! If you can’t remember what posistion to turn the dial that works good for the given temperature desired, maybe you shouldnt burn wood? These stoves are so predictable it may as well be a furnace, the same results day after day. I sure don’t need a number to tell me if its on high medium or low...
If there’s still wood in there that’s at or near the coaling stage, I just turn up the stat. I’ve always operated this way with no issues at all. There’s really no wood left to smoke, so it won’t clog up your cat. When you run that low it happens, doesn’t mean anything about your draft or your wood necessarily.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
I think it was the 2015 thread in which the swoosh just would not go away. There were petitions for retrofit stickers with numbers, and for every cry of "it doesn't matter because no two installs are the same", there were four posts asking for factory calibrated burn time stickers.... every "you don't have the same wood as the factory calibration guy" was met with "if I buy a used stove on ebay, will it have numbers?".
Bretheren, let us remember. (Because it makes us need a drink, and that's all good.)
Numbers are stern, harsh and unyielding. Swoopie lines evoke serene happiness. That is why they are plastered all over travel trailers.
I like my numbers and letters, easy to direct my 5 and 8 year kids to the "n" on "normal".
A few years ago I stuffed my BK full of Neil’s for an extended burn. Cat was active for over 50 hours (Not recommended but the BK can handle it!)
I’ve decided to do another documented long burn, inspired by @Poindexter . This time with 3 year old red oak. It was in my campfire pile, may as well bring it in for the stove.
6:30 pm, heating approximately 2,000 square feet. 30F currently, low of 23.
I’ve decided to do another documented long burn, inspired by @Poindexter . This time with 3 year old red oak. It was in my campfire pile, may as well bring it in for the stove.
6:30 pm, heating approximately 2,000 square feet. 30F currently, low of 23.
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
Poindexter
Minister of Fire
It's about 5 above today. My stove and pipe are running fine for several hours now, no smoke smell in the house, cool enough upstairs for the kids to hang out with the old folks, win-win-win.
I don't usually run the stove this low in weather this cold. I am trying to keep the kids home so we can all be together, that part is working. And I am confirming I can run the stove this low, under some conditions, without smelling smoke in the house.
I am pretty sure at +50dF, come April or so, these kind of burn settings will get me a waft of merd de spruce in the vicinity of my arm chair.
But, after a long cold winter +50dF is freaking balmy. I'll be outside in shorts most of the day, playing in mud puddles like a laughing duckling. In weather like that I would rather just do a short hot burn and have the warm lump of metal sitting there until tomorrow evening.
I have no earthly idea what my current draft is. My condar probe up in the stack is showing <200dF 19" up from the stove collar, so my steam plume starts down below that somewhere and I have no guess at the exit temp or the average temp in my stack.
But I don't smell nothing except gingerbread cookies the wife and daughters are constructing in the kitchen.
Figured I'd get a smile outta someone this evening. Happy holidays folks.
shoot-straight
Minister of Fire
I do think that some form of standardization or reference of the settings is good. Especially for newbies. Every setup is different and stove burns a bit differently, but it's nice to have some reference points on where people are setting their stoves, how long the burns are and how much heat it produces.
My setup still intrigues me. I think A may do a burn thread and see what experienced people think. My settings simply burn much shorter than others on average from what I have seen.
My setup still intrigues me. I think A may do a burn thread and see what experienced people think. My settings simply burn much shorter than others on average from what I have seen.
drstorm
Burning Hunk
I love experiments.A few years ago I stuffed my BK full of Neil’s for an extended burn. Cat was active for over 50 hours (Not recommended but the BK can handle it!)
I’ve decided to do another documented long burn, inspired by @Poindexter . This time with 3 year old red oak. It was in my campfire pile, may as well bring it in for the stove.
6:30 pm, heating approximately 2,000 square feet. 30F currently, low of 23.
I believe you will find the NEILS win.Density wins.I have had the longest burns without a cat stall using the Tractor Supply store eco bricks.I am sure the NEILS are superior to those and red oak sure is a good challenger.Can't wait for the results and observations.
drstorm
Burning Hunk
How many oh the bricks did you put in and how long did it go for?
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drstorm
Burning Hunk
Let me research the post.I remember it was almost a year ago and we decided to treck up to Syracuse NY for 2 days around New Years.When we got back it was still active.I believe the weather was not extreme so that helped.We are going to Pittsburgh next weekend and the temperatures look horrifically low.Gonna need to be running the propane or I would need 10 hour full loads if I can find someone experienced to do it.I will copy and paste my results from last year when I get a minute here.
drstorm
Burning Hunk
Ok.
Here is my post from 1/02/2017...
So,my wife and I decided to take a 2 hour ride north to Syracuse NY yesterday.
We booked a room,hit a science museum and a great little zoo with our three year old daughter.We returned to NEPA tonight about 7pm.
Before we left I packed the stove with about 50 lbs of TSC eco-bricks(About 75% full)and turned them down to a simmer around noon.A simmer on my BK Chinook equals a number 2 on the dial,no fans(I have the fans but shut them off.In my experience it significantly reduces burn time).
After 31 hours I expected a cold stove when walking in the door this evening but believe it or not,the cat was still active and I was able to rake and load.
Last night the temps dropped into the lower and middle 20's and peaked at right around the freezing mark today.
Granted,it was 63 degrees in the house when we got home and our heat pump was starting to recover according to schedule.But the Blaze King did well under these conditions.
new personal burn record.
I am at 36 hours as of 9pm with my Chinook 30.
Last load was 9am Saturday.Packed it tight with TSC bricks(the large 3 packs and some of the small 6 pack ones).
Went out of town.
Got home about 6 tonight and was happy to see a red glow.I turned up and raked to the front.Blower is on and cat still active.
I might take this until 10 tonight before I reload.
For the record,it was set at 3 o'clock(#2 on the dial) and had the blower on a timer to only turn on for 30 minutes 4 times in a 24 hour cycle.
Probably had around 70 lbs of the bricks in there to start.
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drstorm
Burning Hunk
The above were 2 different accounts.
And this is the 30 series I'm talking about.The Kings have much more room to keep running.
And this is the 30 series I'm talking about.The Kings have much more room to keep running.
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Mine weren’t actual Neil’s, but a box store knock off. Just couldn’t remember the name..
drstorm
Burning Hunk
For those fighting the smell issue I have a question. Are you giving the fresh load a chance to get a rather complete char before reducing air? I can get the smell almost anytime by not letting the load get completely with the program before reducing thermostat position. Starting a fresh load works great on a cold start. By the time the fresh load gets fully engulfed the stat gauge and flu temps are still reasonable.
Not as easy on a hot reload (think. really high flu temps in a hurry while trying to engulf the new load). If part of the reload gets going really well its tough to not set the thermo to cruise and walk away. Doing this will give me the smell. Bit of a game. Maybe the stink is primarily in the exterior layer on the splits? Likely moisture or ? Just throwing this out there for consideration. Almost hate to add anything but I can normally get around this issue for the most part with correctly timed thermostat adjustments.
Not as easy on a hot reload (think. really high flu temps in a hurry while trying to engulf the new load). If part of the reload gets going really well its tough to not set the thermo to cruise and walk away. Doing this will give me the smell. Bit of a game. Maybe the stink is primarily in the exterior layer on the splits? Likely moisture or ? Just throwing this out there for consideration. Almost hate to add anything but I can normally get around this issue for the most part with correctly timed thermostat adjustments.
Agreed. I can make this “smell”, but I know what I did to make it happen. Under normal use I never have a smell. I’ll also add that I run on medium/low almost always. I can run on the lowest setting on a minimum height flue without issues.
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