2019-20 Blaze King Performance Thread Part 1 (Everything BK)

[Poindexter]

And we're off!

I got no predictions for weather this year. Everything messed up, but I am sitting on eight cords around 12 or 13 % MC and am not worried.

Stay safe y'all.

 

[snaple4]

... I need to read everything in the other post before this one gets huge.

I want a bk but got a Summer's Heat 2000 for almost nothing. Will see how this thing does for a few seasons as I save up so I can better guess what size/model to get.

 

[SpaceBus]

We joked that if the storms come through with a lot of wind we might light the stove, but you did it for real.

 

[Poindexter]

Hottest July ever recorded in Alaska, but all my plant and animal indicators are showing first frost is only days away - and my wife was in long pants with her knee caps covered standing inches away from the charcoal grill while I was cooking dinner last night.

I did just half a load at wide open throttle, but the wife was back in shorts and smiling.

 

[moresnow]

but the wife was back in shorts and smiling.

Might I recommend a full load on full throttle this evening

 

[kennyp2339]

All is well in the world now when @Poindexter is the first one to start the burning season

 

[Highbeam]

Should his “first fire” post be the first one of the 2019/2020 thread?

 

[Ashful]

Should his “first fire” post be the first one of the 2019/2020 thread?

I think that’s the tradition, now...

I still haven’t shoveled out the ashes from spring, or swept my flues. Plenty of summer left, here. Lots of sailing to do!

 

[BKVP]

I tried to touch base with him while in Fairbanks.....he must have been splitting wood!

 

[Poindexter]

First big V of Canada geese flew over my house this evening headed south. Amazing how much racket 80 some birds can make.

 

[jetsam]

I'm transitioning to being a supplemental heater this year- the roof started leaking, so time for a new roof plus solar- which means free electric heat.

I feel like I'm being demoted out of the cool kids' club here, but I am sure my back will thank me.

I'll still be burning all season, but the stove's staying on low this year instead of being the only heater.

This season I'm on year 2 with a steel cat, and year 1 with a (homemade) steel cat gasket, which probably performs worse but which allows me to pull and clean the cat for free. We'll see how that goes!

 

[Alpine1]

Steel cat gasket??? Do tell...

 

[coutufr]

Will you be running a heat pump with your solar panels and using the energy stored into batteries at night?

 

[Ashful]

I'm transitioning to being a supplemental heater this year... I feel like I'm being demoted out of the cool kids' club here, but I am sure my back will thank me.

I went “supplemental” four or five years ago, and it’s been great. My wood usage dropped to ten cords per year, and I just load on a pre-determined schedule, which amounts to three loads per day between the two stoves. The oil-fired boiler modulates the last few degrees of heat requirement atop that stove base charge.

On weekends, when I might be home more, I’ll have fun running 4-5 loads in a day. I find I can actually fully heat the primary spaces of this house with two BK’s in most weather, if I were willing to process and load another 50% more wood, but I have no interest in doing that.

In my case, it’s saving me oil money ($3k+ per year), which is a little different than your scenario. I suspect you’re talking about dropping off farther than me, maybe 1 load per day instead of your current two, but it can work similarly for you.

I didn’t even know there was a cool kids club, that’s just how un-cool I really am.

 

[begreen]

We run supplemental during the shoulder season when it makes sense to do so. Running the heat pump costs less than burning wood and it's much cleaner.

 

[jetsam]

Will you be running a heat pump with your solar panels and using the energy stored into batteries at night?

No batteries since my utility will give me 1:1 net use credits (so my extra power generated during the day earns me free power at night). I am just doing a standard homeowner grade grid-tied setup. I already had a generator for power outages, and the idea of not maintaining and regularly replacing $15,000 worth of batteries is sure nice.

No heat pump yet (will be doing minisplit HVAC next year), just bad old resistive space heaters until the minisplits get installed.

 

[jetsam]

Steel cat gasket??? Do tell...

Piece of stainless sheet metal folded over and jammed into the crack. Thermal expansion is allowed for by the sheet metal being much thinner than the gap, and "hinged" on the fold.

I imagine a small amount of air gets through but you sure can't tell the difference from watching the plume outside.

I wanted this because I found that even using small gauge rubber tubing, I could not reach to vaccum the entire cat out without replacing a $10 gasket, and the steel cat is requiring a couple vaccum jobs per year.

It does not carry the BK Seal Of Approval.

 

[Highbeam]

Piece of stainless sheet metal folded over and jammed into the crack. Thermal expansion is allowed for by the sheet metal being much thinner than the gap, and "hinged" on the fold.

I imagine a small amount of air gets through but you sure can't tell the difference from watching the plume outside.

I wanted this because I found that even using small gauge rubber tubing, I could not reach to vaccum the entire cat out without replacing a $10 gasket, and the steel cat is requiring a couple vaccum jobs per year.

It does not carry the BK Seal Of Approval.

Would be great if bk could figure out a Woodstock style reusable cat gasket. I don’t have cloggage issues but I would be more inclined to acid wash.

 

[webby3650]

Piece of stainless sheet metal folded over and jammed into the crack. Thermal expansion is allowed for by the sheet metal being much thinner than the gap, and "hinged" on the fold.

I imagine a small amount of air gets through but you sure can't tell the difference from watching the plume outside.

I wanted this because I found that even using small gauge rubber tubing, I could not reach to vaccum the entire cat out without replacing a $10 gasket, and the steel cat is requiring a couple vaccum jobs per year.

It does not carry the BK Seal Of Approval.

That certainly doesn’t sound Bk approved..
I guess you’ve lost me. Why are you going to supplementary wood heat? You are getting some solar, but what makes you think you’ll not need the wood heat? Is the solar up and running already?

 

[webby3650]

This season I'm on year 2 with a steel cat

Did your ceramic cat clog up too?

 

[jetsam]

Did your ceramic cat clog up too?

I didn't think so for a couple years, but when I pulled it to give it a vinegar bath, I discovered that it was ~20% plugged on the back side in the unreachable (top) corners. So short answer no, long answer a little. The amount that it plugged did not cause noticeable plugged-cat behavior; I was surprised to see it.

The "plug" brushed off easily with a soft brush.

 

[jetsam]

That certainly doesn’t sound Bk approved..
I guess you’ve lost me. Why are you going to supplementary wood heat? You are getting some solar, but what makes you think you’ll not need the wood heat? Is the solar up and running already?

I won't need anywhere near the same amount of wood heat. Wood has been 100% of my heat in this house unless we're out of town; this year I plan to run the BK on 24 hour loads and make up the difference with electric heat.

We'll see how it goes; as I don't have any hvac in the house yet, the heat this year will be all resistive and less efficient than a heat pump.

I'm switching off of wood for some part of my heating load because I'm going to have excess power generation anyway, and my back needs a break. I'll know in a couple years exactly what fraction "some part" is.

Don't worry, I'll still be splitting wood... but because I want to, not because the alternative is burning oil.

Solar should be online in a couple months.

 

[Ashful]

I'm switching off of wood for some part of my heating load because I'm going to have excess power generation anyway, and my back needs a break.

In more interesting news, I dragged home another 5000 - 6000 lb of oak and hickory today. I’ve honestly lost count of how many trailer loads I’ve moved this summer, it’s been 2-4 loads per week since mid-June. This one includes a 22” dia x 15 foot stick of the densest white oak I’ve ever cut, it must have weighed close to 3000 lb, my tractor had a heck of a time dragging it off the trailer.

Sorry, forgot to get photos of this load, an old repeat will need to substitute. The pile in that first photo has doubled in size, since the photo was taken, and now there’s three piles of nearly the same size.

 

[pjohnson]

I know this has been asked hundreds of times but I can’t seem to find cat seal and door seal. Just cleaning the stove up the nights are starting to get chilly up north. Thought I’d pull the cat out and clean it up and a keep a door seal on hand.

 

[showrguy]

I know this has been asked hundreds of times but I can’t seem to find cat seal and door seal. Just cleaning the stove up the nights are starting to get chilly up north. Thought I’d pull the cat out and clean it up and a keep a door seal on hand.

Firecat combustors