2021-2022 BK everything thread

[lsucet]

First fire of the season was two days ago. I have been till now letting the mini split do its thing and being lazy to load the stoves.
Just fired one of the them. Temps have been here for about a month mid 20s to mid 30s through the nights.
All what I can say is that It feels good to feel the warmth of wood burning.
Mimi split system doing a wonderful job and is good to have an alternative, but nothing feels so good like wood burning. I am hooked again.🤭

 

[bikedennis]

Been gone for days returning to a cold house. Running the stove with full air and by pass closed. BK catalyst thermometer is way right past the active zone. Any harm done?

 

[lsucet]

Should be no harm but if it is up to temperature you can dial it down a little. I don't feel the need to run it WOT to get good heat out of it. After is up to temperature, usually I turn it down in a few steps. I don't know which model you have or setup but should be about the same.

 

[Highbeam]

Been gone for days returning to a cold house. Running the stove with full air and by pass closed. BK catalyst thermometer is way right past the active zone. Any harm done?

If your gaskets are good and draft is in spec the stove is supposed to prevent over fire automatically by closing the intake as needed to stay below “redline”. I tell you though, it gets screaming hot. Just as hot as any big stove at near 800. Myself, in your situation, I go for 3/4 of max setting and run the fans on high. Cleans the firebox out really well.

 

[mlsoden907]

Hello, new to wood stove use. Recently installed a Blaze King Princess and have been using it for a while. This week the temperatures dropped to below zero F and are forecast to stay that way for some time. I have noticed significant ice on the lower rim of my chimney cap. I am concerned about the ice building up on the cap and obstructing the chimney, as well as ice building up around the base of the chimney from water dripping down. I am burning kiln dried wood that tests at 19% or lower. The Blaze King manual says to run the stove with the thermostat on high for 4-5 minutes and that should melt the ice. I tried that and the ice did not melt off. I read another thread here that had a suggestion of running the stove hot with the bypass open to heat the flue up and melt the ice. I opened the bypass and ran the stove hot for 20 minutes or so and the ice is still there. My local dealer says that the ice will melt off when the temps warm up but I am concerned that none of the recommendations for clearing the ice seem to have worked.

 

[begreen]

Calling Poindexter to the front desk, Fairbanks BK question.

 

[lsucet]

Hello, new to wood stove use. Recently installed a Blaze King Princess and have been using it for a while. This week the temperatures dropped to below zero F and are forecast to stay that way for some time. I have noticed significant ice on the lower rim of my chimney cap. I am concerned about the ice building up on the cap and obstructing the chimney, as well as ice building up around the base of the chimney from water dripping down. I am burning kiln dried wood that tests at 19% or lower. The Blaze King manual says to run the stove with the thermostat on high for 4-5 minutes and that should melt the ice. I tried that and the ice did not melt off. I read another thread here that had a suggestion of running the stove hot with the bypass open to heat the flue up and melt the ice. I opened the bypass and ran the stove hot for 20 minutes or so and the ice is still there. My local dealer says that the ice will melt off when the temps warm up but I am concerned that none of the recommendations for clearing the ice seem to have worked.

I don't think is a good idea to run it with bypass open. Once is in the active zone, close bypass and if you need more heat, or what you are trying to accomplish, run the dial on high. Bypass open only waiting to get into the active zone or for reloads.

 

[mlsoden907]

I don't think is a good idea to run it with bypass open. Once is in the active zone, close bypass and if you need more heat, or what you are trying to accomplish, run the dial on high. Bypass open only waiting to get into the active zone or for reloads.

Thank you, re-read the thread and that is what the poster was talking about, running the bypass open on re-loads. Going to try that and see if it works

 

[Highbeam]

Thank you, re-read the thread and that is what the poster was talking about, running the bypass open on re-loads. Going to try that and see if it works

With the bypass closed, as it always should be when the door is closed and cat is at active and rising temperatures per the dial, leave the thermostat on max setting for as long as it takes to melt the ice. If you can't get the flue hot enough doing this then we have to wonder if your wood is of good quality.

I've definitely had yellow creosote icicles hanging from the bottom of my chimney cap but the ice never climbed up into the hot part of the actual exit part of the chimney cap. Are you actually getting ice in the "throat" of your chimney cap right in the path of smoke?

 

[mlsoden907]

With the bypass closed, as it always should be when the door is closed and cat is at active and rising temperatures per the dial, leave the thermostat on max setting for as long as it takes to melt the ice. If you can't get the flue hot enough doing this then we have to wonder if your wood is of good quality.

I've definitely had yellow creosote icicles hanging from the bottom of my chimney cap but the ice never climbed up into the hot part of the actual exit part of the chimney cap. Are you actually getting ice in the "throat" of your chimney cap right in the path of smoke?

The ice is only around the lower rim of the chimney cap, not in the “throat” and so far doesn’t seem to be climbing or restricting anything.

My concern about running the stove with the thermostat full open for extended time is that the stove starts to burn very hot and I am concerned about doing damage that way. Any longer than 20 minutes or so and the stove seems to be very hot.

I saw someone recommend a 10 min or so burn with the cat bypassed on a reload. Any thoughts? Thanks for the input.

 

[begreen]

Icicles around the cap bottom are ok, there is always some moisture in firewood. The thermostat is supposed to protect the stove from overfiring or overheating. Watch the catalyst thermometer. It should stay in the safe zone. Instead of leaving the bypass open for 10 minutes after a full reload, set the thermostat to high for 15-20 minutes.

 

[mlsoden907]

Icicles around the cap bottom are ok, there is always some moisture in firewood. The thermostat is supposed to protect the stove from overfiring or overheating. Watch the catalyst thermometer. It should stay in the safe zone. Instead of leaving the bypass open for 10 minutes after a full reload, set the thermostat to high for 15-20 minutes.

Ok, thanks. Will do that.

 

[Tron]

there is always some moisture in firewood.

Not only that, but when wood (mainly cellulose, a hydrocarbon) burns, it turns into carbon dioxide and water.

But to the question, I highly doubt that any ice that may be in the path of the flue gases will be able to stay solid for very long, even in
Alaskan weather. If you have a "T" connection with the flue being outside, then the lower part of the "T" will collect water and it can freeze as no gases pass through there.

 

[Diabel]

If you have a "T" connection with the flue being outside, then the lower part of the "T" will collect water and it can freeze as no gases pass through there.

This is exactly my situation. Condensation/water accumulates in the lower part of the T and it freezes. I am not comfortable with this as I do not use the Princess 24/7 (weekends mainly). Last spring we had a major warm up at one point and I had some water come through the horizontal thimble into the 45* and onto the floor right behind the stove. Not good! Btw fuel is more than well seasoned. And using the same fuel in my VC and zero issues…….Unless, the VC does not have a T and perhaps the water falls back into the firebox and evaporates on contact.

 

[Tron]

That is the reason (your VC not having a T), then the water just runs down the flue an evaporates when it makes it to the hotter parts of the flue (near stove). But with the "T", it gets trapped in there.

Would drilling a few small (dunno, maybe 1/4") holes into the bottom plate of the T be a solution? That way liquid water would drain out of it, and with holes that small your draft would hardly be impacted.

 

[Highbeam]

The ice is only around the lower rim of the chimney cap, not in the “throat” and so far doesn’t seem to be climbing or restricting anything.

My concern about running the stove with the thermostat full open for extended time is that the stove starts to burn very hot and I am concerned about doing damage that way. Any longer than 20 minutes or so and the stove seems to be very hot.

I saw someone recommend a 10 min or so burn with the cat bypassed on a reload. Any thoughts? Thanks for the input.

Don't mess around with the bypass open when it shouldn't be. I've seen too much damage caused to the nonreplacable (without cutting and welding) bypass gasket retainer brackets that I would almost never recommend running with the bypass open any longer than the manual requires.

Ice dangling from the bottom of the cap is fairly normal and okay even in wet western washington. Just be careful that they don't damage the roof or storm collar of the chimney when they fall.

 

[mlsoden907]

Don't mess around with the bypass open when it shouldn't be. I've seen too much damage caused to the nonreplacable (without cutting and welding) bypass gasket retainer brackets that I would almost never recommend running with the bypass open any longer than the manual requires.

Ice dangling from the bottom of the cap is fairly normal and okay even in wet western washington. Just be careful that they don't damage the roof or storm collar of the chimney when they fall.

Thank you. Good to know that what I am seeing is fairly normal. Will try to let the burn go longer so the meter is lower in the active range when I load so I can run the thermostat on high and the bypass closed for longer without getting the stove too hot and see if that helps with the ice.

 

[stoveliker]

I agree; run high for an hour if necessary. With the bypass closed. You don't need to melt all the ice, just where it adheres to the metal.

In the end this (ice) is a good thing; it means the heat you are making is not going up the flue. How tall is your chimney?

Most water you see is indeed simply a combustion product. I did a back of the envelope calculation at some point:

Steam coming from chimney

Hey everyone, I have what is obviously steam coming from my chimney on cold low humidity days. I haven’t measured moisture content of my splits recently but I do know they are about a year from perfect (MC had been 19-22%) Is this a sign of wet wood when running a cat stove? Or can this be...

www.hearth.com

 

[stoveliker]

Lit up again this afternoon. Some pine and a few tiny oak uglies. Running high to make a nice coal bed for the night reload. Of course I now think I put too much in there. But the cat works well. Near max on the gauge when I went to 4.30 pm on my gauge (closed is noon). Nice and bright. Almost got burned taking the pic, that much radiating heat came off.

 

[clancey]

You be careful and that looks like a atom bomb---no flames I see--lol One thing about it if it gets cold we will be ready....lol clancey

 

[Diabel]

Lit up again this afternoon. Some pine and a few tiny oak uglies. Running high to make a nice coal bed for the night reload. Of course I now think I put too much in there. But the cat works well. Near max on the gauge when I went to 4.30 pm on my gauge (closed is noon). Nice and bright. Almost got burned taking the pic, that much radiating heat came off.

View attachment 286079

That is one bright cat! I can feel the heat here! Wait, that is coming from my VC (black box and cat at 1500*F).
At 4:30pm I will have flames in my Princess and my cat will not glow like this, there is no way. Every system is different, I get it.

 

[stoveliker]

That is one bright cat! I can feel the heat here! Wait, that is coming from my VC (black box and cat at 1500*F).
At 4:30pm I will have flames in my Princess and my cat will not glow like this, there is no way. Every system is different, I get it.

Yep,. chimney, wood, and I had just run high (fully open) to nicely heat up the chimney fast (until the flue probe neared 900). Then dialed down in two steps (5 mins apart) to 4.30. So a lot of wood was hot and gassy (the haze is not the window but smoke). So the cat had a lot to eat. And it's still a bit newish, I think. Second season but it was a short season last year (maybe one cord).

I now have the intermittent bluish explosions of Northern lights at this setting.

 

[stoveliker]

It'd be nice to be able to put a pic in the sigblock. I'd add one of my Tstat, because I understand that their orientation is not the same for different models.

 

[Diabel]

I bet. Princess fully closed is at 12:00 o’clock

 

[mlsoden907]

I agree; run high for an hour if necessary. With the bypass closed. You don't need to melt all the ice, just where it adheres to the metal.

In the end this (ice) is a good thing; it means the heat you are making is not going up the flue. How tall is your chimney?

Most water you see is indeed simply a combustion product. I did a back of the envelope calculation at some point:

Steam coming from chimney

Hey everyone, I have what is obviously steam coming from my chimney on cold low humidity days. I haven’t measured moisture content of my splits recently but I do know they are about a year from perfect (MC had been 19-22%) Is this a sign of wet wood when running a cat stove? Or can this be...

www.hearth.com

Thanks, consensus seems to be that the issue is not one to be overly concerned with as long as it doesn’t build up abnormally and is only around the bottom of the ring. I have 12’ of Excel black pipe inside and 8’ of double wall up through my attic space.