A question for the blaze king owners

[Newburnerwisconsin]

I am wondering about the Ashford and Princess. Do these stoves need electricity to burn? One of the features I like about my stove is that is does not need electric power to heat my house. I am just trying to learn more about the Blaze King stoves. Thank you!

 

[jetsam]

Nope. The magic thermostatic air control is all mechanical.

The insert versions are definitely going to work better with the blower; the freestanding ones need it less.

The Princess is a good insert to have if you are planning on being without power sometimes, as it sticks out of the fireplace a fair bit and can radiate more heat that way.

 

[weatherguy]

I used to have the princess insert, we had a heavy wet snowstorm that knocked power out for a week. Was still able to stay in my house comfortably just burning the princess, wasn't as good circulation without the blower but a good portion of the house was comfortable.

 

[Newburnerwisconsin]

Thanks for your responses.

 

[Newburnerwisconsin]

Do the blaze king stoves ever overfire?

 

[webby3650]

Do the blaze king stoves ever overfire?

Only if you don't close the bypass. The thermostatic control prevents an overfire situation even on its highest setting. It works unbelievably well!

 

[Newburnerwisconsin]

T

Only if you don't close the bypass. The thermostatic control prevents an overfire situation even on its highest setting. It works unbelievably well!

That sounds great. I wish I had known about that last summer when I ordered my stove. I think it would have changed our decision.

 

[webby3650]

What stove did you get?

 

[Newburnerwisconsin]

My wife wanted a Hearthstone Heritage 8022. It burns well. Heats our entire home until the temp drops to 5 or less. It burns as the company claims. I have had coals in the stove still burning 12 hours after the last load of wood. I was just curious about Blaze king and over firing.

 

[jetsam]

Do the blaze king stoves ever overfire?

When I taught my wife to use the stove, the overfire lesson was "Close the bypass, adjust the thermostat where you want it, and don't worry about it."

So nice if you're used to older stoves!

 

[webby3650]

We heat 24/7 with wood. My wife was so tired of fiddling with stoves by spring she could scream! Got her a BK and now she NEVER has to touch it. Even in dead of winter it'll burn without attention and keep our old house in the mid to high 70's for 12 hours or so. And usually has some wood left when I get home, at least has a gallon or two of big coals. This time of year we run partial loads on a 24 hour cycle.

 

[tarzan]

Do the blaze king stoves ever overfire?

None that I have heard of. Shortly after I installed the Princess BKVP suggested on this forum that it would be a good thing to run the stove on high for about an hour, once a week during the shoulder season to burn the creosote out of the stove that forms from smoldering, cool weather fires. I thought, this guy must be nuts! He just don't know how dry my wood is. Theres no way I could possibly run it on high for a solid hour without over firing it.

Well, long story short, I followed his advice. Watching the stove very closely of course. To my surprise the thermostat began closing. The stove top temp hit about 720* before easing back down to settle in at 700* for the remainder of the hour.

That went a long way toward proving to me how safe these stoves are. Basically, with the bypassed closed and a properly working thermostat you couldn't over fire it if you tried!

 

[Newburnerwisconsin]

None that I have heard of. Shortly after I installed the Princess BKVP suggested on this forum that it would be a good thing to run the stove on high for about an hour, once a week during the shoulder season to burn the creosote out of the stove that forms from smoldering, cool weather fires. I thought, this guy must be nuts! He just don't know how dry my wood is. Theres no way I could possibly run it on high for a solid hour without over firing it.

Well, long story short, I followed his advice. Watching the stove very closely of course. To my surprise the thermostat began closing. The stove top temp hit about 720* before easing back down to settle in at 700* for the remainder of the hour.

That went a long way toward proving to me how safe these stoves are. Basically, with the bypassed closed and a properly working thermostat you couldn't over fire it if you tried!

So, is creosote a constant problem? How often do you have to clean your chimney with a blaze king?

 

[Heftiger]

So, is creosote a constant problem? How often do you have to clean your chimney with a blaze king?

With good wood, it's not a problem. I've been burning sub par wood this year, and have cleaned the chimney 2 times so far, and it can probably be done again. My in-laws have low moisture pine, and the chimney is just about getting to the point of needing cleaning now.

 

[webby3650]

If you are running the stove correctly with properly seasoned wood there is no reason to clean the chimney more than normal. I clean once annually.

 

[tarzan]

I clean my chimney twice annually but that's just me. I could clean only after every season.

The creosote I was referring to in my post above is what accumulates in the stove itself during the cool (not cold yet) shoulder season, when the stove is being ran at a low thermostat setting. With smoldering fires creosote tends to form inside the stove and on the glass. BKVP suggests burning a hot fire once a week during this time to burn it off to prevent corrosion.

This is not a problem once it gets colder and the stove is naturally ran hotter.

 

[webby3650]

I clean my chimney twice annually but that's just me. I could clean only after every season.

The creosote I was referring to in my post above is what accumulates in the stove itself during the cool (not cold yet) shoulder season, when the stove is being ran at a low thermostat setting. With smoldering fires creosote tends to form inside the stove and on the glass. BKVP suggests burning a hot fire once a week during this time to burn it off to prevent corrosion.

This is not a problem once it gets colder and the stove is naturally ran hotter.

I also do a high burn on a regular basis to control creosote in the stove. My chimney stays really clean though.

 

[jetsam]

When I burn my Princess really low all the time, I get creosote both in the stove and on the cap at the top of the chimney; not so much in the liner. Burning it hot clears out the stove, and a quick wire brushing takes care of the cap. I haven't really had much buildup in the liner itself.

I've heard it said that creosote buildup is pretty much determined by the temperature of the flue gasses and whatever surfaces they're passing over; my observations make me think it's maybe more complicated than that.

 

[drz1050]

The more moisture, the more creosote. You get more on the cap because that's where the smoke hits the moisture in the air.. air moisture can't backfeed down the liner with all the gases coming up.