BK burn time problems

[Doc C]

This is my first year burning with a princess. It’s finally cold enough to burn 24 hours.

7am loaded the stove very full with Birch and red fir, got it ripping and charred all the wood. Shut down to about 1.25 and left.

12ish stopped at home and the wood was at least half gone and the thermostat was on the low side of the middle of active.

6ish not enough wood left to matter

11 hours of decent burn. I’m happy overall but I was hoping for 24 hours in the shoulder seasons.

Any thoughts?

And yes my wood is dry. Lol

 

[begreen]

Don't try for the all the ripping hot fire and charring. You may be burning up the fuel prematurely. Go by the cat thermometer and engage the bypass once it's in the active zone. If it stays active it should be good to go.

 

[lsucet]

You like many of us need to go to the learning curve of your setup, how the stove react, your heat demand, etc. Cause somebody dial it down to 1.5 and get 24hrs or more don't mean you will also. Learn how your stove works on your place, if the heat out at certain settings takes care of your heat demand, etc.

I have two in the same house with different stack lenght and both behave different. To get the 24 hrs out of them or more the settings are not the same.

 

[Doc C]

You like many of us need to go to the learning curve of your setup, how the stove react, your heat demand, etc. Cause somebody dial it down to 1.5 and get 24hrs or more don't mean you will also. Learn how your stove works on your place, if the heat out at certain settings takes care of your heat demand, etc.

I have two in the same house with different stack lenght and both behave different. To get the 24 hrs out of them or more the settings are not the same.

If I take it down much farther then the 1.25 I had it set at then then it wants to drop out of the active zone.

 

[Doc C]

Don't try for the all the ripping hot fire and charring. You may be burning up the fuel prematurely. Go by the cat thermometer and engage the bypass once it's in the active zone. If it stays active it should be good to go.

If I engage it once it hits active and turn it down then it drops out of the active zone.

If I get it good a charred and then engage it and turn it down then it will stay active for hours

 

[lsucet]

How is your draft? How cold really is? To get those amount of hrs this time of the year with high temp during daytime you will need a very good drafting system. How tall your chimney?

 

[Doc C]

M

How is your draft? How cold really is? For get those amount is hrs this time of the year with high temp during daytime you will need a very good drawing system. How tall your chimney?

My chimney has to be at least 25’ straight up My ceiling is 20’ plus the attic and then another 8’ or so to get above the ridge. So it might be closer to 30’.

It’s not real cold. It’s been about 30 at night and 50ish during the day

 

[Highbeam]

Did you pack the firebox full with large splits? I get more than 12 hours with a half load of red cedar!

When going for a long burn you need to pack the firebox with big splits, maybe 8.

 

[lsucet]

M


My chimney has to be at least 25’ straight up My ceiling is 20’ plus the attic and then another 8’ or so to get above the ridge. So it might be closer to 30’.

It’s not real cold. It’s been about 30 at night and 50ish during the day

Those are good temp to get some good hrs and for sure you chimney should be good. Possibly too much draft.
Just experiment with it. Check door gasket, ash plug, etc

 

[Poindexter]

Umm, how about load it up with all birch, light it up, heat the stove to active, engage the combustor, run with the thermostat knob set to high for 30 minutes, then turn down to 1.25 and see how long that lasts?

I don't know red fir, never burned any.

 

[Doc C]

Did you pack the firebox full with large splits? I get more than 12 hours with a half load of red cedar!

When going for a long burn you need to pack the firebox with big splits, maybe 8.

I would consider them medium splits but it was about 8 or so, so I think we are probably talking the same size.

What’s the chance that my Cat is bad and keeping me from being able to turn my stove down far enough?

 

[Doc C]

Umm, how about load it up with all birch, light it up, heat the stove to active, engage the combustor, run with the thermostat knob set to high for 30 minutes, then turn down to 1.25 and see how long that lasts?

I don't know red fir, never burned any.

I find red fir to be similar to tamarack.

This is pretty much the exact method I use except not all birch.

 

[Doc C]

Some people call it Doug fir in our area

 

[lsucet]

New cat are super overactive for awhile. I don't think the cat is the issue here but you can see if is lighting up fine.

 

[Highbeam]

Douglas fir is a fine wood but makes almost no ash so burn times with something ashier like alder can do better since the ash tends to slow down the off gassing.

A worn out cat will certainly use more fuel to stay active.

 

[ratsrepus]

I don't think birch is the longest lasting wood. im sure if you loaded with good old fashioned oak, you will last longer. Thats if you have oak

 

[Alpine1]

My guess it’s not a wood related problem. I get 24+ hrs burn with a smaller (Ashford 30) stove and burning only spruce or pine. Did you check the gaskets? Maybe too much draft? Small ultra dry splits not tightly packed? Just guessing...

 

[jetsam]

I would think that excessive draft might be the issue here. Either measure the draft, or just try a damper.

 

[ratsrepus]

How do you measure the Draft, I mean I dont have a problem, but would like to know how to. OK webby or bholler lets have it

 

[Rickb]

I have a fairly tall chimney as well 20' class A plus 6' double wall black pipe. Only time my active cat drops back out of active on a new load when I turn the air down is when my wood is a little wet. I know you said your wood was dry, but how dry is it?

 

[showrguy]

How do you measure the Draft, I mean I dont have a problem, but would like to know how to. OK webby or bholler lets have it

I'm not either of the pro's you mentioned, but, you need a manometer, and a hole drilled in you flue/stove pipe, 30" off of stove top is where the factory testing is done..

I'd say with 30' of chimney the OP deffinately has too much draft, and could use at least 1 key damper, maybe 2..

 

[weatherguy]

I'm not either of the pro's you mentioned, but, you need a manometer, and a hole drilled in you flue/stove pipe, 30" off of stove top is where the factory testing is done..

I'd say with 30' of chimney the OP deffinately has too much draft, and could use at least 1 key damper, maybe 2..

Agree, I had a long stove pipe and I never got the really long burn times because of that, problem was I had an insert so couldn't get a damper in, one if the reasons I switched to a free stander.

 

[jetsam]

Once you get the draft sorted out you should be fine. You should have no issues getting at least 18 hours from a full load of softwood (such as birch) if you burn it very low.

You will have to go through a period of figuring out where on the thermostat your longest burn is once you get the damper dialled in correctly.

 

[Doc C]

Ok....I have had a lot more time to mess with the Princess!

I am only getting around 7-8 hours out of a full load. I definitely think there is a problem.

I left the house this morning at 730 and just got home at 230 and there was very little coals left.

So 6 hours and not much wood left. Maybe another hour worth of heat and then I would need to restart the fire.

I go to bed around 7 and by about 3 I have to outback more wood in.

I have been home all day before and the stove is not burning overly hot, doesn’t seem to be any issues with door gaskets or anything like that. I can stall the fire if I want to do I don’t think it’s an issue with air leakage or even to much draft.

I have been running the stove around 1.5 which is enough to keep the living around 70 degrees in a very well insulated 1990sf home built in 2011. And the outside temp has been low around 28 and high around 47.

 

[ratsrepus]

Ok....I have had a lot more time to mess with the Princess!

I am only getting around 7-8 hours out of a full load. I definitely think there is a problem.

I left the house this morning at 730 and just got home at 230 and there was very little coals left.

So 6 hours and not much wood left. Maybe another hour worth of heat and then I would need to restart the fire.

I go to bed around 7 and by about 3 I have to outback more wood in.

I have been home all day before and the stove is not burning overly hot, doesn’t seem to be any issues with door gaskets or anything like that. I can stall the fire if I want to do I don’t think it’s an issue with air leakage or even to much draft.

I have been running the stove around 1.5 which is enough to keep the living around 70 degrees in a very well insulated 1990sf home built in 2011. And the outside temp has been low around 28 and high around 47.

That aint right.