BK burn time problems
- Thread starter Doc C
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I don’t think so. The stove seems to be burning like it should and not burning hotter then a guy would expect.
I’m wondering if maybe it has something to do with the cat
jetsam
Minister of Fire
I would expect 8 hours on lowish if the stove didn't have a cat installed in it.
Very poor fuel quality can definitely turn a 24 hour burn into a 6 hour burn. How well I know.
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
When your cat nears the end of its useful life you should notice increased wood consumption and even have to use a higher stat setting to get the same amount of heat into the home.
Smoke emissions?
Smoke emissions?
If you got a 30' stack, you most deffinately have too much draft..M
My chimney has to be at least 25’ straight upMy 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
Check it !!
weatherguy
Minister of Fire
Do you have a damper? I had a long stack on my princess insert and that cut down on the burn time, I work from home so didn't care.
This morning when I left the house the temp gauge was on the low side of middle and I looked up at the chimney as I drove away and there was some white smoke coming out. I have noticed this a few times before.
But there also times where there is no smoke at all
No damper
To much draft should show itself in a stove that gets hotter then the intended settings.
I can stall the stove if I turn it down below about 1.25. I would think that if I had to much draft that I could not stall the stove, I would over heat the house, or worse I would have a runaway stove. I can control the stove just fine.
Maybe I’m missing something with the draft but I don’t think so
And yes it was smoke not steam. I test all my wood for moisture content and have been doing this for over 20 years. I know you know what I’m talking about highbeam but other folks will jump in with your wood is not dry!
AlbergSteve
Minister of Fire
Yeah, that doesn't seem right. I'm getting 12-14 hours out of a load of cedar, stat set at 2:30-3 o'clock.
ratsrepus
Minister of Fire
that sounds about right Steve. Im right there set at around 3, burning oak 18 hrs now that its pretty cold here
Loaded very full last night at about 7 and woke up just now almost 5 and the fire was dead out. No coals at all. I slept next to the stove so I could keep an eye on it and I did not see flames one time. Had the stat set at 1.75 roughly.
It was a load of pretty much all tamarack
It was a load of pretty much all tamarack
Check it !!
I have a stack a few feet taller than yours, without a key damper my draw was .23 - .26, thats 5x what BK calls for...
Is the cat fully activating when engaged, mechanically speaking. This question is coming from a secondary air burner. Just a thought.
I’m not sure if there is a way to know this other then listen when I close the lever.
So I let the stove die out last night. Checked everything out and as far as I could tel everything looked fine.
I loaded the stove at about 730 last night, it is currently almost 9 this morning and I have another 3-4 hours of heat left.
That gives me around 15 or so hours of heat which I’m happy about.
So I’m wondering why from a cold stove my burn times are lot longer but from a hot stove I don’t get many hours at all?
I loaded the stove at about 730 last night, it is currently almost 9 this morning and I have another 3-4 hours of heat left.
That gives me around 15 or so hours of heat which I’m happy about.
So I’m wondering why from a cold stove my burn times are lot longer but from a hot stove I don’t get many hours at all?
chemie
Feeling the Heat
Mine is..... Because I have to run it at a higher rate to get the stove/cat up to temp from a cold start.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
Well, if you have overly strong draft, the problem intensifies as the flue heats up.
I don't think that explains your situation fully, though. Maybe you should walk us through all the steps you take loading cold and loading hot.
I don't think that explains your situation fully, though. Maybe you should walk us through all the steps you take loading cold and loading hot.
weatherguy
Minister of Fire
chemie
Feeling the Heat
What would be overly strong draft? That wouldn’t let you lower it down via swoosh even at the lowest setting?
jetsam
Minister of Fire
Well, a super strong draft has caused problems for other BK owners. Suppose the OP has 30' of uninsulated flue and 8' of it is above the ridgeline in the wind, cooling the rest of it. Maybe when he starts cold and burns real low, the flue never really warms up all the way and his draft problems are less than they would be if he burned 24x7.
If it's an excess draft problem, it may be better on warm days and worse on cold days too.
My next step would be to install a key damper and manometer so I could see how much the draft actually varies.
Based on the above hypothesis, I would also be checking the top of that flue for creosote.
It’s black double wall pipe to the ceiling into a box and then either or double or triple wall above that with a cap on it.
My ceilings are over 20’ tall so it’s 20’ or so of black double wall. Then I have another close to 10 feet of the silver double/triple wall.
When the stove is cold with no coals at all I will load the stove as full as I can get it and put half a seller cedar on the bottom, light it and close the door. I don’t have to keep the door cracked at all. I leave the thermostat wide open. As soon as the thermometer gets to the active line I flip the lever and shut the stove down to where I want it. Usually takes around 10-15 minutes to get to temp.
Hot stove I usually fill when it’s still showing active so I just open the thermostat, flip the bar, open the door and load it to the gills, close the door, flip the bar and reset the thermostat.
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