BK King Install

[hack]

Last night I was able to get some help getting the stove downstairs and installed. This thing is huge and was a bear to get into my basement... For now I'm running the king on a 6" class a chimney that is 18' tall. I have a single wall 8" T inserted into the stove for easy sweeping and cleaning. After the T, I neck down to 6" single wall for roughly 3 feet until the class a.

The door latch is new and improved over the previous design. The wedge on the door handle is a better design and the adjustable bolt on the stove is machined flat to reduce wear on the wedge.

I removed the thermostat cover to check things out because the friction holding the knob at a specific setting was so light that at certain settings the weight of the butterfly valve will rotate the assembly closed. I couldn't find any adjustments for this so I'll have to figure something out. While in there I noticed the butterfly valve doesn't have a hole in it like my princess did.

 

[Baker_Falcon]

I bet that puppy cranks! wow looks great.

 

[Todd]

Congrats on the new stove, it will be interesting to see how it works on a 6" chimney.

 

[jeff_t]

I know of somebody in particular who will be interested in hearing about the 6" flue. Keep us posted.

What is your plan for the tee? Plug it off when brushing, so the stuff doesn't fall behind the cat? I wouldn't just go poking in there blind with a vacuum.

I'd contact the dealer or BK about the thermostat. It should have a fair amount of resistance.

The air comes up and into the butterfly from the top. There is a hole underneath it on the King.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I've wondered how those would work off a 6" flue.

 

[hack]

I know of somebody in particular who will be interested in hearing about the 6" flue. Keep us posted.

What is your plan for the tee? Plug it off when brushing, so the stuff doesn't fall behind the cat? I wouldn't just go poking in there blind with a vacuum.

I'd contact the dealer or BK about the thermostat. It should have a fair amount of resistance.

The air comes up and into the butterfly from the top. There is a hole underneath it on the King.

I'll probably plug it off to be safe but there's a lot of access thru the 8" T. I can see everything down in there. I think it would be pretty easy to access it safely with my shop vac. One of the reasons I went single wall was to get rid of the need for a 5.75" tall adapter making it harder to access the bypass area. I was also able to crimp the end of the tee for the cap eliminating the need for an adapter.

I spoke with BK and they instructed me how to tighten it up. There's a bushing/set screw on the rod located just outside the thermostat that serves several functions. The set screw contacts a physical stop setting the maximum amount you can rotate the knob in both directions but it also serves as friction if it is making the proper contact with the thermostat housing. I need to loosing the set screw and slide the bushing with pressure against the thermostat housing before retightening the set screw.

I'll keep you all informed as to any draft issues.

 

[webby3650]

What's the idea with the Tee again? You could install some 22 gauge pipe with a slip in it, so you could move the slip up to remove the pipe. That pipe is gonna need to be cleaned as often as the chimney. I've never seen a Tee on top of a top exit stove before.

 

[hack]

I just figured it would be the easiest way to sweep/clean my setup. I seem to get more creosote than most on here as my wood supply is a work in progress. Therefore I sweep several times a winter.

I've tried using a slip connection but seemed to fight getting it to collapse in order to sweep. I must have been using the wrong product or doing something wrong because it was always a PITA.

Other than looks and being unconventional, do you see any issues with using the t? I'm open to suggestions!

Thanks.

 

[webby3650]

Other than looks and being unconventional, do you see any issues with using the t? I'm open to suggestions!

Not unless it leaks a bunch of air, and it shouldn't.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I can't see anything wrong with it with function. There might be small leaks of cold air going into the flue, but you sweep often so it probably isn't a big deal.

As far as looks goes, compared to what's sitting underneath it, the T is downright pretty!

 

[hack]

I can't see anything wrong with it with function. There might be small leaks of cold air going into the flue, but you sweep often so it probably isn't a big deal.

As far as looks goes, compared to what's sitting underneath it, the T is downright pretty!

Lol! You guys are harsh! I love the looks of the BK line. Especially the Ultra models.

 

[hack]

Here are some pics of the bushing/set screw contacting the High and Low stop. Also between the bushing and the thermostat housing you can see a few spring loaded washers that create the rotational resistance.

Also a few pics of the updated door latch.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I am very interested in hearing updates on performance with the 6" liner. I will be installing a king with a 6" liner and I would like to know how well it runs burning at lower temps. Does the cat stall at all?

Thanks for posting.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I know of somebody in particular who will be interested in hearing about the 6" flue.

You bet I am.

 

[hack]

I am very interested in hearing updates on performance with the 6" liner. I will be installing a king with a 6" liner and I would like to know how well it runs burning at lower temps. Does the cat stall at all?

Thanks for posting.

No cat stalls. At ALL settings so far it out performs the previous stove. I could be wrong but my theory is the 6" provides similar static suction but begins to fall behind the 8" as the flow required increases. I believe the 6" is actually a benefit at lower burn settings because if anything the flow is still enough to keep the chimney temps up a little. Until of course you open the door.....

I think of the 6" as a governor and it is set at 80 mph and I only want to go 75 mph. I honestly don't notice any top end limitations.

 

[BrowningBAR]

No cat stalls. At ALL settings so far it out performs the previous stove. I could be wrong but my theory is the 6" provides similar static suction but begins to fall behind the 8" as the flow required increases. I believe the 6" is actually a benefit at lower burn settings because if anything the flow is still enough to keep the chimney temps up a little. Until of course you open the door.....

I think of the 6" as a governor and it is set at 80 mph and I only want to go 75 mph. I honestly don't notice any top end limitations.

Tell me a little more about the Tjerlund auto draft. Is it pictured in any of the above pictures? Where did you buy it?

When you had smoke spillage when did it occur? On reloads when the logs were catching? Were you reloading on coals? I'm trying to figure out when the spillage would occur and how this would affect me.

 

[YkDave]

Good to hear that their isnt any notable issues running the king on a 6" pipe

Im personally going to upgrade my old PE next year, and really wanted the King, but i didnt want to go through the BS (and probably can of worms) of swapping out my entire existing 6" setup.

 

[begreen]

I am very interested in hearing updates on performance with the 6" liner. I will be installing a king with a 6" liner and I would like to know how well it runs burning at lower temps. Does the cat stall at all?

Thanks for posting.

Decided on a King?!

 

[BrowningBAR]

Decided on a King?!

Yeah. I'm planning on the future and the future is all about convenience. I insulated the attic and that greatly improved my heat retention. I have more than enough heat, now I just need to use it properly and the VC stoves will need to be replaced sooner or later. The VC stoves were always temporary solutions. Both cost me $750 combined. If I can replace them before the assemblies die on me I can get my money back on them through resale.

With two and three stoves running I need to maximize my burn times. I'm thinking of going with a King where the 30 is since I should be able to take full advantage of the low burn in that area. Even on the coldest of temps the 30 with the blower can heat the room to 90 if I let it. The fan can keep the room at 70-75 even when cruising at 200-250 at the end of the burn cycle.

The big walk-in fireplace can even make the Blaze King Washing Machine look good. The 30 looks like a million bucks in the fire place. The hurdle is that I will need to buy the King used since a new King in this area is $3500-$4000. So, this might take me 12-24 months to find the right used King for the right price in the right location.

The other two locations are a bit tricky. I'm a bit all over the place for those two locations. In the living room I was leaning towards a refurbished Progress (if/when Woodstock does their annual refurbish sale), but I just saw the Woodstock Steel in dark colors and it doesn't look bad. I like it's ability to burn low and offer 20+ hour burns if need be. Also thinking of the Princess in that location.

In the kitchen I am going to have to lower the hearth to make any upgrades work. Not a huge deal and I should be able to keep the costs down. The stove will have to rear vent which eliminates the King and Princess. The Ashford, new, is $3,500 and there is no used market for the stove at this point. So, that's out. The opening is too narrow to allow side loading, so the Progress is out. That leaves me with the Woodstock Steel or use the 30 I already have and relocate that to the kitchen.

The Steel will look just fine with a fireplace wrapped around it. The 30 would also look pretty good in that location. I like the Steels burn time. But, I also like the 30's blower and the fact I already own that stove. The blower noise is a concern for the kitchen, though.

Right now I'm thinking King/Steel/Steel. But, if I find a used Princess for the right price it will be hard to pass up a King/Princess/Steel setup.

 

[weatherguy]

Browning is the Ashford a rear vent also?

 

[BrowningBAR]

Browning is the Ashford a rear vent also?

Top or rear. It would work in the kitchen, but I am not spending $3,500 on a stove.

In a perfect world I would be running a King/Ashford/Ashford setup since I like the traditional design of cast iron. But I'm not spending $7k for convenience. I can get a hell of a pellet add-on boiler for that type of cash.

 

[weatherguy]

I didn't realize it was also rear vent, I wish the dam thing was out when I was stove shopping.
Just having the King will cut down on your loading.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I didn't realize it was also rear vent, I wish the dam thing was out when I was stove shopping.

Wait, now I'm second guessing myself. I thought it was top or rear vent. Now I can't find anything that supports that thinking.

Just having the King will cut down on your loading.

Yeah. Using the blower on the 30 this year really made me see what can be done with low temp heating.

 

[BKVP]

Top Vent only folks....

 

[hack]

Just wanted to give an update.

The stove has been performing great on the 6" chimney. I can't emphasize enough how much of an improvement this stove is over the Princess (for my needs). No comparison. I still need to use the plate I made to partially cover the door during reload to prevent smoke spillage, but since I've been doing this I get zero smoke spillage. Honestly, it"s not a big deal and is easy to use. With the door closed the performance is flawless. In fact, I ordered a complete selkirk 8" chimney system from Menards last week and I'm debating on whether I want to install it or not because the stove has been performing so well with the 6". If I do end up switching to the 8" it will be mainly for code compliance.

I had the Tjerlund installed for about a week but removed it because it has a rather large hole to aid in keeping the motor cool and I didn't like the thought of all that cool air entering an already cool chimney. It did work but I elected to go without it.