BK King Stove Burning Through

[nooboo]

Great Stove that has a hole growing in it.
Please don't bash my stove or the manufacturer. It's a Blaze King - King model.

In the back, the metal is burning away. Here are a couple of pictures attached to this post that are links. Admin: Please let me know if it is better for the post to upload the picture v the links below.

Looking through the front glass, in the back, above the firebricks is where the hole of concern is. What is the correct term for this eating away of metal due to high temperatures?

The support metal over the bypass has also been eaten away with some warpage of the interior side panels.

The thermostat was down to "2" for an overnight 6-7 hour burn and I had turned it up to about "3" about a half hour before taking the picture.

The stove is about 10 years old and on a second Catalyst. We have excellent draught with about 23' of stack. It has on at least one occassion been overfired due to leaving the door open.

Only dried Black Spruce is burnt in this stove. We burn it 24/7 in our big house. We reload every five hours or so, using about a 1/6th of a cord per week.

This hole doesn't seem safe, and I am searching for solutions, i.e., cover the hole with a ceramic or metal or retire the stove.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6kwP5beY3H9C8PVg7[

New item by Brian Grenier

photos.app.goo.gl

New item by Brian Grenier

photos.app.goo.gl

New item by Brian Grenier

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[begreen]

Can you post the pictures? I get an invalid dynamic link message for the first one.

 

[nooboo]

Here are the pictures, attached. The first shows the hole witch is about 5" wide by 1.5" tall and is located above and to the left of the bright area of the image with a fire that is burnt to the lower 1/4" of the firebox.

 

[nooboo]

Here's a picture of the exhaust from the stove.... there is no visible smoke with the stove at current and normal operating temperature of 450-degree F. as measured at the top of the stove above the by-pass. These stove burns very cleanly.

 

[Woody Stover]

Can you post the pictures? I get an invalid dynamic link message for the first one.

It's wanting me to log into Google Photos. I might get around to that at some point. But I think I have an idea of the kind of thing we may see when he gets some good pics up; Thin-metal rust-through from creosote condensation. I could be wrong, of course..

 

[bholler]

Here's a picture of the exhaust from the stove.... there is no visible smoke with the stove at current and normal operating temperature of 450-degree F. as measured at the top of the stove above the by-pass. These stove burns very cleanly.View attachment 304890

Are you still burning in a stove that has a hole rusted through the firebox???

 

[Woody Stover]

Are you still burning in a stove that has a hole rusted through the firebox???

Maybe the hole is protected to a degree by an internal baffle shield...so that would be a bit safer, right? 😉😯

 

[Woody Stover]

The probe thermo looks rusty; Was the stove sitting somewhere for a time, where it could get wet?

 

[nooboo]

Maybe the hole is protected to a degree by an internal baffle shield...so that would be a bit safer, right? 😯

There is No hole through the firebox. The hole that is growing is through the internal heat shield on the back of the fire. There is virtually no creosote buildup, and the ashes burn so cleanly that what is left is a dark and hard substance which I take to be mostly potash.

 

[nooboo]

The probe thermo looks rusty; Was the stove sitting somewhere for a time, where it could get wet?

The thermo probe is dirty due to some splashing from cooking, which I like to do on the top of this stove. The stove has only been inside

 

[bholler]

There is No hole through the firebox. The hole that is growing is through the internal heat shield on the back of the fire. There is virtually no creosote buildup, and the ashes burn so cleanly that what is left is a dark and hard substance which I take to be mostly potash.

Oh well that is very different. Reloading a king every 5 hours is really really pushing the stove. It's probably just worn out

 

[nooboo]

First, I love this stove.
Second, I called the manufacturer and came up with a course of action.
It looks like the part that is burning through is the internal baffle shield on this eight year old King KE1107 Classic.
I will take better pictures of the shield and send it to the representative I spoke with.
It sounds as if there is a new shield baffle that is available to weld on.
I will also post better pictures of the shield here.

I was told there are some Blaze King models that have burnt through the area of the external fans, but that was due to creosote buildup and is not the issue here.

 

[kennyp2339]

Is it possible that your burning contaminated wood? like wood from salt water? just curious about the predicament we dont hear a lot about.

 

[nooboo]

I sent the manufacturer a picture of the shield baffle and am attaching it here.

The picture was taken during an active fire but cooled a little bit by turning the thermostat down. There is some gray ash visible, but there is no creosote visible.

I was told there is a *.FIX part number for this shield for which I may be provided with later. It sounds like just a weld on plate.

In the meantime, I am considering stuffing the hole with some ceramic to prevent flames from reaching the firebox.

 

[nooboo]

Is it possible that your burning contaminated wood? like wood from salt water? just curious about the predicament we dont hear a lot about.

Thanks for asking! The wood we burn is 99% black spruce, which is a very slow growing species with high acid and some decay resistance qualities. 1% is White Birch. It's what we have, and it leaves very little ash having burned so cleanly.

There is no contamination of this firewood which I harvested myself.

Talking with the manufacturer, I was told there were a very small number of Blaze Kings (four(4)) that did burn through the thermostat area. The cause was creosote and there is an external weld on plate for the Classic,Part number S4570AA.FIX.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Thanks for asking! The wood we burn is 99% black spruce, which is a very slow growing species with high acid and some decay resistance qualities. 1% is White Birch. It's what we have, and it leaves very little ash having burned so cleanly.

There is no contamination of this firewood which I harvested myself.

Talking with the manufacturer, I was told there were a very small number of Blaze Kings (four(4)) that did burn through the thermostat area. The cause was creosote and there is an external weld on plate for the Classic,Part number S4570AA.FIX.

Can you handle the removal of, and welding of, the part that is indicated, or will you be having someone else do the job?

 

[nooboo]

Can you handle the removal of, and welding of, the part that is indicated, or will you be having someone else do the job?

I think I can weld it, but for me, it's like having sex, it's not very pretty, its messy, it's in an awkward position and I don't do it that often

 

[webby3650]

Thanks for asking! The wood we burn is 99% black spruce, which is a very slow growing species with high acid and some decay resistance qualities. 1% is White Birch. It's what we have, and it leaves very little ash having burned so cleanly.

There is no contamination of this firewood which I harvested myself.

Talking with the manufacturer, I was told there were a very small number of Blaze Kings (four(4)) that did burn through the thermostat area. The cause was creosote and there is an external weld on plate for the Classic,Part number S4570AA.FIX.

If only 4 have ever burnt through, why is there a repair part with a part number? 😉 I’ve personally hand my hands on 2 that did. Great stoves, with a weak place..

 

[Woody Stover]

OK, I wouldn't worry about that too much. I don't think it's critical to the operation of the stove, except maybe when burning low. There are other gaps around the edges of those shields, anyway.
I got to thinking about that later; In AK you may be running the stove pretty high, not low and slow where the creo would build up more.
Those dark, hard things sound like clinkers to me. I leave 'em in there and sometimes rake 'em forward to elevate kindling up out of the ash so it will catch easier.

 

[Woody Stover]

Hmmm, maybe more critical than I thought if it's over the thermo. 😯

 

[webby3650]

Burning out the rear baffle is uncommon. Rot through from creosote has been happening on the KEJ1107 model. Apparently only if the stove had blowers installed.

 

[nooboo]

Hmmm, maybe more critical than I thought if it's over the thermo. 😯

Burning out the rear baffle is uncommon. Rot through from creosote has been happening on the KEJ1107 model. Apparently only if the stove had blowers installed.

-12F this am with a forecast of another big snowfall. Big for us is 12". The stove is run a lot, but it is usually in the "Burn Zone". Very Little Creosote builds up in this unit. I did find it interesting that some BK are accumulating creosote around the fans. That sounds like operator error to me ;-)

All BK owners know that using the fans increase fuel consumption and one has to keep an eye on the burn zone, thermostat and fan speed to remain in the active zone. Currently we have the dual fans on and a HEPA filter fan facing the glass and another fan facing the kitchen for maximum heat and heat distribution into the house. The thermo is set at 2.5 at this time.

It's actually quite warm in here and my first wife likes it that way

Having this "divot" in the heat shield may affect the sensing of the thermostat, so I will keep a better eye on it. I'm also on the lookout for a little bit of ceramic insulation or a chunk of stainless. Welding something inside the stove and maybe inside the house, even if it is next spring, doesn't sound desirable. I could instead drill some holes and use stainless fasters...maybe. As long as this current issue isn't a life safety thing.

Also, and by the way, This BK is the only combustion appliance in this dwelling. Combustion back drafting is a real issue

 

[webby3650]

Very Little Creosote builds up in this unit. I did find it interesting that some BK are accumulating creosote around the fans. That sounds like operator error to me ;-)

This has absolutely nothing to do with it. Different users obviously, different style homes, some run low, some high most the time. Same experience. You don’t have creosote, great, but that’s not the norm for a BK user. Clean flue, dirty stove is the order of the day.

 

[Highbeam]

-12F this am with a forecast of another big snowfall. Big for us is 12". The stove is run a lot, but it is usually in the "Burn Zone". Very Little Creosote builds up in this unit. I did find it interesting that some BK are accumulating creosote around the fans. That sounds like operator error to me ;-)

All BK owners know that using the fans increase fuel consumption and one has to keep an eye on the burn zone, thermostat and fan speed to remain in the active zone. Currently we have the dual fans on and a HEPA filter fan facing the glass and another fan facing the kitchen for maximum heat and heat distribution into the house. The thermo is set at 2.5 at this time.

It's actually quite warm in here and my first wife likes it that way

Having this "divot" in the heat shield may affect the sensing of the thermostat, so I will keep a better eye on it. I'm also on the lookout for a little bit of ceramic insulation or a chunk of stainless. Welding something inside the stove and maybe inside the house, even if it is next spring, doesn't sound desirable. I could instead drill some holes and use stainless fasters...maybe. As long as this current issue isn't a life safety thing.

Also, and by the way, This BK is the only combustion appliance in this dwelling. Combustion back drafting is a real issue

Given the situation, I would just fasten a replacement plate over the hole with fasteners like screws or even rivets if they can handle the heat. I can weld but what if this becomes a frequent thing?

5 hours per load? Are those full loads or are you just throwing a few splits in five times a day?

I’m happy for you that it’s just the heat shield. I’ve recently seen cracks in the firebox back wall on a princess model.

 

[Woody Stover]

-big snowfall. Big for us is 12".

1.2" is bordering on a blizzard here. 😏 Thankfully, we've had almost no snow the last couple winters. I'm already looking forward to spring, but I see some single-digit nights forecast for next week. 🥶

Very Little Creosote builds up in this unit. I did find it interesting that some BK are accumulating creosote around the fans. That sounds like operator error to me ;-)

Not really user error, just that when you cool the fire box off with the blower, creosote doesn't burn off the walls of the box as readily. With the internal shields, the walls also aren't exposed to radiant heat from flames and coals either, as they are in a normal stove.
That may well be the reason BK suggests that users burn the stove hot for a half hour a day. Seems like a lot of heat is sent up the flue this way, though.. 🔥😣

Given the situation, I would just fasten a replacement plate over the hole with fasteners like screws

Yeah, that sounds like the way to go. I'd drill the screw holes oversize of the diameter of the screws to allow for expansion and contraction. And maybe don't tighten the nuts down to where they clamp the plate tightly; Instead, use two nuts on each screw, loosely holding the plate in place, then tighten the two nuts against each other to lock them in place on the screw shaft.

I’m happy for you that it’s just the heat shield. I’ve recently seen cracks in the firebox back wall on a princess model.

Your Princess, I'm guessing? Did you post about it? If so, got a link?