BK Princess bypass gasket

[RustyShackleford]

Looked through some old threads, but can't seem to find definitive answers for replacing my bypass gasket ...

Looks like the spec is for 5/8" high-density gasket. Hechler's, A-1 Stoves, and Woodman's Parts Plus were all mentioned. Unfortunately some people reported ordering the high-density stuff and receiving nothing but the stuff you can buy anywhere. I'll be pissed if I spend $30 (about half shipping) and end up with something I could have bought locally. So does anyone have a rec of buying the good stuff recently ?

Looks like you do it through the flue collar. Does removing the cat help at all ? I'd rather not do that - subscribing to the school that says don't pull the cat out unless you really need to.

Do I need anything besides the gasket rope and some adhesive ? I've seen mention of "bypass retainers" but not sure what those are, or if they need replacing.

High-temp silicon (like red stuff from auto parts store) has been recommended. But also this stuff:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LNWLDU/ref=pe_385040_30332200_TE_item

... which I used for the main door gasket, and which is pretty different stuff. So which is best ?

Finally, how do you adjust the bypass door tension ? Seems like I've heard it described somewhere, but it doesn't seem to be in the manual.

Thanks to @BKVP or whoever can provide some answers !

 

[blueguy]

Go in through the collar, much easier. All you need is the high density gasket and the cement. The retainers are welded in. To adjust the bypass door, you'll need two 7/16" wrenches. The tension bolt is a 1/4" bolt with a jam nut on it. Adjust a little at a time as you can over adjust pretty quick. It's pretty easy to do.

 

[turbojoe]

The retainers are stainless clips on my 2014 Princess Ultra. Seems like the Cat holds them in place. You would figure after having the cat out 10+ times i would remember...lol
Shouldn't have to mess with any of that though. Threw the top...

 

[blueguy]

Your bypass gasket retainers are clips?

 

[jeff_t]

Bypass gasket retainers are the channel the gasket sits in. Four pieces welded around the bypass opening.

The bypass itself may or may not be held in position by two stainless steel pieces that fit in on each side of the cat. It is my understanding that the new stoves don't have these.

 

[turbojoe]

Your bypass gasket retainers are clips?

My Bypass door has retainer clips " Bypass Retainers " he asked about them.
Sorry for the confusion...

 

[RustyShackleford]

The bypass itself ...

WHat do you mean by the "bypass itself" ? The door that opens/closes the bypass opening ?

So what about sourcing the gasket rope ? From the photo a Woodman's, it looks like the high-density stuff is made by Meeco. I'm going to try to get them to give me a part number for high-density, to make sure I end up with that.

 

[jeff_t]

WHat do you mean by the "bypass itself" ? The door that opens/closes the bypass opening ?

So what about sourcing the gasket rope ? From the photo a Woodman's, it looks like the high-density stuff is made by Meeco. I'm going to try to get them to give me a part number for high-density, to make sure I end up with that.

Yes, the door.

I think the high density stuff is generally white, but that's probably wrong.

I think Chris said High Mountain makes the OEM.

 

[blueguy]

I had some drop shipped from BK and it's black on the exterior....

 

[BKVP]

Bypass gasket retainers are the channel the gasket sits in. Four pieces welded around the bypass opening.

The bypass itself may or may not be held in position by two stainless steel pieces that fit in on each side of the cat. It is my understanding that the new stoves don't have these.

Old models did not, all new models do...

 

[BKVP]

Yes, the door.

I think the high density stuff is generally white, but that's probably wrong.

I think Chris said High Mountain makes the OEM.

Mid Mountain

 

[RustyShackleford]

Mid Mountain

So this is the stuff that a dealer like Auto-Rain would sell me (as coming from BK) ?

 

[RustyShackleford]

I haven't pulled the stovepipe yet, but checking it from below (inside the firebox), it looks like the piece of gasket that goes near the hinge/pivot on the bypass door (closest to the front of the stove) is going to be pretty much impossible to get to (because the bypass door is still right up against it even when it's open). Any hints on that ?

 

[blueguy]

It's way easier than it looks. The door doesn't butt up against the gasket, it sits slightly higher. It's actually pretty easy to pull and replace the gasket in this area.

 

[mellow]

I got some high density gasket from http://www.fil-tec.com/ and it is the real deal, really nice stuff, the only problem is they don't sell direct to the public.

http://www.stoveworld.com/ is the only place I could find that sells it to the public.

 

[RustyShackleford]

http://www.stoveworld.com/ is the only place I could find that sells it to the public.

All they seem to have is low density: http://www.stoveworld.com/category-s/1831.htm

The part number that is shown when you click to get the product photo for Woodmans's high-density 5/8":

(broken link removed))

... is 104F. I called Meeco and they confirmed that is their high-density stuff (the 'F' suffix). They also said it's rare to use it, only if mfg'er says to, but that seems to be what @BKVP is saying. Though he also says to go through a dealer and get the Mid-Mountain stuff - it just irks me to pay $17 in S&H for 3ft of gasket rope !

Starting to wonder if I should bother. The old gasket is pretty compressed, but there are no real gaps. I don't think it explains the amount of chimney smoke I'm seeing even when the cat is running well over 1000 degrees. I guess the cat can get that hot without actually functioning (to clean up the smoke); but, it also will run over 1000 degrees with a smouldering fire with no visible flames, so I believe it's still functioning properly. Different discussion I guess.

 

[mellow]

They have HD, just probably not in the size you need: http://www.stoveworld.com/FIL-TEC-3-4-Fiberglass-Rope-Gasket-Graphited-p/2htfil008.htm

Not many people use HD gasket so the price will be higher since the demand is lower.

 

[RustyShackleford]

I just pulled my stovepipe connector and cleaned everything out good, and I'm a bit confused. Hoping @BKVP or someone can answer ...

1. The old gasket is fairly compressed, but still more or less intact. When the bypass plate closes, it rests on gasket material all around (not against metal). I'm thinking this seal isn't that critical (compared to door seal) and maybe I won't bother replacing it. The new gasketing that I got (Meeco 5/8" high-density) seems like it's so thick that I'm almost thinking it'll bulge up to far for the door to close nicely. Is 5/8" really the right size ? Is it really at all critical for this gasket to be replaced ?

2. What is the purpose of the bypass plate sliding a fraction-of-an-inch towards the front of the stove, when you give the lever that extra little push after you've rotated it into the closed position ? It seems like the plate is already on the gasket and sealing pretty well, so I'm not sure what sliding it a slight amount laterally actually accomplishes.

3. I can't figure out the adjusting bolt. It doesn't actually seem to do anything. What am I missing ? It just sticks up out of the top of the plate, and the rotating lever pushes against it to make that little lateral shift; but I can't see how screwing/unscrewing that bolt has any effect on that action.

Thanks for clearing any of this up.

 

[blueguy]

1. 5/8" is the right size. Last season my bypass was failing the dollar bill test and I had a lot more junk in my flue. I think it is critical if you want a clean chimney (especially for those who burn low and slow), but if your shoulder season isn't long, it may not be that important to you.

2. I don't think that's an intentional design feature. I think it's just a result of the bar pushing against the adjuster bolt when you rotate the bypass lever.

3. When you tighten the bolt down, it pushes up on the bracket that is welded to the bypass door, which in turn pushes the bypass door down into the gasket more. It's hard to see this without a mirror, but if you tighten it up a bit, you'll notice a difference in the feel of the bypass lever as well as during the dollar bill test.

This is my third season using a BK and I don't for a second claim to be an expert on them, but these observations were made over the course of adjusting my bypass last season and replacing the bypass gasket this season [emoji4]

 

[BKVP]

Nick hit them all dead on! If the plate hits gasket...you are good to go....

 

[RustyShackleford]

Thanks for explaining how the adjuster works, Nick. Man, that's a bizarro design. So you're actually bending that end of the bracket when you tighten the bolt ? What bends it back when you need to loosen it, for example when you replace a worn-out gasket with a new one ? I assume it's not spring steel.

Still not sure if I should replace mine. Stove has 6 years of fairly heavy use. But still does pretty good on dollar bill test. "If it ain't broke don't fix it." OTOH, I get a lot of smoke out the chimney when catalyst appears to be cooking along nicely - but it's hard to believe it's all coming though the not-quite-sealed edges of the bypass plate.

 

[blueguy]

I agree - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I wonder if maybe you have some cells in your cat that are starting to fail?

 

[fire slave]

Have you ever replaced the combustor?
Maybe it isn't as effective at eating smoke.
Be careful adjusting the bypass tension. I tried it last season and the bolt sheared off. I guess I'll have to try and use an extractor to get the rest out. Broke off right at the plate it goes in, couldn't even get vice grips on it.

Is this 1/4 inch bolt hardened steel? Need a replacement.

 

[blueguy]

IIRC, the bolt is either a grade 5 or 8 bolt, nothing special.

 

[RustyShackleford]

I wonder if maybe you have some cells in your cat that are starting to fail?

Have you ever replaced the combustor?

No, I've never replaced it. But I think it still works pretty well, as evidenced by the two things. It easily jumps well above 1000 degrees in the early part of a fire. I think it'd be pretty difficult for the primary fire to be getting it that hot if there's nothing actually happening in the cat, plus I also see the effect where damping down the fire actually causes the cat temperature to jump (the effect where you're creating more smoke for the cat to be eating). Also, it still seems to be active at the tail end of long slow burns, 12 hours or more.

Maybe the smoke I'm seeing is steam, but I doubt it, as I have pretty dry firewood - mostly oak, typically cut in the spring and not burned until the winter after the following winter (IOW, the wood I cut earlier this year in late winter and spring of 2015, will not be burned until the winter of 2016-2017).