BK Princess Insert 1 year in

[KB007]

We’ve now had the Princess Insert for a little over a year. Was installed in Dec 2024 and we used it thru to about the end of March 2025. Started burning around end of Nov 2025 til today (end of Jan/26). It replaced a Regency I3100 - well the first I3100 lasted about 5 yrs then cracked on the front, then the warranty replacement I3100 lasted about 5 years until it had a big crack inside the door.

We live in rural Ottawa (Canada) and winters can get quite cold here. This winter has been a fairly cold Dec and Jan so far.

The Princess firebox is a little smaller than the Regency was.

Things I quite like:
The “thermostat” control works very well, allows for very consistent heat output throughout the burn.
I can get an overnight burn fairly easily, usually loading up around 8:00 and turning down before 9:00.
Same is true for daytime, basically I can do 12 hour burns fairly easily.
It definitely burns better, I get less coals and more ash in my clean out.
I do mostly get to see the fire rather than the glass getting covered in creosote. My wood is min 2 yrs old and dry, it burns quite nicely even on low settings.
Burns very clean with minimal creosote. I usually run a 20-30 minute hot load once a week, once the load is going, I just leave the thermostat open and turn down after 20-30 minutes. I’ve seen some creosote in the firebox, but it just seems to burn off. I had my chimney swept in May and the sweep commented on how there was a little creosote in the firebox, there was no unburned creosote anywhere in the flue.
It does keep the house warm (1,800 sqft bungalow with very good insulation / sealing). With temps above -20C, it does a great job. If temps fall below -20C it struggles a bit and I find a second load is usually required. Not overly surprising, but worth noting.

Things that I’m not as keen on:
The 12 hour burn cycle - usually with the thermostat somewhere around 4:00 - 5:00 on the dial, certainly does burn, but obviously the heat output drops on the longer burns.

Questions I have:

1. Is it really necessary to keep the fan level consistent with the thermostat level? Is there a down side to having a higher fan setting with the thermostat at a lower level (4-5 oclock on the dial)?
2. Any issues with this process: Once the previous load is burnt mostly down, and the cat thermometer gets to 12:00 or lower: turn the thermostat full open. Wait a few minutes. Open the bypass door and wait a coupe of minutes. Open the min door and let it sit for a minute or 2 with the door resting on the latch. Once this is done, open the door, rake the coals to the front, load in a new load. Close main door. If the cat thermometer is still above the line, close the bypass right away. If below, wait for it to come up to temp and close. Usually let it burn for a few minutes to get the load nicely going, then turn down the thermostat to about 2:00. Wait a little longer and turn it down to 4:00 +/-. If it’s below -15C outside, I’ll usually let it burn a little hotter with the fan higher. If I do, it usually means a second daytime load around 2-3pm, following the same process. If it’s above -15C I can usually run the full day with the thermostat turned down lower.
3. How long does the cat usually last? I have visually inspected a couple of times, it looks fine, certainly no cracks or build up. When it’s cold, I have blasted a little air thru to clean out any buildup. But when do I need to expect to replace?
4. How do I tell if the cat is metallic or ceramic? The insert is a 2024 Princess. I presume it’s not a bad idea to order one now rather than wait for any issue?
5. How do I know if I have any cat issue? Obviously a visible crack, but are there other symptoms that will tell me it’s time for a replacement?
6. Is there any way to “loosen up” the bypass door / handle to make it easier to open / close. My wonderful wife just isn’t strong enough to pull it up to open. Maybe this is just a ruse to get out of operating it, but if there was a way, that’d help here confidence some.

Overall, I’m quite happy with the Princess Insert, it does what they say it will and that’s somewhat rare in today’s retail world.

 

[Highbeam]

Cat life is quite variable based on many things including your tolerance of a mostly dead cat. Some people just don't care. Others expect a reasonable level of performance and will happily replace when needed to keep things running well.

Go to amazon and investigate purchasing a new cat from midwest hearth. They have very good pictures of metal and ceramic replacements so you can compare and identify which it is you have. I would guess you have metal but recommend ceramic if you are buying a new one.

The way to tell if the cat is dead is to set your desired low burn rate and go outside after a few hours to observe the chimney for smoke. No smoke, just clear heat waves, you're probably good.

Even cracked cats can be perfectly effective. Metal cats don't crack but they do suffer from weird shrinkage and other physical failures.

 

[Tron]

Hmm, almost.

Any issues with this process: Once the previous load is burnt mostly down, and the cat thermometer gets to 12:00 or lower: turn the thermostat full open. Wait a few minutes. Open the bypass door and wait a coupe of minutes. Open the min door and let it sit for a minute or 2 with the door resting on the latch.

No. Open the door and reload, don't let it sit with the door even partially open.

Once this is done, open the door, rake the coals to the front, load in a new load. Close main door. If the cat thermometer is still above the line, close the bypass right away. If below, wait for it to come up to temp and close.

Don't close the bypass right after the reload, let the load catch first for a few minutes.
If the cat temperature is a bit below the active line after that, it doesn't matter much, I found. The cat gauge lags a bit, and when you close the bypass with the gauge showing a bit below, it'll catch up quickly. You can verify by looking at the cat itself, it'll start glowing pretty quickly.

Usually let it burn for a few minutes to get the load nicely going, then turn down the thermostat to about 2:00. Wait a little longer and turn it down to 4:00

After the load has caught and you've closed the bypass, you can directly turn down the thermostat to whatever setting you want.

And regarding cat life: it seems(!) that they last around 10k hours. YMMV.
Mine became a bit sluggish after seven years, which by estimate is pretty close to that runtime.

And the fan setting is independent of the thermostat setting. Of course, if you turn the fan higher, it'll draw more heat from the stove, resulting in the flapper opening more.

 

[spudman99]

I am on year 6 of my PI29 insert and can answer some of your questions. I am not a lifetime burner, this is my first stove but I was a geek reading these forums constantly before installation. I am pretty handy and knowledgeable. Located in the Philly region of Mid Atlantic states, not as cold as you but still periods of chill.

Questions I have:

1. Is it really necessary to keep the fan level consistent with the thermostat level? Is there a down side to having a higher fan setting with the thermostat at a lower level (4-5 oclock on the dial)?

I adjust my fan down during the day when solar gain is strongest. Early evening when Im home its full blast. Overnight probably 60% depending on anticipated temps. My fan runs independent of the thermostat, higher fan if Im in the room and want heat, I will then also adjust the thermostat depending on heat output.

I purchased a cheap Stove Top Temperature gauge, I leave it just inside the top left door edge, about 3" from the front. Not directly above the Cat but close by. That to me is a good reference as to the temperature of the heat output. On my longer burns it is close to 200deg. When I want to heat the house, turn up thermo and run that stat till it hits 400deg and then choke down stat again. Gives me what I find is better control of the heat output, can't do any of that with the Cat thermostate

1. Any issues with this process: Once the previous load is burnt mostly down, and the cat thermometer gets to 12:00 or lower: turn the thermostat full open. Wait a few minutes. Open the bypass door and wait a coupe of minutes. Open the min door and let it sit for a minute or 2 with the door resting on the latch. Once this is done, open the door, rake the coals to the front, load in a new load. Close main door. If the cat thermometer is still above the line, close the bypass right away. If below, wait for it to come up to temp and close. Usually let it burn for a few minutes to get the load nicely going, then turn down the thermostat to about 2:00. Wait a little longer and turn it down to 4:00 +/-. If it’s below -15C outside, I’ll usually let it burn a little hotter with the fan higher. If I do, it usually means a second daytime load around 2-3pm, following the same process. If it’s above -15C I can usually run the full day with the thermostat turned down lower.

I do nearly the exact same thing. I will engage the Cat almost immediately after reload is fully engulfed, as the Cat thermo is well into the active zone. I do however then turn down the thermostat to 4 or 5pm as I am worried about flames kissing the cat and try to avoid that.
I would recommend checking your Cat thermo calibration. Have to wait till its cool to pull it out, there are threads on here that show the proper configuration. For 4 years mine was not in calibration and I ran the stove much hotter than I needed to. No downside, just burning more wood.

1. How long does the cat usually last? I have visually inspected a couple of times, it looks fine, certainly no cracks or build up. When it’s cold, I have blasted a little air thru to clean out any buildup. But when do I need to expect to replace?

I just ordered a replacement Cat 2 months ago. So I have 5 full burning years here, I figure somewhere in the 14k hours range. I posted a thread at the beginning of this year with a video of the discharge from the chimney. While my cat works, I think it is done. Will swap it out this summer.

1. How do I tell if the cat is metallic or ceramic? The insert is a 2024 Princess. I presume it’s not a bad idea to order one now rather than wait for any issue?

Dunno

1. How do I know if I have any cat issue? Obviously a visible crack, but are there other symptoms that will tell me it’s time for a replacement?

Dunno

1. Is there any way to “loosen up” the bypass door / handle to make it easier to open / close. My wonderful wife just isn’t strong enough to pull it up to open. Maybe this is just a ruse to get out of operating it, but if there was a way, that’d help here confidence some.

Judge by your feel. Yes there is a nudge point when it Cams over, but that is not an excessive push. She may just being careful, since it is new and she is not familiar. It would almost impossible for her to break the bypass handle. Stand by her and tell here to put some oomph into it. Both open and close. Doubt there is a way to reduce the tension, as it needs to make a firm close up against the gasket. I say she can do it, just needs some instruction and confidence (of course I dont know her strength, just a guess).

Good luck and post more questions if you have them. My Princess is great, I do wish the fan was capable of putting out more heat and CFM's, but the stove saves me at least $200 in electric and propane each month compared to not having it.

 

[KB007]

I think I my have had an epiphany on how the fan / thermostat interact. Tell me if this is kind of how it relates.

As the fan speed goes up, the thermostat actually tries to burn things a little hotter to keep at a constant temp due to the fan air cooling the insert. As fan speed goes down, the reverse is true, the thermostat will burn a little les hot as the temp is not lowered by the fan air so much. Am I losing my mind or does that kind fo summarize it. I have noticed that with the fan speed lower (outside temps warming up a bit) I can get much longer burns (yes even 24 hours with a good load) and still have a good coal bed for the next re-load.

One thing I don't seem to get to int the colder months is to have the cat down below the threshold on the thermometer. I'm usually doing my reloads around 12 o'clock +/- as this is when the heat output seems to drop off. Am I risking any cat damage if I do "hot" reloads - still opening the bypass and letting it settle for a little bit??

Thanks in advance.

 

[cr0]

As for your wife opening the bypass door, lesson learned the hard way, make sure your hand is only on the wood handle. Start of the season I opened it with my thumb extending past the wood handle up along the bypass lever closer to the stove, and my thumb got pinched with force between the bypass lever and the lip of the stove top - ouch!

 

[cr0]

I do hot reloads sometimes when timing demands it. Just very carefully, my main concern is danger of lots of hot coals sharing space with the living room. I turn the thermometer up for a few min, I open the bypass for a few min, then I very slowly open the loading door, leaving it cracked for a minute or so to let the initial agitation of extra air settle down. Then I open the door wide slowly and load it up carefully but with haste. Shut the door, let it get decently lit in a minute or so, then shut the bypass. I wait 10+ minutes before lowering the thermostat (longer if time permits, shorter if I need to leave).

Not sure how advisable all this is, but it's what I've been doing on my third year running the same stove, seems to work well enough.

Also see https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/princess-29-reloading-wood-mid-load-question.208713/