BK Princess insert - catalyst problems?

[Fiddlerbob]

I'm thinking of installing a Blaze King Princess fireplace insert. When I enquired about one with a local dealer he said he stopped dealing with Blaze King because people were constantly having trouble with the catalysts 'breaking'. When I asked why that would be he couldn't give me a definitive answer. Searching the innerwebs for Blaze King catalyst problems I can't find too much.

Are Blaze King catalysts reliable? What is the typical cause of premature catalyst failure? Yay or nay on a Princess Insert?

Thanks,

Bob

 

[begreen]

It's unfortunate that the dealer could not provide more information. The catalyst needs care in order to assure a good long life. It can fracture due to operator error, but it not prone to this. Thermal shock or overheating is probably what happened to those with problems. One needs to be aware of this possibility and don't do things that dump cold air or steam on a hot, active cat. If you are the kind of person that reads instructions well and follows them, then you can expect 3-6 yrs out of the cat depending on the number of hours the stove is burned. There are several Princess owners here that can help you with daily operation and maintenance.

 

[Highbeam]

I'm thinking of installing a Blaze King Princess fireplace insert. When I enquired about one with a local dealer he said he stopped dealing with Blaze King because people were constantly having trouble with the catalysts 'breaking'. When I asked why that would be he couldn't give me a definitive answer. Searching the innerwebs for Blaze King catalyst problems I can't find too much.

Are Blaze King catalysts reliable? What is the typical cause of premature catalyst failure? Yay or nay on a Princess Insert?

Thanks,

Bob

There is no "blaze king" cat really. They don't make cats, they buy them from a factory owned by other companies that make cats for all cat stoves. There are metal cats that don't break and ceramic cats that can be broken. Cracking is normal with a ceramic cat but falling apart is no good. Many, if not most, of the new model cat stoves are coming with metal cats. I prefer ceramic myself.

Cat life has nothing to do with years. Cat life is rated by the manufacturer in hours of use, 12000 is the number which I hit every couple of years so I've been through a handful of cats. Some people never use their stove and could get 100 years of cat life. So don't count on years as a measure. I've never broken a cat but I can see cracks sometimes, they never fall apart on me.

Other than leaky door gaskets causing cold air to leak in and hit the cat the only other reasonable way that people are breaking cats is by taking them out and playing with them too hard. Some people insist on removing the cat for cleaning and they are fragile. One last way to thermal shock a cat is to throw a snowy log in and send that cold steam into a blazing hot cat which can cause it to crack and break. We cover our wood so it doesn't get snow and ice so that's why I forgot about that one! The manual tells you how to operate your stove so as to prevent thermal shock damage, it's mostly keeping a good door seal.

Maybe your dealer really meant that he people were constantly having trouble with cats wearing out and needing new ones. They only last 12000 hours and cost about 200$ so that might tick people off if the user didn't expect it. Or he just wasn't making enough profit on the BK line and moved o, then wanted to make the sale so he badmouthed the competition.

If I was putting in a blaze king insert, it would be the princess model. The fancy new big window models do not use the same time tested design.

 

[gastone21]

We installed a BK princess insert in nov. 2017. Burned full time from nov- may each year. Figure we’ve got 10k+ hours on the original catalyst. I ordered a replacement this week, not because I felt the current one was degrading, but rather I want to be ready just in case it does. I’d hate to have the stove be down waiting to get a replacement in the middle of January. I’ll do the vinegar trick on this one when I do pull it. Then it can be my backup.

 

[kennyp2339]

I've owned the freestanding version of this stove since 2013, generally speaking I get a full 2 seasons and about 1/2 of another one out of the cat, I'll lite my stove and start doing batch burns in October, transition to full time burning sometime in Nov (depends when the cold comes) and stick with burning 24/7 usually till the end of April.
The first cat was returned under warranty and a new one was shipped out very speedy before the start of the season, the second cat I purchased was also sent out fairly quick, the company I went with though sent the wrong one, but was very quick (like 48hrs quick on sending the right one, sent me a king size instead of the princess size)
The BK stove line is not for the novice / weekend warrior stove runner in my opinion, you need to be fairly committed to burning wood for this brand, its not the stove running that is difficult, its the process of understanding how fire works, understanding the theory behind establishing a good fire before turning the t-stat down to cruise mode, understanding and committed to making sure your firewood is fully dry, none of this going into the woods to cut a tree up that might be dead then splitting and loading into the stove, nope you need to be ahead of your wood supply, like 2 to 3 years ahead.
Be realistic about your house, for those that live in a colder climate that are trying to heat a 2500 sq ft house with newspaper in the wall as insulation and a closed floor plan, I this isnt your stove brand, your going to be running the stove fully open to recoup needed btu's, might as well run a cheaper epa re-burn stove, for those that have a nice basement then 35ft chimney run to the top of the roof, this isnt your stove brand, max draft is .005"wc, generally speaking you'll prob be pulling a .020" draft with that length of a run and the stove wont acted as designed.
If your aware of fire, aware of your houses needs, can maintain a dry wood supply then a BK stove can provided years and years of excellent / flexible heating with minimal costs associated.

 

[Fiddlerbob]

Thanks all for the comments. I suspected that BK didn't make the catalyst and that issues were more likely due to operator error. You all confirmed that. I might not be the best operator but I have been using a Country Flame cat insert for the last 17 years and prior to that we used a full-sized wood cookstove in our 1920s farm house so I have some reasonable experience running those stoves. I'm also a woodworker and air dry my wood and firewood in a woodshed and can test with a moisture meter. The reason to consider the Princess insert is due to the fact that the current stove does not have, and can't have, a flue liner and therefore the system is not up to current code here and the last time the chimney guy cleaned the chimney he said he wouldn't clean it anymore. Also, I don't really want to burn the house down. The house is single level 2400 sq ft but I use the stove to make it cozy in the Great Room which has a vaulted ceiling and any extra heat that makes it any further into the house is a bonus. I would consider running the Princess at a mid heat level during the evenings and then low overnight. I thought I'd go with another cat stove because I was happy with the Country Flame. I still have a few more questions but thought I'd post them separately.

Thanks, Bob