BK princess insert questions

[Blue Vomit]

I currently burn in a Jotul Oslo in our fireplace. My wife does not share in the joys of wood burning like most of us. She loves the wood heat but hates the bugs, dirt, dust, ashes, soot, etc. She has no interest in running a stove at all. Unfortunately with my working full time she has to reload and tend to the stove daily during the cold days. She would much rather turn on the oil furnace than reload the stove. I would like to give her the "gift" of telling her she no longer has to do anything with the stove at all but will still be able to enjoy the wood heat. My solution: a BK princess insert. I think the long burn times will allow me to run the stove daily by myself and it fits in my fireplace.
I have several questions for you guys.
I have experience running both cat and non cat EPA stoves but zero experience with inserts.

1. I have always heard free standing stoves heat better than inserts. What difference will I see between the Oslo and the BK insert other than the obvious burn times? The Oslo does heat our 2 level 2200 sq ft house relatively well. Burn times go down considerably when it gets real cold though.

2. I have heard the fan can be noisy. I'm definitely not used to hearing a fan on a wood stove. Can I run the stove on high with the fan on low or is the fan integral in cooling the unit down? Also, if the power goes out, can I run the stove on high and not use the fan at all?

3. As I stated before, I have zero experience with inserts. How hard is it to clean the liner? Do I need to slide the stove out and disconnect the liner every year when in clean it?

4. Not as important but... The glass. I have read just run it on high for a few min after a long slow burn and the black glass will clear up. Is this accurate? I do have 3 years of truly seasoned wood. I'm hoping that will help.

5. Does anyone know of any way to get this unit cheaper?

I sent BKVP a message yesterday and he replied quickly of course. I have heard their customer service is very good.
Any input from you guys would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Highbeam]

I currently burn in a Jotul Oslo in our fireplace. My wife does not share in the joys of wood burning like most of us. She loves the wood heat but hates the bugs, dirt, dust, ashes, soot, etc. She has no interest in running a stove at all. Unfortunately with my working full time she has to reload and tend to the stove daily during the cold days. She would much rather turn on the oil furnace than reload the stove. I would like to give her the "gift" of telling her she no longer has to do anything with the stove at all but will still be able to enjoy the wood heat. My solution: a BK princess insert. I think the long burn times will allow me to run the stove daily by myself and it fits in my fireplace.
I have several questions for you guys.
I have experience running both cat and non cat EPA stoves but zero experience with inserts.

1. I have always heard free standing stoves heat better than inserts. What difference will I see between the Oslo and the BK insert other than the obvious burn times? The Oslo does heat our 2 level 2200 sq ft house relatively well. Burn times go down considerably when it gets real cold though.

2. I have heard the fan can be noisy. I'm definitely not used to hearing a fan on a wood stove. Can I run the stove on high with the fan on low or is the fan integral in cooling the unit down? Also, if the power goes out, can I run the stove on high and not use the fan at all?

3. As I stated before, I have zero experience with inserts. How hard is it to clean the liner? Do I need to slide the stove out and disconnect the liner every year when in clean it?

4. Not as important but... The glass. I have read just run it on high for a few min after a long slow burn and the black glass will clear up. Is this accurate? I do have 3 years of truly seasoned wood. I'm hoping that will help.

5. Does anyone know of any way to get this unit cheaper?

I sent BKVP a message yesterday and he replied quickly of course. I have heard their customer service is very good.
Any input from you guys would be appreciated.
Thanks

I own the freestanding version but have also owned inserts from other brands. Is your jotul an insert? Is it stuffed inside the fireplace?

The princess will hold a fire all day. That's what is important. It will be burning when you get home so if the wife gets cold, she can burn some oil but it will only be minimal since the stove is still burning. The most important thing is burn time and BK delivers.

Cleaning a liner is easy. Just like a rigid flue. On my princess I do not remove the pipe from the stove so I see no reason that you would have to with the insert.

The glass will get dark. It is a myth that you can burn it off easily or quickly. It is only black on the bottom corners and then a dark amber up towards the middle, the top stays pretty clear. Not all black like paint. No, you can't burn it off. No, there isn't much to look at anyway.

The fans on my princess are dual axial fans, like paddle fans. They are pretty quiet and can be set at different speeds or off. Most inserts allow fans off with reduced output. As such, fans on low would be allowable as well.

 

[Blue Vomit]

I own the freestanding version but have also owned inserts from other brands. Is your jotul an insert? Is it stuffed inside the fireplace?
well.

My Oslo sits on the raised hearth just outside the fireplace

 

[Blue Vomit]

The princess will hold a fire all day. That's what is important. It will be burning when you get home so if the wife gets cold, she can burn some oil but it will only be minimal since the stove is still burning. The most important thing is burn time and BK delivers.
.

That's the idea. Take the stress off the wife. Happy wife, happy life.

 

[Highbeam]

That's the idea. Take the stress off the wife. Happy wife, happy life.

I don't like inserts in general but if you must put one in, the BK is about the only option.

The BK princess has allowed me to fill the stove with my local junk wood like red alder, cottonwood, and willow, and then return 24 hours later to reload. Dependable 24 hour cycles. It is rated for 30+ and with better wood I believe it. So nobody, including the wife, spends much time loading the stove. This long burn also makes for an even temperature in the home instead of peaks and valleys normally associated with short burn times of other stoves.

Worth noting is that wood length must be pretty short like 16" to fill this puppy north to south.

 

[etiger2007]

On my insert I can remove the tubes and baffle in less than five minutes, then I close the door and go up on the roof and clean the liner, all of it takes about 20 minutes if that. No need with my insert to pull it out and disconnect the liner. Good Luck

 

[webby3650]

On my insert I can remove the tubes and baffle in less than five minutes, then I close the door and go up on the roof and clean the liner, all of it takes about 20 minutes if that. No need with my insert to pull it out and disconnect the liner. Good Luck

With a full liner, there is never any reason to pull the insert out to clean it. On the BK, just open the bypass and sweep it, the junk falls into the firebox.

 

[webby3650]

That's the idea. Take the stress off the wife. Happy wife, happy life.

When I got the Leyden, I thought my wife would understand the whole bypass operation because of the blaze king. But, then she reminded me that she never had to use the blaze king, it was just always hot!

 

[Blue Vomit]

Worth noting is that wood length must be pretty short like 16" to fill this puppy north to south.

Yup, not looking forward to re cutting my splits. I have just over 10 cords split and stacked, 7 of the cords are specifically cut to 22".

 

[Blue Vomit]

When I got the Leyden, I thought my wife would understand the whole bypass operation because of the blaze king. But, then she reminded me that she never had to use the blaze king, it was just always hot!

That's what I'm looking for.

 

[mellow]

Look at woodstock's line of stoves if you are looking for a cat with rear vent so you do not have to go to an insert, they have long burn times as well.

 

[Highbeam]

they have long burn times as well.

Woodstock makes nice stoves but no inserts and their burn times are half of what the BK does. HALF. I've long wondered why they don't improve the burn times but I do know that their windows stay cleaner with the higher burn rate.

 

[mellow]

OP currently has a free standing and likes it as far as I can tell, just wants longer burn times. Not going to argue the half the burn times statement, but I do believe the new stove Woodstock is working on will give BK a run for their money.

 

[webby3650]

OP currently has a free standing and likes it as far as I can tell, just wants longer burn times. Not going to argue the half the burn times statement, but I do believe the new stove Woodstock is working on will give BK a run for their money.

Really? We'll see about that!

 

[Highbeam]

I do believe the new stove Woodstock is working on will give BK a run for their money.

Don't count your birds before they hatch. I do hope so though. All brands should strive to achieve high burn times which really means controllable heat output.

 

[Blue Vomit]

Not going to argue the half the burn times statement, but I do believe the new stove Woodstock is working on will give BK a run for their money.

something tells me the new one with a 3.2 cu ft firebox will not fit in my firplace.
thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[mellow]

Rear Vent it, doesn't have to fit IN your fireplace, but it sounds like you have already made up your mind.

 

[Blue Vomit]

Rear Vent it, doesn't have to fit IN your fireplace, but it sounds like you have already made up your mind.

I have, it's all about the long burn time at this point. Thanks again though.

 

[jeff_t]

With a full liner, there is never any reason to pull the insert out to clean it. On the BK, just open the bypass and sweep it, the junk falls into the firebox.

Not sure about the insert, but this is what I found when I pulled the pipe off to vacuum behind the cat, after brushing from the top with the bypass open. Actually, that is only part of it. I sucked up some before I thought to take a pic.

 

[Nick Mystic]

I'd like to hear from some other Oslo owners regarding their burn times. We just bought a Jotul F600 last February so I didn't get to burn it during any long cold snaps where I needed to keep it going 24/7, but I never had a problem keeping a fire going overnight. And I doubt I ever filled it more than 2/3 full. The F 600 is about 3 sq. ft. so it's about a half cubic foot more space than the Oslo, but I have to believe with well seasoned wood an Oslo could burn all day while you are away at work without your wife having to reload if she doesn't want to. Granted, you aren't going to be getting high heat in the afternoon, but it should keep your furnace from running too much. Maybe you should consider coaching your wife in a gentle manner regarding loading the stove. If you had a couple selective splits ready to lift in the side door when needed it might not be too big a deal. You do have some nice fireplace gloves, right?

We went from an insert to the Jotul F600 woodstove and it was such a huge upgrade I'd hate to return to an insert. For me, the constant noise of the fan was a big irritation. It is so much more relaxing to be able to sit in front of the stove and just watch the flames and feel the heat and not be distracted by a fan buzzing away.

 

[Highbeam]

Not sure about the insert, but this is what I found when I pulled the pipe off to vacuum behind the cat, after brushing from the top with the bypass open. Actually, that is only part of it. I sucked up some before I thought to take a pic.

View attachment 111201

Good pic. Thanks for thinking of us. Do you think that the debris was light enough to be blown away from the front of the cat? I may have to give it a puff or two just to be sure.

What a crappy job on the stove collar. Looks like it isn't even round near the bottom of the photo and also looks like the cutout in the stove top is too small. My double wall pipe adapter actually enters the firebox.

 

[webby3650]

Good pic. Thanks for thinking of us. Do you think that the debris was light enough to be blown away from the front of the cat? I may have to give it a puff or two just to be sure.

What a crappy job on the stove collar. Looks like it isn't even round near the bottom of the photo and also looks like the cutout in the stove top is too small. My double wall pipe adapter actually enters the firebox.

That's not a crappy flue collar. That's what most look like, very normal.

 

[Tenn Dave]

I'm not a big fan of inserts, so I can't speak about them. But the BK King or Lopi Cap Cod stoves would be a good choice to sit in front of the fireplace. Also consider the Woodstock Progress Hybrid which has burn times of at least 14 - 16 hours and can handle 22 inch splits.

 

[Blue Vomit]

I'd like to hear from some other Oslo owners regarding their burn times. We just bought a Jotul F600 last February so I didn't get to burn it during any long cold snaps where I needed to keep it going 24/7, but I never had a problem keeping a fire going overnight. And I doubt I ever filled it more than 2/3 full. The F 600 is about 3 sq. ft. so it's about a half cubic foot more space than the Oslo, but I have to believe with well seasoned wood an Oslo could burn all day while you are away at work without your wife having to reload if she doesn't want to. Granted, you aren't going to be getting high heat in the afternoon, but it should keep your furnace from running too much. Maybe you should consider coaching your wife in a gentle manner regarding loading the stove. If you had a couple selective splits ready to lift in the side door when needed it might not be too big a deal. You do have some nice fireplace gloves, right?
.

I never had a problem getting the Oslo to burn all night. I can get 9+ hours of burn time out of it if I pack it full of locust or oak. That being said, after 9 hours, it isnt throwing any real heat. I dont think its throwing any real heat after 7 hours. Its just holding coals. Remember, im heating a two level 2200 (maybe closer to 2400) sq ft home. The Oslo is rated for 2000. After 9 hours, im throwing some small pieces on and tending to it to get it going again for a full reload.

Here's the thing, I work 10 hour shifts, sometimes more with OT. How nice would it be to come home at 1am after being away for 12 or more hours and throw some splits on a coal bed for a fast reload, then go right to bed. How nice would it be to be able to throw in wood that doesnt have to be oak or locust, doesnt have to be cut to the right length, doesnt have to fit perfectly in the stove and still be confident in getting a 15+ hr burn time. These are things I can not do with the Oslo.

The Oslo is a great stove, throws out big heat in the beginning. Im just looking for different qualities right now.

 

[Blue Vomit]

I'm not a big fan of inserts, so I can't speak about them. But the BK King or Lopi Cap Cod stoves would be a good choice to sit in front of the fireplace. Also consider the Woodstock Progress Hybrid which has burn times of at least 14 - 16 hours and can handle 22 inch splits.

Thanks for the input, Mellow's suggestion made me triple check. The PH wont fit on my raised hearth or in my fireplace or any combination of the two. Im not trying to rebuild my hearth.