BK Princess or Princess 32?

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Mike13

Member
Jul 15, 2015
19
NE Ohio
Went to a BK dealer today to check out the stoves in person and get prices. They quoted me $2595 for a Princess parlor- black door and legs with a blower. Or $2895 for a Princess 32 with the same options. My question to you fine folks is whether the 32 is worth the extra $300? I’m leaning towards saving the $300 and buying the regular Princess.

Also, where is a good place to buy 6” double wall telescoping pipe? They offered me the telescoping pipe and two adapters for $199 if I purchased the stove from them.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks!



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It’s hard to beat a stove that’s been tested by thousands, and refined over decades, with a brand new design tested by dozens. I know almost nothing about the new 32, but I have been a victim of buying a new stove design, before.
 
Other than losing about a percent of efficiency, the 32 tested superiorly (ha new word!) in every way. A little bigger, can run a little lower, way less emissions, and the same old cat.

Still a tough choice that I’m glad I don’t have to make. With zero real world reviews of the 32, I would stick with the old princess. I would not want the parlor model though, it looks like a Big Mac box.
 
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Pulled the trigger on a Princess Parlor. Paid $2700 out the door. The dealer also gave me 10 packs of enviro-bricks to try out free. Feel like I got a decent price. Can’t wait for fall to get it going!
 
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Take it back outside and try it now. Breaking in a new stove in cold weather sucks, because you need to open all the windows no matter how cold it is.

Burn the break-in fires outdoors, and you won't have to deal with it.


Yep. When I broke in my 30NC I opened every single window in the house for an evening.
 
It's sometimes easier to get the stove up to bake-in temp with a full flue. On a cool day, put a fan in an adjacent window to exhaust the fumes and open another to intake fresh air. It will smoke for a bit but the fan should do a good job of keeping it from circulating through the house.
 
It's sometimes easier to get the stove up to bake-in temp with a full flue.

Exactly. I see so many people recommend this procedure of doing it outside, but I wonder how many have successfully done it. I tried it myself, on one of my three Jotuls with about 10 feet of stove pipe.

Between the poor draft and cold outdoor temperature on a breezy day, it never got to a satisfactory temperature to bake-in the new paint, despite runnning a half load wide-open. I still had to re-bake it when I moved it indoors.
 
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They just don’t stink that bad when you do that first burn inside. It’s not like plumes of smoke. It’s more like running a self-clean cycle on the oven if anybody still does that.
 
We broke in my friend's Summit outdoors. The Summit can burn with a shorter flue, but I had to work to get the stove top up to 500º. Secondary combustion was weak with just 6' of stove pipe on the stove. We did the 2nd & 3d break in burns indoors. With doors and windows open.
 
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We broke in my friend's Summit outdoors. The Summit can burn with a shorter flue, but I had to work to get the stove top up to 500º. Secondary combustion was weak with just 6' of stove pipe on the stove. We did the 2nd & 3d break in burns indoors. With doors and windows open.

Don’t misunderstand me, the stove ran just fine outdoors on the short flue, but I was trying to get to 500-600 STT, and I don’t think I ever broke 350F. In fact, it was so long ago, it might have been 250F... I don’t remember. I just remember it was ultimately a failed experiment.
 
Yes, I understood and was echoing a similar experience. I had to have the door open a crack to keep the fire burning strongly.
 
Hrm, I guess I've never run one outside with a thermometer, shooting for cruising temp. That's a good point, because it stinks again every time it hits a new high temperature.

I used to burn a stove with a 3'flue outside pretty regularly, but it lived outside and didn't need much draft to start with, I suspect. :) (I have gone back to open outdoor fires since then, more trouble to cook on but better to look at. Also I do not have to answer the question, "What is THAT." from my wife.)
 
Take it back outside and try it now. Breaking in a new stove in cold weather sucks, because you need to open all the windows no matter how cold it is.

Burn the break-in fires outdoors, and you won't have to deal with it.
this.
 
Don’t misunderstand me, the stove ran just fine outdoors on the short flue, but I was trying to get to 500-600 STT, and I don’t think I ever broke 350F. In fact, it was so long ago, it might have been 250F... I don’t remember. I just remember it was ultimately a failed experiment.

I just fired mine up outside with a 3’ pipe on it. Had to keep door open and figure out good spot but on the 3rd fire I had it up past 600. Decent amount of smoke/fumes off of unit. It was a 85’ day. Installing stove in about a month so wanted to do it now.
 

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I just fired mine up outside with a 3’ pipe on it. Had to keep door open and figure out good spot but on the 3rd fire I had it up past 600. Decent amount of smoke/fumes off of unit. It was a 85’ day. Installing stove in about a month so wanted to do it now.

Good! I couldn’t do the cracked door trick, or I’d have chanced warping bypass frame or bypass door, and doors wide open runs cooler than doors closed on my stoves. Glad yours went okay, though.