BK Princess questions

[Rearscreen]

So, I am pleading with my 85 year old spry relative that I am visiting in NH to get rid of his woodstove that he has had for 14 years. It's cracked, dangerous, etc. etc. It's in a raised hearth and when I sent the dims to Woodstock they said it's a no go for them. So I thought Blaze King insert. I have no experience with them. His questions are: How can an insert heat when it's buried in the fireplace? This befuddles him. An advantage is this brick chimney is all interior. The second question is how do you clean the chimney without taking it out? (He cleans the chimney himself every year)
Tomorrow we are going to a dealer near by to look. Thought I'd ask you folks here. The house is 4200 sf but has baseboard heat also. My question is if the electricity goes out what happens?

 

[weatherguy]

It heats with the help if a blower. It's easy to clean. I cleaned top down and the ash falls into try he firebox, just have to make sure the cat lever is in the right position. I lost power for a week and my house was warm enough to live in, though not as comfortable as with the blower.

 

[begreen]

Inserts have a convective jacket surrounding the fire box. It's an air jacket where cooler air enters under or on the sides of the insert and is heated as it passes around the back and over the top of the firebox body. Usually there is a blower at the air entry point that assists convection of the heat.

If this person is old school, it might be a good idea to explore non-cat options too. They can be simpler to operate, maintain and sometimes easier to clean.

 

[Rearscreen]

The offending stove.

 

[bholler]

I beleive that is a garrison. They were decent onld stoves but a modern stove will perform much better. Is there a liner in the chimney already?

 

[begreen]

Yes, an old Garrison and possibly fired as hot as hades to keep old bones warm. This could be a challenge for an insert if he is used to that kind of warmth and keeps the place at 80º or higher in the winter. It also lacks the proper 16" of hearth in front of the doors.

 

[bholler]

Yes, an old Garrison and possibly fired as hot as hades to keep old bones warm. This could be a challenge for an insert if he is used to that kind of warmth and keeps the place at 80º or higher in the winter. It also lacks the proper 16" of hearth in front of the doors.

Yes and you can see scorch marks on the floor because of it

 

[moresnow]

85 and in the market for new
Impressive. Haaaaaa. Good that you helping him out.

 

[kennyp2339]

I think you can fit a Englander nc 30 in there with the pedestal kit, the height measurement is 29 1/2" from top of flue collar to the ground, that will be way cheaper than installing a BK, plus you can use the extra money in savings to install a new 6" stainless steal liner. Something to think about.

 

[electrathon]

Is there anything wrong with the stove that has not been wrong for the last ten years? It seems unlikely that someone of that age will be open to learning to burn a stove different (the catalytic part) than he has for the last 80 years.

I think you can fit a Englander nc 30 in there with the pedestal kit, the height measurement is 29 1/2" from top of flue collar to the ground, that will be way cheaper than installing a BK, plus you can use the extra money in savings to install a new 6" stainless steal liner. Something to think about.

If you are going to change it this seems like a more easy path to get him to follow.

 

[Rearscreen]

Guys, the NC-30 just might be the ticket. I showed him the price (a huge factor) and the local stove place can order one. It looks like a go! FYI, this 85 year old climbs 2 roofs to clean his chimney every year. Ladder up to first roof then a adder on a roof to get to the next.
His doctor said no more. Will he listen? Doubt it.

Is there anything wrong with the stove that has not been wrong for the last ten years?

Dunno, you tell me.
There's also a 6 inch length crack directly in the back with a 1/32 inch gap. Cracks everywhere. Amazing. Burns 5 cords in this every year.

 

[kennyp2339]

View attachment 228951 Guys, the NC-30 just might be the ticket. I showed him the price (a huge factor) and the local stove place can order one. It looks like a go! FYI, this 85 year old climbs 2 roofs to clean his chimney every year. Ladder up to first roof then a adder on a roof to get to the next.
His doctor said no more. Will he listen? Doubt it.

Dunno, you tell me.View attachment 228950
There's also a 6 inch length crack directly in the back with a 1/32 inch gap. Cracks everywhere. Amazing. Burns 5 cords in this every year.

First double check and make sure it will fit in there, order a liner and do a block off plate.

 

[Rearscreen]

So when I get to the age of 85 I give anyone here permission to shoot me. Turns out he has a rusty Sierra manufactured in 1992, models 7000te and 8000te on his front porch with a couple of geranium plants on it. All rusty, but it looks like it will fit on this hearth. The plan is to sandblast it and see if it works.

 

[BrotherBart]

Look in it and see if their is a rectangular cat combustor housing in the top of the firebox. Some of them were cat stoves before they became the 8000 TEC.

 

[Rearscreen]

If it is a cat stove, are their cats available? Or is it even worth getting involved to resurrect this?
Edit update: Well BrotherB is correct. There is a ceramic cat all in one piece and clean. However the chipmunk is not happy as I have commandeered his storage container.
Anyway, now comes the time to decide to restore this or not. Any thoughts?

 

[blades]

Home wrecker

 

[BrotherBart]

Some places online have the cat for around $130. If no cracks it should be a good stove. Just be sure if you are putting it in a fireplace you have a good tight seal on that side door before installing it.

Of course I have to admit to a Sierra bias. This 600 pound non-cat heated this barn for 30 years till it cracked a weld. If the Englander 30-NC hadn't come on my radar I would have installed a Sierra 8000 TEC in its place.

 

[Rearscreen]

Some places online have the cat for around $130. If no cracks it should be a good stove. Just be sure if you are putting it in a fireplace you have a good tight seal on that side door before installing it.
Of course I have to admit to a Sierra bias. This 600 pound non-cat heated this barn for 30 years till it cracked a weld. If the Englander 30-NC hadn't come on my radar I would have installed a Sierra 8000 TEC in its place.

View attachment 229003

Did the 20 dollar bill test and wouldn't budge.
No cracks, all solid. Just rust. The cat looks perfectly good BUT I assume it's ceramic The amount of stored sunflower seeds within were astronomical. How long would a new cat, if replaced, last in this? Any idea?
And, since this cat looks perfect without a hint of serious use/clogging/darkening (only its age) can it be used?

 

[BrotherBart]

I'd use it and see if it fires off.

 

[jetsam]

And tell him no more sunflower seeds in the stove unless they're unsalted. Burning salty stuff will corrode the stove.

Like Brotherbart said, the best way to see if the cat is OK is to burn it! When you haul it off the porch to sandblast it, put some flue pipe on it and burn it first, just to make sure everything is in working order before you do a bunch of work on it, haul it in, and install it.