BKK Spillage (Very Bad!)

[Heftiger]

Hi all!

This is my first season with my BKK and I've been loving it..... until now.

Slowly but surely I've been getting a little more spillage in the house until the point where I cannot crack the door without getting a smoke smell. I assumed it was the chimney so today I swept it from the inside. There's snow and ice on the roof so I couldn't make it up to clean the cap, but I did get quite a bit of creosote from the flue.

I put it all back together, and I'm still getting spillage!

Any ideas?

Another thing I've noticed is that even with the t-stat wide open, I'm not getting any flames in the box. Maybe it's related?

Thanks guys!

 

[HotCoals]

You really need to check that cap..can you see it from outside good enough to see if the screen is plugged ..I'm assuming it has a screen.

 

[Beetle-Kill]

At what part of your load cycle are you opening the door?
And how dry is your wood?

 

[weatherguy]

I had the same problem my first year and it was the cap, the way these things burn if you have a fairly long flue cruds going to build up. I try to go up before the snow flies, not always easy and knock it off at least once. I havent been able to get to mine yet due to snow and ice on the roof but it looks like it may melt off this weekend so Ill go up and clean it. You probably will only have to do it once during the season, you can try to do it at the halfway point weather depending but go up earlier if your areas prone to snow early in the season. Better yet is to get rid of the screen but then you may have an animal problem come nice weather.

 

[begreen]

The screen has a purpose, especially in areas that require a spark arrestor. Instead of getting rid of the screen, maybe open it up a bit? That is, if it's a 1/4" screen, take some wire cutters and make it a 1/2" screen.

 

[Heftiger]

You guys were right, the screen was packed full. I cleaned it out and there's no smoke.

However, I'm still having trouble with the air intake. Even with the air turned all the way up, when I close the door the flame goes out.

Any ideas?

 

[jeff_t]

How's your wood?

My cap didn't have a screen, but I wrapped 1/4" hardware cloth around it to keep the birds out. I've never cleaned it.

 

[PapaDave]

Heftiger, unless my eyes are deceiving me, your firewood is wet.....or at least, not dry.
First couple years, I had the same problem. Had to leave the door open quite a while to burn off the moisture.

 

[corey21]

Sounds like wet wood i have a non cat but mine does that if the wood is wet.

 

[Heftiger]

My wood was dry at one time, but got some snow on it in the last storm. That would explain why it was better at the beginning of the season.

You guys know everything! :D

 

[weatherguy]

My wood was dry at one time, but got some snow on it in the last storm. That would explain why it was better at the beginning of the season.

You guys know everything! :D

Put it in front of the stove for awhile before you load it, should dry it out and it should light right up when you load.

 

[nate379]

Snow (or rain) on the wood isn't going to make it wet in the way we talk about having dry wood.

 

[PapaDave]

Ah, that's different then. Yep, put it near the stove for a while.

 

[Sprinter]

Wood doesn't really absorb a lot of water. I doubt that a little snow made the wood that unburnable. I'm not familiar with the BK's but if you got that much buildup on the screen, I'm betting that the wood is not seasoned properly. I'm assuming you dried the snow or rain off before putting it in

 

[jeff_t]

My wood was dry at one time, but got some snow on it in the last storm. That would explain why it was better at the beginning of the season.

You guys know everything! :D

We're not talking about wet on the outside. It's cellular moisture that's the problem. What is it and how long has it been split and stacked?

Sounds like you should get a moisture meter. Re-split a piece and check it on the freshly split face, with the probes parallel to the grain.

Wet wood will ruin that $300 cat in a hurry.

 

[Patapsco Mike]

This has happened to me twice. Both times it ended up being a plugged up cat converter. I could get the face of it clean, but the holes were clogged up so bad that not much air would get through. I just cleaned mine again last week. Did the vinegar boil, and my stove is back to working like new.

The holes in the factory cat are tiny. They clog up easily. Make sure you order a gasket before you pull it, of course. It's a very easy job that requires no tools at all.

 

[Todd]

When the last time you cleaned your cat? You might have some fly ash plugging some cells and it's effecting your draft and flames.

 

[fire_man]

Patapsco:

Do you have a SS cat or a ceramic one? I was wondering if BK switched to stainless which clog quicker since the cells are smaller.

 

[jeff_t]

I would *hope* he's not burning with the door open and the bypass closed. Cold air directly to the cat is also not good.

 

[drizler]

You really need to check that cap..can you see it from outside good enough to see if the screen is plugged ..I'm assuming it has a screen.

And while you are up there make sure you don't pull on a stuck cap so hard that you go over with it backwards. I know a guy who did the 22' high jump a a week and a half ago. He has to go back Tuesday to reunite the 3 pieces of his heel and broken ankle. Too bad it didn't happen 3 days later since it snowed 2' or more . Of course he landed on frozen earth and his foot looks like frostbite on the heel, pure black.

 

[Highbeam]

Screens are a bad idea. Only use them if required as a spark arrestor. It is better and easier to install a blockage for the summer to prevent animals. If you are unable to access your cap for the regular cleanings required by this silly filter then you are really paying a hefty price for that silly screen. As you might imagine, I have had clogged screens with clean flues so a clogged screen is NOT an indicator of poor burning. As you might also imagine, there is no screen in my cap, it seems to have blown away.

The BK is a pretty easy smoke spiller in the best of times so you need a good flue with minimal restrictions.

 

[Heftiger]

I'm burning seasoned lodge pole pine. I purchased it from somebody who got rid of their stove so it had been sitting for a couple years. When I checked it at the beginning of the season the moisture meter said 0%, I'm not sure about now that it got snowed on.

The cap made all the difference, the stove is burning like brand new. Last night I opened the stove to throw some wood in and forgot to open the bypass and I didn't even realize it until later because no smoke spilled.

 

[jeff_t]

That's puzzling, then. Does this just happen when getting a fresh load going? Does it respond at all to changes in the thermostat setting? You can pull the top cover off and see if the flap is moving. Two screws, and it will be a little sticky to get off the first time because of some sealant.

 

[Heftiger]

It was happening all the time, I think it was a draft issue. Now that I have the stove warm, once it lights it seems to be doing well. Responding the t-stat changes and all. I can also hear\feel the flap open and close when adjusting the t-stat.

 

[Patapsco Mike]

Patapsco:

Do you have a SS cat or a ceramic one? I was wondering if BK switched to stainless which clog quicker since the cells are smaller.

The original that came with mine is stainless. The ceramic replacement I ordered has holes much, much larger. I doubt it could ever be as efficient, but I can't imagine it clogging.