Blaze King Ashford 20

[bornhunter04]

Just had my new ashford 20 installed yesterday. Stove looks great. As i was flipping through the manual, I noticed that BK recommends 13% MC or lower. The manual for my drolet in the basement says < 20% and the general knowledge around here is 20% or less. Most of my wood is right at or under 20%. Just wondering why the difference? I know drier = better, but this is only my second year burning so my wood pile isn't fully funded yet, but I'm working on it. Will 7% moisture really make a difference in the ashford's performance?


Also, anyone have a SWAG as to how much wood the Ashford 20 will burn in a season? I won't be able to start burning until november but when i light it, it'll be going 24x7. 1500 sq/ft ranch and i'll be running the basement stove in tandem. I have ~ 1.5 cords of cedar and ~1.5 cord of 20% or less MC shagbark hickory and white oak. I'm just West of STL so our winters aren't terrible and I imagine the BK will be set on low - medium most of the year. The basement stove last year could "almost" keep the house warm by itself and that was using less than optimal wood.

 

[begreen]

Congratulations. You should do ok. As long as your wood is top-covered and stacked so that plenty of air can blow through the stacks it will still dry in the next couple months. Hopefully that will bring it down a few percentage points.

 

[jeff_t]

It will be fine at 20ish% and lower. Thirteen would be pretty tough to get, at least in your climate.

Any particular reason you picked the 20 over the 30?

 

[bornhunter04]

It will be fine at 20ish% and lower. Thirteen would be pretty tough to get, at least in your climate.

Any particular reason you picked the 20 over the 30?

Size/Cost, for our space the 30 would be too big/more stove than needed (i know no such thing), our winter temps usually only get down to single digits for a few days and usually stay in the 20-30 range . The stove downstairs really did a good job last winter it just needed some help. ~45* and up and the downstairs stove was able to heat the house with marginal wood. It's got a big firebox so i can shove the big gnarly splits in there. We got our stove at last year's prices as well.

Also with the layout of the house and where i put the stove i don't think I'll have too much trouble moving warm air throughout the house.

All my wood is under cover. I've got it under a "temp" woodshed. I plan on taking it down and building a bigger better woodshed in the spring off of my current shed.

 

[kennyp2339]

Nice install, sweet stove, if winter shapes up to be rough and cold you may want to consider burning some compressed wood bricks, the cat will eat them good without and dangers of an over fire like the tube stoves. Just a thought.

 

[Poindexter]

Yup, 20%MC will burn OK but you will notice the difference when you get into a firebox full of 13%.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Your 20%mc wood will do great. Welcome to the BK club. Get ready for most people to call you a lire when you tell them what your stove can do.

 

[Highbeam]

Your 20%mc wood will do great. Welcome to the BK club. Get ready for most people to call you a lire when you tell them what your stove can do.

It is the 20 series and "only" rated for 20 hours IIRC, but that still beats EVERY other stove out there from any other brand by a long shot. Burn time is so very important.

 

[tcassavaugh]

i wish they would put burn times when you run them on high...or even medium. sometimes you get a false expectation from the times given.....jmho

 

[Missouri Frontier]

i wish they would put burn times when you run them on high...or even medium. sometimes you get a false expectation from the times given.....jmho

Once the wood load is burned in I only run it on low/medium to low and to my calculations the given burn times are accurate. Dare I say, their burn times even seem a bit conservative.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Once the wood load is burned in I only run it on low/medium to low and to my calculations the given burn times are accurate. Dare I say, their burn times even seem a bit conservative.

I'm also burning very dense hardwood

 

[tcassavaugh]

Once the wood load is burned in I only run it on low/medium to low and to my calculations the given burn times are accurate. Dare I say, their burn times even seem a bit conservative.

thats good to know, i have a jotul that only gives about 6-8 good heating hours and about 10 without having to relight but i like the idea of the ashford 30 with just a little bigger wood....all mine is cut 16-18 now.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

thats good to know, i have a jotul that only gives about 6-8 good heating hours and about 10 without having to relight but i like the idea of the ashford 30 with just a little bigger wood....all mine is cut 16-18 now.

I can't speak to the ashford. I have the Princess.But, BK doesn't lie about the burn times. My 1200 sqft single level well insulated house holds 76 in the stove room and 66 in the most distant room for 36 hours on a load of Hedge when the OAT is in the teens. At the end of the 36hrs I still have a smokin hot bed of coals that will spark the next load in minutes.......I've told this story before and been called everything but truthful. Believe what you will. This is my experience. I imagine your mileage will vary.

 

[tcassavaugh]

I can't speak to the ashford. I have the Princess.But, BK doesn't lie about the burn times. My 1200 sqft single level well insulated house holds 76 in the stove room and 66 in the most distant room for 36 hours on a load of Hedge when the OAT is in the teens. At the end of the 36hrs I still have a smokin hot bed of coals that will spark the next load in minutes.......I've told this story before and been called everything but truthful. Believe what you will. This is my experience. I imagine your mileage will vary.

interesting....i've liked the princess but i've thought it too big. i was looking at a king to put down stairs where i currently have a summit and only run on the coldest of days. i similarly have about 1200 sq ft that i heat with the jotul it does a good job but the burn times are short. good thing i leave at 0300 in the morning and my wife 4 hrs later. by the time i get home at 1500, its due for a load. i would have thought the princess would drive you out but your testimony proves different. i might have to take a closer look.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

interesting....i've liked the princess but i've thought it too big. i was looking at a king to put down stairs where i currently have a summit and only run on the coldest of days. i similarly have about 1200 sq ft that i heat with the jotul it does a good job but the burn times are short. good thing i leave at 0300 in the morning and my wife 4 hrs later. by the time i get home at 1500, its due for a load. i would have thought the princess would drive you out but your testimony proves different. i might have to take a closer look.

The 1200 sqft and spray foam insulation are part of the reason I get the burn times I do on low. Some would consider 76 in the stove room running you out. Not I. I just run around in my underwear prank calling the the propane man. He'll never see another dime from me!

 

[Missouri Frontier]

This is my install. It's an old pic and the everything was still dirty from the rock installation but you get the idea. She does a great job. I don't think you can go wrong with the BK products if you have the investment scratch.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Also, anyone have a SWAG as to how much wood the Ashford 20 will burn in a season?

Hard to say how much you'll burn. Too many variables. I heat 1200sqft exclusively with the Princess from mid October until late March(I know but the wife is part lizard) I burn 2.5 cords of mixed very dense hardwoods. Oak, hickory, hedge, honey locust. If I used hedge only it would be less than 2 cords. That's the best answer I have considering your variables.

 

[Highbeam]

I'm sure the 20 is a good stove but look closely at the specs. On low it puts out more heat than the 30 box on low. So do not buy the 20 because you think the 30 will make took much heat.

Next, the 30 holds more wood so burns 50% longer on low.

Lastly, if you need more mojo, the 30 is capable of higher output.

I would never recommend the 20 over the 30.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

I'm sure the 20 is a good stove but look closely at the specs. On low it puts out more heat than the 30 box on low. So do not buy the 20 because you think the 30 will make took much heat.

Next, the 30 holds more wood so burns 50% longer on low.

Lastly, if you need more mojo, the 30 is capable of higher output.

I would never recommend the 20 over the 30.

Didn't know the specs. Glad you did Highbeam. That ought to help the guy. Seems strange though that the 20 on low has higher heat out put than the 30 on low. What gives? Maybe if BKVP sees this he can chime in.

 

[tcassavaugh]

I heat 1200sqft exclusively with the Princess from mid October until late March(I know but the wife is part lizard) I burn 2.5 cords of mixed very dense hardwoods. Oak, hickory, hedge, honey locust. If I used hedge only it would be less than 2 cords. That's the best answer I have considering your variables.

Wow, thats pretty good. I normally go through about 4-5 cord with my little jotul. that would be a considerable savings over the firewood. i'll have to look into that again. the only drawback for me is the combustor. i don't particularly care for them. i had bad luck with them in my vermont castings/dutchwest. i realize now that it was probably me not using thoroughly seasoned wood then but i'm still a little tainted.....nice install by the way

 

[kennyp2339]

Wow, thats pretty good. I normally go through about 4-5 cord with my little jotul. that would be a considerable savings over the firewood. i'll have to look into that again. the only drawback for me is the combustor. i don't particularly care for them. i had bad luck with them in my vermont castings/dutchwest. i realize now that it was probably me not using thoroughly seasoned wood then but i'm still a little tainted.....nice install by the way

Vermont Casting had a lot of design problems / quality problems with there stoves, mix that with ceramic combustors (some will argue that they were undersized also) and they had total failure in there products.
The BK uses a design to keep the combustor out of direct flame, they also have a heavy duty shield. The combustor is made of metal which stands up to higher temps. The combustor is over sized to eat more smoke and produce more even heat. BK also has a 10 year warranty on the combustor it self.
As you said in your post you need seasoned wood to run the stove properly, the goal with these stoves is about 15% moisture, I had about 3/4 of my pile in that range and didn't have any problems, I also burned some oak that wasn't quite there 23% range in the middle, but a mixed it with compressed wood block and didn't have any problems with cat staying in the active zone. When I ran strait compressed wood blocks, or real seasoned wood the cat probe would read in the 2 o'clock position, If I did my not so seasoned oak & compressed wood bricks the probe would hang in the noon position.
I would definitely not discount all cat stoves, these and a few other brands have come along way. I just know more about the BK line since I run one, but no one that runs a Woodstock complains either.