Blaze King Combustor Warranty

[Newburnerwisconsin]

Blaze King owners: Is it true that Blaze King has a ten year warranty on the catalaytic combustor in their stoves? Does it really last 10 years? Has anyone had problems with Blaze King replacing the combustors? They also offer a “Extended Warranty” on the combustor. I burn full time so this does interest me. I would basically burn the stove on 10 or 12 hour cycles the entire season. At least a 8 hour burn before reloading is what I need. Thank you.

 

[Poindexter]

BK customer service is legendary.

The factory combustor does have a ten year warranty and the first replacement is free. The free replacement has a shorter warranty that I am not going to guess wrong at, it is (was?) year or years, not months.

Generally BK users here get 10-15k hours of active time out of one combustor. The lower you run it, long slow burns, the longer the combustor lasts. On mine when I am running eight cords annually I get about two years out of one combustor, but I rarely turn mine down below half throttle. I burn 24/7 from about Sept 1 to about May 15, however many hours that is, twice per combustor.

 

[Newburnerwisconsin]

BK customer service is legendary.

The factory combustor does have a ten year warranty and the first replacement is free. The free replacement has a shorter warranty that I am not going to guess wrong at, it is (was?) year or years, not months.

Generally BK users here get 10-15k hours of active time out of one combustor. The lower you run it, long slow burns, the longer the combustor lasts. On mine when I am running eight cords annually I get about two years out of one combustor, but I rarely turn mine down below half throttle. I burn 24/7 from about Sept 1 to about May 15, however many hours that is, twice per combustor.

Thank you. So what does a combustor for the Ashford cost? I would not be running it as often as you do, but I do need at least 8 or 9 hours before reloading. Thank you.

 

[BKVP]

Combustor lifespan varies. One aftermarket provider quotes a lifespan...but they are in the business to sell combustors.

No question combustors depreciate in performance over time. But so do essential elements of clean combustion in other designs. All stoves need regular inspection and service.

If you buy a BK, the combustor has a 10 year UNCONDITIONAL warranty. The warranty is for failure, not reduced performance over time. Keep the door gasket tight, burn seasoned wood and all should be well.

There are a core group of users here that experience reduced performance over time. Same guys that feel tires not providing as much traction over time. These are the same handful of guys that provide exceptional input all various wood burning products and installs every day!

 

[Mnpellet]

My manual says limited 6 year warranty on combustor. Is that not correct? First three years no charge, 4th year 60%, 5the 70%, 6th 80%.

 

[Poindexter]

Thank you. So what does a combustor for the Ashford cost? I would not be running it as often as you do, but I do need at least 8 or 9 hours before reloading. Thank you.

I routinely run 12 hour burn cycles month after month after month, burn a full load of hardwood down in 9 hours will likely cook your tender parts if you have good insulation in your home.

I think my last A30 combustor was about $250, but that includes shipping to Alaska. I used to burn 10 cords a year, now I burn 8. A cord of spruce splits delivered is $300. So I am saving $600 bucks annually on incoming wood, $1200 over two burn seasons, I am ahead a thousand bucks every two years after replacing the combustor again, and I only handled 16 cords of wood instead of 20. No brainer.

 

[Highbeam]

That math, with slightly different numbers, has been repeated by many including myself. The cost of the combustor is easily covered by fuel savings. Then there are all of the other cat stove benefits.

 

[Poindexter]

"The warranty is for failure" I am probably one of those guys. After two hard seasons my combustors have not failed, but the performance is degraded enough for me to see replacing the combustor as economical.

I used to burn ten cords annually with my old non cat stove, and now burn eight to keep the house at about the same temp with my A30.

 

[kennyp2339]

Its 10years or what there hour performance break down is. After 3 years of full season use my combustor de-graded, call my dealer and sent them the old one, a few weeks later I got a new one just before the start of the heating season, no questions asked, no money spent.
Make sure you register your stove when you get it (fill out the card) and give back to the dealer, this I guess gets entered into a data base that way any warrantee issues are covered. And yes, BK customer service is legendary, some of the best out there.

 

[kennyp2339]

Same guys that feel tires not providing as much traction over time

Bought a new truck last spring, literally was kicking my tires at 11k miles thinking maybe I should put something with a "little more" for the winter. Dam your good Chris, apparently BK can read owners minds too.

 

[BKVP]

My manual says limited 6 year warranty on combustor. Is that not correct? First three years no charge, 4th year 60%, 5the 70%, 6th 80%.

Manuals are Federally regulated documents. When combustor warranty was covered under EPA's NSPS, the manual needed to reflect the minimum requirements.

Our 10 year is a promotional program. If you purchase our products, there is a separate document that must be completed and returned to us. That is the 10 year program.

 

[Ashful]

Bought a new truck last spring, literally was kicking my tires at 11k miles thinking maybe I should put something with a "little more" for the winter. Dam your good Chris, apparently BK can read owners minds too.

Getting new tires installed on my car this fall, at 11k miles, but they are indeed down to the wear indicators.

Just put new tires on my truck in the spring, also had about 11k miles on it, and I just wanted something with a “little more.”

This just shows that BK customers are among the most OCD people on earth. I can’t imagine why...

 

[Highbeam]

A better car analogy would be that after 10,000 to 12000 hours your cat will be performing like an 8 cylinder engine running on 6 or 7 cylinders. Polluting more, using more fuel, less power, etc. but still can move the truck. If just moving the truck is your goal then keep on using it.

Another thought about Poindexter’s results is that running these things on medium or high is less efficient than running them on low so most would actually see even more wood savings to pay for the cat replacements.

 

[spudman99]

I always wondered about the supposed 10,000 to 12,000 hour lifespan on a combustor. If you burn full time during the winter months, that means the combustor would last just under 60 weeks or 14 months. (24 x 7 = 168 hours/10,000 hours = 59.52 weeks). That would equate to basically 3 years if you burn for mid Nov - mid Apr. BK 10 year warranty is really generous and as stated above, is basically one free oil change per unit sold. Stove geeks on this forum would likely go through 3 combustors in that same 10 year warranty.

 

[Newburnerwisconsin]

Thank you everyone. Great info. Appreciate your time on this.

 

[kennyp2339]

That would equate to basically 3 years if you burn for mid Nov - mid Apr. BK 10 year warranty is really generous and as stated above,

It is great, but its also mandated by our government due to clean air protocols if I'm not mistaken.

 

[BKVP]

It is great, but its also mandated by our government due to clean air protocols if I'm not mistaken.

No it's not since March 16, 2015.

 

[jetsam]

I've been buying a new one every 12k hours, but bkvp says he's been using the same one for a decade with no special treatment.

I think a big part of it is the end user's determination of what level of performance is ok. The cat I have now is probably at 10k hours and still seems to be going strong.

No idea how the warranty thing works.

 

[bholler]

That math, with slightly different numbers, has been repeated by many including myself. The cost of the combustor is easily covered by fuel savings. Then there are all of the other cat stove benefits.

Only if you save fuel. Many including me have not experienced any fuel savings at all

 

[Sailrmike]

Newburn- are you still shopping for a heater? I remember you were looking two years ago when I installed my first Jotul, now I'm thinking about trading for another lol. You've got a great setup for a BK 30, they make heating 24/7 with wood as about as easy as it gets. I don't think you're going to be disappointed. Now that I'm back to burning a noncat, I feel like I'm constantly feeding the thing, does not hold coals like the BK did. Best of luck

 

[BKVP]

My original combustor did indeed perform brilliantly for well over 12 years. Brilliantly is defined as clean to the naked eye emissions.

I did 2 years ago move to an experimental cat. There are a few in the field. It lights off quickly, provides excellent emissions reductions. Will it do so in 12 years? We'll see.

 

[Newburnerwisconsin]

Newburn- are you still shopping for a heater? I remember you were looking two years ago when I installed my first Jotul, now I'm thinking about trading for another lol. You've got a great setup for a BK 30, they make heating 24/7 with wood as about as easy as it gets. I don't think you're going to be disappointed. Now that I'm back to burning a noncat, I feel like I'm constantly feeding the thing, does not hold coals like the BK did. Best of luck

Yeah, some things have come up in life. It’s just the way it goes. Now with this EPA 2020 regs, many stoves are changing or being discontinued. BK is making a pretty strong case. I do ask a lot of questions because it’s difficult to get a honest answer from some dealers. What make and stove are you thinking of?