Blaze King Princess 32 (newbie) what am I doing wrong?

[Clmillard97]

Hello everyone, I’m new to this and looking for some help/advice. I’ve read everything I can find on Blaze King stoves and it seems like I’m the only person having trouble controlling my stove. It’s uncontrollable. If I turn the thermostat up a hair the gauge on top pegs out pointing toward 5 or 6 o’clock. So I have been running it in low(I turn it down until I hear the little flap close) then I turn the dial up a hair and the gauge goes all the way up again forcing me to turn it back down. It’s driving me absolutely insane because this is our main heat source and I’m having to keep an eye on it 24/7. I’ve burned about 1 cord maybe a bit more through it so far.

I’ve talked to Blaze king and they were not able to provide any information to help. I spoke to the company I purchased the stove from and they said “this is a first” and couldn’t provide any help.

Stove - brand new stove, brand new chimney, 15’ straight up, double wall into class A through the ceiling and on the roof. Terminates 3’ above ridge.

Wood - all hard wood stored in my basement reading 12-14% on a fresh split. I would consider the splits to be medium in size. I’ve already tried loading with the largest logs I could find and it does the exact same thing.

I’ve tested the door gasket and it’s tight all the way around.

Relighting the fire while still in active zone. I disengage the cat damper, turn the thermostat to high, open the door, fill the box full, close the door, let it rip for like 5 minutes, close damper door and lock, start turning down the thermostat or it will climb to the 6 o’clock position on the gauge. I always turn it down when it points toward the word active on the gauge. I’ve tried turning it down slowly. It doesn’t help.

I have a call into our chimney guy to come out and add a 3’ section of pipe to the top to give me 18’ total. I’m at a loss of what to do so this is the last thing I can think of.

Please HELP!

 

[Dieselhead]

Adding chimney height may make the problem worse, it sounds like draft is not an issue.

When you say uncontrollable is it just the cat temp takes off, cat glows red/orange and the cat meter pegs, or is it like a blast furnace with open flame?

If it’s just the cat temp getting a little silly that’s to be expected with a new cat, they are a bit hyperactive for a month or so.

Do you have a way of measuring stove top temp under this uncontrollable period? (IR gun)

 

[Clmillard97]

Adding chimney height may make the problem worse, it sounds like draft is not an issue.

When you say uncontrollable is it just the cat temp takes off, cat glows red/orange and the cat meter pegs, or is it like a blast furnace with open flame?

If it’s just the cat temp getting a little silly that’s to be expected with a new cat, they are a bit hyperactive for a month or so.

Do you have a way of measuring stove top temp under this uncontrollable period? (IR gun)

Just the cat temperature. No or very little visible flames during the temperature increase. I do have an ir gun. What temps should I be looking for on the stove top? Or what temp is too hot?

Wont increasing the chimney height reduce the draft? I feel like too much draft is the biggest issue here.

I read about new cats being the cause of this problem but it’s been 4 weeks of consistent burning with zero improvement.

Thanks!

 

[Murray01]

I have a brand new Princess 32. My CAT thermometer also pins to the 6 o’clock position, totally normal. You let her rip for 5 minutes, I let mine rip for 20 minutes to help clean the glass and get the stovepipe and chimney hot. After 20 minutes I’ll start turning it down in 2 increments over 10 minutes or so. My stove appears to be running uncontrollably at the 20 minute mark with the thermostat opened to full. Needle still pinned to the 6 o’clock position. As you restrict incoming air the needle will SLOWLY swing away from the 6 o’clock position.
I have about 13’ of chimney and burn Jack Pine at 15% moisture content.

What you’ve described as uncontrollably sounds normal to. The fire in my stove completely fills the entire window when running on high for 20 minutes.

Probably time to sweep your chimney, or at least checking for buildup. If you aren’t burning hot enough you will get creosote build up plus sweeping/checking for buildup will give you an indication how often you need to sweep the chimney. A couple of ways to check, separate the stove pipe from the Class A and look up or remove the chimney cap and look down into the chimney with a flashlight. I did mine after 5 weeks of shoulder season burning just to see what I was getting for buildup plus it was a dry run disassembling the stovepipe from the stove when I didn’t really need the stove running.

Getting a stove top temperature as per post #2 will allow other forum members to compare.

Reread your owners manual, particularly the troubleshooting sections.

 

[Murray01]

Running on high for 20 minutes with 6 splits of Jack Pine. The firebox is full of flames.

 

[Dieselhead]

Just the cat temperature. No or very little visible flames during the temperature increase. I do have an ir gun. What temps should I be looking for on the stove top? Or what temp is too hot?

Wont increasing the chimney height reduce the draft? I feel like too much draft is the biggest issue here.

I read about new cats being the cause of this problem but it’s been 4 weeks of consistent burning with zero improvement.

Thanks!

Tall flue increases draft. Above the cat expect to see 600/700 degrees until things settle in. Rest of the stovetop 3-400. Expect a hyper cat a little longer. If thermostat wasn’t doing its job you would have active flame. Sounds like you have perfectly seasoned firewood!
Also expect cat temps to INCREASE when stat is turned down. Seems backwards but the chemical reaction with the smoke in the cat causes it.

 

[Clmillard97]

I have a brand new Princess 32. My CAT thermometer also pins to the 6 o’clock position, totally normal. You let her rip for 5 minutes, I let mine rip for 20 minutes to help clean the glass and get the stovepipe and chimney hot. After 20 minutes I’ll start turning it down in 2 increments over 10 minutes or so. My stove appears to be running uncontrollably at the 20 minute mark with the thermostat opened to full. Needle still pinned to the 6 o’clock position. As you restrict incoming air the needle will SLOWLY swing away from the 6 o’clock position.
I have about 13’ of chimney and burn Jack Pine at 15% moisture content.

What you’ve described as uncontrollably sounds normal to. The fire in my stove completely fills the entire window when running on high for 20 minutes.

Probably time to sweep your chimney, or at least checking for buildup. If you aren’t burning hot enough you will get creosote build up plus sweeping/checking for buildup will give you an indication how often you need to sweep the chimney. A couple of ways to check, separate the stove pipe from the Class A and look up or remove the chimney cap and look down into the chimney with a flashlight. I did mine after 5 weeks of shoulder season burning just to see what I was getting for buildup plus it was a dry run disassembling the stovepipe from the stove when I didn’t really need the stove running.

Getting a stove top temperature as per post #2 will allow other forum members to compare.

Reread your owners manual, particularly the troubleshooting sections.

I really appreciate all the information you provided. I kept thinking I needed to keep the needle on the gauge from going past the end of the “arrow” in the active zone. If this is the case I’m probably burning really low and should have the temp turned up quite a bit. See the picture below. I would start to panic a bit when the temperature would reach this area. I bought the other temp gauge just to see what the temperature actually was. I’ll check the chimney as well. Thanks!

 

[Clmillard97]

Tall flue increases draft. Above the cat expect to see 600/700 degrees until things settle in. Rest of the stovetop 3-400. Expect a hyper cat a little longer. If thermostat wasn’t doing its job you would have active flame. Sounds like you have perfectly seasoned firewood!
Also expect cat temps to INCREASE when stat is turned down. Seems backwards but the chemical reaction with the smoke in the cat causes

Thank you! So directly behind the cat thermometer and in front of the of the flue is reading about 450 degrees on my ir.

 

[Dieselhead]

No problem there at all.

 

[begreen]

What does the cat thermometer read when cold? It may need calibration.

 

[Clmillard97]

What does the cat thermometer read when cold? It may need calibration.

The stove has only been cold one time like a month ago but I believe it was all the way to the end of the inactive zone. I’ll be sure to make a note about checking next time it’s cold. Thanks!

 

[begreen]

You can pull the cat thermometer out and check it that way. Take a picture when cold.

 

[Murray01]

That Rutland thermometer you have pictured is for measuring the temperature on single wall stove pipe, you have double walled stove pipe so that thermometer is of no use in your application other than getting an idea of stove top temperature.

Some members have drilled a hole thru the double walled stove pipe and insert a probe to measure flue gas temperature.

 

[begreen]

That Rutland thermometer you have pictured is for measuring the temperature on single wall stove pipe,

That's a stove top thermometer. 300-600º surface single wall temps would be around 600-1200º internally.

 

[PE32noob]

I've been burning a new PE32 about a month now and have had similar worries with the cat temp. I saw the cat thermometer wrap around to 8 o'clock once. It hasn't been so extreme since the first weeks burning, but it still climbs past the end of the active zone easily. My issue is the stove is not heating my place above 10°C despite the cat thermometer being high and the fire burning bright on the high setting.

I'm burning beetle-kill spruce with 15% moisture content. I have a 5' of single walled pipe above the stove and 14' of insulated double walled pipe above that (19' total). I haven't piped the air intake to the outside yet

The stove is on the open concept mainfloor, with 8' ceilings. The house footprint is 660sqft, with a second story above, the same size. Its a new build, air tight, with r30 walls and R68 attic, triple pane windows. The house maintains the heat very well, if I skip a day of burning, but I can't raise the heat to standard living contions (its been 0 to -10°C outside).

I've read the manual 3 times, and haven't found discussion online about these stoves not outputting enough heat. Any thoughts?

 

[spudman99]

Several recent threads on cat meter calibration. Check them out. As BKVP has indicated in the past, the cat thermometer is a go/no go indicator. Once in active zone it has no relevance to us. The tip of the probe sits close to the cat which is eating up the off gassing of the logs. Do not use that as you might any other temperature measuring device. Different operating characteristics and different manufacturing specs. Based on what you said above, my guess is that all is fine and continue as you are.

If you are inclined, you can remove the thermostat knob (loosen the set screw) and take off the side panel. Then you can visually inspect the air intake flapper attached to the lifting chain. If it opens and closes properly, then that is not an issue. Also check the bypass gasket with a cold stove, open the bypass and check the gasket by running your fingers around the gasket. Hopefully nothing stuck there that might keep the bypass from closing tight.

 

[Murray01]

That's a stove top thermometer. 300-600º surface single wall temps would be around 600-1200º internally.

Thank you.

 

[Tron]

@Clmillard97 I agree with what was said before, only pay attention to the cat thermometer on startup, otherwise ignore it.

I'm not surprised the cat temperature takes off when you turn down the stove, because that dials down the flames, leaving the wood smoking and delivering more fuel for the cat.

What's really helpful is a flue gas thermometer, such as this one. You'll need to drill a 1/4" hole through both pipes to reach the inside of the double-walled pipe, and obviously need to remember to remove it before you sweep. Place it about 3' above the stove top.
That'll let you keep an eye on flue temperatures, especially on startup with the bypass open they can really take off. I usually close the bypass and dial down the thermostat once that reaches 900F to prevent damage to the flue.
That said, when running the stove low and slow, I oftentimes see flue temperatures only in the 200F range. That would create lots of creosote on a normal stove, but the BK's are not normal. Due to the cat, a lot of compounds that create creosote are combusted, and I only get a cup or two full of dry creosote when I sweep once a year.

 

[Dieselhead]

I've been burning a new PE32 about a month now and have had similar worries with the cat temp. I saw the cat thermometer wrap around to 8 o'clock once. It hasn't been so extreme since the first weeks burning, but it still climbs past the end of the active zone easily. My issue is the stove is not heating my place above 10°C despite the cat thermometer being high and the fire burning bright on the high setting.

I'm burning beetle-kill spruce with 15% moisture content. I have a 5' of single walled pipe above the stove and 14' of insulated double walled pipe above that (19' total). I haven't piped the air intake to the outside yet

The stove is on the open concept mainfloor, with 8' ceilings. The house footprint is 660sqft, with a second story above, the same size. Its a new build, air tight, with r30 walls and R68 attic, triple pane windows. The house maintains the heat very well, if I skip a day of burning, but I can't raise the heat to standard living contions (its been 0 to -10°C outside).

I've read the manual 3 times, and haven't found discussion online about these stoves not outputting enough heat. Any thoughts?

Have you ever measured to see how your flue is drafting? If it’s pulling too hard heat may be going up your flue. A key damper may be needed.

 

[Tron]

Have you ever measured to see how your flue is drafting? If it’s pulling too hard heat may be going up your flue. A key damper may be needed.

With 15' flue length, unlikely.

 

[Dieselhead]

With 15' flue length, unlikely.

I read he had 19’, cold weather and stove running on high it’s possible. I’m only 6’ taller than him and can easily pull .20 on my draft gauge under the right conditions.

 

[Murray01]

Are you closing the bypass door fully? It must “snap” to close fully…takes a bit of force to close it. This feature caught my wife off guard compared to our older BK that didn’t have a gasket on the bypass door.

 

[Tron]

I read he had 19’, cold weather and stove running on high it’s possible. I’m only 6’ taller than him and can easily pull .20 on my draft gauge under the right conditions.

That was someone else, OP in the initial post stated 15'.
But even then, your 25' is almost 1/3 taller than a 19' flue...

Ours is around 20', I think, and I have no draft issues at all.

 

[Clmillard97]

I've been burning a new PE32 about a month now and have had similar worries with the cat temp. I saw the cat thermometer wrap around to 8 o'clock once. It hasn't been so extreme since the first weeks burning, but it still climbs past the end of the active zone easily. My issue is the stove is not heating my place above 10°C despite the cat thermometer being high and the fire burning bright on the high setting.

I'm burning beetle-kill spruce with 15% moisture content. I have a 5' of single walled pipe above the stove and 14' of insulated double walled pipe above that (19' total). I haven't piped the air intake to the outside yet

The stove is on the open concept mainfloor, with 8' ceilings. The house footprint is 660sqft, with a second story above, the same size. Its a new build, air tight, with r30 walls and R68 attic, triple pane windows. The house maintains the heat very well, if I skip a day of burning, but I can't raise the heat to standard living contions (its been 0 to -10°C outside).

I've read the manual 3 times, and haven't found discussion online about these stoves not outputting enough heat. Any thoughts?

I was having the exact same problem up until yesterday. My house is 1300 sqf on two levels and the temperature inside was never going above 68. Yesterday afternoon I loaded it full and let it rip for a good 20 minutes before dialing it back slowly. It climbed to the 6 o’clock position then came down really slowly before settling at about the 3 o’clock positions. It stayed there all night and when I woke up this morning the house was 70 degrees F. First time ever. Outside temp was 23 degrees F. The thermostat knob on the side of my stove was at the 4 o’clock position. I think I was being way to cautious about the cat gauge on top.

 

[Clmillard97]

Are you closing the bypass door fully? It must “snap” to close fully…takes a bit of force to close it. This feature caught my wife off guard compared to our older BK that didn’t have a gasket on the bypass door.

I am. Close and then push a bit more to lock.