Blaze King Princess Door Gasket Not tight

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

Archer39

Feeling the Heat
Sep 23, 2009
288
Pottstown PA
I can not get the door gasket to pass the “dollar bill” on the latch side and the top on latch side. Before the start of the season I replaced both the door and glass gaskets. This is the 4th or 5th time I have replaced the door gasket over the course of owning the stove but the first time replacing the glass gasket so I think it could be related to that. The grove from knife edge on the rope gasket is way off center on the gasket. I am assuming the the little channels that bolt down to hold the glass need to be moved to allow the knife edge to center on the gasket?

Also, I have no more adjustment on the latch so I can not adjust that any further in.

any suggestions?
 

Attachments

  • 212306F5-73BE-4B3E-8C62-C50CBB0115AA.jpeg
    212306F5-73BE-4B3E-8C62-C50CBB0115AA.jpeg
    92.3 KB · Views: 279
Is this an oem bk gasket? It doesn’t look right.
 
Is this an oem bk gasket? It doesn’t look right.
Yeah, you need to lay that gasket onto the silicone evenly, taking care to neither stretch it or bunch it.
first time replacing the glass gasket so I think it could be related to that. The grove from knife edge on the rope gasket is way off center on the gasket. I am assuming the the little channels that bolt down to hold the glass need to be moved to allow the knife edge to center on the gasket?
@Ashful Have you started your new job at BK yet? Good, once you finish up with the ash grate project, we're going to need a resolution of door-gasket-on-top-of-glass-retainer-screws fiasco. ;)
 
Yeah, you need to lay that gasket onto the silicone evenly, taking care to neither stretch it or bunch it.
@Ashful Have you started your new job at BK yet? Good, once you finish up with the ash grate project, we're going to need a resolution of door-gasket-on-top-of-glass-retainer-screws fiasco. ;)
There's no fiasco Woody. We have solid hundreds of thousands of stoves...how many of them have glass retainer issues? Maybe 3-5?
 
  • Like
Reactions: webby3650
While I don’t like the door gasket on top of the studs and nuts for the window gasket I seem to have resolved the leakage potential issue by laying a deep bed of silicone for the door gasket. Deep enough to be nearly level with these nuts.

It does add to the complexity of door gasket replacement because you need to lay such a deep bed of silicone and you must resist the temptation to push the rope into this deep bed while setting the new gasket. Pushing the gasket down between the nuts could cause low spots. Bed the gasket with the flat door frame on the stove!
 
  • Like
Reactions: kennyp2339
4th or 5th time replacing the gasket is far too many times in the length of time you've owned that stove.
Remember, the bill needs to merely be snug, as is in not wiggling back and forth easily. If your looking to have the thing hard to pull out, it's too tight. As long as you're getting a slight knife edge indentation into the gasket, you're good.

It does look a little twisted and wavy in the photo though.

Hope you're doing well, good to see you're still around.
 
the door gasket on top of the studs and nuts for the window gasket
There's no fiasco Woody. We have solid hundreds of thousands of stoves...how many of them have glass retainer issues? Maybe 3-5?
3-5 that you know of, but who knows how many total, or how many ceramic combustors bit the dust when users or hack dealers replaced the door gasket incorrectly? The way you stress how important it is to have a good door gasket seal, it seems that your stoves would benefit from a different design. Did you change it in your newer models? I guess it's not a fiasco for you if you keep selling stoves; That's your job after all. It's just inelegant engineering. If one wants to replace the window gasket, you have also to replace the door gasket. I don't know how many other stoves incorporate that design but I'll wager that it's not many, if any. I'm not sure what you gained by doing it that way, a bigger window maybe? I'd have to look at your stoves to try to understand, which I haven't had the opportunity to do yet. I hope to get to webby's shop at some point to look at the BKs.
 
And yet you follow this thread. I see every single consumer, dealer and regulator comment, question or complaint. My job is vastly more than "selling stoves." As a company, we want everyone that invests in our products to sleep well at night. When we get it right, then we too sleep well.

Perhaps you should apply for a job with a stove manufacturer and share your abundant experience in a meaningful way?
 
  • Like
Reactions: webby3650
The way you stress how important it is to have a good door gasket seal, it seems that your stoves would benefit from a different design
For me it was the knife edge with an easy to adjust door latch that sold me on the stove, came from and old flat gasket to the stove body with a non adjustable door latching mechanism, so the BK was a nice change.
 
  • Like
Reactions: webby3650 and BKVP
And yet you follow this thread.
I find that the annual BK thread has a lot of entertainment value. ==c
Perhaps you should apply for a job with a stove manufacturer and share your abundant experience in a meaningful way?
I'm on the verge of quitting the job I've got, and I certainly don't want another one. ;lol
I don't have "abundant experience" but I have fair mechanical aptitude, and enjoy trying to analyze these wonderful heating machines that we have the privilege of operating. :) I like to think that maybe my input gives folks something to think about, and maybe they'll use that when in the process of considering future stove purchases, and hopefully be happy with what they end up getting. That would be a meaningful contribution, would it not?
80% of my questions on the forum go unanswered;)
Case in point. Thanks for your meaningful contribution. ;lol
For me it was the knife edge with an easy to adjust door latch that sold me on the stove, came from and old flat gasket to the stove body with a non adjustable door latching mechanism, so the BK was a nice change.
What stove was that, again? Mine also has a knife-edge, but the Buck 91 and my SIL's new T5 both have large round gaskets that seal flat on the front panel of the box, which seems to work fine.
 
Last edited:
For me it was the knife edge with an easy to adjust door latch that sold me on the stove, came from and old flat gasket to the stove body with a non adjustable door latching mechanism, so the BK was a nice change.

They did improve the door latch design to make it way easier to adjust in the last several years on the old princess/king line. The inside nut was previously welded in place so you had to tighten the latch by one full turn at a time. Now, with two free nuts sandwiching the stove body, you can tighten the latch any amount you want. Also, the nuts can be replaced if the threads get buggered up.

It's not a a bad idea to improve age old designs, even less bad to at least think about ways to make them better.
 
Is this an oem bk gasket? It doesn’t look right.
I would assume so, It was purchased from the dealer in which I purchased the stove from.
 
I would assume so, It was purchased from the dealer in which I purchased the stove from.

Yeah, that doesn't mean anything unfortunately. Could explain why you've been through so many gaskets in such a short amount of time. Unless you specify and receive authentic BK gasket you could be getting anything.
 
While I don’t like the door gasket on top of the studs and nuts for the window gasket I seem to have resolved the leakage potential issue by laying a deep bed of silicone for the door gasket. Deep enough to be nearly level with these nuts.

It does add to the complexity of door gasket replacement because you need to lay such a deep bed of silicone and you must resist the temptation to push the rope into this deep bed while setting the new gasket. Pushing the gasket down between the nuts could cause low spots. Bed the gasket with the flat door frame on the stove!
Interesting on the deep bed of silicone. I was always under the impression of a small bed just enough to hold the gasket in place and then lay the gasket in evenly without stretching or bunching. It has been a few years since I have read up replacing them. When i did my research on replacing it the first time that is what I came up with. That was 5-6 years ago. I will redo it with the deep bed and see it it is better. Just never had an issue In the past.
 
4th or 5th time replacing the gasket is far too many times in the length of time you've owned that stove.
Remember, the bill needs to merely be snug, as is in not wiggling back and forth easily. If your looking to have the thing hard to pull out, it's too tight. As long as you're getting a slight knife edge indentation into the gasket, you're good.

It does look a little twisted and wavy in the photo though.

Hope you're doing well, good to see you're still around.
I have replaced it each year after the 2nd year at the advice of the dealer. I had the Cat fail the second year because of the loose seal (it was assumed that was the cause). I figured it was cheap insurance.

As far as the tightness it is not nearly tight enough in these two spots.The glass is getting black right where it is loose so I know it’s not sealing properly.

everything thing is going good Rob, can’t complain. Hope all is well with you too.Still around just don’t post much and I forgot my password for awhile so I never put the time in to reset it. I just would pop in and read post without logging in.
 
If not for the extra giant nuts and studs in the gasket channel you would be correct that the silicone is just an adhesive but since there is all of that hardware laying in the channel you have to fill the low spots to get a smooth surface which will press on the gasket evenly. Don't twist, bunch, or stretch the gasket. Just lay it in there straight and flat. If you must push on the gasket to stick it down, only push on top of the studs lightly. Get it on the stove with the latch fully loosened and shut the door gently. Check for RTV spooge out and clean it up.

I wish they would invent a more dependable gasket system for doors. Something more permanent like what's on a refrigerator or oven.
 
  • Like
Reactions: edyit
Yeah, that doesn't mean anything unfortunately. Could explain why you've been through so many gaskets in such a short amount of time. Unless you specify and receive authentic BK gasket you could be getting anything.

can an OEM gasket be purchased directly from BK online?
 
If not for the extra giant nuts and studs in the gasket channel you would be correct that the silicone is just an adhesive but since there is all of that hardware laying in the channel you have to fill the low spots to get a smooth surface which will press on the gasket evenly. Don't twist, bunch, or stretch the gasket. Just lay it in there straight and flat. If you must push on the gasket to stick it down, only push on top of the studs lightly. Get it on the stove with the latch fully loosened and shut the door gently. Check for RTV spooge out and clean it up.

I wish they would invent a more dependable gasket system for doors. Something more permanent like what's on a refrigerator or oven.
Sounds good thanks for the help.
 
can an OEM gasket be purchased directly from BK online?

The last time I bought one I ordered it through my local dealer (had to specify that I require the BK gasket) and it was shipped directly to me from BK.

This is not unique to BK. My Englander door gasket is unique to Englader as well so I will have to buy it from them. The good news is that a tight door seal is not very important on the noncat NC30.

Many forum members have found the same with the PE gaskets.

Sure would be nice if we could all agree on a rope gasket density and size convention.
 
Sounds good thanks for the help.

Here you go....