Blaze King Princess Insert Install Today! (Pics Heavy!!!)

[Bster13]

I'm now sitting in my living room with every window in the house open and the stove/blower on high getting the paint to cure and the smell out before the wife comes home. Great install team from Fireplace Etc. in Milford, CT, love it!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.841087372176.1073741827.17506531&type=1&l=0e538e29f7

 

[gregbesia]

Great pictures. Nice, clean install. Good luck with your very own alien technology equipment. Let us know how do you like it. Were in CT are you?

 

[Bster13]

I'm in Norwalk. Fireplace Etc. is in Milford.

This video does not do it justice but it was awesome to actually hear/feel the rumble of the stove sucking in all that air for the first time when we opened the door:

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[USMC80]

great pics! Lucky! Wish I could convince the boss to get the the BK

 

[Bster13]

The stove was certainly more than most, but I'm counting on the long burn times (tracking less stuff in the house if reloading less often) and less wood usage (easier on my body) plus even heat (less utility bill). Payoff time will be awhile but I don't plan on gong anywhere fast. And if I do, the stove is coming with me! Haha.

 

[rdust]

The stove was certainly more than most, but I'm counting on the long burn times (tracking less stuff in the house if reloading less often) and less wood usage (easier on my body) plus even heat (less utility bill). Payoff time will be awhile but I don't plan on gong anywhere fast. And if I do, the stove is coming with me! Haha.

I expect you'll find all those things you're counting on. Second full season with mine and it still amazes me to this day. This morning I reloaded with enough coals after 38 hours! The stove didn't have any heat meaningful heat(still warm to the touch) coming off it at this point but still nice not having to light a match.

 

[katwillny]

Very cool looking install. Im sure that will provide years of warmth. I work not far from you.

 

[Bster13]

Well if u ever want to come check it out, let me know,

 

[katwillny]

Well if u ever want to come check it out, let me know,

Sweet. I am really interested in a Blaze King King.

 

[lopiliberty]

That fire starter should last you at least 10 years Nice looking install. I really like how the stove looks against that stone wall. If the weather there is like it is here you should get some use out of it before summer

 

[Pallet Pete]

Very nice looking install ! That should cook your britches off good.

Pete

 

[Bster13]

Dude, if it doesn't last me a lifetime, we got problems

That fire starter should last you at least 10 years Nice looking install. I really like how the stove looks against that stone wall. If the weather there is like it is here you should get some use out of it before summer

 

[Bster13]

Currently 50F outside, 78F in the living room and 69F in the hallway with bedrooms offshooting on either side. The nat. gas boiler has not kicked on yet.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Great job, best of luck!

 

[PapaDave]

It's all downhill from here.
Next up.....burning report.

 

[Bster13]

So, I know CAT stoves like to heat off the gases, not necessarily off the fire. I'm having trouble understanding when to dampen things down and turn down the bi-metal thermostat.

What does the wood packed into the firebox look like then? Before I turn down the thermostat, should all the splits be engulfed fully? Should ever split be black? Seems like that would take a long time and overheat the room.

 

[Bster13]

Right now it is actually 78F in the living room and 70F in the bedroom hallway. I had a 8in desk fan on the ground pushing heat from the hallway into the living room before, but I turned it off, seems like it didn't make a difference, well at least at these relatively warm ambient temps.

 

[Bster13]

Just caught my wife adding wood to the stove (she vowed NEVER to touch the stove, she hated the idea way back) and my cat checking it out. (I added the photos to the albumlink)

 

[Highbeam]

So, I know CAT stoves like to heat off the gases, not necessarily off the fire. I'm having trouble understanding when the dampen things down and turn down the bi-metal thermostat.

What does the wood packed into the firebox look like then? Before I turn down the thermostat, should all the splits be engulfed fully? Should ever split be black? Seems like that would take a long time and overheat the room.

You don't need to see the fire at all to run the BK. Don't worry about the look of the fire or the look of the splits. You engage the cat when the cat meter is in the "active" zone. No earlier. Up until you engage the cat, the stat is set to full throttle. After the cat is engaged, I like to wait about 5 minutes and then turn the stat back to the desired setting and then ignore it for 24 hours. Your desired cruise setting is based on your needed heat. On the princess freestander the stat is labeled with numbers but there is a "normal" zone which should be present on the insert too. Set the stat for the very bottom of the normal zone and see if that amount of output is sufficient or too much. You also get to fiddle with the blower setting which can vary the output as well.

You can't really screw it up so long as you engage only after the cat meter says active and so long as you set the stat in the low end of the "normal" range for cruising.

 

[Bster13]

Ok, so with ideal wood, the stove will stay in active mode through the night with a full firebox even if there is wood in the top of the firebox that was no charred during that initial "full throttle" run to get the cat into the active mode?

 

[Bster13]

So last night I reloaded (poorly) with an arm's full of my driest stuff:
(broken link removed)

Wasn't fully packed, and wasn't orderly (some of my splits are def too long and have to do diagonal.)

Got up this morning and the thermometer on the living room chair was still 78F (bedroom hall thermostat was still 70F as well)!
(broken link removed)

When I went to bed the CAT thermometer was at ~70%?
When I came back this morning it was at 15%

What was left of the previous night's "batch:"
(broken link removed)

Turned the bi-metal thermostat from 95% off to 100% on to liven up the fire before reload. I knew that glass wouldn't stay pretty forever, hehe.:
(broken link removed)

Packed it:
(broken link removed)

So my routine this morning was to grab some wood from outside while the bi-metal thermostat was cranked to 100% to liven up the fire. Came back in with the last bits of wood showing flames. Loaded up the stove with wood, shut the door and let it run for ~3-5 min. for some of the wood to catch. CAT thermometer was at 15% while I walked down the bi-metal thermostat to the lowest setting, I kind of keep my hand on the knob and creep it lower at a constant rate.

Welcome to feedback, if I should be doing this differently. Here I am all giddy the temp stayed constant and there were coals left in the morning but it's only 45F out, I bet it'll be more of a challenge when winter is actually here. Haha.

 

[Bster13]

Ok, that didn't work perfectly. After a few minutes I glanced over to the stove and noticed the firebox filled will rolling smoke. The CAT had dropped out of the active zone. I opened the bypass and am going to let it run for a good while now.

 

[Bster13]

Chickened out. I was running burning logs out of my house and hosing them down in the backyard prior to work today. Didn't want that much wood in the firebox while I was away from the house. I realize it's probably just me, but figure better safe that sorry in case I did something stupid. The wife was just staring at me. Haha.

I also see that there is a tiny bit of smoke and smell outside my house when looking at the chimney cap when running the stove at the lowest setting. If I bump the bi-metal thermostat up a tiny bit the smoke clears. Probably it's my <5mo old wood.

 

[mellow]

You will need to burn hotter with unseasoned wood.

 

[jeff_t]

You need DRY wood to run low. If you let it burn hot long enough to evaporate the moisture out, you can get by. I wouldn't close that bypass too soon. Moisture and thermal shock will kill the cat.

Personally, I wouldn't burn much at this point. I know it's hard to resist, but I wouldn't want to ruin the $300 cat playing around.