Blazeking apex ? Reviews...

[Woodberger]

Hi,
I just created an account so I could post, I've been lurking for about 8 months now.
I am interested in finding out what people who actually have the blazeking apex catalytic furnace think of it, and if it actually lives up to the manufacturers website.
Does it really burn for 40hrs on low?
And likewise does it burn 12hrs on high say even during the cold of a MN winter?
Also how much does it cost?

 

[Woodberger]

I have never had a wood burning device yet but I am considering getting the apex to add on to my current LP furnace in the basement

 

[Fred61]

It never ceases to amaze me how companies can make such claims without knowledge of the heat load, wood moisture, etc, etc.
What I do know is that if those burn time claims are true it would be called "smoldering" instead of "burning" regardless of the wood capacity of the firebox.

 

[maple1]

I can't read their PDFs on this tablet, but the overview on their site sounds interesting.

Curious on cost...

 

[Highbeam]

It never ceases to amaze me how companies can make such claims without knowledge of the heat load, wood moisture, etc, etc.
What I do know is that if those burn time claims are true it would be called "smoldering" instead of "burning" regardless of the wood capacity of the firebox.

Perhaps you've never run a catalytic stove which is what this furnace is. Yes, smoulder is how you could describe a low burn but smolder is how the fire makes smoke which the cat eats to make heat. Heat is the desired product and long burn times are extremely valuable. My tiny catalytic woodstove is only 2.85 CF but can burn for 24 hours easily and heat my home.

 

[Highbeam]

Blaze king knows how to do long burn times. Owners of their woodstoves rated for 40 hours can actually get 40 hours. The weird thing about that furnace is that it takes an odd sized flue like a 7". The company rep has stated that 6" or 8" don't work well so you need the 7".

Depending on cost, I would be happy to give the BK a try.

 

[Fred61]

Perhaps you've never run a catalytic stove which is what this furnace is. Yes, smoulder is how you could describe a low burn but smolder is how the fire makes smoke which the cat eats to make heat. Heat is the desired product and long burn times are extremely valuable. My tiny catalytic woodstove is only 2.85 CF but can burn for 24 hours easily and heat my home.

Actually I have run a catalytic stove but I needed a hot fire to bring the catalyst up to operating temperature. I don't know the size of the firebox but when it's 10 degrees outside it would need several cubic feet of fuel in order to keep the average home up to temperature for 12 hours.

 

[Highbeam]

Actually I have run a catalytic stove but I needed a hot fire to bring the catalyst up to operating temperature. I don't know the size of the firebox but when it's 10 degrees outside it would need several cubic feet of fuel in order to keep the average home up to temperature for 12 hours.

It goes without saying that the 40 hour maximum burn time is at minimum output. If your particular situation requires more than minimum output then your burn times will be less. Only the catalytic technology allows this wide RANGE of available outputs along with a corresponding wide range of burn times from a solid fuel burning air heater.

The guys with boilers have some great tricks (storage) to increase the range of available heat outputs from their system.

 

[Fred61]

If your particular situation requires more than minimum output then your burn times will be less

It appears that wasn't the message that was conveyed to the OP who is a nubie to woodburning and believed the salesperson verbatim.
He's from MN and will more than likely be loading a lot more wood in that stove than someone in the PNW.

 

[Highbeam]

Does it really burn for 40hrs on low?
And likewise does it burn 12hrs on high say even during the cold of a MN winter?

Actually Fred61, It looks like the salesperson did a great job of disclosing that the 40 hours was on low.

I agree that it will take more energy to heat a home in MN than in the PNW but that has nothing to do with anything now does it? The furnace doesn't know what state it is in. All it knows is the desired output.

 

[Woodberger]

Does anyone on this site have one that they would care to share their experience with me?
And yes it does get brutally cold at times in the winter, where I live its prarie with wind turbines all over, so windchill is a daily nightmare.
But it's still mild in the fall and spring where it would be cool if I could run it on low at a steady heat throughout the house for 40hrs at a stretch.
On HIGH, during winter below zero and windy, it would still be nice to keep the house the same steady heat throughout the house for 12hrs at a time.

 

[timbur]

Just an FYI , the Blaze King Apex has been discontinued in 2015 . So if you decide you like and find one at a dealer you better take it .

 

[Woodberger]

How do you know this?

Just an FYI , the Blaze King Apex has been discontinued in 2015 . So if you decide you like and find one at a dealer you better take it .

o you

 

[timbur]

How do you know this?


o you

We are a Blaze King dealer and this info was in our latest newsletter .

 

[Highbeam]

Bk said once that wood furnaces are much more popular in Canada.

 

[BKVP]

Just an FYI , the Blaze King Apex has been discontinued in 2015 . So if you decide you like and find one at a dealer you better take it .

The Apex has not been discontinued for 2015. Production time slots are not available in the first 3 quarters so we are unable to produce them at this time. We hope to find production time later this year.

 

[timbur]

The Apex has not been discontinued for 2015. Production time slots are not available in the first 3 quarters so we are unable to produce them at this time. We hope to find production time later this year.

BKVP So you are saying they are still available .

 

[NYSB]

I don't have a Blaze King, but I do have a catalytic, long-burning stove with about a 2.5 cf firebox. There are certainly a lot of variables which are not accounted for when the brochures advertise specific burn times. If nothing else, advertised burn times can give you an idea of what the stove is capable of in ideal conditions and also allows you to compare one stove to another (assuming the reported burn time is indeed accurate). As far as I know there are no accepted standards on what exactly constitutes "burn time". There is a lot of variability in how they are reported and some manufacturer's burn times are more or less realistic than others. I think Blaze King is known for more accurate advertised burn times than some others. Asking owners of a particular stove obviously helps a lot with what to expect, but the only way to know for sure is to use the stove in your particular situation and see what happens. For my particular stove (a Regency fireplace insert) I am able to damper down the air control to the point where the logs are smoldering (no visible primary flame, but logs glow red and produce smoke). In this condition, the catalyst glows red and reaches over 1000 degrees for several hours on one load. On cold winter nights in upstate NY, this is how I set up the stove at night and in the morning the house is warm (68-70) with plenty of glowing red coals to get the next load going. I also set it up like this during the day when we may not be home. During the weekends if we are home, if I want to run it very, very hot I have to load wood much more frequently - say every 4-6 hours.

Hope this helps give you an idea of what's possible.

SB

 

[BKVP]

BKVP So you are saying they are still available .

We will put them back into production as some point this year...we hope. The EPA's NSPS requires we produce a video/dvd and include one with each furnace on proper use and maintenance. We will have so much to do to get this ready there is not expected "back into production" time lines set.