Burning Large Rounds in Princess Insert

[black smoke signals]

BK Insert PI 1010a Trying to get an overnight burn with Pine switch to Spruce and Elm for this winter 14-18 per cent moisture. Recent snow and down to low 30 at night I got a hot bed of Spruce going then I loaded a large aprox14inch long Elm that barely got it though the insert door. Talk about getting a more controllable burn with this large chunk of Elm compared to pine or spruce I could set t-stat to 3 o'clock and walk away. The cat temp locked in at 12 o'clock and stayed there for about 5 hours of steady flames also I could control t-stat up or down with no problems.I haven't tried a full box of Elm yet estimating a full box should go 8 hours to 10 hours. I couldn't get this control out of Pine or the burn time.I have one cord of Elm and 5 cords of Pine LOL

 

[begreen]

That is a bit surprising. I'd expect would be seeing much longer burn times according to Princess owners unless the stove is being pushed hard. Less than 8 hrs on pine for 30º outside sounds like either the insert is too small or the house is too leaky.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

That is a bit surprising. I'd expect would be seeing much longer burn times according to Princess owners unless the stove is being pushed hard. Less than 8 hrs on pine for 30º outside sounds like either the insert is too small or the house is too leaky.

Well, it's an insert with the smaller firebox. That's not bad for a load with only one 14" long log.

 

[black smoke signals]

Still in the shoulder season here not pushing the stove yet. Square footage is way under what this insert will put out. House is tight too! Loading door has new bk gasket pass test 5 dollars bill but today I checked bypass door and I can pull the bill. Bypass igasket is flat and leading edge of door flat. The bypass handle has slight camover feel but when shut the flames roll to the loading door. Are you think ing there is a lot of heat escaping Thur the b/p door ? I didn’t pull the cat I used mirrors no blockage behind the cat I checked the b/p hinge for billed up of crud this has a cable system to operate b/p door I need to check it out could be holding door up when stove get hot IDK but I like this Elm wood

 

[black smoke signals]

I’m still thinking it’s operator error here!

 

[begreen]

I’m still thinking it’s operator error here!

Totally permissible.

 

[black smoke signals]

Hey I like this stove haven’t fell totally in love yet! Also I turned on a flashlight and shoved it up the B/p then shut the b/p door then I could see a little bit of light good bad or carry on?

 

[begreen]

Not having run a Princess I'm going to wait for webby or highbeam to comment.

 

[Ashful]

Hey I like this stove haven’t fell totally in love yet! Also I turned on a flashlight and shoved it up the B/p then shut the b/p door then I could see a little bit of light good bad or carry on?

Doesn't sound good. A bypass door that fails the dollar bill test is nothing unusual (less critical than the door or glass gasket), but you should not see light coming thru it unless it's pretty far out of whack, I would think.

I have no experience with the Princess insert (or any insert), so our "o'clock" settings are likely different. On my BK Ashford 30's (2.65 cu.ft.), 3 o'clock is "2" on the old "1-2-3" label, and the stoves will go over 24 hours on a load of hardwood, at that setting. In fact, I run one around 3:30 for 24 hour burns, and the other around 4:00 for 12 hour burns, albeit different stoves on different chimneys.

Your mention of burning large rounds is what caught my eye. Is the stove consuming all of the fuel with cat in active range, or is it stalling out after the 5 - 8 hours you describe?

 

[Poindexter]

I am pretty sure tour bypass door to bypass gasket seal should be light tight no matter the stove model.

That joint will not grip a dollar bill as tightly as the loading door since it is flat to flat instead of knife edge to valley.

Is it evenly not light tight, or warped? If you got a little triangle on each side and no blatant warping along the long edge you might get away with tightening the adjusting nut tension.

 

[Blazing]

BK Insert PI 1010a Trying to get an overnight burn with Pine switch to Spruce and Elm for this winter 14-18 per cent moisture. Recent snow and down to low 30 at night I got a hot bed of Spruce going then I loaded a large aprox14inch long Elm that barely got it though the insert door. Talk about getting a more controllable burn with this large chunk of Elm compared to pine or spruce I could set t-stat to 3 o'clock and walk away. The cat temp locked in at 12 o'clock and stayed there for about 5 hours of steady flames also I could control t-stat up or down with no problems.I haven't tried a full box of Elm yet estimating a full box should go 8 hours to 10 hours. I couldn't get this control out of Pine or the burn time.I have one cord of Elm and 5 cords of Pine LOL

Did you fill every gap around the one large split? Also if you are seeing flame it's running fairly hard.

 

[black smoke signals]

Thank for all who replied My b/p is not warped the gasket is flat on cold stove I can see light coming between the stove and plate. My main complaint here is burn time. Changing over to spruce and elm did extend my burn and control of the fire but no way im getting anything over 6-8 hours burn with the knob at 4 oclock then walk away. Is this possible that the cable adjustment is not adjusted right so when the stove is hot the cables tighten up and allow the b/p door to open a little bit? Now one thing i noticed while at the Dealer stove shop looking in side the loading door at the b/p I stuck my hand inside this gasket felt round rope and sticks up 3/8 to 1/2 inch. Grabbing handle it will drop to about 1/2 way then the rest of the travel is cam-over My stove b/p handle cam-over is at the very bottom of the travel.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

My main complaint here is burn time. Changing over to spruce and elm did extend my burn and control of the fire but no way im getting anything over 6-8 hours burn with the knob at 4 oclock then walk away.

I recommend not putting too much credence in the "o'clock" position of the thermostat. Every install has unique characteristics in terms of draft and the temperature outside the firebox that can affect the thermostat independently of the firebox temperature. They are not all going to be the same. Have you tried simply turning the thermostat all the way down? The flames will extinguish but, if you have good draft and dry wood, the cat should stay active.

Now one thing i noticed while at the Dealer stove shop looking in side the loading door at the b/p I stuck my hand inside this gasket felt round rope and sticks up 3/8 to 1/2 inch. Grabbing handle it will drop to about 1/2 way then the rest of the travel is cam-over My stove b/p handle cam-over is at the very bottom of the travel.

It does sound like your bypass door might need to be adjusted tighter. I assume that's what "b/p" means.

 

[black smoke signals]

b/p equals bypass Just got back from the Stove shop they are going to send out a tech within 2 weeks they are very busy. Dealer showed me this pdf https://www.blazeking.com/EN/PDF/instructions/PI1010ABK bypass cable change.pdf Is it possible the horizontal rod that goes into the b/p plate is bent up causing all my problems or is the bypass plate jumping out of the holder?

 

[jetsam]

BK Insert PI 1010a Trying to get an overnight burn with Pine switch to Spruce and Elm for this winter 14-18 per cent moisture. Recent snow and down to low 30 at night I got a hot bed of Spruce going then I loaded a large aprox14inch long Elm that barely got it though the insert door. Talk about getting a more controllable burn with this large chunk of Elm compared to pine or spruce I could set t-stat to 3 o'clock and walk away. The cat temp locked in at 12 o'clock and stayed there for about 5 hours of steady flames also I could control t-stat up or down with no problems.I haven't tried a full box of Elm yet estimating a full box should go 8 hours to 10 hours. I couldn't get this control out of Pine or the burn time.I have one cord of Elm and 5 cords of Pine LOL

You are either running that stove on high, or your cat is dead or bypassed, or you have a large air leak.

Starting with hot coals, I can easily get 18 hours out of a load of pine, regardless of split size. I don't think I'd struggle to get an overnight burn out of a load of kerosene-soaked matchsticks in that stove.

 

[jetsam]

b/p equals bypass Just got back from the Stove shop they are going to send out a tech within 2 weeks they are very busy. Dealer showed me this pdf https://www.blazeking.com/EN/PDF/instructions/PI1010ABK bypass cable change.pdf Is it possible the horizontal rod that goes into the b/p plate is bent up causing all my problems or is the bypass plate jumping out of the holder?

What you have going is not normal. I'd either buy a cat gasket and pull the cat, or pull the insert. Either way will let you peer in and see the bypass door.