can I burn wood with nails in a catalytic stove?

[dstover]

I'm shopping for a new stove and have narrowed my choices down to two options: Blaze King 1107 and Pacific Energy Alderlea T6. If I go with the Blaze King, will I be able to burn any wood with nails in it? I recall hearing something about how nails could ruin the catalytic combustor. True? It won't be a deal killer but I'd like to know.

REALLY having a tough time choosing between these two very different stoves. I hate the looks of the Blaze King but am trying to be practical. I really like the idea of keeping my emissions to a minimum and having a long overnight burn. Even if it means cleaning the glass more often.

Anybody know how long the T6 will burn overnight?

And yeah, I know these 2 stoves use different size pipe. My current stove is non-cat and has a doublewall 6-inch pipe but I believe the house originally had a stove with an 8-inch pipe so I think I can go either way (but will need new pipe for the latter). I looked at the Blaze King Princess but I don't think it is big enough to heat my whole house (1800 sq. ft. and no other heat source).

Most of my neighbors have big Blaze Kings but they are running them on low burn all the time because they have smaller/tighter houses than mine. I need something that can crank out the BTUs when it drops into single digits or below. Not often but it happens.

 

[nate379]

I have the Princess and so far it seems like almost too big of a stove. It is 30* right now, was 35* last night. I had 2-3 pieces of spruce in the stove and a few pieces of punky cottonwood.

I had to open the door to teh garage because it was so hot. When I went to bed around 3AM it was 80* in the house and 75* in the garage. That is ~2100 sq ft.

As for the nails, I don't see why it would matter. The nails aren't going to burn.

 

[North of 60]

Galvanized nail's would be the killer. As far as stove size, I am running 2140sqft and I get winter.

 

[Todd]

I think the Princess would be plenty stove for you unless you have no insulation. If you need more heat just turn up the t-stat. Nails are a no no for a cat stove but an occasional nail in some scrap lumber kindling shouldn't hurt.

 

[North of 60]

A steel nail is a steel nail, same as the stove is made from. Just the coatings will be the bad off gasser.

 

[weatherguy]

Im heating 2800 sf with the princess. I use the furnace at times too, usually in the morning when my wife first gets up but only because my wife is cold blooded. I have an open floor plan and most of the house except the far reaches on the upper floor gets into the 70s.

 

[ddddddden]

Funny how the "Princess" is often spoken of diminutively. Must be the name. 2.85 cu ft is close the largest stove of many modern mfrs. That's 95% of the T6's 3.0 cu ft. Both mfrs list a capacity of 60 lbs of wood, which contains, say, 400,000 BTU. The question is: How quickly do you want to burn those BTU's? The Princess would be the choice for a 20-hour burn. That would yield 20,000 BTU/hr. . .very nice trick for fall/spring heating. Rated at 97,000 BTU/hr, the T6 would seem to be the better choice for burning 60 lbs of wood in 4 hrs. If you need that kind of output for an 1,800 sq ft house, you probably should tighten it up a bit. . .to save wood, even if you do have a m0nster stove. For those drops to single-digit temps, you can leverage the effectiveness of a smaller stove by loading the house with heat all day before the outside temp drops. . .this trick works better in a tighter house.

 

[nate379]

The first week I fired my Princess I had it on low (1 on the dial) and it made so much cresote in the fire box it was unreal. The glass was compeated coated. What I have been doing now is putting less wood and running it on 1.5-2 and that seems to work much better.

 

[SolarAndWood]

What I have been doing now is putting less wood and running it on 1.5-2 and that seems to work much better.

That explains where all the heat is coming from. With dry wood, you will be able to burn clean much lower.

 

[nate379]

It is dry. Was cut last year and been split and stacked since Decemnber. 16-18% moisture.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I looked at the Blaze King Princess but I don't think it is big enough to heat my whole house (1800 sq. ft. and no other heat source).

Most of my neighbors have big Blaze Kings but they are running them on low burn all the time because they have smaller/tighter houses than mine. I need something that can crank out the BTUs when it drops into single digits or below. Not often but it happens.

I think your neighbors have it right. With the King and hardwood, I can get either a 40+ hour low burn or 12 hours with it wide open and the blowers on high. I have no problem getting 24 hour burns out of what most consider junk wood when its in the 20s and 30s. The large firebox and burn rate control gives you a lot of flexibility.

Dry wood is required for long low burns. If you are forced to burn at a higher rate because of less than ideal wood, you are going to be putting a lot heat into your living space.

We don't have a furnace either and both work. It's nice to know the house is going to be warm when my wife gets home even if I'm late at work. You also don't have to overheat the house to get ahead, just light her up for a brief period and then go back to low and slow. This is very easy to do with the tstat and blower control. If you go with the BK and want the ability to put out a lot of heat fast, you will definitely want the blowers.

 

[Todd]

The first week I fired my Princess I had it on low (1 on the dial) and it made so much cresote in the fire box it was unreal. The glass was compeated coated. What I have been doing now is putting less wood and running it on 1.5-2 and that seems to work much better.

Maybe you turned it down too soon? Or could be draft problem, how tall is chimney?

 

[branchburner]

It's nice to know the house is going to be warm when my wife gets home even if I'm late at work. You also don't have to overheat the house to get ahead, just light her up for a brief period and then go back to low and slow.

Sounds like you and the wife are getting very efficient burn times.

 

[nate379]

It's about 18ft from stovetop to chimney cap.

The first week I fired my Princess I had it on low (1 on the dial) and it made so much cresote in the fire box it was unreal. The glass was compeated coated. What I have been doing now is putting less wood and running it on 1.5-2 and that seems to work much better.

Maybe you turned it down too soon? Or could be draft problem, how tall is chimney?

 

[dstover]

I am listening and learning so I have come around to the idea of getting a Blaze King. Even though I hate how they look. The pedestal option is too modern for my hand-hewn log house, and the BK "parlor" option looks like a lame imitation of a pot-bellied stove. And don't even get me started on the gold doors, which are as cheesy as putting a gold-rimmed license plate holder on your Camry. Couldn't BK make these stoves a little better looking for all those bucks? Or are they intentionally catering to the "manly" market?

Anyhow, I'm going to suck it up and get a butt-ugly BK for center stage in my home because having the option of long, low burns sounds SO great. Even though the door opens on the "wrong" side and I will probably be cleaning it more often.

I would prefer to get the King for maximum flexibility but going with the Princess would save me a lot of dough because the stove is less expensive and I wouldn't have to replace my pipe and chimney. Several of you have reassured me that the Princess is enough stove for an 1800-sq-ft house but is there any danger of overfiring if I have to run it on high for several days during a cold stretch?

Oh, and will I be sorry if I get the "classic" BK Princess instead of the "ultra"? The former is lower to the ground and doesn't have the side shields but clearance isn't an issue for me.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Just get the blowers for it. As far as King vs Princess, the only real difference is firebox size. Max and Min burn rates are pretty similar. If I didn't already have 8" pipe, I probably would have bought the Princess.

 

[SolarAndWood]

It's nice to know the house is going to be warm when my wife gets home even if I'm late at work. You also don't have to overheat the house to get ahead, just light her up for a brief period and then go back to low and slow.

Sounds like you and the wife are getting very efficient burn times.

All of our wood is scrounged. The big square firebox accommodates all those chunks, uglies and lower density wood quite nicely. The burn cycle is very predictable. I can look at the forecast and know how much weight I am going to need in the firebox to make it 24 hours. Go out to the wood pile, get a load appropriate for conditions and reload. My wife and daughters adjust the tstat on the stove as needed. It has worked out very well for us.

 

[dstover]

I'm getting the Blaze King Princess and the blower option! Ordered today.

I can't believe I'm getting a cat stove, and an ugly one at that. My husband is even more stunned than I am, because he left the choice up to me. Our redneck neighbors, on the other hand, will think we finally came to our senses.

The Alderlea T6 almost won our hearts. It has a great firebox and a neat hybrid system for extended burns. And boy is it pretty compared with the same-price Princess. Sigh...

 

[North of 60]

I'm getting the Blaze King Princess and the blower option! Ordered today.

I can't believe I'm getting a cat stove, and an ugly one at that. My husband is even more stunned than I am, because he left the choice up to me. Our redneck neighbors, on the other hand, will think we finally came to our senses.

The Alderlea T6 almost won our hearts. It has a great firebox and a neat hybrid system for extended burns. And boy is it pretty compared with the same-price Princess. Sigh...

Ohhhh Ohhhhh, BeGreen will be green about this. :sick: :lol: I am sure he will understand. The T-6 is a beautiful stove. Us red necks see the beauty in everything though. I am happy to give somethings thats ugly and made fun of a safe and loving home. So far that ugly critter has payed us back ten fold and holds its own very, very well. Congratulation and you should feel good too taking in an ugly into your home. ALL DRY FOOD AND NO WATER.
Cheer's.

 

[nate379]

Why do you think the stove is ugly?

I like mine. Everyone that has come by the house comments on my nice stove almost right away even. Mine is an Ultra with a Nickle door. The door was ~$200 extra but it matches with the rest of the house appliances with a black/stainless theme.

 

[begreen]

Warmth is a beautiful thing. In this state the BK stoves are popular and much more affordable. If I were relying on the stove as sole source of heat it would look more attractive to me too. The T6 is nice looking, but the Isle Royale and F600 are nicer looking IMO. I'm just glad to have lucked out into getting a nice big stove that my wife is happy with too. She runs it as much as I do, so that has to count. Thankfully I was ready for the T6 when Tom had it available at a price that couldn't be beat. We sold the Castine for a profit, so it was pretty much of a no brainer.

 

[ddddddden]

Congrats! Well chosen. With the Waterford, you have enjoyed a "pretty" stove at center stage in your home. Now enjoy the luxury of an appliance that will heat your home with minimal fuss.

 

[dstover]

[quote author="NATE379" date="1285750851"]Why do you think the stove is ugly?

It may look good in your house but the main room of my house is a rustic hand-hewn log structure, and anything with a pedestal seems much more "modern" than the old-style stoves with legs. If I had to describe my furniture and decor I'd say it is a "lodge" look, with lots of heavy wood furniture upholstered in leather and Native American prints. Steel is just more boxy and industrial-looking than cast iron, with none of the flourishes that make cast iron interesting.

Ugliness is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but I do hear a lot of comments about how ugly steel-plate stoves (and Blaze King in particular) are. Even my husband wondered why a company that is so successful and makes such great (and expensive) stoves can't make at least SOME effort toward attractiveness.

But I am saying goodbye to beauty and (hopefully) hello to convenience and efficiency. I even got the pedestal version rather than the "classic" Princess, which is closer to the ground and has no ash drawer. As for the "parlor" Princess with the scalloped steel edge and curved sides, it's several hundred dollars more and just seems like a cheap-looking imitation of an old-fashioned stove. It's not for me.

 

[SolarAndWood]

But I am saying goodbye to beauty and (hopefully) hello to convenience and efficiency.

and that is a beautiful thing. You won't miss the ash drawer either. I used mine once.

 

[dstover]

The Princess Ultra does come with an ash drawer. The dealer tells me that most people think an ash drawer is useless or worse, until they learn how to use it properly. Then most of them like it.

An ash drawer on any stove is not designed for infrequent cold cleanouts. It's good to keep a layer of ash in your stove but remove SOME ash regularly to prevent buildup from getting too deep. A well-designed ash drawer can help you do this.