Dealer wants me to buy a Blaze King

[bholler]

I should've worded that "Non-cat stoves are said to be more tolerant of wood that's not quite dry." I haven't tried burning any 25% wood in my SIL's not-cat.
Based on what others here have said about damp wood in a non-cat, I figured maybe you could fire it a little harder and still get some decent secondary burn, since you could possibly get the tube area in the top of the box hotter. That approach doesn't work with the cat stoves I've run; With more air, I end up blowing smoke through the cat too fast for it to handle and the cat never gets burning very hot due to that, and to the moisture cooling it.
Agreed, any time you run a harder, you blow more heat up the flue. If you still can't get the secondary firing good, it's gonna be even more wasteful.
Another SIL's friend is getting a non-cat, and I'm giving him some 25% wood to get him started, so I'll see how it does. I wonder if some non-cats handle damp wood better than others..? 🤔

With a cat stove you can just run with the bypass open a bit longer as well. No matter what stove it is wet wood is going to seriously reduce performance. Even in old pre epa stoves

 

[Ashful]

With a cat stove you can just run with the bypass open a bit longer as well. No matter what stove it is wet wood is going to seriously reduce performance. Even in old pre epa stoves

Been there, done that. Can vouch it works just fine, but as noted, with increased frustration and decreased efficiency.

 

[Nealm66]

I haven’t burned much wet wood but I’d imagine it would help a bit to reload a little earlier

 

[Ashful]

I haven’t burned much wet wood but I’d imagine it would help a bit to reload a little earlier

My first year was tainted by wet wood. And like nearly everyone else, I was so sure it wasn't the wood.

 

[ratsrepus]

As a rule, cat stoves can burn longer (lower) but have more moving parts and need more maintenance. I recently decided to get the simplest stove I could find for my SIL. It's a Pacific Energy T5, based on the Super firebox. No cat, no bypass...just not many parts at all.

ILL take my 24 hr burns any day. Id rather replace a cat than baffles, tubes and what have you

 

[begreen]

ILL take my 24 hr burns any day. Id rather replace a cat than baffles, tubes and what have you

No tubes in his PE and the baffle can last the life of the stove.

 

[Ashful]

Meh... we've had this argument so many times, that even I'm tired of it. And that's really saying something.

Both work great. Cat's provide the ability to maintain clean secondary reburn at lower temperatures, but you have to replace a combustor every few years. Non-cats give a more vigorous secondary flame show, but can't turn down as low or burn as long, for a given firebox volume. Yadda, yadda...

Any argument about complexity, parts, etc. seems pretty trivial at this point. Both technologies have examples that are far more or less reliable than some examples of the other. A good cat stove is more reliable than a crappy non-cat, and a good non-cat is better than a crappy cat stove. Brand and model dictate reliability and ease of operation, far more than the tech upon which they're based. Anyone saying otherwise can come view one of my BK Ashfords that's seen over 50 cords with zero maintenance or repairs, other than one routine combustor replacement a few years back. There are users of PE and other top non-cat brands who can say the same about their non-cats.

 

[bholler]

ILL take my 24 hr burns any day. Id rather replace a cat than baffles, tubes and what have you

You only replace tubes if you severely abuse your stove and honestly if you do that the stove is probably shot. Don't hit the baffle or get a stove with a more durable one if that's a concern. I have a stove that can burn 24 hours but honestly only do it a couple times a year. It just puts out so little heat at that I never use it.

 

[rijim]

The bottom line is you need a stove that will heat a relatively small space with the occasional need to push a little harder to heat a sun room; correct? A CAT stove will work better in this situation because it can be run lower. If you choose to heat the sun porch all the time then either would work. BK is one of the leaders in CAT technology; PE is one of the leaders in non-cat technology; smaller spaces often require closer clearances, clad stoves in both lines help with that so have a look at this requirement when selecting.

 

[DonGedye]

Hi, a local dealer came over last night and was measuring and gave his opinion where to put a wood stove. He recommended the Blaze King Ashford 30. It is alot of $$ installed. I dont know if im being ripped or not but it would cost approx. $8,900 installed. For the stove and parts came to $7,860 + $1,050 for install. Anyone have any feedback regarding Blaze king Ashford 30? Do you think this is a good price? I have no clue regarding all the pipes needed. But the pipe will go approx. 8ft straight up through the ceiling. Im not sure of the length after the asphalt shingles.
View attachment 302896

I received one quote from a California store (I had to pick it up) for $5344. I received another quote from a Utah store for $3600. (I had to pick it up there also). Neither had the blower - it would have been extra. Unfortunately no one has the stove and is a minimum of 6 months until delivery. These prices are stove only.

 

[Ashful]

I received one quote from a California store (I had to pick it up) for $5344. I received another quote from a Utah store for $3600. (I had to pick it up there also). Neither had the blower - it would have been extra. Unfortunately no one has the stove and is a minimum of 6 months until delivery. These prices are stove only.

$3600 is mighty low compared to some of the prices we've seen posted lately. Almost looks like a pre-pandemic number.

 

[Hoytman]

Both the ashford and the hearthstone require tall chimneys. If it’s all perfectly vertical, no less than 15’ from top of stove to cap.

My bk on low heats the heck out of my 1700 SF1963 built home to well below freezing, when we get into the teens and single digits I need to bump it up a little to medium.

Noncats are great when you want balls out high output.

That’s a BK Princess and 1700sq ft?

 

[begreen]

That’s a BK Princess and 1700sq ft?

In the Pac NW climate zone.

 

[Hoytman]

No tubes in his PE and the baffle can last the life of the stove.

What exactly is the definition of “the life of the stove” for a PE? Does the manufacturer give a number?

 

[begreen]

Hard to say. There are several that have passed their 20th and some their 30th year of service. The oldest had a mild steel baffle and most have had to replace them with the stainless version. I think they went stainless in the late 1990s. Our stove is 14 yrs old and doing fine. I just replaced a few rear firebricks and side-rail insulation for the first time. Other than that all it's had is a door gasket. All told, less than $100 so far. There is a 10yr warranty on major parts.

 

[stoveliker]

In the Pac NW climate zone.

But teens and single digits, when he had to bump it up all the way to medium...

 

[JeanneM]

I skimmed through this thread to see if anyone mentioned this - maybe I missed it, but there is a tax credit of 26% on the price of the stove and install for the high efficiency stoves - they are considered "green" energy. That will take a bit off the price if that stove qualifies - though you won't get the tax credit till you pay your taxes for the year you bought the stove.

 

[Woodsman on the Plains]

Hi, a local dealer came over last night and was measuring and gave his opinion where to put a wood stove. He recommended the Blaze King Ashford 30. It is alot of $$ installed. I dont know if im being ripped or not but it would cost approx. $8,900 installed. For the stove and parts came to $7,860 + $1,050 for install. Anyone have any feedback regarding Blaze king Ashford 30? Do you think this is a good price? I have no clue regarding all the pipes needed. But the pipe will go approx. 8ft straight up through the ceiling. Im not sure of the length after the asphalt shingles.
View attachment 302896

I will tell you that I just had mine installed in October. 24' of class A insulated pipe, approx 4' double wall, Sirocco 30.2. Grand total was $8,500. And that was with a slight discount because they were having a sale on pipe.

 

[BKVP]

I skimmed through this thread to see if anyone mentioned this - maybe I missed it, but there is a tax credit of 26% on the price of the stove and install for the high efficiency stoves - they are considered "green" energy. That will take a bit off the price if that stove qualifies - though you won't get the tax credit till you pay your taxes for the year you bought the stove.

Just to clarify, it's not the year you purchased the stove, it is the year in which a "safe and complete installation is completed." Many folks did purchase qualifying units in December of 2022but won't take delivery until after the 12/31/2022 deadline. The move to 25(C) on 1/1/2023 means you get 30% but has the $2,000 cap.

 

[BKVP]

What exactly is the definition of “the life of the stove” for a PE? Does the manufacturer give a number?

Product warranties are defined by each state. In Canada, I have no idea. A simple Google search of the topic is mind numbing....

 

[Barnesm8583]

i received an estimate of a sirocco 20.2 for $4,250 for the stove itself. Is that reasonable?