Help! Older BK Cat - Door won't close ...anyone have manual?

[Bri]

We recently moved into an older home and were excited that it had a wood burning stove. We have only had pellet stoves in the past.
We are not able to figure out how to close the stove door AND have the chimney open.
I thought having the door open is a bad thing. Am I wrong?
The latch on the right side that causes the smoke to go up the chimney pushes the door open?
Here is a picture of the stove,



Thank you for your patience and help!
~Bri

 

[webbie]

First, here is the basic ID of your stove, just for your info....
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/help-identifying-this-wood-stove.118947/#post-1591918

Yours looks like a newer catalytic model. So there must be a bypass - which allows the smoke to go directly up the chimney so it doesn't pour out the door. I'm sure a manual is available for this model...being as it's a cat and BK is still in business. I'll let some of the BK experts take it from here!

 

[BrotherBart]

I am betting there is linkage that opens the bypass when you open the door. And it may not be connected right. Just a guess.

 

[webbie]

Looks like this may be the manual - you need an extension for that bypass on the right, maybe......
(broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/PDF/manuals/old/KEJ-1101_PEJ-1002.pdf)

 

[Highbeam]

I have also heard that some of those older cat BKs had an auto linkage that opened the bypass anytime the door was opened.

 

[Bri]

Thank you! We are going through the manual...and noticed this is something broken?

 

[daleeper]

Make sure you are looking at the right manual. I'm not sure that the links have sent you to the proper manual. There should be a plate on the back of the stove that gives you the specific model number and year of manufacture, plus some other information. Blaze King's web site has most of the older manuals available for download.

Blaze King also has excellent phone support, and people on staff who are familiar with those older stoves, give them a call.

Will the door close with the bypass closed? If so, then the stove is designed that way.

I have an older stove that does have a mechanism to prevent the door from being closed while the bypass is open, but it is a different style of stove. But you may have a similar mechanism. I will say that what you have shown in the photo doesn't look right, but again, a much different stove than mine. The idea of preventing the door from closing while bypass is open is to prevent bypassing the cat all the time. The button on the upper right corner looks like part of that mechanism. I'm not sure what that stuff is in the center hanging down. I wonder if it is part of the cat and retaining mechanism. A shot from underneath what is hanging down might help.

I would guess you are wanting to bypass the cat because it is plugged up? If so, of course get that metal hanging from the top in the photo sorted out first, then pull the cat and clean or replace it would be my suggestion.

Don't give up on the stove, they are good stoves when working properly, and shouldn't be too difficult to get working right.

 

[Doug Morford]

The piece you see hanging down is the flame guard. It is supposed to be held in place by the secondary air tube, which connects to that bracket you can see on the front top. It doesn't look like the air tube is hooked up right.

 

[tarzan]

I believe the button on the rt. side of the door opening shuts the bypass when door is closed. This does not shut the chimney off. It only reroutes the smoke through the cat that "should" be over the flame guard that is hanging down over the door opening.

 

[Stump shot]

The flame shield is held on by a tab that is welded on to the top of the fire box. There should be one on each side. I replaced mine by welding some new ones on. The cat combustion air pipe will come out by loosening the 1/4 or 5/16 bolt that clamps it on. You also need fire brick at the back of the stove.

 

[Doug Morford]

Interesting. Mine doesn't have the tabs. Maybe they broke off. I was wondering if something was wrong with mine; my flame guard just kind of flops around because all that's holding it in is the air tube.

 

[Stump shot]

Take a wire brush to the top of the fire box in the center of the opening where the flame shield sits. You should be able to see where the tabs were welded on. There should be one on the right and one on the left.

 

[Doug Morford]

Thanks, I'll let her cool down and check.