How forgiving is the Blaze King ?

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kwikrp

Feeling the Heat
Hearth Supporter
Oct 21, 2008
299
SE Mass
I am considering buying a new Blaze king but I am curious to find out if anyone knows if they will work with semi seasoned wood, or not that great of a draft etc. Are they temperamental??? The older stoves are some what forgiving?
 
Cat stoves are less forgiving than non cats when it comes to wet wood. If you engage the cat too soon with wet wood you can cause thermal shock to the cat and major plugging problems. The big BK would be more forgiving with wet wood since they use a steel cat that resists thermal shock, but you can also burn a little hotter in the bypass mode for a little longer til the sizzling stops. You will lose some efficiency and burn time but sometimes you don't have a choice if your wood isn't up to par.
 
What Todd Said - I'm using the King and have wood that is 20 - 25% on average. When it's warm out my draft isn't the best either. I just make sure I burn on high until I can't see steam coming off the wood. The steel cat does resist thermal shock in the sense that it won't crumble and fall apart but if you run too much moister through it, it will warp and not seat correctly but it will still work.
 
I've burned a lot of junk this fall. Just burn off the moisture and it is good to go. Not sure you can get around poor draft though. The low stack temps require a decent pipe.
 
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