How small of a house for a King

[Doc C]

Yep....another Blaze king thread!

Our house goes on the market the first week of Feb. it’s a hot market and we have the ideal house and we are priced slightly below market value. I’m expecting to have an accepted offer in the first week.

The houses we have been looking at have been around 2100 square feet with vaulted ceilings. Insulation levels standard for houses built in the 1990s.

I like the idea of the king over the princess because of burn times.

I’m hesitating on going that size because of the problem I had with the Englander 30 overheating my house but I realize that the BK are cat stoves and will perform different.

I would rather be a little colder then be to hot.

Is it realistic to put a King in a house around this size or is it overkill?

I read the ratings but I have no faith in SF ratings of manufacturers because of all the variables involved.

I would love to be able to load the stove one time every 30-40 hours.

 

[jetsam]

The Princess goes so low that I can burn it on a 60 degree day without opening windows.

I think the King's low is a little higher. Interested to see what King owners have to say.

I too have firebox size envy when I look at a King.

 

[Doc C]

The Princess goes so low that I can burn it on a 60 degree day without opening windows.

I think the King's low is a little higher. Interested to see what King owners have to say.

I too have firebox size envy when I look at a King.

My biggest problem is my wife is tired of the mess from the stove. She loves the heat from stove and will put up with the mess to have the heat but I figure if I only have to load the stove once per day that would cut down drastically on how much crap is everywhere. Right now I load probably around 5 Times a day and I don’t mind that one bit but it does make a pretty big mess.

 

[jetsam]

There's been whole threads about hearth cleanup if you want to search for them.

I must agree that going from loading 5x a day to once every 2 days would have to make it easier.

 

[Simonkenton]

If your wife doesn't like a mess, don't get a Jotul Oslo.

 

[webby3650]

If your wife doesn't like a mess, don't get a Jotul Oslo.

I agree, probably the messiest stove I’ve had to date.

 

[begreen]

There's been whole threads about hearth cleanup if you want to search for them.

I must agree that going from loading 5x a day to once every 2 days would have to make it easier.

5X?? 3x is our typical max loading frequency, 2x in mild weather. My wife is OCD and insists on a clean hearth. Not an issue. I store the wood out on the porch and bring in what we need. The hearth is easy to sweep clean and we have a nice handheld vac there for quick pick. Kindling is in an old copper boiler which looks good in the house. A couple loads of wood could be stored in one too.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Wait, you're loading the 30 *FIVE* times a day? I'm guessing partial loads? Otherwise that would be over 450 cubic feet of wood a month!

 

[webby3650]

I had a King in my 2200 square foot ranch home. We loved it, but later decided to add a smaller stove in the center of the house. I don’t feel that any size BK would over heat your place. Unparalleled controllability! I sold the king to a friend only because I didn’t want to install an 8” flue.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Wait, you're loading the 30 *FIVE* times a day? I'm guessing partial loads? Otherwise that would be over 450 cubic feet of wood a month!

Well, yes, if you filled it with perfectly split wood that filled every cubic inch and there were no coals, ash, or burn tubes in the measured space each time you reloaded.

 

[Doc C]

I HAD the 30 in here. It was way too big. I replaced it with the 13. Which is why I load it so many times. Usually I put 2 pieces in at a time.

I don’t use much wood at all.

The BK will be for the new house. There is no problem cleaning the hearth. It just has to be cleaned ALOT and my wife would like to have to clean it less when we move.

 

[Tar12]

I think the King will work for you but loading every 30-40 hours is unrealistic if you both work...it is not that you can't get that burn time but you will have to adjust to your schedule...once every 24 hr while both working? Absolutley! I run a BK Princess in just shy of 2000 sq ft.and we both work...I load twice a day as it fits our schedule.

 

[Highbeam]

I can easily load the nc30 5 times in one day! Each time to the roof! 3 hours is all it takes to blow a load if you need the heat. Most folks reduce output so that they can load a little less often. If you need the heat, any stove can just blow through fuel.

I would not hesitate to put a king in a 2000+ sf house in a cold climate. Especially if you’re burning northwest wood species like fir and alder.

They sell an awful lot of princess sized stoves in very cold areas because they use 6” flues and have similar output specs to the king.

 

[Doc C]

I think the King will work for you but loading every 30-40 hours is unrealistic if you both work...it is not that you can't get that burn time but you will have to adjust to your schedule...once every 24 hr while both working? Absolutley! I run a BK Princess in just shy of 2000 sq ft.and we both work...I load twice a day as it fits our schedule.

I am medically retired. So loading times is not an issue. Preferably not at night though.

 

[Doc C]

I can easily load the nc30 5 times in one day! Each time to the roof! 3 hours is all it takes to blow a load if you need the heat. Most folks reduce output so that they can load a little less often. If you need the heat, any stove can just blow through fuel.

I would not hesitate to put a king in a 2000+ sf house in a cold climate. Especially if you’re burning northwest wood species like fir and alder.

They sell an awful lot of princess sized stoves in very cold areas because they use 6” flues and have similar output specs to the king.

That is what I needed to hear.

 

[begreen]

Not sure a king would go for a house much smaller than this.

 

[Tar12]

I am medically retired. So loading times is not an issue. Preferably not at night though.

Nothing stopping you then! The timing of reloads will vary with your wood species but you will get that figured out.

 

[Doc C]

Nothing stopping you then! The timing of reloads will vary with your wood species but you will get that figured out.

My wood species is pine!

 

[Tar12]

My wood species is pine!

Well then...with one species you will have it figured out quickly! The King makes even more sense for you...

 

[Doc C]

Well then...with one species you will have it figured out quickly! The King makes even more sense for you...

I do have some fir and a little birch in the area but most of what we have to burn are different types of pine

 

[becasunshine]

My biggest problem is my wife is tired of the mess from the stove. She loves the heat from stove and will put up with the mess to have the heat but I figure if I only have to load the stove once per day that would cut down drastically on how much crap is everywhere. Right now I load probably around 5 Times a day and I don’t mind that one bit but it does make a pretty big mess.

We are lucky in that we have a straight line from the wood stack on the front porch, through the front door, and a few steps to the stove.

We bought an inexpensive canvas log tote online to carry splits to the stove. Much of the mess is contained within the canvas log tote. Load splits, take tote outside, shake it out, put more splits in tote, park it outside on the porch during reasonable weather, inside in the foyer during truly inclement weather.

The thing that makes a real difference in keeping the stove/hearth area neat is an ash vacuum. We bought a Power Smith ash vacuum several years ago. We keep it plugged into an outlet located in an adjacent closet. Loading the stove is a quick three step process: 1. Load splits, 2. Vacuum hearth and door ledge on stove. If we vacuum up a stray warm ember, no problem, it's an ash vacuum, 3. Refill steamer on stove top.

If I had to sweep up the hearth every time I loaded the stove, I'd hate it too. And I hate it when the hearth area is messy. Sooo...

If you don't have a nearby closet in which to stash an ash vacuum, you can get a nicely done decorative one that can sit in the vicinity of the stove and look like it's part of the stove vignette. Lots of peeps with pellet stoves (we had a pellet stove in our house in town) do this. (Unlike wood stoves that actually thrive on a bit of a bed of ash and embers, pellet stoves like to be clean.)

As far as the King being too much stove for a 2100 sq ft house in Idaho, we run a Princess in a 2012 sq. ft. house on the water in Virginia. For most of the burn season, the Princess is more than adequate. It does run well on low. During challenging times i.e. Arctic blasts and that snow hurricane we just had, I *wish* we had gone big with the King. We didn't turn on the propane furnace once during the snow hurricane and the subsequent very cold temps, but we had to run the Princess hard during those days, and we had to use box fans to move the heat off of the stove and to pull the cold air out of the other end of the house.

Good thing we didn't have to rely on our propane furnace. After that epic burn, we realized that we needed to vacuum out both the front and the back side of the CAT. We had to cool the stove down enough to remove the flame shield from the front of the CAT, and remove the stove pipe from the top of the stove to access the back side of the CAT. We cranked up the propane furnace (it was still pretty cold outside) and found that it wasn't working. =/ =/ We've been relying on the wood stove since last week and it'll probably be another week on just the wood stove, while we wait for parts to arrive.

The Princess is the perfect footprint for our space. Just in terms of size/displacement, the King might have been too intrusive in the location we chose for the stove- which is really the ideal place in this floor plan.

I cannot imagine that the King would be too much stove in Idaho. LOL, I'd probably put TWO Kings in a house in Idaho- one on either end- and sit in the middle between the two.

 

[Niko]

I've owned a king for about 4 years and I love every minute when I use it. My house is 3000 square feet divide that by 2 so 1500 on each level, Custom raised ranch. The king does heat me out of ky downstairs but thats cause im trying to get heat upstairs and I turn it up. You habe to look at goir house and hownits built from head to toe. How well insulated your house is plays a big part in keeping the heat in also. I purchased a princess and I'm going to install it this summer so I dont have to run my stove downstairs so hard. 24 hr burn times are easy to achieve with a king and thats running it like 45 percent and good dry hard wood.

The room the stove will be in will be a lot hotter then your other rooms so keep that in mind. But knowing that any stove will be in the same situation just the king will last longer.

As far as making a mess their is no way around it. After you get used to your setup you will get more efficient and things will get better so you'll make less of a mess. But placing the stove in the right spot is key not only for your heating needs but also for loading it. Sometimes putting a stove in the middle of your house is key but keep in mind your bringing wood to that stove.

 

[BKVP]

What will your install look like from a venting perspective. The King loves straight up and out installs. It does NOT like elbows, wall exits, short stacks.

 

[becasunshine]

What will your install look like from a venting perspective. The King loves straight up and out installs. It does NOT like elbows, wall exits, short stacks.

That's good to know, BKVP.

1. It clears up some ambiguity in my mind- the installers had to use two 45' elbows at the top of our stack to zig zag around an attic joist and roof truss. On the brief periods during our most challenging weather when I wish I had pushed harder for a King, I can look at the footprint, displacement and install of our Princess and reassure myself that the Princess is the best stove for our space, and

2. It gives me realistic parameters for any future wood stove and installation in any future house we may own.

 

[ratsrepus]

If your wife doesn't like a mess, don't get a Jotul Oslo.

Man you aint kiddin. you don't open your front door do you?