Keeping BKK glass clean? Any tricks?

[Manatarms]

I finally got my new BKK parlor up and running and have been burning straight for the last week. Still learning the ropes with this sucker.

I find it hard to keep the glass clean. Are there any tricks? The upper center stays clear...I presume due to the jet wash...but the lower sides are solid.

thanks!

mark

 

[SolarAndWood]

Congrats Mark. Full load of pine at a good clip cleans mine right up.

 

[stockcarver]

That has been my experience also. It gets better when burning at a higher rate during the bitter cold part of winter, but never completely clean. I also have creosote inside the firebox. Nothing unusual, just the character of the burn, and I burn all pine/fir.

Easy way to clean is to scrape deposits on the glass if you get a chance when the stove is cool, using a safe edge razor blade. Then I take a couple paper towels moistened with Rutland glass cleaner and polish the glass. Takes just a couple minutes.

After a few years I just got accustomed to it and it does not bother me.

 

[toejam]

How often should you burn at higher temps to clean the flue and should the by-pass remain open during this high heat?

 

[learnin to burn]

Congrats on getting the stove running. Best way to keep glass clean is to have really dry wood (15% -17%) , which I don't have and burn real hot for about an hour.

+1 ===> Quote - Easy way to clean is to scrape deposits on the glass if you get a chance when the stove is cool, using a safe edge razor blade. Then I take a couple paper towels moistened with Rutland glass cleaner and polish the glass. Takes just a couple minutes.

 

[BrotherBart]

Sure. Trade it in on a non-cat. My glass has been clean for a month. :lol:

 

[Manatarms]

What temp is too hot for this stove? I have an IR thermometer and I've seen small spots on the stove top (near the stove pipe) that get upwards of 720, but I bet if I had one of those stovetop jobs it would read lower. This hotspot will wander around from time to time during the burn. I think it corresponds to a hotspot on the cat based on what is part of the load is currently cooking the hottest. Anyay, I don't want to overcook this sucker, but if I reload full and crank the intake air to max it will get up over 700 in about 10 minutes (I know this varies by wood type and moisture).

Where can I get a nice stove top thermometer online?

I'm really loving the heat this stove cranks out and the ease of running with minimal fuss. I think the trick is to crank the air after the reload and then throttle it back in increments until I get to cruising temp. Any other advise?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[learnin to burn]

You pretty much have the right game plane. The manual says to run it on high for up to an hour to clean the soot off the glass. Based on how the T-stat is calibrated I don't believe you can over fire the stove unless you leave the bypass or loading door open. I know you can safely operate the stove on 3 all winter long without a problem.


DOOR GLASS, CLEANING
The best -way to keep the glass clean is to leave the stove on high burn for a period of time after each reloading.
The moisture which is driven from a new load of wood contributes much of the creosote on the inside of the glass.
Removing that moisture at the beginning of the burn cycle helps to keep the glass clean. Leaving the thermostat on a
higher setting for 30 minutes to an hour before turning to low for an overnight burn will also help. Even then the glass
may coat during a low burn. Heavier deposits may require hand cleaning.

 

[Lanningjw]

What temp is too hot for this stove? I have an IR thermometer and I've seen small spots on the stove top (near the stove pipe) that get upwards of 720, but I bet if I had one of those stovetop jobs it would read lower. This hotspot will wander around from time to time during the burn. I think it corresponds to a hotspot on the cat based on what is part of the load is currently cooking the hottest. Anyay, I don't want to overcook this sucker, but if I reload full and crank the intake air to max it will get up over 700 in about 10 minutes (I know this varies by wood type and moisture).

Where can I get a nice stove top thermometer online?

I'm really loving the heat this stove cranks out and the ease of running with minimal fuss. I think the trick is to crank the air after the reload and then throttle it back in increments until I get to cruising temp. Any other advise?

Thanks for all the help!

From My experience your always gonna get some stains on the glass but I have found the following to help.
Dry wood is a must with this stove
Always load in a east/west formation of the splits.
Start with a higher t-stat temp at the start of reloading and bring her down to low. This burns out the moisture from the wood.
The most important thing is to keep some space in front of the glass so the air wash can to it job.
Brurning on a high/med setting helps to remove the stains from the glass.
Its really not a big deal to have some stains on the glass.

 

[gholland]

From searching this forum I am getting the sense that the BK's window actually gets "dirtier" than a non-cat. Is that accurate? Specifically, I'm considering the BK Princess Insert.

-Lanning, you suggested the BK does have an air wash system. Is that right? I could not find that anywhere else on BK's site or here. I guess I presumed the lack of secondary burn tubes also emitted channeling of hot air over the glass.

I'm replacing an old Timberline and one of the reasons is, my wife and kids want to see the fire. The utilitarian in me thinks the BK would be ideal because of lower settings and long burn time, etc. The catch, it appears, is that lower settings seem dirty up the window which is the problem I'm trying to fix in the first place. Is that a fair analysis? And about how big is the BK window? I think I read its 16.5 inches across. Is that big or small for an insert?

By the way, this forum is awesome. The dealers in my area say the carry certain models, but none of them ever have any in stock to look at. Hearth.com is helping me to make an educated guess about what will work for my home.

 

[Lanningjw]

From searching this forum I am getting the sense that the BK's window actually gets "dirtier" than a non-cat. Is that accurate? Specifically, I'm considering the BK Princess Insert.

-Lanning, you suggested the BK does have an air wash system. Is that right? I could not find that anywhere else on BK's site or here. I guess I presumed the lack of secondary burn tubes also emitted channeling of hot air over the glass.

I'm replacing an old Timberline and one of the reasons is, my wife and kids want to see the fire. The utilitarian in me thinks the BK would be ideal because of lower settings and long burn time, etc. The catch, it appears, is that lower settings seem dirty up the window which is the problem I'm trying to fix in the first place. Is that a fair analysis? And about how big is the BK window? I think I read its 16.5 inches across. Is that big or small for an insert?

By the way, this forum is awesome. The dealers in my area say the carry certain models, but none of them ever have any in stock to look at. Hearth.com is helping me to make an educated guess about what will work for my home.

Welcome to the forum! The search engine is gonna be your friend. I do Have a BKPI and have been using it for the last month. I did have a secondary burn tube insert that I had used for 3 heating seasons.

Yes the BKPI does have a air wash system. If you burn the insert at a higher temp setting you can see all the fire you want! I mean big fire. Mine has fire showing down to the medium/low setting and at this point it only calls for air thru the damper when it needs it so your gonna have very intermittent fire but mostly a red glowing. I think that the wife and kids could watch and then turn it down for a long over night burn. Most BKPI users according to BK use the insert at a medium to high setting for the fire show. In my case I have seen lots of dancing fire and would rather watch TV. The amount of heat with long burns is what I am after and so far I am very happy with the results. Its a real quality piece of heating equipment. Yes the glass does get dirty but to me that not a big deal and I can live with it.

 

[Highbeam]

I like BK for the utility but you will not get anywhere near the flame show with a BK that you would from a nice big window on a non-cat stove. You want to watch a nice fire, get a non-cat. We stare at the flames almost as much as the TV.

 

[andybaker]

I agree with most, the easiest way to keep the glass clean is a hot fire with a lot of flame. The glass will eventually need to be cleaned manually though. I use the Rutlands Glass Cleaner and rub it on, use a wet cloth to rub the junk off and then polish it off with a dry rag. If you use a wet rag don't use on hot glass. Another little trick with glass is if there are small spots that were missed use 0000 finest steel wool and just rub them away. 0000 won't scratch glass. Try it on a window in your house or car-works great on bugs or paint. Anyway, Thanksgiving is coming up and I always like to clean glass so clean it looks as though it isn't there. My niece paid me the best compliment a few years ago on a holiday, she said as I went to load some wood, "oh, that's a real fireplace, I didn't know. It looked so pretty." :coolsmile:

 

[Manatarms]

Lanning,

So your doing the East West load...OK, I've been going N/S. BTW...How did the piston install go?

-Mark

 

[Lanningjw]

Mark,
The piston ring clamp was on back order and it just came last week. Going up to my buds place for the piston swap. He is better at turning wrenches than I. It works OK at 64 cc but am looking forward to 79. How Much did you have to mess with the carb after install?

 

[gholland]

-Highbeam and Lanning thanks for your insight. Now I just need to decide which camp will win the battle: my inner-utilitarian (BK) vs the cosmetic/looks camp (Country C260).

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Keeping BKK glass clean? Any tricks?

mark

Try dryer wood and/or a hotter fire.

 

[Wet1]

It works OK at 64 cc but am looking forward to 79. How Much did you have to mess with the carb after install?

Just readjust the high and low and you're GTG. You'll notice a big difference with the swap. After you get about 5 or 6 tanks through her, she'll be a real screamer!

 

[Wet1]

BTW, don't bother buying/using store bought glass cleaner. Dab a damp paper towel in your ashes and clean the window with that, it works excellent.

 

[Lanningjw]

I burned on high last night in an attempt to clean up my glass. After an hour of a high setting it had reduced a (considerable amount) of the stuff, but it still had it on the glass in the lower corners and sides. I have cleaned the glass with ashes but have not needed to burn on high on a regular basis, so I think it had a lot of build up from a couple of weeks of burning. It was 84 degrees in the living room (40 f outside), the dogs was panting and so we went out for a walk.

The cat really made my load of sugar maple and red oak smell kinda weird. I don't quiet know how to describe it but it did not have the same smell as it did with a non cat stove. I guess you kinda got to smell it to know what I am trying to describe.

From that one load of wood at 7p, burning on high, the house was still 70 degrees at 5a when I went to work. The brick fire place acts as a huge heat sink absorbing the inserts heat and keeps the house kinda warm in this 40 degree weather. It has been fun playing with the insert and trying different burns and getting varying results.

 

[Lanningjw]

-Highbeam and Lanning thanks for your insight. Now I just need to decide which camp will win the battle: my inner-utilitarian (BK) vs the cosmetic/looks camp (Country C260).

I was looking at the C260, very nice looking, looks like it runs a 8 inch Pipe, is that correct? I think they were call it a Legacy not a country. I wonder if it will be kinda difficut to get that 8 inch down the chimney?

 

[Valhalla]

Damp/Wet newspaper works great to easily clean the glass.

Burn better seasoned wood and at higher stove temps to keep
it cleaner. Fuel moisture content can affect the glass greatly!

Also the amount of time to bring the stove up to normal temp
has a lot to do with it. Check out the video from the good folks
in Canada on starting and lighting a cold wood stove.

 

[gholland]

Sorry to all for veering this post off topic.

Lanning - I think the C260 looks pretty sharp myself (and more importantly - so does my better half). It does run an 8 inch pipe. The dealer previously came out to my house to remove my Timberline and do some measuring. He said an 8 inch will fit no problem. My chimney/hearth is pretty big. The actual opening is big enough the dealer thinks the side facia would fit inside/flush with the existing opening. It is called a Legacy C260 by Lennox, but there is an arched "country" across the front of the stove. I mentioned some of my thinking / concerns in this thread about firebox size, going from a non-epa to epa stove, etc.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/46177/

I have been using the "search" function / lurking for several months now. Attached is a photo of the beast I'm replacing.

I just noticed today, coincidentally from a photo of yours Lanning, that the fan controls are on the right side which will be in plain view of anyone entering our house. My wife mentioned that before, but it went in one ear and out the other until I saw that photo. She also said she did not want to see a cord. Period. It looks like I would have to tuck the fan cord under the unit and at least an inch of cord would be showing. Plus she would like to reclaim some of the hearth that the stove sits on. The BK measurements indicate it sits out 13.25 inches from the facia. That is about as much as my Timberline.

All in all, I think all the little things add up to the C260 even though I kind of want the BK. I'm sure I'll be happy with either.

 

[Lanningjw]

>I just noticed today, coincidentally from a photo of yours Lanning, that the fan controls are on the right side which will be in plain view of anyone entering our house. My wife mentioned that before, but it went in one ear and out the other until I saw that photo. She also said she did not want to see a cord. Period. It looks like I would have to tuck the fan cord under the unit and at least an inch of cord would be showing.<<<


BTW
The cord on the BKPI comes out of the unit on the left side not the right. I had to wrap it around the back side of the insert to get it to my outlet. You would never tuck the fan electric cord under the insert, it would short out.

 

[gholland]

So there is no way to run it down the chimney clean out?