Knob creaks and turns hard

[reaperman1]

So after this mornings reload, I let the stove do what it wanted after turning the dial down. It’s been creeping up to what I believe is close to its peak temp with this load of wood, three big splits that cover the width of the stove. Ive have the blower fan on its lowest setting since I felt the stove was hot enough to output good heat. I know without the fan running the flu temp would be higher along with the cat temp gauge. I don’t think the blower fan cools the cat but I’m sure it cools the temp probe. It’s been an hour since when I turned the knob down, the flapper hadn’t moved. Is this normal? You can see the cat temp at 1436, and flu at 844 and the stove is about as hot as it’s ever been. This is the total opposite of a slow, even heat that I read about with BK stoves. After this thing settle’s down, maybe, but thats an another hour or more down the road.

This should also prove I’m not burn wet wood.

 

[all night moe]

my wood is at least 7 years minimum and older split and dried red oak and ash. My issue isn’t with the stove/cat getting hot it’s the stove/cat getting too hot.

Could this be the problem? A 7yr minimum stash of splits? Oak burns hot as it is and the ash definitely couldn't get any drier.
Is it possible the ultra dry wood is burning at a peak temp and fast rate?

Asking all here.

 

[stoveliker]

Your cat temp is of no consequence. The thermostat does not regulate on the cat temperature. It regulates on the heat near the coil. That should be a decent measure of the heat radiated out into your room.

The flue temps do seem quite high to me.
Though you still have some flame (I think; hard to see).

 

[reaperman1]

Ok, 3.5 hrs later. I’m not sure when but the flapper closed itself, as it does when I only have it opened about 1/16”. It’s pretty much snuffed the fire as the temps dropped drastically. The cat is to the point of reaching the 500 degree mark and the stack is below 300. Hardly any heat output from the stove and I turned off the blower fan about 2.5 hrs ago, well before the flapper closed itself. The flapper hasn’t opened up despite the low stove temps. So why does the flapper close after the stove has cooled some rather than when its piping hot and needs it? So now I wait to see if the flapper will open as the house cools, or open it myself.

This is why this stove has been so finicky from the start. I need to keep babysitting it for a constant heat output.

PS, there were no flames visible in the photos of my previous post.

 

[reaperman1]

Could this be the problem? A 7yr minimum stash of splits? Oak burns hot as it is and the ash definitely couldn't get any drier.
Is it possible the ultra dry wood is burning at a peak temp and fast rate?

Asking all here.

I've wonderd this myself. I always figured I was 10 years ahead with firewood. I'm blessed to have a nice wooded home acreage with an endless supply of hardwood. When it gets real cold here in Minnesota I know Ash is going to give me the longest, hottest burn. A lot of my red oak is lighter in weight than the ash. Meaning the moisture is way down in the oak and I know it does burn faster. But everyone always says the drier the better in cat stoves, I have my doubts although there is probably a sweet spot. I know density matters too along with weight. Weight is BTU's.

 

[reaperman1]

The flue temps do seem quite high to me.

Me too, over 800 degrees for a couple of hours is excessive I think. My theory is a 1200 + degree cat re-heats already hot exhaust gasses only a few inches away from the exiting chimney pipe. How can’t the flu gasses be that hot? In addition, I think the stove can’t absorb and radiate that much heat. Especially, with shielding on 5 sides of the stove leaving only the front open to dissipate the heat.

 

[stoveliker]

Are you sure the bypass is properly closed?

 

[reaperman1]

Are you sure the bypass is properly closed?

The bypass on the Boxer is super simple. It’s a plate in the center of the stove that just slides strait out, then pushes strait back in. It uses the same type of gasket as the front door around the plate and the area the plate covers. There is no locking mechanism, just gravity.

 

[stoveliker]

Ok. But can you see it being closed?
Grasping at some straws here tho.
I can bend down and look up into the firebox and see the bypass being closed or not. Your Boxer is similarly high off the ground as my Chinook

 

[reaperman1]

Ok. But can you see it being closed?
Grasping at some straws here tho.
I can bend down and look up into the firebox and see the bypass being closed or not. Your Boxer is similarly high off the ground as my Chinook

The bypass has crossed my mind in the past. This fall when I cleaned the flu, I had the pipe off looking at the bypass from the top down. It’s very visible and only a couple of inches under the stove collar. I made sure there was no creosote buildup preventing the bypass from closing. It’s crossed my mind that any debris that may fall down from the chimney, falls directly on top of it and could hinder the door from closing tight. This wasn’t the case.

I’d have to let the stove go out and remove a guard plate from the inside and look up to see the bypass from the inside. Since this stove has acted this way since I first got it 3 seasons ago I’ve kind of ruled out the bypass. But it’s always on the back of my mind since it doesn’t lock down tight like the rest of the BK stoves do. And can a simple sliding plate with a gasket actually seal tight to begin with? I don’t know. I’d have to think some flu gasses could sneak thru since there is no way to adjust the down pressure.

 

[stoveliker]

ok. Bummer you can't see it as in my model.

A bit of a gap there should not lead to the high flue temps you see - a fully open bypass would.
(Though if a gap is there, it's of course worth fixing it for exhaust cleanliness and heating efficiency.)

I think I am stumped and will leave it to bkvp to provide further suggestions.
As I said before, I think your reasoning in how to operate the stove is (was) not entirely correct.
But the flue temps are a concern.

I don't know how setting your thermostat close (or on the wrong side) of the stall setting in your flue system is playing a role in your latest observations.
Setting it too low will lead to it falling out of the active zone. And what "too low" is, depends on your system (flue and home tightness).

It would be ideal if someone with experience in running a BK stove could have a drink with you while burning a load so they can see how the thing behaves. I don't know how many folks we have here from MN (or whether they might be close enough etc.)

 

[Cburke]

Just a thought here that happened to me on my Ashford when I was running into issues controlling my heat with the thermostat, have you checked that the set screw that holds the thermostat adjustment knob to the metal rod is tight, mine comes loose occasionally and makes it very hard to dial the heat up or down.

 

[reaperman1]

Just a thought here that happened to me on my Ashford when I was running into issues controlling my heat with the thermostat, have you checked that the set screw that holds the thermostat adjustment knob to the metal rod is tight, mine comes loose occasionally and makes it very hard to dial the heat up or down.

The thermostat on my stove is on the front of the stove and is very visible. In fact last week I took off the front valance which exposed the entire thermostat assembly. I lubricated the rod and all of the moving parts I have access to. Everything is tight and in working order, thanks for the reply.

 

[moresnow]

@reaperman1

Where are you located?

 

[reaperman1]

@reaperman1

Where are you located?

Near St. Cloud

 

[Tron]

Meaning the moisture is way down in the oak and I know it does burn faster.

That's only true if the fire has excess oxygen, which is not the case in a stove with a thermostat.
I found the wood species or age doesn't matter regarding heat output, it only matters regarding total heat content in the load, i.e. how long the load lasts at at given heat rate. Sure, a high moisture content affects both adversely, but with your 10-year-old wood, that's unlikely to be an issue if stored out of the rain.

But I agree with the others, there's something wrong with your thermostat. When I dial down the stove I can hear it clicking if I dial down far enough, evident of movement, and the fire dies down immediately (well, after 10 seconds maybe). That doesn't seem to be the case with your stove.

 

[BKVP]

Contact the dealer and file warranty for new thermostat. You can install it yourself, easy to do.

BKVP

 

[spudman99]

I just wanted to thank reaperman1 for this thread. You are highly attuned to your stove, patient and knowledgeable. This thread (including the photos) is very informative and potentially helpful to others in the future. Get that thermostat changed and let us know the results. Stay warm and bring joy into your life everyday if possible.