Melted BlazeKing 40

[sacountry]

I've been reading some of the debate on Hearth about BlazeKing 40 vs Regency 5200, but I didn't see the answer to the question running through my head. Backstory, I just bought a house in NW Montana which has a BlazeKing 40 Cat stove installed, manufacture date of June 2007. The side wall air chambers (and in the rear) of the firebox are melted to the point that they are opened with 8"-10" gashes in them. The CAT is not functioning. I have no idea what caused these walls to deteriorate since I have not been maintaining the stove, but clearly, some very hot fires were had.

My question is this. I've noticed that the Regency 5200 uses firebrick on the bottom and sides of it's firebox. The Blazeking only uses them on the bottom. I'm leaning towards the Regency 5200 for this design reason since all other variables seem quite similar. My figuring is that replacing firebrick is a whole cheaper than having air chambers rewelded. Am I off in my reasoning?

Second to that, the Buck Stove Model 91 seems to fall into this same category of large firebox CAT stoves. It's noticeably less expensive. Is the Model 91 of similar quality to the Regency 5200?

 

[bholler]

I've been reading some of the debate on Hearth about BlazeKing 40 vs Regency 5200, but I didn't see the answer to the question running through my head. Backstory, I just bought a house in NW Montana which has a BlazeKing 40 Cat stove installed, manufacture date of June 2007. The side wall air chambers (and in the rear) of the firebox are melted to the point that they are opened with 8"-10" gashes in them. The CAT is not functioning. I have no idea what caused these walls to deteriorate since I have not been maintaining the stove, but clearly, some very hot fires were had.

My question is this. I've noticed that the Regency 5200 uses firebrick on the bottom and sides of it's firebox. The Blazeking only uses them on the bottom. I'm leaning towards the Regency 5200 for this design reason since all other variables seem quite similar. My figuring is that replacing firebrick is a whole cheaper than having air chambers rewelded. Am I off in my reasoning?

Second to that, the Buck Stove Model 91 seems to fall into this same category of large firebox CAT stoves. It's noticeably less expensive. Is the Model 91 of similar quality to the Regency 5200?

That had to be caused by some pretty severe abuse. I don't care what stove it is if you abuse it bad enough you will destroy it.

All 3 stoves listed are very good. I personally am not a big fan of the bucks but many others like them. The regency and blaze king are similar with a few key differences. The regency is a hybrid with air tubes as well as a cat. The blaze king is cat only with a thermostatic air control.

 

[begreen]

I'm not sure if this is the case with this stove but IIRC there was a report in the everything BK thread about tarry deposits causing corrosion behind the bricks in the firebox. Highbeam can you expand on this and how to prevent it?

 

[Highbeam]

The “air chambers” you speak of being gashed are just welded in heat shields up high in the firebox. I’ve never seen them melted. However he did that makes me worry about other parts of this hammered stove. The Bk stoves all have firebricks on the bottom and all four sides. Just not all the way to the roof. These stoves are deep so it would take two rows and since the top half of this stove slopes inward, bricks won’t defy gravity well. This is not a problem since the coal pile will be down in the bricks or else it would fall out of the door.

I’ve seen firebox corrosion. It’s rare but possible. Especially with those that burn very very low which encourages that wet tar.

I would fix or replace the bk40. It’s an ideal stove for our softwoods. Second would be the regency but I would really miss the thermostatic control.

 

[sacountry]

Here's a pic of the inside of the 14 year old BlazeKing. I think you can see why I have some trepidation about replacing it with another BlazeKing.

 

[Highbeam]

Here's a pic of the inside of the 14 year old BlazeKing. I think you can see why I have some trepidation about replacing it with another BlazeKing.

Gosh, even the thick air wash plate has melted. I see an abused stove. There is about 9” of ash there too.

Nothing about that photo makes me not want a bk40. Everything there is caused by a bad operator.

It’s like showing us a wrecked Ford truck and saying you don’t want to buy a Ford because of how this one is wrecked.

But hey, no problem, the regency probably does well too.

 

[stoveliker]

Is the thermostat working on that stove...?!

 

[Rob_Red]

I wonder if they threw something other than wood in there? Maybe some coal?

 

[stoveliker]

It shouldn't do that; make it too hot and it squeezes the air. Running too hot is hard to do if the Tstat is working - possibly unless one runs with the door open (air won't get squeezed by the Tstat). But then the bypass needs to be open (or smoke spillage) and that would likely result in more damage near the bypass valve.

 

[Rob_Red]

What if you threw a bunch of kiln dried lumber in there?

 

[ohlongarm]

I've been reading some of the debate on Hearth about BlazeKing 40 vs Regency 5200, but I didn't see the answer to the question running through my head. Backstory, I just bought a house in NW Montana which has a BlazeKing 40 Cat stove installed, manufacture date of June 2007. The side wall air chambers (and in the rear) of the firebox are melted to the point that they are opened with 8"-10" gashes in them. The CAT is not functioning. I have no idea what caused these walls to deteriorate since I have not been maintaining the stove, but clearly, some very hot fires were had.

My question is this. I've noticed that the Regency 5200 uses firebrick on the bottom and sides of it's firebox. The Blazeking only uses them on the bottom. I'm leaning towards the Regency 5200 for this design reason since all other variables seem quite similar. My figuring is that replacing firebrick is a whole cheaper than having air chambers rewelded. Am I off in my reasoning?

Second to that, the Buck Stove Model 91 seems to fall into this same category of large firebox CAT stoves. It's noticeably less expensive. Is the Model 91 of similar quality to the Regency 5200?

Amazing, but I sense there's more to the story, I'd call BK, my guess is someone stoked it with anthracite coal with a good dose of diesel fuel and let her rip.I've run mine wide open with , locust, Osage and hickory and not even close to what I've seen here.

 

[stoveliker]

What if you threw a bunch of kiln dried lumber in there?

The same holds, as far as I know. I've burned some 2x4 cut offs. Does not behave differently than normal (properly seasoned) wood. Because the air gets adjusted by the thermostat: burns too well, gets too hot? The Tstat automatically squeezes the air (b/c of a bimetal coil in there).

 

[bholler]

Guys if abused and not maintained a person can destroy absolutely any stove. What matters really is that this is not typical and can only happen with pretty severe abuse to any stove

 

[ohlongarm]

Guys if abused and not maintained a person can destroy absolutely any stove. What matters really is that this is not typical and can only happen with pretty severe abuse to any stove

What temp would that stove have been to do that, although I had two Quadrafires split their sides, though not as severe as the BK shown here.

 

[bholler]

What temp would that stove have been to do that, although I had two Quadrafires split their sides, though not as severe as the BK shown here.

I honestly don't know. But that didn't happen with one event. That took quite a while.

 

[stoveliker]

I honestly don't know. But that didn't happen with one event. That took quite a while.

I know: too high

 

[sacountry]

I really have no idea what the previous owner did with this stove. He had the home for 2 years and did a bunch of questionable stuff with electrical and plumbing. So that all jives with what you guys are saying about operator error. What I'm hearing you all say is that I should NOT expect this to happen with a BK...even if I had one for 14 years burning fir or pine 24/7.

As to the questions about the Tstat, I haven't tested it. I'm fairly certain the CAT is not operational. I can pull that indicator right out the top of the stop with about a 2" small diameter rod attached to, but it doesn't make contact with anything when I pull it out of set it back in.

 

[stoveliker]

It won't make contact; it only measures the temp of the gases exiting the cat.

 

[sacountry]

Perhaps this is what happens to a stove that never has the ashes emptied???? You end up with red hot coals right next to the metal vs surrounded by fire brick?

 

[stoveliker]

No. Red hot coals touching the stove is perfectly normal. This person did something stupid. Did not follow the manual.

 

[showrguy]

No. Red hot coals touching the stove is perfectly normal. This person did something stupid. Did not follow the manual.

Very stupid, and very often..

 

[stoveliker]

Very stupid, and very often..

Yes. I'm thinking of that bumper sticker with this person throwing something in a trashcan, with the text (relevant here) "dude, it's not that hard".

 

[moresnow]

Give me all the fir, pine I can get. Love burning that. No worries.
Guessing... Perhaps? The prior owner gave up on utilizing/closing the bypass when they fubared the cat? Had to have almost zero door/glass/bypass gaskets. Maybe?
Betcha the pipe was clean Holy smokes! Great balls of fire.....
Maybe someone officially "in the know" who has likely seen this will chime in.

 

[sacountry]

I've shown the pic to a local stove guy and he said he's never seen anything like it 28 years. His thought is that they probably got into the habit of burning two or three of those Duralogs at one time.....either that or they may have been burning some garbage in there.

 

[bholler]

I've shown the pic to a local stove guy and he said he's never seen anything like it 28 years. His thought is that they probably got into the habit of burning two or three of those Duralogs at one time.....either that or they may have been burning some garbage in there.

Oh I have seen stoves burnt out that bad but it takes lots of abuse.