New BK Princess Insert Bypass Gritty While Closing, Not Camming Over Anymore

[Dr. McMaster]

Good evening everyone (and Happy New Years Eve!). First time posting on the forum here, but I’ve been browsing, researching and learning for almost two years now. I just finished installing a BK Princess Insert earlier this month, and it’s lived up to all the hype so far. More to come on the install in the near future, which ended up being a custom perlite/Roxul/block off plate/top plate adventure, and I think you’ll enjoy the write up (and all the pics). Hopefully it ends up being a value-add to the next guy. I know I couldn’t have done it without all of the existing threads and posts on this site.

Alright, onto the issue I’m facing now. I’ve probably thrown the bypass lever ~30 times so far. Up through time ~25, everything worked as expected. Smooth action, sets firmly into place as the bypass closes and begins to seal, cams over with a satisfying click/pang into the lock position. Very nice, great success. However, time ~26-30 has become increasingly gritty/rough feeling throughout the entire throw, and it is no longer clicking/panging into that cam-lock position (or at least it doesn’t sound like it’s making it there, though the handle seems to be up into the fully closed position). The stove still seemed to run fine/normal, and I let it burn out the last time and left for vacation. I’ll be heading home tomorrow to some New England winter weather (for the first time this season, though I’m not complaining), so I want to get this issue resolved quickly.

Now, I’m aware of the bypass door tension setting nut/bolt. I’m also aware that, as far as I have read, it is only accessible through the stove exhaust opening. I am painfully aware of how difficult it is to get this insert into the hearth and hooked up to my SS liner, due to the tight fit and lack of vertical play in the liner/my setup. So I only want to pull this thing if I absolutely have to.

The ‘gritty through the whole throw’ makes it seem like something else is at play, though. There’s definitely the possibility that a piece of flue cement has broken loose and made its way down to the bypass door gasket/frame and is interfering with how it’s closing (the mouth of the adjustable 90 ended up being a little out of round, so it left a bit of a gap between it and the exhaust collar when looking up through the fire chamber in the stove, so I filled that gap with flue cement using my finger). I’m going to try to inspect/vacuum that as best I can from inside the stove first thing. Then I’ll do the dollar bill test on the bypass gasket. I’m curious if you guys think it might be something else? I believe I can access some of the bypass handle/cable assembly by taking the right side panel off. Is there anything in there that I might need to check/adjust/lube? If I need to pull the stove, so be it, but I want to make sure I cover all other bases first.

Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions!

 

[Highbeam]

First, with a cool stove, open the bypass and run your fingers along the bypass gasket to clear any junk that may be on the gasket. Do this with every cold reload.

 

[blueguy]

Is the insert bypass operated by a jacketed cable? If so and nothing is found in / around the bypass door, it could be the cable liner is coming apart. The description kind of reminds me of an old school choke cable needing replacement. The other thing may be that the high temp lube on the bypass door bracket has burned away. A liberal application of high temp anti seize on the sections of the bracket that come into contact with each other will smooth the action out.

 

[rdust]

If it looks to be an internal issue after checking external pieces you may have enough access to check out the bypass by removing the cat. Easier to replace a gasket instead of pulling the stove. Room to work will be limited but may be worth a look.

 

[Dr. McMaster]

Good thoughts all around – thanks for the advice and suggestions! So, I checked the bypass door and felt around with my fingers. Didn’t feel any junk on/around the bypass gasket. I noticed the bypass door didn’t feel as gritty in its throw. Still not necessarily camming into place, but its definitely popping /pinging as if it did when I open the bypass. I forgot to do the dollar bill test before I started the stove up again. Going to let it burn out and cool down tonight and I’ll test the bypass gasket tomorrow, and I’ll let you know what I find.

 

[Dr. McMaster]

Hey Guys – just wanted to follow up here. Did the dollar bill test on both the bypass gasket and the door, and both appear to be plenty tight. I’ve noticed that the hotter the stove is when I close the bypass, the less likely it is to sound/feel like its camming into place. Must just be how all the components are fitting after they’re all expanded slightly at temperature. Regardless, the stove is continuing to work great, so I don’t think I’m going to have to pull it and fool around with the bypass tension at this moment. I’ll test both the gaskets again in about a month to make sure nothing’s changed or to adjust the door if need be. Thanks for the ideas!

 

[Ricky8443]

Dr. McMaster, I've had this very similar issue with my bk princess insert. Normally you get the cat up to temp and close down after 15 mintues or so? I started having issues closing and opening the bypass smoothly. Try running the stove very hot without closing the bypass down for maybe 30-60 minutes, to the point where its good and hot throughout. Stay by the stove to be sure you don't over fire, but you want to get it very hot while the bypass is open. I found that this really clears everything out allows the bypass to open and close smoothly again. I have to do this every 8 weeks or so and it really melts and burns all of the potential buildup in there. . Let me know if this works at all.