new bk princess on the way

[Chopslide]

I have a new bk p on the way an I'm stoked (bad pun eh) anyway I have been reading everything I can get my hands on about operating this thing..... this is my first cat. I am replacing a 15 yr old timberline and thinking the difference should be huge.....any advice on first burns..... general use and anything else would be welcomed
I have 4 cords of red fir mixed in with some larch and apple for good measure all the fir was standing dead this fall. should I be overly concerned about moisture content
with the princess?
Thanks to all who post on this forum!! I found it this tonight and have been reading for hours.... well done the best info I have found anywhere
chopslide

PS I was considering the QF 4100 anyone think the bk is the wrong choice...... Probably open a can there but..

 

[Todd]

Congrats and welcome to the forum. Good choice on the stove, I've had my eye on the Princess for some time and it has many great reviews here. Dry wood is a must for any stove, but even more so for a cat stove. Wet wood can cause thermal shock or clogging of the cat if you engage too soon. If it sizzles wait til it stops before engaging the cat. Hard to say if your standing dead wood will be dry or not, may be a good idea to invest in a cheap moisture meter, split it in half and see where your at.

 

[greythorn3]

blaze king princess insert! you lucky SOB man post up pics of the install when you get it..

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I have a new bk p on the way an I'm stoked (bad pun eh) anyway I have been reading everything I can get my hands on about operating this thing..... this is my first cat. I am replacing a 15 yr old timberline and thinking the difference should be huge.....any advice on first burns..... general use and anything else would be welcomed
I have 4 cords of red fir mixed in with some larch and apple for good measure all the fir was standing dead this fall. should I be overly concerned about moisture content
with the princess?
Thanks to all who post on this forum!! I found it this tonight and have been reading for hours.... well done the best info I have found anywhere
chopslide

PS I was considering the QF 4100 anyone think the bk is the wrong choice...... Probably open a can there but..

Relax everyone: He means Douglas Fir.

EDIT: Standing dead THIS fall? As in right now? The fall we're in right now? How standing dead? Needles off? Bark off? If it's straight up buckskins you'll be OK. Even so Doug Fir is a low moisture wood and Idaho is a low moisture state so it'll be ready soon if it's not already.

 

[Patapsco Mike]

My BK Princess is at the dealer. I'm just waiting for dry weather to go get it. I've owned a lot of stoves, and from what I've read and from the spec's there is nothing else quite like that stove.

Biggest issue you might consider is doing the break-in burns outside before taking the stove in your house. Any new stove smells horrid the first few times it's burned.

Good luck.

 

[Chopslide]

Redd... yep standing dead DOUGfir.. this fall, most of it buckskin some with bark still sticking I have stacked that in the back for later use.Greythorn I read your saga last night how did everything work out for you? I will be getting the stove on mon Princess ultra stove with fans.Congrats Mike I hope you get yours soon My existing setup is smackdab in the middle of the ground level of the house with rock floor (oakley stone)thru the kitchen and under the stove anyone have advice on bringing in outside air?? easy tricks>
Tks for all replys

Chopslide

 

[Lanningjw]

I just installed a BK PI last Wednesday. If the wood has a higher moisture content than 25% you simply need to burn the stove on the High setting. The moisture robs the cat of heat. Ask me how I know this? I was burning some old Ask that was in big rounds from a guys house that was a bank foreclosure, it was old. It seemed dry but it was not, I noticed are large amount of white smoke coming out of the chimney when I went to a lower temp setting.

Last night I tried some of good stuff Red Oak, what a difference it made...... This stove rocks big time 1500 sf are at 78 degrees with the fan off at 39 degrees outside temp.
You'll learn about cats and dial it in just right.

 

[Lanningjw]

My BK Princess is at the dealer. I'm just waiting for dry weather to go get it. I've owned a lot of stoves, and from what I've read and from the spec's there is nothing else quite like that stove.

Biggest issue you might consider is doing the break-in burns outside before taking the stove in your house. Any new stove smells horrid the first few times it's burned.

Good luck.

During my first couple of burns the stove put my smoke detectors into alarm. Its no big deal, just open the windows and stay low. It was starting to bug me so I left the house and went for a walk with the dog.

 

[learnin to burn]

Chop and Mike - Good luck with the new stoves guys. As lanning said make sure you have good dry wood other wise you won't be seeing through the glass very long. Took me an hour to scrape and clean the glass this morning :sick:. BK suggests a moister content between 13 -18 %.

 

[weatherguy]

I have mine sitting in the garage, I have 3 guys coming over tonight to help me set it up, probably wont have it connected til later in the week unless the rain holds off tomorrow. Im pretty excited too, I have my kindling and break in fire wood ready to go. Not looking forward to the break in smeels but what can you do.

 

[bfunk13]

Congrats on a great stove.

Brad

 

[Chopslide]

Well Ive been splitting and stacking like a maniac..just ordered a cheap moisture meter from amazon..... never before has burning a fire been this complicated for me but I guess thats the price for moving into the 21st century. Are all you princess owners using the OA..K? I was wondering If I need it or not. This is a leaky log home so make up air isnt a problem but everything I read says its much better to use OA. Tomorrow I should have the stove and then the fun begins

 

[Lanningjw]

Well Ive been splitting and stacking like a maniac..just ordered a cheap moisture meter from amazon..... never before has burning a fire been this complicated for me but I guess thats the price for moving into the 21st century. Are all you princess owners using the OA..K? I was wondering If I need it or not. This is a leaky log home so make up air isnt a problem but everything I read says its much better to use OA. Tomorrow I should have the stove and then the fun begins

I am not with my PI, I have a 1931 house and it leaks lots of air. Seems to be working just fine. 13.5 hours burn on low, reloaded and within half hour the load was going.

 

[Chopslide]

What kind of wood are you burning Lanning?....anyone out there build there own OA K for the princess ultra?

 

[Hiram Maxim]

Congrats on the new stove!
My dealer told me it will take 3 to 4 weeks to get mine from the factory.

 

[Chopslide]

Tks Hiram I have a husqvarna 261 as well I bought it new in 85 i think, I shudder to think of how many cords of wood it has cut for me....... Still runs strong.
That king is going to rock your world. The lumber yard where I bought mine has had a king running for 10 years and its still going strong heating a lumberstore no less I was there when they installed it....have wanted one ever since. thank god for the 30 percent tax deal to kick me in the buying mode

Chopslide

 

[Lanningjw]

What kind of wood are you burning Lanning?....anyone out there build there own OA K for the princess ultra?

Burning what ever I could get my hands on. With the 13 hour burn situation, I was using Red oak and and Basswood. I think that evan a more important factor is what the t-stat is set at. I had it around a "2" when the box was filled. This seems to be the important for longer burn times with the BK. Size of the splits also seems to play a role.

I called Chris at Blazeking, he told me that if the wood was green burn at a higher t-stat number and all will be good. I was asking because the window was all darkened down. I thought my wood was dryer than it really was.

The fire place bricks are really absorbing a lot of heat from the insert. The fireplace is the old fashioned one with lots of mass. The house stayed in the 70's, long after the fire in the stove went out.

I have my permit inspection from the city today for the insert. Hope it goes well.

 

[stockcarver]

Nice choice of stove, I want one too, but will make do with my 1990 vintage Princess until I can find a new Ultra at a good price. My intro to BlazeKing was at a lumberyard near Newport WA in 1991. I bought a new B-K King for 1100.00, and have owned 4 B-K's since then, long story.
I moved to a cedar log home in N. New Mexico and found an older, little used Princess for 700. at a dealer in Santa Fe. Most folks seem to buy stoves for the looks rather than for serious heating, and the Princess was a "cinderella" at the hot tub "Booteek", in fact the store kept it in the back room rather than on the showroom floor.

My advice is this- DO NOT split all of your wood if under 7 inches diameter. When you split larger rounds, you will naturally accumilate smaller pieces, and this will be plenty adequate for occasional kindling and fill in pieces.
This stove LOVES 16 inch long rounds of 6 to 7 inches in diameter. You will not need a lot of kindling, IF you have to split your wood, keep it as big as you can comfortably fit into the firebox. A few small pieces are useable, but you will find that they are not the prefered fuel when you go to the woodshed.
Cut enough wood for 2 years, first time out, 7 full cords (4X4X8 each) of prime fir and you will have enough for 2 seasons, then cut half of that each following year. Find a logger that will sell you a short truck load of larch and you will be set.
Sorry, not going to do the disclaimer, it worked for me in No. Idaho
You will not be building fires daily with kindling once you get into the heating season, I'd go so long with one fire it is easy to forget where I left the matches. I am talking fir and larch, not hardwood.

 

[Chopslide]

Lanning good luck with the inspection!
Thanks for all the info Stock I was wondering about split size but have been leaning towards larger chunks thinking that would make for easier loading>better burns thks for backing that up.
I am a scrounger when it comes to wood and have a very limited window of time between end of summer job and snow or mud on the forest roads. I should be able to get up to 5 crd this year and have leftovers from last yr so hopefully..... my wood should be dry enough... its getting hard to find larch by the truck load No logging allowed in the forest these days Lol
just talked to the lumber yard and the stove will be delivered today...... Will keep you all posted on the installation and first burns
Chopslide

 

[Lanningjw]

Chopslide
I split small on most of my wood to promote drying in less time.....I think dry is more important than split size?

 

[Chopslide]

Tks for that lanning more good advice

 

[Chopslide]

Ok its here everything is set up but I cant get the last piece of the pipe to slide into the stove it will go in a little bit 1" its just too tight... slider is working well above...
Any suggestions...... its killing me to have it all installed and not be able to light it off

 

[learnin to burn]

Need more info.

Can you post a picture of what you are talking about?
Are you using double wall stove pipe or single wall?
If single wall are you installing the pipe upside down?
If double wall do you have the stove adapter or are you trying to put the double wall pipe right into the stove?

 

[RustyShackleford]

If double wall do you have the stove adapter or are you trying to put the double wall pipe right into the stove?

I haven't gotten mine yet, but I was told that double-wall pipe (Simpson or Selkirk)
SHOULD fit directly onto the stove (with no adapter). This by a tech at BK ...

 

[Chopslide]

Thks for the reply LTB long answer is single wall.... proper end,,,,,, just wouldent go all the way down onto the stove flange> I called a friend that recently had one pro installed and his is the same. I was able to get the bottom ecge of the pipe below the screw holes in the stove flange so it should be good.... Im going for it... first fire is lit and we have cat liftoff yeeeee Ha! Im stoked

picture soon thks all Chopslide