I have a new Princess 32 on the way. I currently have a 6“ double wall pipe that runs through the ceiling , up through the heated attic space before exiting the roof. Total length is about 18 feet with one 30 degree off set. Im familiar with catalytic stoves and my wood supply is 3 year seasoned . I’ve been reading about this stove for about a year. So many happy owners of this stove. Then I went ahead and joined a Blaze King FB group, I was surprised how many unhappy people there were. Most complaints: sticking primary air flap, stove not putting out any heat and incomplete burn in firebox. Im pretty good at reading between the lines, its probably a case of wet wood or poor draft in most cases. Just seeing if anyone is having general problems or things I should Keep an eye on.
New Princess 32
- Thread starter Willcgt77
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Dieselhead
Minister of Fire
any mass produced item will have issues, it’s having support to get to the bottom of the issue that’s important. There’s so many of these stoves out there you aren’t going to come across a problem that hasn’t been solved already. And yes a large number of those problems come down to wood and installation issues.
Dieselhead
Minister of Fire
Ps I follow that page as well, not bad compared to other FB wood burner groups I have joined then left.
I agree. Im coming from a Brand New Encore 2040 that ive had for two years. I’d consider it a lemon, its had more service calls than I can count. Hoping I made the right choice with The Princess.
My stove was installed summer 2023 and has been used quite a bit since fall. I've had some problems with it, but they were obviously related to poor dealer installation. One manufacturer QA issue: the switch for the convection fans would not turn the fans off. The fans were eventually replaced.
BK's direct support is somewhat hit-or-miss. When I call and get someone unhelpful, I call back the next day. Most of the time the second person provides better info. Usually, though, I check this site first. Support from my dealer has been poor, but dealers vary a lot.
I haven't had any problems with the air control. The stove doesn't quite keep up with heating my 1800 sq ft (14 ft ceiling. skylights, 1990s mediocre insulation) space when the outside temp is 10 dF, even with 8 hour reloads. If hardwoods were available in the PNW, I suspect it would do OK. The stove keeps up when the outside temp is in the high 20s dF. When the outside temp is 40 dF I turn the stove down to 1/2 or less air to avoid overheating the space, and do 12 hour parital reloads.
Incomplete burns happen occasionally. More likely a loading (operator error) or wood issue than a stove issue.
Once in a while I still see some smoke from the chimney after 15 minutes of wide open air with the cat engaged. My current wood supply (mostly hemlock and alder) has been stored for 5+ years (as rounds) and is generally 15% MC or less as splits, but I've seen a small number of splits of uncommon species as high as 22%. Getting those to stop smoking sometimes takes longer. Opening the air again for another 10 minutes is usually enough.
I generally load, start, wait until the cat is hot and then engage it, wait another 15 minutes, turn the air down, wait another 3 to 5 minutes, turn the air down to its final position - and then ignore the stove almost completely for the next 8 to 12 hours. The only time I make any further adjustments are in response to changing outdoor temps.
Thanks for all this information, its helpful. My current stove also has a hard time at 10 df or less. We have oil heat to help out. sounds like it puts out decent heat for a long period, that’s good to hear. All we burn here is hardwood, that may help like you said. my dealer seems pretty good, but that may change when I need tech support. I also got the blower, good to know about the fan switch.
I would definitely buy the BK again. Sure, it's not perfect (and people on forums love to dwell on imperfections) but the BK is better than the rest by a lot. No other stove design offers such a wide range of output. 24 hour burn cycles on softwood for me.
Thanks for the insight, i’ve followed your comments on many topics and they seem to have great advice. My Encore 2040 pumps out some serious heat, unfortunately its just to much of a hassle. Hopefully the 32 will throw some heat as well.
Cool. I will say that top end output is not what this stove does best. It is optimized for the long steady burns to keep your home warm.
If you need to run any stove at maximum output for most of its life then you should make some changes.
In the Long run that’s what I need, Long steady burns. The Encore burns Hot and fast because of all the air leaks that we have been chasing. House temps are always rising and falling due to the short burn times. Looking forward to the BK experience.
This is my second season with the PE32. I’m coming from a VC Encore before this, and a Timberline smoke dragon before that. I love the princess and would buy another BK in a heartbeat. They’re expensive, but worth the price IMO.
My local dealer is not the best, but support from BK has been excellent. I ask BKVP questions directly on this site, and the one time I emailed BK customer service I got the answer I was looking for.
People that are used to using an older stove might have problems with a BK. Some of the crappy wood an older stove will burn a BK will not. But that’s true for many of the newer stoves.
I have no issues heating my smallish house with the BK. Down to -15 outside temp. It puts out plenty of heat. It might be a different story if you have a 2000+ sqft, 200 year old drafty farmhouse.
My local dealer is not the best, but support from BK has been excellent. I ask BKVP questions directly on this site, and the one time I emailed BK customer service I got the answer I was looking for.
People that are used to using an older stove might have problems with a BK. Some of the crappy wood an older stove will burn a BK will not. But that’s true for many of the newer stoves.
I have no issues heating my smallish house with the BK. Down to -15 outside temp. It puts out plenty of heat. It might be a different story if you have a 2000+ sqft, 200 year old drafty farmhouse.
Great info! Thanks. Did you give up the Encore because it was so problematic? I sure did. We are about 2300 sq feet bet well insulated. If I could operate the Encore, the BK should be a breeze. i‘ve noticed BKVP on here a lot, that’s pretty helpful.
Yes I had issues with the Encore. It was unpredictable and not as controllable as I wanted.
The BK is basically set it and forget it. Sometimes I get bored waiting for it to be ready for more wood
The BK is basically set it and forget it. Sometimes I get bored waiting for it to be ready for more wood
Same here. Id go to bed with the stove all tucked in for the night, nice low burn. Wake up 2 hrs later to both High Temp Alarms going off on my Auber Probes. Never felt comfortable with it.
No I think it’s a pretty common experience. There are plenty of threads about it here.
Even the new VC stoves seem to have issues. They have a pretty long thread just discussing stove temp
www.hearth.com
On the first page one member even has a security camera on his stove so he can monitor the temp.
Even the new VC stoves seem to have issues. They have a pretty long thread just discussing stove temp
2023/24 VC Temperature discussion thread
I think this needs its own thread.. General discussion of stove temperature performance @arnermd needs place to show the fancy graphs he makes..
www.hearth.com
On the first page one member even has a security camera on his stove so he can monitor the temp.
I actually did that! I had to disable because it consumed my life! So glad to hear the BK is doing well for you vs the Encore. I cant speak for everyone else but the Encore was a costly mistake for us.No I think it’s a pretty common experience. There are plenty of threads about it here.
Even the new VC stoves seem to have issues. They have a pretty long thread just discussing stove temp
2023/24 VC Temperature discussion thread
I think this needs its own thread.. General discussion of stove temperature performance @arnermd needs place to show the fancy graphs he makes..
On the first page one member even has a security camera on his stove so he can monitor the temp.
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
