I recently picked up a 2004 princess insert 1010A for $150. It seems to be in pretty good condition, but I’m sure will need some maintenance. I will get some pics up soon and will try to use this thread as I work on it. Should be a good shop project.
Princess project
- Thread starter Slimdusty
- Start date
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Sounds like one heck of a bargain! Winters a comin, time to get hustling! I’m working on a princess project myself, hope to be done in the next 2 weeks or so.
No need to hustle as I have a nice lopi insert installed that does a good job. I may swap it out for the Princess, who knows. I just enjoy fixing up stuff, sometimes I keep, sometimes I’ll resell it.
Man, a good cleaning and maybe a couple fire bricks replaced and it looks like you have a nice unit on your hands. $150 is a steal.
Whats the cat look like?
Damn, yeah, you're probably gonna want to replace that one. Cleaning won't help you much there. Check out Midwest Hearth Catalysts on Amazon.
All in all the stove is in pretty good shape, I did find an issue. Some warping at the bypass area, see pics. Note the small but definitive crack. I am guessing the cat may have plugged
![[Hearth.com] Princess project](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_3165-webp.349348/ "[Hearth.com] Princess project")
and the stove was run in bypass mode, causing too much heat here. Just a WAG
![[Hearth.com] Princess project](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_3163-webp.349349/ "[Hearth.com] Princess project")
Yes I have the flame shield but you may be right with it being run hot, see my other post with warped area pics
The insulation below the bricks looks like it is remnant of the gasket around the cat. Throw it out. No insulation below or behind the bricks.
The warping and crack may be because they operated with the bypass open. Always close the bypass when the cat gauge says active.
With a new cat do get a new gasket. Every time one takes out the cat, even if just to look, one needs a new gasket. So I rarely if ever take out the cat.
The warping and crack may be because they operated with the bypass open. Always close the bypass when the cat gauge says active.
With a new cat do get a new gasket. Every time one takes out the cat, even if just to look, one needs a new gasket. So I rarely if ever take out the cat.
For some reason BK does put a layer of insulation under the bricks. My princess had it underneath the bottom layer. If it’s damaged I wouldn’t worry about it.
The cat is toast, could be many reasons but the same result. Get a new one.
Ah, the classic melt away bypass gasket retainers. The real weakness of the BK stove design. It is unfortunately very common and not necessarily the result of any abuse. You can buy replacement parts but cutting and welding is required to replace them. Or, you can try and bend them straight and perhaps tack weld the crack. It’s not a terribly important gasket seal but a poorly designed system being non replaceable. The new model S14 has bolt in retainers so you can fix this issue. What I did following BK advice was to use a bottlejack to force the gasket retainers sorta straight.
I have it in my king as well fwiw. Just on the floor, not the side bricks.
There was nothing on my floor. Not sure if it completely desintegrated (despite me leaving an inch or so of ashes on the floor all the time), or that it was never there.
I do have a drawer under the stove, so maybe for heat output thru the floor of the stove it was not needed?
I do have a drawer under the stove, so maybe for heat output thru the floor of the stove it was not needed?
I”ll spot weld the crack, but I dont see a need to straighten the warped support piece. What is the purpose of this piece? Additional support? I haven’t looked at a schematic in the manual to see the purpose, but the bypass damper appears to seal well and I dont forsee any issues as long as things don’t continue to warp. I”ll get a new cat.
Yeah this was definitely covering the entire floor, struck me as odd. I had no idea until i started pulling it up while scooping ashes and cleaning, by that time it was no use trying to salvage what was left.
It's like a thin layer of felt. Almost like something people put on shelves so items don't slide around. On the very bottom, top of metal before any brick. I have a welded on pedestal base with an ash pan plus two layers of bottom firebrick so the felt stuff certainly isn't of much value but it was there.
The bypass gasket retainers hold the bypass gasket in place against the closed bypass door for a better seal. When they melt away there is a chance that the gasket is no longer making contact but whether or not this is important is a tough question. Most of us have noticed that this gasket gets hard and sets basically flush with the heavy steel dome. Is the bypass plate big enough to seal totally without the bypass gasket? I don't know. But I am aware that a little leakage is not a big deal since some folks barely ever replace their cats anyway. It might be something that's in there for that last 0.01 gph of emissions or 0.01% of efficiency on a new stove with a new cat.
Under the bricks, between the bricks and the metal base of the stove just so we’re clear. The mention of leaving an inch of ash just wanted me to clarify.
This piece that is circled, is it just a support to tie both sides together for strength? Is it necessary to try to straighten out?
![[Hearth.com] Princess project](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_3170-webp.349375/ "[Hearth.com] Princess project")
Yes, when I take my bricks out from the floor, no insulation.
That is the idiot stick. It keeps folks from jamming a piece of wood into the bypass opening and having a real fire! I'd cut it free on both ends. New models do not use it.
BKVP
