Seeking advice on new stove BK Soricco vs HT3000

[Highbeam]

24 hours burns are fine for 40 to 50 degree days but it won’t do chit for ya when it’s 20 below zero! There were times I had to burn mine on high to keep up. The burn control and even heat of the BK is a great thing though.

I disagree with your claim that the 24 burn rate won't do chit. It will provide exactly as much heat to the home as it does in any weather but I think you know that. When it is -20 outside and the low burn rate is insufficient to keep your house fully warmed you can choose to either make up the difference with your central furnace while maintaining a low burn rate in the stove or you can choose to turn up the BK and burn more wood per day. That's the flexibility of burn rate control. Nobody else has it. The Woodstock IS comes closest but Woodstock can't seem to figure out how to eliminate the old fashioned hearth insulation requirement.

I have heated my home with wood for many years. We burn in 60 degree weather down to single digits with wind. By keeping the house warm the BK firebox allows me to increase the burn rate enough to keep the house very warm by moving from one part load per day to 1.5 full loads per day. It only takes a little more work.

I'm hoping to actually move somewhere with a shorter burn season but colder like you guys in WI.

 

[Tron]

I believe the 30 hr results advertised by BK are with fir. (Bit better than pine, but no oak.)

I wouldn't know, honestly. Oh, and of course it depends on how well you play the tetris game. I usually don't bother going outside again to look for that perfect final piece that'll fit in there, so yes, I have gaps in my wood load. Again, good enough for me, reloading twice a day isn't much of a problem.

 

[Tron]

I'm hoping to actually move somewhere with a shorter burn season but colder like you guys in WI.

Then Mississippi is not for you 😂
But so far I've believed that there are few places colder than WI, mainly MN and AK...

 

[stoveliker]

I think WY and ID can be colder, especially in the mountains.

 

[Highbeam]

Regarding pine, @Tron , I believe the 30 hr results advertised by BK are with fir. (Bit better than pine, but no oak.)

There are a few types of pine. Some much better than others for BTU content, much like maple has varieties.

Jack, red, and pitch pines all at 17.1 million btu per cord, ponderosa at 15.2, white at 14.3, Doug fir has 18.1 MBTU per cord.

Those lucky guys burning shagbark hickory at 27.7! This year's wood at my place is all red alder at 17.2 but ashier than the evergreens.

 

[Highbeam]

Then Mississippi is not for you 😂
But so far I've believed that there are few places colder than WI, mainly MN and AK...

There are many factors to consider when you don't need to have a job in the new location. They even get snow in Florida, I had no idea.

 

[Dieselhead]

There are a few types of pine. Some much better than others for BTU content, much like maple has varieties.

Jack, red, and pitch pines all at 17.1 million btu per cord, ponderosa at 15.2, white at 14.3, Doug fir has 18.1 MBTU per cord.

Those lucky guys burning shagbark hickory at 27.7! This year's wood at my place is all red alder at 17.2 but ashier than the evergreens.

Shagbark burns like coal (literally) and leaves a very light fluffy ash that is messy. Also loves to send sparks like fireworks into the stove room when you str the coals up, face protection should be mandatory! I’ve burned lots and it isn’t actually my favorite for those reasons.

 

[stoveliker]

There are many factors to consider when you don't need to have a job in the new location. They even get snow in Florida, I had no idea.

In TN we had folks who had retired to FL and after 5-10 years came up to TN. Sick of the heat, sick of the tourists, and sick of the hurricanes.
There are other states with a good tax climate.

 

[Highbeam]

In TN we had folks who had retired to FL and after 5-10 years came up to TN. Sick of the heat, sick of the tourists, and sick of the hurricanes.
There are other states with a good tax climate.

Taxes are one thing but political color, law enforcement, ability to burn wood, cost of living, how many wild things will bite you, forest cover, population density, so many things to consider. I also have daughters, one seems to work half time in Maine and the other works here in WA. I'm at that work optional stage and western WA has drifted far from ideal.

 

[Whitenuckler]

I saw this on FB. Looks like he has lots of space to store wood.

 

[Steveb123321]

I think there is a set amount of BTUs per load of wood. The Blaze king allows you to slowly draw that out over a long period. I’d never have a fire at this temperature with my old stove. But with the BK I am coasting at 24.5C in wood stove room and 22.1C upstairs . Outside is 7C windy and rainy.

I actually came on here to ask people’s advice about my current load. Wood is charred black and smoke is rising off it. Do tou guys think I should open air up a little, close it down or am I in the sweet spot? Fire been cruising like this for 3 hours so far.

I appreciate your input if you could check out the video below.
Edit: i think the video is processing in google drive. Might be a while.

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[stoveliker]

If your chimney is not showing smoke outside, and your room temperature is what you like, then all is good - for the next 24 hrs or so

That's really all that matters. That's how easy this stove is.

 

[Steveb123321]

If your chimney is not showing smoke outside, and your room temperature is what you like, then all is good - for the next 24 hrs or so

That's really all that matters. That's how easy this stove is.

I think I see a little smoke. Could be just steam IDK.
Edit: I’ll let it roll the small wisps of “smoke” ai saw outside are gone now maybe it was the thermostat adjusting to with temp.

 

[stoveliker]

Yes, it could be some initial smoke, if the cat was not yet up to speed with the (large) amount of fuel you're feeding it.

Sometimes with my now older cat, if I dial down too quickly, I see a lot of smoke in the firebox like in your video, and then it sometimes is more than the cat can stomach. It overwhelms it. Then I see quite some smoke out of the chimney. (I.e. if I dial down slower, I do see less smoke; I think the "much smoke" case may mean the wood was not charred enough - but that's a personal conclusion that others may disagree with.)
This is also noticeable by the cat not increasing in temperature (as read by the cat gauge) - when dialing down to a lot of fuel, the cat gauge temp indication should increase. If it does not, one might be overwhelming the cat (leading to coating of it with soot, blocking the catalytic particles from doing their work.)

At that point I have to open the air what to get flame, and then dial down more slowly. That always works.

But with a new cat that (overwhelming the cat) is not likely to happen.

But it's always good to look at the chimney say 15 minutes after you've dialed down to cruise setting. Especially if your cat gauge is not going up when you dial down. And if you see smoke, add more air, let it burn vigorously for 5 more minutes, and then dial down a bit slower than you had done initially.

That's my operational mode.
Others may have different ways of doing things.

 

[Steveb123321]

Here’s some pics, as video may not work.
Not gonna shut it down as much on this load.
Aiming for less creo on glass. Wood started out just blackened.

 

[Steveb123321]

Yes, it could be some initial smoke, if the cat was not yet up to speed with the (large) amount of fuel you're feeding it.

Sometimes with my now older cat, if I dial down too quickly, I see a lot of smoke in the firebox like in your video, and then it sometimes is more than the cat can stomach. It overwhelms it. Then I see quite some smoke out of the chimney. (I.e. if I dial down slower, I do see less smoke; I think the "much smoke" case may mean the wood was not charred enough - but that's a personal conclusion that others may disagree with.)
This is also noticeable by the cat not increasing in temperature (as read by the cat gauge) - when dialing down to a lot of fuel, the cat gauge temp indication should increase. If it does not, one might be overwhelming the cat (leading to coating of it with soot, blocking the catalytic particles from doing their work.)

At that point I have to open the air what to get flame, and then dial down more slowly. That always works.

But with a new cat that (overwhelming the cat) is not likely to happen.

But it's always good to look at the chimney say 15 minutes after you've dialed down to cruise setting. Especially if your cat gauge is not going up when you dial down. And if you see smoke, add more air, let it burn vigorously for 5 more minutes, and then dial down a bit slower than you had done initially.

That's my operational mode.
Others may have different ways of doing things.

That aligns pretty much with what I have been thinking. I’m probably overthinking it :D.

I noticed the thermostat works real good automatically keeping the cat in the sweet spot.

 

[stoveliker]

Earlier video worked here.
Creo on the glass is fine. It happens all the time.

I just noticed that I get a bit less smoke in the box if I dial down a bit slower.

But as long as the chimney doesn't shows smoke, all is good l.

The thermostat is not meant to keep the cat temp constant. It's meant to keep the heat output constant. That output consists of cat output and firebox output.

 

[Dieselhead]

Looks like the sweet spot SteveB, I always get a kick out of looking in and seeing the log burn like a cigar and somehow it’s satisfying the cat enough to keep it well into the active zone.

 

[Steveb123321]

That last load went 16.5 hours cleaner glass and less coals. Still enough coals to get going again though.

 

[stoveliker]

Different tstat setting?

 

[Steveb123321]

Different tstat setting?

Yes the long burn had tstat closed all the way. This last one had it open a bit also little less wood I think.

 

[stoveliker]

Interesting.
How tall is your flue?
If that first burn was with a fully loaded stove, 24 hrs is a bit meager if the thermostat was at the lowest setting.

 

[Steveb123321]

Interesting.
How tall is your flue?
If that first burn was with a fully loaded stove, 24 hrs is a bit meager if the thermostat was at the lowest setting.

Edit: The one burn I loaded after 24 hours, probably would have gone 26-27 if I had left it (there was a lot of coals).

I don’t know for sure, guessing about 17’ ’.
Stove in basement.

This is google street view.

 

[stoveliker]

Okay
Well, you'll just have to burn a lot of loads and get used to the performance.

Search for (stove) tetris on this site for pics of how other users load their stove. I have quite a few pics in the "what's in your stove right now" thread.

 

[Tron]

They even get snow in Florida, I had no idea.

Occasionally, yes. Same as us.
But since there's very rarely snow on the ground, and even if it is, it's not enough to worry about breaking out the snow shovel, it doesn't count in my book.
We still have a snow shovel we brought with us when we moved here, and it's been sitting untouched in the workshop ever since.