Blaze King Wood Stoves?

[Hexa Fox]

Hey guys,

So sorry to post yet another thread but I have been doing some research and looking to purchase a new wood stove. I hear a lot of horror stories when purchasing brand spanking new wood stoves and I would like to make the right choice up front. Even if that means spending a little more. A name that came up that a couple users mentioned was Blaze King. So I looked into them and even searched them on this site, what little I could find usually say pretty good things.

The wood stove I have now has been overheated and has many problems. For instance, it is coming apart in the middle and if you look closely you can see the fire burning from the sides and under it. The door insert is broken and needs a new seal. So I am thinking it is time for it to be replaced. The house was built in 1985 and the wood stove was added soon after that. So I would say it is well over 30+ years old. I think it is also a health hazard. As I think a little dust is inevitable correct? Well I get a thick layer of dust on everything in short order when using this stuff, especially anything in the basement with it.

So long story short one of the ones I am looking at is the Princess 32 model. I was also looking at the Boxer 24.1 and the King 40. One of my many likes of our old Huntsman wood stove is that it can take 24" horizontal logs. I have been cutting and splitting wood myself. Unfortunately, someone else cut some of the wood for me and a lot of the pieces are between 20"-24". I would say that the majority of them are between 18"-20" though. It looks like the Princess 32 can take 20" logs so it may be perfect for me.

Anyway before this becomes a text flood like I am good for I would love to hear some feedback. I would really like to hear the good and the bad of these stoves before spending what is probably going to be significant for me and wrestling it into my home.

1.) Can someone tell me the price of the Princess 32 and possibly some of the others? I see that the prices range A WHOLE LOT when viewing other threads. I saw one forum say $4,000 and someone else said $2,500. I did not read into if they were buying used or what have you. I think some of the fellows were Canadian so I am hoping the $4,000 was not USD but rather CAD.

2.) How often do you have to replace the cat/filter in it and what is the rough cost of that?

3.) Is this overall a good stove? Specifically, one of the horror stories I hear is how hard modern stoves are for getting fires started and keeping them going. I struggle in this department a little bit but I think this Huntsman is extremely easy. A few pieces of resin wood and kindling almost always do the trick. However, that may be because of all the excellent air flow from the leaks.

 

[snobdds]

I paid around 3800 for my BK Princess, in 2018. The piping was another 1200. I installed it myself.

It's the best stove on the market, in size and performance. I have yet to replace the cat. I just clean it out each spring. My cabin is in the high country of Wyoming, so we burn a fire each night...all summer long. In the fall I load the stove in the morning and go out hunting all day, and I still have coals when I come home.

You will not regret it.

 

[Hexa Fox]

vertical vs striaght pipe?

I paid around 3800 for my BK Princess, in 2018. The piping was another 1200. I installed it myself.

It's the best stove on the market, in size and performance. I have yet to replace the cat. I just clean it out each spring. My cabin is in the high country of Wyoming, so we burn a fire each night...all summer long. In the fall I load the stove in the morning and go out hunting all day, and I still have coals when I come home.

You will not regret it.

This was another question I had. I noticed that they all seem to be straight piped. Mine is an elbow that goes up a foot or two and does a ninety degree turn into the wall. I thought I read somewhere that this does create problems for some stoves. Does it require special pipe? $1,200 for piping sounds like a lot unless I guess you went through the whole house outside and avoided a chimney maybe?

 

[snobdds]

vertical vs striaght pipe?


This was another question I had. I noticed that they all seem to be straight piped. Mine is an elbow that goes up a foot or two and does a ninety degree turn into the wall. I thought I read somewhere that this does create problems for some stoves. Does it require special pipe? $1,200 for piping sounds like a lot unless I guess you went through the whole house outside and avoided a chimney maybe?

I have a tall chimney. There is 8 feet of triple wall and 12 feet of double wall...

My dad has a BK princess too and he has a 90* turn. He dosen't have any issues with creosote or drafting issues.

 

[Hexa Fox]

I have a tall chimney. There is 8 feet of triple wall and 12 feet of double wall...

My dad has a BK princess too and he has a 90* turn. He dosen't have any issues with creosote or drafting issues.

Thanks for sharing, beautiful little cabin/property you have there. I'm jealous.

 

[ericm979]

If I was going to buy a new stove or insert a Blaze King would be the top of my shopping list.

I think all EPA stoves need dry wood. Maybe the BK does better than my stove, which is tough to get going if the wood is not dry and lights right up when it is. But if you're a season or two ahead on wood (depending on the wood and your climate) you'll be fine.

 

[Hexa Fox]

If I was going to buy a new stove or insert a Blaze King would be the top of my shopping list.

I think all EPA stoves need dry wood. Maybe the BK does better than my stove, which is tough to get going if the wood is not dry and lights right up when it is. But if you're a season or two ahead on wood (depending on the wood and your climate) you'll be fine.

Yeah I remember you being one of the ones that recommended taking a look at Blaze Kings. I really cannot afford that right now but if I can put it in and not have to worry about it again throughout my lifetime I guess that will be a win. Plus it sounds like I will have a nice upgrade.

 

[Mad Professor]

Not a fan of new stoves.

I went retro and got a Warner ($800). Used and thick boiler plate steel. It also has a blower but that is not used often.

Put it into my fireplace flue. Extended the hearth with 2" thick granite slabs over fireboard ($300). Added a heat deflector to protect the mantle($30).

Will burn for over a day/24 hrs on 26" splits, if choked down. I only use the furnace if I leave town. Only gets ~ 1/2-gallon of ash/soot over a years use in the cleanout.





Flue liner/liner insulation/connector/cleanout/sealed chimney cap/flue cap from Rockford Chimney. Complete custom connection stove to cap, of 316 stainless. Lifetime transferable warranty ($1200 delivered). I did installation myself. The flue is flexible so did not have to hack the fireplace, just take out the damper at the pins.

 

[Del_]

21 years now with our Jotul F600CB and 43 years of heating with wood.

The new stoves are well worth it.

A good fire view is a valuable asset and is both enjoyable and makes it much easier to manage the stove.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Not a fan of new stoves.

I went retro and got a Warner ($800). Used and thick boiler plate steel. It also has a blower but that is not used often.

Put it into my fireplace flue. Extended the hearth with 2" thick granite slabs over fireboard ($300). Added a heat deflector to protect the mantle($30).

Will burn for over a day/24 hrs on 26" splits, if choked down. I only use the furnace if I leave town. Only gets ~ 1/2-gallon of ash/soot over a years use in the cleanout.





Flue liner/liner insulation/connector/cleanout/sealed chimney cap/flue cap from Rockford Chimney. Complete custom connection stove to cap, of 316 stainless. Lifetime transferable warranty ($1200 delivered). I did installation myself. The flue is flexible so did not have to hack the fireplace, just take out the damper at the pins.

Thanks for sharing. So I went and recently had a family dinner and they had a Timberline stove just like this. I know both Timberline and stove styles like this are popular. I really really like the idea of being able to put really long logs into a wood stove.

It works really well in ours as well. It usually burns up the middle really nice and you are left with a couple really nice chunks of charcoal ends that are still partially burning. It at least seems more efficient to burn longer logs like this in my stove. I would love to find one like that.

I may go stove shopping this week and see what people have. I might already be sold on a Blaze King Princess or even King depending on cost/features.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

21 years now with our Jotul F600CB and 43 years of heating with wood.

The new stoves are well worth it.

A good fire view is a valuable asset and is both enjoyable and makes it much easier to manage the stove.


View attachment 1113566

Backyard Lumberjack

7 fireplaces, all woodburners
45 years heating and enjoying the fireplaces
currently, 4 cords firewood, some over 30 years old. still lots BTU's
2 largest: 54"


BL's Master Bedroom fireplace

 

[Hexa Fox]

So after doing some research it looks like the Blaze King Ashford 30.2 can hold considerably longer logs. I may also look into that one. I thought that the Princess and King were the two top models though?

 

[lwmibc]

After using Pacific Energy for many years, we ordered an Ashford 30.2 for the new house. The useful info given by the heating contractor was that the cat stoves have a much longer burn time compared to the secondary air types--if the cat is handled properly. When I asked how long the cat lasts, his answer was 'depends'. The most common reason for failure is opening the stove door when the fire (and cat) is hot, the inrush of cold air cracks the thin plates; proper procedure is to fire in batches, only opening to recharge when the fire has burned down. With a controllable bypass I don't expect managing it properly will be a problem.

First time I have not built my own house, first time not installing my own stove. It's a costly experience! It's going in here--so obviously I don't have any personal experience with it yet. I have liked the PE, but apparently technology marches on. It cost about C$5500, in the fancy 'chestnut' enamel.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Okay so I just contacted a couple dealers today and immediately disappointed with the news on the Blaze Kings. So I called Blaze King and asked about two stoves (Ashford 30.2 and the Princess 32). They told me that both of these stoves are only "rated for 16" logs and they only recommend 16" but they would take closer to a 18"). This would not be such a big deal if I did not already have so much stuff that is 20"+ but right now it is a major consideration and in my opinion sort of small.

So I am now looking at the Jotul F500 Oslo stove. The dealer said he had one on the showroom floor and he said it has a side door that would accept up to a 24" long log. If this is true I am sold on the Jotul over the Blaze King. It is a hefty $5,000 though.

 

[Hexa Fox]

After using Pacific Energy for many years, we ordered an Ashford 30.2 for the new house. The useful info given by the heating contractor was that the cat stoves have a much longer burn time compared to the secondary air types--if the cat is handled properly. When I asked how long the cat lasts, his answer was 'depends'. The most common reason for failure is opening the stove door when the fire (and cat) is hot, the inrush of cold air cracks the thin plates; proper procedure is to fire in batches, only opening to recharge when the fire has burned down. With a controllable bypass I don't expect managing it properly will be a problem.

First time I have not built my own house, first time not installing my own stove. It's a costly experience! It's going in here--so obviously I don't have any personal experience with it yet. I have liked the PE, but apparently technology marches on. It cost about C$5500, in the fancy 'chestnut' enamel.

May want to check out the post I just made. I think we were typing at the same time. The Jotul I mentioned is also suppose to have a cat in it.

 

[lwmibc]

Individual choice is our freedom, do get what you need. Never heard much bad about Jotul, they've been around for a long time. The Blaze King met our needs and I don't think we'll have any trouble with it. My main reason for commenting was about the cat, I tended to shy away from them but now understand them better. I think having the bypass capability is very important in getting good service out of one, being able to start the fire bypassing the cat is important, as is when burning anything that might contaminate it, and possibly before opening the door when it might still be too hot. From what I've learned, I personally would not want a cat-equipped stove that didn't have the ability to bypass it.

But on a light note--this site attracts people who have more chainsaws than fingers (left); you are begging the question of why not turn every one of those 24's into two 12's and open up the range of suitable stoves a whole bunch? That one supply of firewood won't last a lifetime--or will it?

Now I wonder how the dimensions of a fire box affect efficiency of a stove--does long and narrow have the same efficiency of something more of a cube, for the same enclosed volume?

 

[ericm979]

A good stove will last a lot longer than your current stash of firewood. Decades. I'd get the stove you want and make the firewood you have now suit it.

Cat stoves can burn longer than reburn types because you can turn them down lower. Like so low that there's no visible flame. Which is great if you don't need a lot of heat at the time (i.e. the rooms already up to temp or it's not that cold out) but when you need a lot of heat they're not going to perform any better than the reburn type.

I got a reburn type ZC fireplace because I didn't want the complexity of a cat and didn't understand how you can turn cat stoves down. You can't turn a reburn type down as far as a non EPA stove. Mine runs on about a 4-6 hour cycle from reload to reload, depending on the wood and how much heat I want. Which means getting up in the middle of the night to reload the stove if I want to keep the house warm without using propane or want to avoid a cold start in the morning. Over those 4-6 hours the stove is cranking away for the first half and cruising on coals for the second. So the heat output goes up and down over the cycle. I'd expect a cat stove to have less of that because it can limit the high output part of the cycle.

Last I looked the cats for some random BK stove I checked just for curiosity were in the $300 range. The info is out there and a dealer would be able to tell you exactly how much they cost and what it takes to replace them.

Of course there are other good stove brands, I'm not pushing BK.

hearth.com has a lot of good stove info and a lot of knowledgeable people.

Modern EPA stoves need fancy insulated stove pipe and it's not cheap. OTOH the pipe keeps the gasses warm which means less creosote and soot condensing in the pipe.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Now I wonder how the dimensions of a fire box affect efficiency of a stove--does long and narrow have the same efficiency of something more of a cube, for the same enclosed volume?

This is definitely something to consider. One of the dealers that I talked to mentioned this, he said the smaller they are the more efficient they are at reburning the wood. I believe he was also being pretty honest because it did not effect him since he has the Jotul I am now talking about.

Modern EPA stoves need fancy insulated stove pipe and it's not cheap. OTOH the pipe keeps the gasses warm which means less creosote and soot condensing in the pipe.

This was my very next question, I just talked to a dealer that sells Vermont Castings and Jotul. He is the first one that told me I need the "stainless steel liner" and I was going to ask whether or not I really needed it. He said that you also need to replace it every so often as well. I have a lot to think about because this is getting well into more than I want to deal with this season. Having that said, he asked if he and another business owner that installs the wood stoves and liners could come take a look and give a free estimate. I said sure, so I am at least going to hear him out. Who knows maybe I will go ahead and follow through with something.

Edit
Something else about the Jotul is that it does not have a bypass lever like the Blaze Kings and Vermont Casting ones do. I asked the dealer about it and he said it does have a "magnet system" for bypassing the cat so not sure what is going on there exactly. May be a draw back.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Every single year without fail. I am hoping a liner and the new stove will eliminate this crap. This has got to be a fire hazard too right? Like I was even considering skipping cleaning this year because I was so anal about it last year. Obviously would have been a horrible idea.

 

[stihlaficionado]

Every single year without fail. I am hoping a liner and the new stove will eliminate this crap. This has got to be a fire hazard too right? Like I was even considering skipping cleaning this year because I was so anal about it last year. Obviously would have been a horrible idea.

You're fortunate you still have a roof over your head with that creosote. I've never seen it that bad.
My friend has a 2011 BK King. It has the original blower, now with over 50,000 hours on it.

That''s the only free standing stove brand he will buy