Quickly- just over 2 months of use on the 5200. I like it so far. To answer the question-" You used a BKK, why not replace it with another, newer BKK ?" My answer is it was out there, it was something new, and I was intrigued about the re-burn claim with the Regency. One post I read rang true, the BKK is better for warmer climates in low-burn, the Regency would be better for colder areas . At this point, I'll back up that claim. But, I will go through more wood. How much more has yet to be determined, but even an extra cord will be acceptable at this point. Kitchen temp has been 69deg., never used to be that high in the past, with our existing exterior temps. Checked the flue pipe last evening, I was quite pleased with what I saw. I do miss the T-stat of the BK, that was simple to operate and worked great. The Regency is a sliding air control and sloppy, so I have some work to do to tighten it up. And- once the stove gets rolling and the air is shut down, it does what it wants to. ST temps might hit 700, but the CAT probe will get into the "really hot" range, and there's nothing you can do, so you let it ride. 5-10 minutes it usually evens out, but still... The door latch on the Regency is great, hook and cam-lock , done. Adjustable if you need to. Best door system I've messed with in a long time. Ash pan depth of the BK will spoil you. It's really nice (in retrospect) having that deep 8" well of ash you can let build up before you have to dump it. The 5200 doesn't let you get away with that, it's only 3" deep. Yes, I was spoiled. So far, so good. Check back in a few months.
I checked out the little brother, the F3500, and was impressed with the bolt in bypass system so you can replace the melted bypass gasket retainers without welding. Also replace the bypass gasket out of the stove. BK is behind them on that feature. Bending mine sorta back in place with a bottle jack is about the only reasonable option for repairing this failure. Otherwise, the regency line tests well for efficiency and burn rates look reasonable. Good for you for trying something new as a stove enthusiast. I even looked at the kuma line, they tested really well but only offer small hot burning designs.
I contacted Kuma when I was searching for ideas. They stopped making their big stove (8" flue), and no plans to start making it again. I don't blame them, very low market request for the big boy's with the 8" flue. So I looked elsewhere and decided on the Regency. Yes, the guts of the stove are different from the BK. The bypass doesn't "cam" into place, it rests in place due to weight only. Seems to work okay, so far, and it's far back in the box so it's probably not going to affect much if it bleeds some heat around the gasket. Now, I'm not there yet, but it seems the CAT doesn't require a gasket on this stove. I used to have to replace the gasket every time I removed the CAT for cleaning. 3-4 times per burning season (edit-on the BKK) . When it was time to clean the flue and stove, I cleaned them. PITA, but had to be done. More on that later..
Beetle-Kill and moresnow , do you have round cat or rectangle cat? If rectangle does it need removed for cleaning that many times during the burning season? I watched a video that showed shop-vacuuming it from the front.
It's a big rectangle shaped unit. 10.5"L x 5"H x 2" wide. I've got a few "usable" CAT's if you need a spare. I really don't want to knock the BKK, 'cause it was a good stove for me for a number of years. But.. I had to clean the stove and flue pipe, 3-4 times a season. My wood is 95% very dry Lodgepole Pine, less than 10% moisture. It might be too dry, who knows at this point. I would remove the CAT during cleaning. Too much soot would fall behind the by-pass plate to leave it there. You need a new gasket for the CAT every time you remove/replace it.
I vac the Cat face gently on occasion. Not very often. I have also used canned/compressed air to blow it out. I don't remove a Cat until it begins fading in performance. Pull it at that point for a 50/50, vinegar/distilled water soak and rinse. Back in she goes. I don't sweep any chimney residue down into the stove. I slide the lower slip joint section up enough to bag it or put a bucket under it. I do shop vac down inside the stove through the collar each time. I clean in the spring and around the new year normally.
I too can access all parts of the cat chamber to suck out debris from sweeping from through the flue collar so my cat never comes out until it’s time for replacement. 3-4 times a year at 20$ per gasket stinks.
Yaa, the gasket deal stinks. If it were cheaper I would likely remove/clean the Cat more regularly. Maybe... I really have been fortunate with ceramic cats longevity. Steel Cats not so much. Done with those. Somebody here or elsewhere claims to use automotive header wrap on their BK Cat instead of oem style. Claimed to be reusable. I am interested!
F5200 update- On 2/22/2024 I cleaned the flue pipe. Moved the dbl. wall up above the stove and taped a kitchen bag to the pipe to catch the mess. Top down cleaning, netted .4 lbs of very fine residue. Started burning on 10/4/2023, and only had .4lbs To say I was happy would be an understatement. I'm learning the burn curve for this new stove, it's not drastic. Stove is doing it's job, actually exceeding my expectations the longer I use it. Issues with the stove- * more frequent cleaning than I am used to, more shallower of an ash pit. * heat shields on the sides rattle with the fan on. (!) This is an issue I created, as the fan housing and mount are something I built, plus the fan is aftermarket and 160CFM vs. the 100CFM the factory offered. *Door gasket area gets a little crusty with creo so you need to scrape it every once and a while. Not done burning for the year. I burn Lodgepole and Ponderosa almost exclusively, so your results may vary. I'll pop in later after the season is over.
