In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

★★☆☆☆ USSC King 2007b

Discussion in 'Wood Stoves' started by Grizzly Adam, Aug 25, 2014.

  1. Grizzly Adam

    Grizzly Adam null

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    We got the King on clearance a local farm & fleet store and thought we were really getting a deal. This is one of the biggest stoves the US Stove company has to offer and is an EPA exempt stove. What does that mean, EPA exempt? Apparently it means that it is a smoke dragon minus the intake damper-- and therein lies the problem with this stove.

    Armed with only a flue damper, our stove was prone to runaway fires that destroyed the baffle and incinerated the lightweight firebricks that came with the stove. The fires would burn hot and fast, and were very difficult to get started. Overnight burning was an impossibility and each morning we would face a cold stove. Heck, we faced a cold stove after only a few hours which made mid-night reloading during a bathroom run a daunting task that we rarely chose to face.

    The top of this stove did get nice and hot and was very spacious. We were able to fit all kinds of pots, kettles and the like on top meaning that the dry-air problem most stove owners face did not affect us as long as we remembered to keep the humidifier kettle full. I found the flue damper to be too close to the stove top and after sustaining a nasty burn trying to adjust it, I started using hearth gloves until my next chimney cleaning when I removed it completely from the flue and installed it in the chimney.

    Speaking of flue inspections-- man did this thing burn dirty, and why wouldn't it with no intake damper making fine adjustments impossible. This stove is what it is-- a smoke dragon crippled by EPA regulations. It will heat your house, but not as well as a stove this size should.
     
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  2. My IS heats my home

    My IS heats my home

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    Is this the stove your running this winter Grizz?
     
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  3. Grizzly Adam

    Grizzly Adam null

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    No, the King is sitting in the garage under a tarp and will eventually be installed in the loft out there where it can do light duty. We got a Drolet Myriad in the spring, which was the same stove we were about to by when we came across the King. Man, I wish I would have just pulled the trigger on the Drolet then but I thought we were getting a great deal.