# Regency i3100 Insert Baffle



## Benny4117 (Jan 31, 2013)

Been reading and learning alot over the last few weeks and finally making first post.   I purchased my first wood stove insert (Regency i3100) over the summer and started burning this past Novemeber.  I actually have a question hoping to get some help with:  I was cleaning stove out today and notice the top right baffle on the stove(when looking inside the stove) seems to be slightly curved (Does not lay flat on top of the air tubes- front edge is raised roughly a 1/4") ......So a few questions (1) Is that normal ?(2)Whats causes that? and(3) Does it need to be replaced asap or safe to continue to burn as is?...... Thanks the the help in advance!


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## KB007 (Jan 31, 2013)

Ours seemed to curve a little after the first few months.  Been running like that for over 2 years now. 

So long as the baffles are together, slightly overlapped and pushed back, seems to work just fine.


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## TTigano (Jan 31, 2013)

Just make sure the baffles are pushed fully back and to the left and right.  You should be fine.  Can you upload a picture?


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## Benny4117 (Feb 1, 2013)

Just wanted wanted to make sure its safe to run stove this weekend......i was checking to make sure that they were push all the way back and then L & R and that how i noticed it.    I will see if i can get pic uploaded over the weekend.


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## G Talbot (Dec 19, 2014)

Re I3100 and baffle issues, ditto for me, but only since 2013 and the last 2 baffle sets. I am on current as well as preceding set of baffles, getting baffle curve, shrinkage and increased gapping.

The baffles after a few weeks of burning are no longer sitting flat on the air tubes....and not surprisingly air tubes 2 and 3 are popping out occasionally on hot fires....seems like connected issue.

Baffle curve is also accentuating the gap in the baffle middle where it is now impossible to get baffle overlap, in my case almost 1" spacing which the overlap cannot accomodate. 

Am pretty sure that the Regency baffle set 063-955) is actually undersized in width for the I3100, as a friend with the midsized F2400 (a different baffle set) has no gap and has perfectly tight original baffles from 12 years ago...my baffles need changing yearly (about 12 cords of hardwood).

My 3 year old I3100 is also deforming rapidly on the spot welded deflector plate at the top just behind the holes and in comparison once again to my friend's F2400, there is zero deformity although his F2400 is actualy 4x years older

anyone else having these issues with the I3100?


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## bholler (Dec 19, 2014)

G Talbot said:


> My 3 year old I3100 is also deforming rapidly on the spot welded deflector plate at the top just behind the holes and in comparison once again to my friend's F2400, there is zero deformity although his F2400 is actualy 4x years older


Sounds to me like you are overfireing it we sell regencys and honestly we rarely replace any baffles.  the deflector has been a bit of an issue the new ones are replaceable.  We have cut out a few and replaced them with bolt in ones




Benny4117 said:


> I actually have a question hoping to get some help with: I was cleaning stove out today and notice the top right baffle on the stove(when looking inside the stove) seems to be slightly curved (Does not lay flat on top of the air tubes- front edge is raised roughly a 1/4") ......So a few questions (1) Is that normal ?(2)Whats causes that? and(3) Does it need to be replaced asap or safe to continue to burn as is?...... Thanks the the help in advance!


probably not a big deal but post a few pics or get your dealer out to look at it if it is warped it will be covered by warantee


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## bholler (Dec 19, 2014)

G Talbot said:


> The baffles after a few weeks of burning are no longer sitting flat on the air tubes....and not surprisingly air tubes 2 and 3 are popping out occasionally on hot fires....seems like connected issue.


That is another sign of over fire it can be fixed by simply squeezing the notch closed a little bit but you need to change your burning practices or your stove wont last long at all


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## G Talbot (Dec 19, 2014)

Thank you for your comments on overfiring as the likely cause of the issues I am encountering.

your Comment about over firing begs this question:

If the door is only opened for wood loading and the door is airtight, as proven by a closed air intake causing a rapid choking of the fire to a creosote burn, how can the unit be over firing? Am i missing something?

Am concerned yes that the issues currently manifesting themselves will become more serious.

We do a continuous burn of 24 hours, for a 5-6 month season in (Montreal), and consume 10-12 facecords of dry maple yearly. The stove is the primary heat source for a 2,200 sq ft 2 story bungalow, with electric baseboards and convection as secondary heat sources. Are we exceeding the rated capacity of this stove? Is that even possible?

Baffles (063-955) on an I3100 are made small and gap even when new, by my experience (barely overlap, when set tight on sides). By my stove calculation the hearth width of an I3100 is 568MM or about 22 3/8" and the baffle brick widths are 280 mm on the rough side and 264 mm on the smooth side or 11 1/8" and 10 3/8" respectively.

so the I3100 Hearth width less baffle coverage 568-544=24 mm or about an inch of missing coverage for the baffles.
Conversely the F2400 medium stove with it's different baffle set has a zero gap in baffle coverage.

Is the I3100 over firing because the baffle set or deflector set is defective and are my issues accelerated by our firing and consumption being more than average?

The General picture is of a 3 log burn at half air intake, Regency fan at low, upper customs fans at low, measuring 390F degrees on the front upper center face above door and a 585F degree in the hearth....fan at low 95% of burn time

This my second I3100, Regency replaced Vermont casting 12 years ago and over a 12 year period have consumed about 150 cords of wood in I3100 and am still learning, but somewhat experienced and now confused and concerned


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## bholler (Dec 19, 2014)

G Talbot said:


> If the door is only opened for wood loading and the door is airtight, as proven by a closed air intake causing a rapid choking of the fire to a creosote burn, how can the unit be over firing? Am i missing something?


If you let the air open to long or to much you will over fire it.  You should have it shut down half way at the absolute most after you get the secondaries burning.  Have you talked to regency about your baffles?  I just installed a 3100 on tuesday and there was no gap so i don't know what the problem is with yours it is strange.   Granted you go through allot more wood than we are used to down here but are you saying that in 12 years you went through one stove and have already done that to your next one?  there is something wrong there.  And by the way i am not trying to be critical or insulting at all i hope it hasn't come across that way


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## G Talbot (Dec 19, 2014)

bholler said:


> If you let the air open to long or to much you will over fire it.  You should have it shut down half way at the absolute most after you get the secondaries burning.  Have you talked to regency about your baffles?  I just installed a 3100 on tuesday and there was no gap so i don't know what the problem is with yours it is strange.   Granted you go through allot more wood than we are used to down here but are you saying that in 12 years you went through one stove and have already done that to your next one?  there is something wrong there.  And by the way i am not trying to be critical or insulting at all i hope it hasn't come across that way



BHoller, thank you for your observations, no offense, am looking for solutions that would prevent potentially killing the stove.

Am somewhat surprised that the baffles you installed in a I3100 had a zero gapping, i have not seen baffles that did not gap ever in the more than several sets i have installed over a 12 year period...were they the (063-955) unit or did Regency recently redesign the baffles hummmm, looking forward to receiving new baffles ordered a few weeks ago, maybe they have finally resized them appropriately.

My History is that we inherited on the home purchase a vermont Casting insert that we used in evenings and weekends from 1991-2003...a beautiful gorgeous unit in ceramic, with 2 doors, georgeous but highly inefficient and it consumed wood like no tomorrow, with constant dirty glass, needed full air to operate, it was ok for occasional mood fires and not much more.

We had a power outage iin 1998 that lasted 3 weeks in early January (the result of the great Eastern ice storm) it was painful to heat the one family room that became our home, with the VC, loading every 2 hours for 24 hrs a day and we used candles in bathrooms and basement to prevent plumbing freeze, tough times....so we knew that we needed an alternate more efficient heat source, to makeup for unreliable hydro....burned once twice shy.

In 2003, the VC needed big tuning, so instead, we sold it used and bought our 1st Regency I3100 after a long and extensive study, Regency and Pacific were the finalists and Regency won on a close call. The Regency I3100 generated a wow factor from day 1, it is one heck of a stove/insert and it did the job amazingly, we love this stove.

The 2003 I3100 and the new chimney liner (smaller for Regency than VC), were installed by the dealer (it has about 18' of chimney), within the existing brick fireplace and brick chimney of our 1976 home.

On the very 1st install and before the very 1st fire, I noticed the baffles were loose, but they did overlap, needing to be pushed to the sides as per the diagram in the manual which shows about a 1/8 to 1/4" gap (this gapping was assumed as it is not defined in the manual), manual only shows a slight gap at the center overlap, tight to sides....strange to me, but manual showed similar confirguration, so must be ok.

From 2003-2011, the 1st I3100 burned about 100 cords, a fantastic heat source and all was wonderful, replaced chipped baffles about every 2nd year, at chimney sweep time (movement and chipping because they are loose?).
In the 8th year of use and at about 100 cords, the I3100 developed micro cracks in the upper corners behind the doors and it became a safety concern for unattended burn. The 1st I3100 also warped on the deflector in it's 1st years as well, an obvious engineering flaw that Regency seems to be addressing this year with what I hearsay of fixes and changes on the deflector.(a 12 year to do fix?) Seems obvious to me that the spot weld was an issue and that solid weld was probable solution, but Regency seemed in denial of problems.

So in 2011 we had a cracked stove face, wow, working with dealer put together a case with many pictures and Regency accepted to replace the stove and shipped to dealer. I was faced with the job of de-installing, transporting the used stove to dealer, transporting and unloading the new stove and finally installing the new insert stove in its tight space. Everyone had blood in the game and i was ok with that, assuming i had hit a one time lemon, but the I3100 is heavy and installation is hard work to that I would rather not do it again....it is a 3-4 man job of transport and installation. did it all with 2 people, but an unsafe practice am not willing to do again.

So now on my 2nd unit, 3 years in, puzzling over what is going on, having newfound friend with similar burn habits using the mid sized F2400, 12 years old original everything and no signs of wear....Huh?
and i ask myself the question, does the i3100 have engineering issues, could smaller undersized baffles be the issue causing other issues, as it is the only thing i see as different, between midsize and full size units, baffles, air tubes and bricks, else all is similarly engineered, between mid size and full size.
So do others have problems with the I3100 and/or do not know it yet...Regency is being mysterious that all is ok and seemingly in denial again.
The Baffle curving issue did not happen until the 2013 set...from 2003-2011 they chipped on handling (cleaning time) but they did not curve, air tubes between 2003-2011 did not unclip on their own, correction maybe once, likely bad clip.
Something brewing, i just don't know what, yet.

For comparison below is a recent similar staged picture of a 12 yr F2400 (with original baffles and air tubes) vs. my I3100 that has recent baffles (October 2014).

Would be nice to know if other I3100 customers are seeing changes in their firebox, like curving baffles, warping deflectors, falling air tubes and such.

addendum: sent to pictures of my I3100 issues to Regency, their reply was "Normal wear and tear", dont worry be happy, which prompted me to go looking for a forum....heart.com may be my newfound best friend....smile

Thanks

Gil


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## bholler (Dec 19, 2014)

Like i said before i see that in stoves where the customer consistently burns with the air half way open or more.  You will get more heat out of them if you close them down a little more.  The deflector is an issue they have fixed but will not acknowledge it was an issue.   Like i said we have cut out a few and bolted new ones in the first one is 5 years old and still holding up.  The 1/8" to 1/4" gap is the norm any tighter and it would be a pain to remove them.


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## baysideburner (Dec 19, 2014)

bholler said:


> Like i said before i see that in stoves where the customer consistently burns with the air half way open or more.  You will get mois ae heat out of them if you close them down a little more.  The deflector is an issue they have fixed but will not acknowledge it was an issue.   Like i said we have cut out a few and bolted new ones in the first one is 5 years old and still holding up.  The 1/8" to 1/4" gap is the norm any tighter and it would be a pain to remove them.


I have the same stove I have no problems with the burn tubes likeu are showing..but from the white color of the tubes looks like you are burning mauybe too hot. I believe this I


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## baysideburner (Dec 19, 2014)

Continuing my last post I think this is also causing your baffles towarp. Do u take any stove temps as your burning.do you constantly have fast long orange flames lapping over and out the flue pipe..are all your burn tubes glowing red..are your baffles glowing red if so you are burning to hot


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## bholler (Dec 19, 2014)

baysideburner said:


> I have the same stove I have no problems with the burn tubes likeu are showing..but from the white color of the tubes looks like you are burning mauybe too hot. I believe this I


exactly what i said


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## G Talbot (Dec 20, 2014)

baysideburner said:


> I have the same stove I have no problems with the burn tubes likeu are showing..but from the white color of the tubes looks like you are burning mauybe too hot. I believe this I



Interesting comments all
mine is a 24 hour burning cycle for many month, the size of fire is dependant on outdoor temps
That taken picture was done mid day after the early attended fire of 1-3 small logs, the small hot fire that in my 24 cycle cleans off cresote built up overning.....in the morning after the big loaded overnight smoulder, the I3100 is sooty black, tubes and bricks are black, if in our quantity was to that all the time, there would be a tremendous creosote buildup and a very strong probability of an unatteneded chimney fire (very scary proposition for me).

With our 2 cycle burning methods, we still achieve an average of a once a year chimney clean (10-12 FC consumed) of about a gallon of creosote total at yearly cleaning...the probability of soot buildup increases with large constant smouldering fires and would mean multiple cleanings per year in our consumption..our 45 degree French Canadian pitch roof is not much fun to climb onto during winter season, for the cap and chimney cleaning (therefore chimney cleaning is a summer early fall job, involving professioanal and includes a full inspection. Most creosote buildup is my years of experience is at he cooler top of the chimney flue and chimney cap.

To note that have i never experienced red hot air tubes or baffles as i have read experienced elsewhere. The fan at high and air intake torque down will cool the stove very rapidly.

To my knowledge over fire, in an airtight stove is a sign of very large fire with full air and/or a non airtight stove (typically a door sealing leak)


Have a 3 fan system, to cool down stove and move heat to inner home
1: regency dual squirrel fans at bottom draw cool aire, fan usually at low continuous and quiete (replaced once because lubrification nearly impossible in the configuration)
2: Custom squirrel fan built into the bottom and behind of the mantel with a reostat blowing top warm air back across tip and face of the fireplace (recuperation and cooling) insert of course less efficient than stove, so this makes up...a little
3: Blower fans which i built into a false wall on a separate reostat (brick chimney 3.5" behind) and recuperating stored heat form chimney and stove top, and pushing this warm air back into the room for natural progression via ceiling fans into the remainder of home....stove interior can be 550F, stove face 425, stove wall 95F, yes family room can get pretty warm, in the 80's F next to stove to achive 68 F in adjoining rooms

Life is full of compromise, have done several adjustments and tapped out on further improvements....may be as good as it gets but does the job nicely in sub zero F temperatures

My Friend with the F2400 is closeby and on a similar cycle to mine, smaller home, basement setup, more chimney, but else similar except for firebox size, my I3100 is aging faster than his F2400, therefore the hummmm

Looking forward in th next few weeks to more discussion with Regency I3100 and F3100 users, am making it a project.

BTW, must be manufacturing tolerances, because my (2) I3100's are slightly different, primarily on air intake and cold startup even though flue and door is the same...go figure

what works in Rome may not work in Athens...smile

but general methods and practices are the same, keeping an open mind, looking forward to making continued discoveries, am i killing my stove trying to heat 2,200 sq ft in our climate, good question, unanswered right now


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## baysideburner (Dec 20, 2014)

G Talbot said:


> Interesting comments allimine is a 24 hour burning cycle for many month, the size of fire is dependant on outdoor temps
> That taken picture was done mid day after the early attended fire of 1-3 small logs, the small hot fire that in my 24 cycle cleans off cresote built up overning.....in the morning after the big loaded overnight smoulder, the I3100 is sooty black, tubes and bricks are black, if in our quantity was to that all the time, there would be a tremendous creosote buildup and a very strong probability of an unatteneded chimney fire (very scary proposition for me).
> 
> With our 2 cycle burning methods, we still achieve an average of a once a year chimney clean (10-12 FC consumed) of about a gallon of creosote total at yearly cleaning...the probability of soot buildup increases with large constant smouldering fires and would mean multiple cleanings per year in our consumption..our 45 degree French Canadian pitch roof is not much fun to climb onto during winter season, for the cap and chimney cleaning (therefore chimney cleaning is a summer early fall job, involving professioanal and includes a full inspection. Most creosote buildup is my years of experience is at he cooler top of the chimney flue and chimney cap.
> ...


I never let my fires burn that cool overnite..what I found to work best Is


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## baysideburner (Dec 20, 2014)

Is to burn long hot fires getting the house as warm as possible until around an hour before bed letting it burn down as much as possible even cracking the door to speed up the coal bed burning down.then just before bed I get as much wood as possible in there with plenty of large splits so it doesnt take off while im sleeping. I get good secondary action turn it down then turn in..this acomplishes two things..clean glass in the morning and not having to burn it too fast to try to catch up heating the house in the morning


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## G Talbot (Dec 21, 2014)

excellent baysideburner, looks like you are also new to the forum and sounds like you know your stove

Are you using a Regency I3100 insert?
If so Have you had it for awhile?
Any issues?


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## G Talbot (Dec 21, 2014)

Just drove into the city today to a Regency dealer open on Sunday, (nice)

Had a good look at the new 3100 model on display and happy to see a recent redesign on the deflector to a plate as described by bholler....the new 3100 now has a separate deflector, that looks to be made in stainless or alloy, clipping onto 2 frame bolts...nice, vs. the spot welded cast iron deflector of the previous 3100 series, i own.
Wonder if this new deflector can be retrofitted to an older 3100, by removal of the damaged iron weld unit & bolt addition?
A picture below of a new (medium) deflector part number is 820-483D for a medium stove, part number not yet known for the 3100 and does not yet appear in the parts list of the latest I3100 manual on Regency website, the stove seems redesigned but the manual redesign has not followed?...yet

Also checked baffles and sizing with a tape and it is as if the baffle set 063-955 ceramic bricks have been increased in width by 5mm on the rough side, for increased and better overlap..again confirming bholler's recent indication of a nice tight fit of the baffles on a new 3100 installation...picture below, am impressed and crossing my fingers, dealer checking with Regency as no specs on these parts published

All in all if that be true, Regency has finally addressed the 2 issues I am aware of, that have been plaguing the 3100 for a dozen years of more.... better late than never...really hoping I can apply these fixes to my 3100 and will continue investigation.

addendum: new stove has very fine manufactured lines in the 2 uppers corners....this is exactly where the faceplate cracked on my 3100 in 2011....hummmmm


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## bholler (Dec 21, 2014)

Like i said we have cut out the old ones 5 or 6 times and replaced them with bolt in ones.  We have the new ones made up out of 1/8" steel and drill and tap the stove for the new bolts


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## baysideburner (Dec 21, 2014)

G Talbot said:


> excellent baysideburner, looks like you are alsois two years old but I had a big moe growing up that my dad let me run since I was ten! He was a fireman so I guess he trusted me..then I had a timberline for years so I have been burning my whole life pretty much I am  completely in tune with whats going in that firebox but thats not without years of doing it wrong. There are so many people on here who are like scientists when it comes to wood combustion and I like to think I have that experience also. I make mistakes still but if u do what some say on this forum instead of asking for advice you too will be givin it..merry christmasnew to the forum and sounds like you know your stove
> 
> Are you using a Regency I3100 insert?
> If so Have you had it for awhile?
> Any issues?


Yes that was my first post but I have been reading on this forum for about two years.my hampton I


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## baysideburner (Dec 21, 2014)

I also have the newer model w no issues


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## G Talbot (Dec 21, 2014)

bholler said:


> Like i said we have cut out the old ones 5 or 6 times and replaced them with bolt in ones.  We have the new ones made up out of 1/8" steel and drill and tap the stove for the new bolts



Thanks for clarifying, 
so if the new deflector is now becoming a separately available Regency part, it could/should remove the step of mfg. a custom part for each unit...the tapping and drilling would still be required on the 1st retrofit....but it looks like the design of the new part is that the part installation is done via a clip of the deflector to bolts sunken into the frame (a new design altogether)  vs. the old spot weld steel attachment. This engineering change at 1st view, looks like a very good design for installation or part replacement. Hats off to Regency, looks like they are finally coming through, although it took awhile....smile.

If Regency chose stainless, or white metal or an alloy as the material, I would assume that with their tests, they were striving for increased durability and that the "idependance" from body should better accomodate heating and cooling cycles....by providing some play for the expansion/constriction of the heating/cooling cycles..hence the spring clip concept.....smart and liking it.

In your experience bholler, is the cost of retrofitting entirely a customer $ responsibility or does Regency help?

Can you also clarify the following bholler, It is my understanding that the deflector's primary purpose is to create a wash effect over the glass, reducing the buildup that may be happening in a slow burn. i have not seen that written anywhere, but would you agree that is the likely purpose of the deflector?

Thanks again for your tip on a bolt on retrofit, it is what motivated me to go see a new 3100 and upon seeing the redesign I am optimistic on long term use of the stove.....the 3100 really is a very good product as a heat source.


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## bholler (Dec 21, 2014)

G Talbot said:


> In your experience bholler, is the cost of retrofitting entirely a customer $ responsibility or does Regency help?


if we sold the stove we do it if the front manifold is cracked which is what will happen if you let it go then we submit it for a replacement stove. 




G Talbot said:


> Can you also clarify the following bholler, It is my understanding that the deflector's primary purpose is to create a wash effect over the glass, reducing the buildup that may be happening in a slow burn. i have not seen that written anywhere, but would you agree that is the likely purpose of the deflector?


It also seems to keep the intense heat off of that front manifold.  But from the look of yours you need to reduce your internal temps or replacing that deflector will not save your stove


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## G Talbot (Dec 21, 2014)

bholler said:


> exactly what i said





baysideburner said:


> I have the same stove I have no problems with the burn tubes likeu are showing..but from the white color of the tubes looks like you are burning mauybe too hot. I believe this I



The burn tubes in the 3100 picture i posted tubes 1-3 are original to 2003 and are from my very 1st 3100 unit. They have about 150 FC cords of burn, are straight and in great shape. When Regency replaced the unit in 2011, it came in bare bones, no door, no air tubes, no bricks, so all of the original old components were moved to the new i3100 body, but the new 3100 did come with new ceramic baffles and the rear 1"air tube in place. 

Everything else (components) of my current 2011 stove are from the original 2003 installed I3100. This summer 2014  i did replace baffles and many bricks, as especially the bottom bricks had become quite pitted and had become very "lighweight dry" after 12 years of use. I have no complaints on anything about this 3100 stove, except for the baffles and  the deformed deflector....and it looks promising for fixes forthcoming on my monly 2 issues.

In time am pretty sure that anyone using older 3100 models will eventually encounter the deflector issue and will need to replace baffles. Baffles are warrantied by Regency, so intact baffles are more than likely a key to the longevity of the stove...i supect defective baffles may create symptoms of over firing as well as higher fuel consumption rate as the baffles create a more indirect route of exhaust (i believe i have seen this referred to as secondary burn, in conjunection with reduced air intake)

If i wipe a rag on  my original 2003 air tubes 1-3, they look like new. They are white in the picture because the picture was done after the Regency recommended 15-45 morning burn open air cycle, which has the purpose of cleaning out any accumulated "long cycle/overnight" burn which does generate some creosote.
Creosote "brownish/black", burns out to white powder once burned off.

Once again, my seasonal creosote buildup is a gallon or less from a 10-12 FC burn, most of the crosote being in the last upper 6' of the liner, attic and the great outside, where it is cooler.


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## bholler (Dec 21, 2014)

Ok you are talking about face cords that is totally different so that is not the massive amount i was thinking.  And no intact baffles is not the key to longevity but without them it will seriously hurt efficiency.  But you are right if those are the original tubes you cant be over firing to much.  But that fact of the matter is that you cracked your first stove prematurely and have warped many baffle sets and the deflector in 3 years you obviously are doing something wrong i am just not entirely sure what that is


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## G Talbot (Dec 21, 2014)

bholler said:


> if we sold the stove we do it if the front manifold is cracked which is what will happen if you let it go then we submit it for a replacement stove.
> 
> It also seems to keep the intense heat off of that front manifold.  But from the look of yours you need to reduce your internal temps or replacing that deflector will not save your stove



Thanks appreciate, bholler, will be attentive,  but just checked temps, a 380 F on front top above door read and a 525 F hearth read, from a 2/3 toked down air intake and 2 log burn on hot coals ..will limp along till i can apply January fixes....unfortunately this year the  fixes are to be done in the high use season...sigh...normally do this stuff in off season....got to hearth.com a little late, but did not expect such a rapid deterioration of the baffles and the deflector as have encountered in the past few weeks, while using and applying the same 12 year wood burning practices....sigh
Regency just a few days ago, saw the same pictures you did, their reply was that it was normal wear and tear for a 3100, there were no problems, just move the baffles more to center to cover gap......sigh
manufacturing reps, little concern other than selling new units, my how times have changed


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## davidmsem (Dec 21, 2014)

I'm confused....I have a new i3100 and the stones on top (baffle) have a slight curve. Is there an issue in performance or operability that you are seeing? I'm not sure what the complaint is, help me understand.    

Ps....do the stones on top get pushed together in the center or out to the sides?


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## G Talbot (Dec 21, 2014)

davidmsem said:


> I'm confused....I have a new i3100 and the stones on top (baffle) have a slight curve. Is there an issue in performance or operability that you are seeing? I'm not sure what the complaint is, help me understand.
> 
> Ps....do the stones on top get pushed together in the center or out to the sides?



You say a new I3100, was it installed this 2014 year, and are you in a 1st season of burn?

The Regency manual recommends that the baffles be fully pushed back and totally tight to the sides...if all is well you should be left with a 1/8-1/4" inch gap in the center baffle overlap...below is a picture of how it should look....


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## G Talbot (Dec 22, 2014)

bholler said:


> Ok you are talking about face cords that is totally different so that is not the massive amount i was thinking.  And no intact baffles is not the key to longevity but without them it will seriously hurt efficiency.  But you are right if those are the original tubes you cant be over firing to much.  But that fact of the matter is that you cracked your first stove prematurely and have warped many baffle sets and the deflector in 3 years you obviously are doing something wrong i am just not entirely sure what that is



bholler, truly appreciate your help and opinions, appreciate your sharing of helpful experience and interest in and thanks for your suggestions and opinions from having seen many units of this type in operation.

bholler, am smiling,  in 2011, my i3100 cracked in the upper corner, primarily on the door side, with the very start of a crack failure on  the opening side upper corner. You might believe that there was a very extensive study done of me and my processes and a requirement with many, many pictures, before a claim acceptance and a replacement unit was provided. I surmised in the end that i may possibly not have been the only one, there were possibly others?

Today, i had another revelation about a recent change to 3100. Have a really close look at a new 2014 model 3100 and the upper corners of the facelplate. I noticed today that there are now a slight mark/indentation on the units face, of about 1/2" or so in those 2 upper corners...darn i wish i had taken a picture today.

That indentation does/did not exist on my i3100's and in 2011 the problem and concern was there, are they fixing another potential engineering problem.

I find it sad that Regency may not be sharing openly, especially with dealers, areas to inspect and monitor, which is likely why engineering changes may be happening....sigh

as a proud owner and quite dependant on my unit, i have no reason to want to damage my unit, in fact i may be more aware than many and frequently monitoring and questioning potential issues...I first reported baffle issues in 2004, as well as the deflector deformation and a few times after that. I have not had a baffle replacement claim refused yet....suspect Regency knows stuff and probably know what serial number sequences that may have reported issues...engineering changes are driven by discoveries reported by dealers and customers...improvements seem slow and are likely a numbers game of profits....sigh


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## davidmsem (Dec 22, 2014)

G Talbot said:


> You say a new I3100, was it installed this 2014 year, and are you in a 1st season of burn?
> 
> The Regency manual recommends that the baffles be fully pushed back and totally tight to the sides...if all is well you should be left with a 1/8-1/4" inch gap in the center baffle overlap...below is a picture of how it should look....



Thank you....this is how the unit is setup. It runs great.....well insulated flue and the like.....first impression: love it!


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## G Talbot (Dec 23, 2014)

Have decided that my Regency I3100 as of this morning is now off completely, until fixes are applied.
Stove deemed as unhealthy, with a growing concern for the longevity of the stove, as well as safety in unattended burn.

Have attached a Picture below of the now very visible issues, regarding baffles and deflector deterioration, been burning small fires and limping in the last few days, while working out a plan. Currently living an unacceptable status with cold coming and a high dependancy of the 3100 as our primary heat source.

To address my concerns, will be performing the following steps to restore the 3100 to a deemed "healthy" status:

1)Replace the ceramic baffles (063-955) and will perform an indepth comparison of the new baffles to the 2 month old baffles installed in the 3100 that are distorting badly and very rapidly.

2) Dissasembly and Close Inspection of  the 3/4" air tubes, tubes 1-3 from front....will be compared to new, in looking for  any possible changes in the existing air tubes.

3) Investigating the retrofit to my older 3100 (same for I3100 or F3100) of a new replaceable deflector, Regency part # 820-484C, a stainless deflector (a 2014 Regency redesign?), that clips onto bolts attached to the upper front face of the 3100 series stove. Am also hoping that Regency might have a retrofit kit (and provide some guidance) for retrofitting this part onto my 2011, I3100 unit, which currently has a spot welded steel deflector, in pretty bad shape. Seems to me that bold placement will have little tolerance for assembly/dissassembly.

4) May perform a change of the door gaskets, although they seem do seem to be very airtight.

Am currently thinking that an intact deflector may be a very important component of the Regency stove, in ensuring a healthy longevity.

Luckily we are hitting a warm spell with a few days of 0 Celcious and above degrees of outside temps.

Am really hoping to have peace of mind on the 3100 and just in time for the peak heating season of Jan-Feb.


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## KB007 (Dec 23, 2014)

That deflector looks like most.  Mine is the same.  Shop installer said it was pretty typical and not a big performance issue.

I looked at my baffles and they don't overlap quite as much, more like there is a 1/4 " gap overall.   Definitely not the same warp you have there. I did notice I've knocked a couple of chunks out, so prolly time to replace them.  Mine ar either 4 or 5 years old now, so prolly time to replace.


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## G Talbot (Dec 24, 2014)

*3100 ceramic Baffles*

changed my baffles yesterday, city dealer stripped his demo to accomodate my immediate need, premium service for premium $ and i am ok with that.

So after total dissasembly and full inspection of the unit, reassembled my 3100 and it is back up to operation on new baffles .. also flipped in a a couple of different spare air tubes to be sure.....and was surprised to find that one of the air tubes in the unit, was actally a  1/4" shorter than the others? might have been the one popping out on occasion from expansion and vibration....probably and am crossing my fingers

Observed that new baffles are now naturally drying with a curve (invard concave on the rough side), a recent issue since 2013 methinks. The new ones (just acquired) have a beginning of a curve already (from sitting in a demo unit and before the very 1st fire). I can just imagine their status and condition after 5-6 cords of heat and by February....we'll see then.
What is nice is that the new baffles are 28.5 centimetres in width on the rough side x2, vs the previous set at 28 centimetres. New baffles are therefore providing 1 centimeter more coverage overall and when assembled, the unit is now back to a 1/4" gap...picture below. Begs the question: Are there 2 different moulds being used in ceramic baffle manufacturing, 2 different sub-manufacturers, quite a mystery to me. If replacing baffles and if you have a choice, suggest that the 285 mm baffle is a better fit, both seem to have the (063-955) code.

To note that Ceramic baffles are delicate, especially once they have been used and heat dried. Be very careful on removal for chimney sweep as that handling alone can easily chip and crack. As an example, brought my 2 month old baffles to dealer for comparison, they were in a box and cracked/chipped just from vehicle transport.

Suggest from my experience that for the folks often using older 3100 units, (2002-2013), that are ignoring a deteriorating 3100 deflector condition and/or poor baffle condition may cause much more and larger issues. My original I3100 was in the 1st thousand produced and there are likely more than 20,000 3100's series units out there now, assuming that 20-30% are likely getting frequent use, a greater number of people will be encountering issues, jeoparding longevity.

New 3100 users may benefit from the 3100 redesign (differences i could see from a examining a new 3100 demo unit)
Doors now Bolted on frame vs. previously welded door hinges
2 stamps on face in upper corners
New changeable deflector design, stainless vs. the spot welded steel plate in previous design

The 3100 is a great stove and with inspection and tweaking, a fantastic unit.

merry Chistmas all

Gil


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## Forum reader (Jan 1, 2015)

I've had a freestanding 3100 since 2005. Tried to replace baffles this year and had a heck of a time locating a set. Waited for weeks to hear back from my dealer and finally gave up and replaced baffles with a 3/8 steel plate that is approximately 1" short of stove width, so there's a 1/2" gap on each side of the baffle. I think this is causing my stove to consume more wood and burn less efficiently. It seems these baffles are hard to get, which is my one complaint with this stove. I've heated a 3200 sq. ft. story and a half house almost exclusively with this stove for 10 years. I keep a thermometer on the chimney 18" up form the stove top and keep the chimney temp at 200 degrees F minimum.  I sweep once a year at the end of the season and get about a large coffee can of creosote on average. 

The past couple years, even before replacing the baffles, I've noticed that to keep flue temp up, I often have to burn with door cracked open. Any input as to why? Is it just the fact that baffles were worn out? Seems like I'd have higher flue temps if that's the case, not lower.  Love this thread. It's been very informative. Even though I've burned for a long time and been through at least 55 full cords of wood, I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing. I'm open to any input you can give. Even tell me how stupid I am if you want. I'm thick skinned, willing to listen, and want to learn. 

On a side note, I'm thinking of starting a company to make these darn baffles cause there seems to be a pretty high demand for them and not a lot of supply!!


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## WES999 (Jan 1, 2015)

Try here for the baffles, I think this is the one for your stove.
http://www.woodmanspartsplus.com/939/736621/Unassigned/Regency-Stove-Baffle-Set.html
I don't think steel plates with a gap on the side will work properly, it will let a lot of heat go up the flue.

If you stove won't burn without cracking the door, something is wrong. I have the smaller F1100 and with dry wood, I burn with the door shut tight and the air closed or almost closed. 

Check for:
Wet wood, poor draft, plugged air passage, dirty chimney.


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## Forum reader (Jan 1, 2015)

I don't think it's a wood issue. Have well aged ash, black wlanut, and cherry. Chimney is in good shape and I replaced firebrick lining inside of stove this year. I have the same issue as stated above with air deflector. It has warped and separated from stove wall. I don't know why it doesn't seem to build heat like it used to. Stove looks good and everything seems to be pretty much like it was when installed. Is there anything that could block the air intake? Is there something that I should be cleaning that I'm not? I've done just about everything according to the owners manual.

Thanks for the link. I've already ordered a new set of baffles. I'll get them in the stove as soon as I receive them. I love burning wood for many reasons and would really like the stove to last another 20 years. Do you think having the steel plate in there could damage the stove?


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## G Talbot (Jan 2, 2015)

Forum reader said:


> I've had a freestanding 3100 since 2005. Tried to replace baffles this year and had a heck of a time locating a set. Waited for weeks to hear back from my dealer and finally gave up and replaced baffles with a 3/8 steel plate that is approximately 1" short of stove width, so there's a 1/2" gap on each side of the baffle. I think this is causing my stove to consume more wood and burn less efficiently. It seems these baffles are hard to get, which is my one complaint with this stove. I've heated a 3200 sq. ft. story and a half house almost exclusively with this stove for 10 years. I keep a thermometer on the chimney 18" up form the stove top and keep the chimney temp at 200 degrees F minimum.  I sweep once a year at the end of the season and get about a large coffee can of creosote on average.
> 
> The past couple years, even before replacing the baffles, I've noticed that to keep flue temp up, I often have to burn with door cracked open. Any input as to why? Is it just the fact that baffles were worn out? Seems like I'd have higher flue temps if that's the case, not lower.  Love this thread. It's been very informative. Even though I've burned for a long time and been through at least 55 full cords of wood, I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing. I'm open to any input you can give. Even tell me how stupid I am if you want. I'm thick skinned, willing to listen, and want to learn.
> 
> On a side note, I'm thinking of starting a company to make these darn baffles cause there seems to be a pretty high demand for them and not a lot of supply!!


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## bholler (Jan 2, 2015)

You guys need better dealers we get a set when ever we order one with in a week


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## Forum reader (Jan 2, 2015)

Maybe a new dealer is what I need. New baffles that I ordered on line should be here next week. When I put those in, I'll also drill and tap a couple holes so I can pull the air deflector/window washer back in place and keep it there.

Is there any way to get to and clean the air intake? I always just sweep the chimney, shovel and vacuum out all ash and creosote, and replace firebrick as needed. I do this in the spring after I'm done burning for the year. Should I be doing more?


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## bholler (Jan 2, 2015)

that is pretty much it you can pull the blower and check under neath to see if there is allot of stuff under there but it is rarly a problem.  I think your lack of heat output is probably due to the baffle.  And you will probably need a new deflector once they warp they pretty much need replaced we have new ones made at a local machine shop or you could order a new one from regency


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## velvetfoot (Jan 2, 2015)

Not that it means anything, but I just looked at my HI300, which is like the smaller I2400, I think, and it doesn't have that deflector.


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## Eric Swanson (Oct 14, 2017)

We have a Regency I3100 that we've had for about 11/12 years and use continuously during the roughly 5-6 month heating season in New England.

My experience is that the stove is pretty cheaply made in some key areas, most notably the front deflector, which I've replaced about four times by bolting new 1/4" x 1-1/2" steel bars into the remaining remnants of the original deflector, at the ends.

Regency talks about "overfiring" as a way of sidestepping the issue that, in my opinion, the stove is not a great piece of manufacturing/engineering; there are more ways to overfire than I can list here.

I've found that regular use, with dry cordwood, with the intake shut down, with optimal practices per the instructions, still produces burned through metal at the top front of the stove, period.

I think that the design flaw lies in having the hottest, most concentrated flame directed at what is essentially unprotected plain steel. If it were all stainless steel, it might fare better, but it isn't.

One can't really be aware of the issue until you've owned the stove and used it continuously for awhile.

So, this year, when I replaced my deflector and patched up the baffles/firebricks, I also formed an armature of stainless steel mesh, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4RCHFU/?tag=hearthamazon-20

covered the damaged top/front area, then plastered this with fire cement, thus covering the steel elements that had begun to burn through (even when used according to Regency's directions).

Voila! the area is now protected with a layer of cement, working like a custom-formed firebrick, which is keeping the steel protected. When I installed and "plastered" the stainless steel mesh, I ensured that the top passage remained open, so that the air-wash feature would continue to work.

I've attached photos of "before," the process, "during," and "after," before curing the fire cement. We've been using it for a month, since; it is working better than ever.

Also, my top baffles wore out over the years, were cracked and in pieces, etc. I laid them out on waxed paper on a flat sheet, fire cemented them together, using stainless steel mesh as "re-bar" across the joints, and took pains to reform the mating half-lap joint (again, with wax paper between the drying slabs, so that they didn't get stuck together).

They are better than ever. This approach has worked well, saved me money replacing firebricks/baffles, and is easily done by anyone who is a bit handy.

So, in summary, one can mend firebricks or baffles with stove cement, and improve the stove's design by covering the top front area with fire cement plastered onto a stainless steel armature. I hope that this helps another Regency owner...

With a little stove polish, the unit looks good as new and is actually better than new, with the new/improved protection of the vulnerable top/front area.


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## bholler (Oct 14, 2017)

Eric Swanson said:


> We have a Regency I3100 that we've had for about 11 years and use continuously during the roughly 5-6 month heating season in New England.
> 
> My experience is that the stove is pretty cheaply made in some key areas, most notably the front deflector, which I've replaced about four times by bolting new 1/4" x 1-1/2" steel bars into the remaining remnants of the original deflector, at the ends.
> 
> ...


What temperatures are you running at?  What chimney is it hooked to and how tall is it?  Have you checked the seal on the door?  That stove looks like it has been seriously abused.  And honestly it is bad enough that I would not use it in my house.  Did you try to have it replaced under warantee?   I have a 3100 that is similar age and Burt 24/7 during the heating season in pa.  And I have only replaced the deflector once.  And the face is not cracked like yours.  I also sell them and have only seen one stove as bad as yours.  And that guy burnt it wide open all the time.


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## Eric Swanson (Oct 14, 2017)

bholler said:


> What temperatures are you running at?  What chimney is it hooked to and how tall is it?  Have you checked the seal on the door?  That stove looks like it has been seriously abused.  And honestly it is bad enough that I would not use it in my house.  Did you try to have it replaced under warantee?   I have a 3100 that is similar age and Burt 24/7 during the heating season in pa.  And I have only replaced the deflector once.  And the face is not cracked like yours.  I also sell them and have only seen one stove as bad as yours.  And that guy burnt it wide open all the time.



I don't know what the operating temperature is; only that we use seasoned cordwood and that we run the stove either completely shut down or, at most, 1/2" open (measuring the intake handle) per the instructions. It is hooked up to a continuous stainless steel stovepipe that runs straight up the inside of our masonry chimney. I'm not sure of the chimney height; the stove is on the first floor of a two-story bungalow. The pipe might be about 25 feet from the stove to the pipe's cap, as a guess.

MA is a bit farther north than PA; I'm not sure what the average difference in temperature might be.

I can only report that the insert has operated well, usually about 20 hours a day, seven days a week, 5-6 months a year, running nearly continuously. With the blower running (we are on our second blower motor; the bearings on the first gave out after about 5/6 years), it heats our entire 1100 sq ft two-story bungalow to a comfortable level; the gas only turns on for an hour or two in the very early morning, or in the mid-afternoons, when we are away and the fire has died, in the dead of winter.

I contacted the dealer and Regency, directly, after the first deflector burned through and they said, essentially, "Well, that does happen," but didn't offer any warranty claim; I haven't pursued it further.

The deformity of the front happened within the first year; the stove has been tight and has worked well since we got it, in spite of that. This was also explained by our dealer and Regency as normal wear and tear OR as evidence of abuse.

The manual is written such that any of the defects we have experienced are considered by Regency to be evidence of overfiring, even though I know that the stove has only been used according to the instructions. So, they have worded the manual such that any defects, such as those we experienced, void any warranty obligations on their end.

The stove has not been used with any fuel, in any way, other than outlined in the owner's manual. Despite that, the top/front area burned through and the face cracked.

I don't believe that this was due to overfiring, because I know how we treat the stove. I believe that it is due to our continuous use and Regency failing to adequately protect the top/front area from the heat.

The point of my post is that one can improve a design flaw/shortcoming in the stove by essentially covering the vulnerable top/front area with fire cement. I have the advantage of seeing and using the stove in person (sorry for the crummy photos ...).

I had a relatively unsatisfying time dealing with Regency when the stove was brand new. After that, I never considered applying to them for a warranty claim.

When we bought the unit, the sheet metal surround came, somewhat inexplicably and unapologetically, 1-1/2" taller/wider on the top than on the sides, which made the alignment with our tile surround (which had been laid out to Regency's planning specs for the surround) look terrible.

It took about 15-20 phone calls and and probably about 10 emails just to get a surround that was the dimensions promised in the literature. Regency's position was that, while the literature gave specified dimensions, all information was subject to change, without notice, and that they essentially had no obligations to help. They finally made a "custom" surround that was just the sizes promised.

After that ordeal, I have avoided dealing with Regency for anything other than parts, and that was through our very excellent local dealer.

I understand that as a dealer you may have some financial investment in promoting Regency; I'm not here to demean the brand or make it harder for anyone to sell Regency products. As owners, we feel that in terms of money saved on heat, we've done very well with our insert, as an investment.

I can only offer that we are scrupulous owners. Every year, we have the pipe cleaned at least once (sometimes twice) and the stove inspected. I've replaced gaskets both on the door and glass, which seal well. I have a backup set of gaskets, if needed. As I mention, I've replaced the full set of firebricks and baffles.

It is a relationship with a mechanical device. It is not a perfectly designed or exceedingly well-made object, but it is a very useful one. I think that I have figured out a way to overcome what I've found to be the weakest point in the I3100's setup; the top/front area.

The stove is sound and works better than ever. Regency offers a lot of bang for the buck. With regular maintenance, ours is heading into season 12 or 13 of daily use as our primary heat source; pretty good for a relatively inexpensive sheet metal stove, I think.

With my new, improved, fire-cemented-over-stainless-mesh-deflector area, I expect this unit to last for several more years of daily use. My only hope is to help another Regency owner improve their unit, should they experience the kind of burn through, in that area, that we've seen.

The photos and comments from other Regency owners, earlier in this thread, led me to think that photos of my fix might be helpful. I hope that they are.

I hope that my photos outline the process I followed. I'd be happy to answer any questions from those who care to replicate this improvement.


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## bholler (Oct 14, 2017)

So you have no idea what temperature you are running your stove at but are sure you having over fired It?  I think the biggest problem is your dealer.  When the front deformed in a year they should have found out what was going on and corrected the problem.  Yes the defector does deform sometimes but it is not normal and it is covered under warranty.  

I have absolutely no financial interest in this your poor review will not effect my sales in the least.  I just want to point out that I have sold many regencies. And worked on more what happened to yours is not typical at all.  In fact it is very abnormal.


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## velvetfoot (Oct 14, 2017)

Hey, the same thing happened to the my Hampton and the same reaction from the dealer (there was another thread on this).  It burned right through.  I had heard they replaced them with stainless, but this fix was not available to Americans.   I want to thank you Erik for the great info.


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## bholler (Oct 14, 2017)

velvetfoot said:


> Hey, the same thing happened to the my Hampton and the same reaction from the dealer (there was another thread on this).  It burned right through.  I had heard they replaced them with stainless, but this fix was not available to Americans.   I want to thank you Erik for the great info.


Yes all new ones have stainless deflector.  They have for a couple years now.  We retro fit any that we sold that get damaged.  Is the face of your stove distorted and cracked as well?


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## Eric Swanson (Oct 14, 2017)

bholler said:


> So you have no idea what temperature you are running your stove at but are sure you having over fired It?  I think the biggest problem is your dealer.  When the front deformed in a year they should have found out what was going on and corrected the problem.  Yes the defector does deform sometimes but it is not normal and it is covered under warranty.
> 
> I have absolutely no financial interest in this your poor review will not effect my sales in the least.  I just want to point out that I have sold many regencies. And worked on more what happened to yours is not typical at all.  In fact it is very abnormal.




Oh my.

I'm not trying to act like some sort of insert expert. I don't have a thermometer in my wood stove. Regency's manual doesn't say I need one. I never thought to buy one, frankly.

I'm saying that (a) we've used the stove exactly as instructed (b) the top/front metal has failed and I've replaced it, (c) Regency has acted like it was normal, (d) I devised a way to successfully and easily fix the problem, and (e) I believe that I've made the insert better than ever.

It sounds as if Regency recognized and fixed the deflector failure by changing it to stainless. A great move! If my stove had the stainless steel deflector, who knows what would have happened?

I have a way of fixing the burnout problem in the Regency insert. Others have apparently have the same problem based on this thread's title and preceding photos/discussion.

I've tried to help. Folks can use my fix if they want; I've tried to show how I did it.

Sorry if this isn't helpful. This is my first attempt at posting on this forum.

I have used my full name, posted my limited experience in good faith, and tried to be helpful. I'm not sure what else I can offer.

If having a stove thermometer and being a professional stove sales and maintenance person is a requirement here, I'm sorry to have transgressed. I've done my best to stick to my own, limited, honest experience as a mechanically inclined, well-intentioned, and committed Regency owner.


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## bholler (Oct 14, 2017)

Eric Swanson said:


> Oh my.
> 
> I'm not trying to act like some sort of insert expert. I don't have a thermometer in my wood stove. Regency's manual doesn't say I need one. I never thought to buy one, frankly.
> 
> ...


No it is not a requirement at all and without a doubt your review is very welcome.  I am just trying to figure out what happens to your stove.  By the looks of it it has been over fired many times.  But we have no way to know because there are no temp readings.   I am also curious to see how your repair holds up.  In my experience furnace cement does not hold up well in applications like you have.  I am really not trying to attack you at all and I apologise if it came off that way.  I just feel the need to point out that your experience is not typical.  Which is why I was asking for more info.


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## bholler (Oct 14, 2017)

Eric Swanson said:


> Oh my.
> 
> I'm not trying to act like some sort of insert expert. I don't have a thermometer in my wood stove. Regency's manual doesn't say I need one. I never thought to buy one, frankly.
> 
> ...


And I am sorry that your dealer did not take care of the issue to start at this point it has been modified and gone so far recency will never honor the warranty.  But again I would not use a stove damaged that badly in my home.


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## Eric Swanson (Oct 15, 2017)

bholler said:


> No it is not a requirement at all and without a doubt your review is very welcome.  I am just trying to figure out what happens to your stove.  By the looks of it it has been over fired many times.  But we have no way to know because there are no temp readings.   I am also curious to see how your repair holds up.  In my experience furnace cement does not hold up well in applications like you have.  I am really not trying to attack you at all and I apologise if it came off that way.  I just feel the need to point out that your experience is not typical.  Which is why I was asking for more info.



Apology accepted and understood; thank you.

I've clearly stumbled into your area of passion and expertise.

I've been a professional woodworker for several decades; I'll bet that I'd have a few opinions about whatever woodworking projects you might have going . We tend to be invested in the work we do professionally, at least I hope that this is true!

I can only offer that some of us may not have the positive, ongoing connections to Regency that you enjoy and do not have the ready cash to buy a new stove.

I'm glad that this isn't your experience.

Furnace cement, In my experience, as well, does not hold up well on its own. Where it touches metal, the movement of the metal and cement happen at different rates, causing fracturing.

Additionally, the cement doesn't last well when applied in large masses, it seems. The directions suggest applying thin coats; this seems to work best. I've applied it in successive layerings, where I've used it successfully.

The reason for my post was that I've done something different, following the concept of basic concrete work or plastering; relying on a steel mesh for tensile strength and form, with a thin layer of cement forced into, and covering, the mesh.

My results, so far, are that furnace cement applied firmly onto the stainless steel armature has held up well, over the last month, after several fires, with no cracking or distortion.

That was the reason for my post; I experimented with using the SS wire as a "lath" and the cement as a "plaster" and it has worked very well, so far.

I'll be sure to post, either way, a couple of months into the real heating season; so far, so good.

The recently expanded size of the baffles and redesign of the deflector are clear enough evidence for me that Regency finally understands that there was a problem directing fire at the unprotected top/front area.

As I mentioned in my initial post, I also used my stainless mesh/fire cement approach to mend cracked baffles; this has also held up well; the mesh serves as structural strength to the joint, when "bedded" in furnace cement. The mended baffles are going strong. At $75 + for a set of baffles, mending was a better option for me.

The work I've done at the top/front is easily reversible, should I ever choose to do so; the basic stove is not modified. I've just covered the vulnerable area.

The cracking/distortion is well within the door's area, my gaskets are fresh and their perimeters are sealed with hi-temp caulking. There is no flatness distortion out at the door seal and no burn through or cracking at the top of the stove's firebox.

Frankly, it is working better than ever, happily!


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## begreen (Oct 15, 2017)

Why was furnace cement slathered on the interior walls of the stove?


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## Eric Swanson (Oct 15, 2017)

begreen said:


> Why was furnace cement slathered on the interior walls of the stove?



To freshen/resurface the firebricks. I've been doing that every couple of years and it has worked well.

$15 worth of fire cement vs. the cost of a new firebrick set, etc.

I appreciate  the choice of "slathered" as your verb. The whole operation was a pretty messy effort.

I fit/drilled/bolted my new deflector in place, then bent the stainless mesh into a sleeve that hooked over the lip of the window wash intake (at the top) and snapped around the new deflector (at the bottom). One can see the mesh bent into the final shape, held by my gloved hand, in my original post.

I was careful to leave the air intake slot open for the window wash; the subsequently applied cement stopped at that intake; it is open, there, with only the stainless mesh hooked over the existing sheet metal. That was the end of the "clean" work.

Then the messy work began. I'd moistened everything well with water in a spray bottle, in advance, so I filled a drywall mud pan and applied the cement with 2", 4", and 6" drywall knives.

I used rubber gloves up to my elbows, safety glasses, and a headlamp.

I had a couple of water buckets and plenty of rags handy.

I cleaned up outside, with the garden hose...


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## bholler (Oct 15, 2017)

Eric Swanson said:


> Apology accepted and understood; thank you.
> 
> I've clearly stumbled into your area of passion and expertise.
> 
> ...


I was a cabinet maker for years before partnering with my father in his chimney business.  I still have my shop and honestly I am still more passionate about that than chimneys.  

Honestly I think the majority of your problems come from s very poor dealer who didn't address the issues from the start


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## velvetfoot (Oct 15, 2017)

bholler said:


> Yes all new ones have stainless deflector. They have for a couple years now. We retro fit any that we sold that get damaged. Is the face of your stove distorted and cracked as well?


No.  Dealer said they don't retrofit and will only do something if cracking occurs, as you mentioned.


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## bholler (Oct 15, 2017)

velvetfoot said:


> No.  Dealer said they don't retrofit and will only do something if cracking occurs, as you mentioned.


Well if they ignore the damaged deflector it will eventually crack.  If it was me I would go over their heads directly to recency.


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## velvetfoot (Oct 20, 2017)

bholler said:


> If it was me I would go over their heads directly to recency.


Contacted Regency via web form.  Have a ticket number now.  Took more pics.  Dealer submitted claim.  Not that it won't be the same result, but at least there's a correspondence trail.  Dealer helpful.


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## bholler (Oct 20, 2017)

velvetfoot said:


> Contacted Regency via web form.  Have a ticket number now.  Took more pics.  Dealer submitted claim.  Not that it won't be the same result, but at least there's a correspondence trail.  Dealer helpful.


Yes now if it gets worse you can tell them you tried to get it fixed first


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## velvetfoot (Oct 24, 2017)

Surprisingly, Regency approved a warranty replacement firebox (no door, bricks, baffles, etc).  Dealer should install by late November.  Alas, labor is not covered, but I figure it'll be worth the 400 bucks to have my dealer do it.

I never thought anything would come of it.


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## begreen (Oct 24, 2017)

It's great to hear you're making progress. Will you be updating to the new stainless deflector when this work is done?


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## velvetfoot (Oct 24, 2017)

begreen said:


> It's great to hear you're making progress. Will you be updating to the new stainless deflector when this work is done?


I'm assuming it'll be the latest and greatest, but time will tell.


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## bholler (Oct 24, 2017)

begreen said:


> It's great to hear you're making progress. Will you be updating to the new stainless deflector when this work is done?


Yes it will be a new box which will come with the new deflector


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## velvetfoot (Oct 24, 2017)

bholler said:


> Yes it will be a new box which will come with the new deflector


What's nice about this is that I believe it's replaceable.


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## bholler (Oct 24, 2017)

velvetfoot said:


> What's nice about this is that I believe it's replaceable.


Yes it is but I have not had to replace one yet.


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## Tsmall (Nov 14, 2017)

I'm going to hop in here. I have an i3100 from 2005. The deflector is warped and there is a 2 inch crack on the top right face.  Is this something that Regency will replace via warranty?  I have yet to contact the dealer as I just came across this thread. The stove is in really good shape except the deflector and crack.


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## bholler (Nov 14, 2017)

Tsmall said:


> I'm going to hop in here. I have an i3100 from 2005. The deflector is warped and there is a 2 inch crack on the top right face.  Is this something that Regency will replace via warranty?  I have yet to contact the dealer as I just came across this thread. The stove is in really good shape except the deflector and crack.


Yes they will


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## Tsmall (Nov 14, 2017)

Do you know if this is dependent on me being the original purchaser with proof of purchase (which I am not)? Is it ok to use the stove as is if Regency doesnt replace?


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## bholler (Nov 14, 2017)

Tsmall said:


> Do you know if this is dependent on me being the original purchaser with proof of purchase (which I am not)? Is it ok to use the stove as is if Regency doesnt replace?


In that case i beleive you are out of luck sorry.  And there is no way i could possibly say it is safe or not without seeing it but a 2" crack doesnt sound good.


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## oskar470 (Nov 29, 2018)

bholler said:


> In that case i beleive you are out of luck sorry.  And there is no way i could possibly say it is safe or not without seeing it but a 2" crack doesnt sound good.


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## oskar470 (Nov 29, 2018)

Sorry about the double post, my mistake. I found this thread when I searched for the Regency part 063-955.

Reading all posts here I guess I must be a lucky guy because I bought my Regency I3100 S/N: 38953 back in Nov-2000 and have been using it every season burning about 6 face cords of hardwood with no problems at all. I keep the damper always to about the midpoint and very seldom I use it to the fully extended position perhaps for 10-20 minutes (to get new logs get going).

My small problem (and that’s why I’m here) started last month when the chimney guys came for the annual cleaning which I do every 2-3 years. I must confess that although I’m a man who fixes everything in my house I never bothered to learn anything in my fireplace, somehow I felt it was a simple firebox and no need to spend the time to do anything except to remove the ashes as needed. In addition since my house is a 2 story house with a high pitched roof which I’m afraid to climb I decided to let someone else to do this job.

About 2 weeks after the chimney cleaning and while the fireplace was going for about 4 hours I hear a metallic noise inside the firebox. When I opened the door I saw a pipe had fallen down right behind the door but it was hanging from the left side wall. I felt something was wrong and decided to stop the fire and using a shovel emptied the burning firewood to my concrete patio which is right next to the fireplace.

Next day and after searching some YouTube videos I grabbed the pipe with my vice-grip and hammered in to the right wall notch. At the same time I noticed the 2 firebrick above these pipes were kind of burned on the ends and I was upset that the chimney cleaning guys never said anything about it. The fallen pipe looks solid (not burned) and the ends are not burned either but I wonder why it fell down again,

So now since I don’t trust the chimney cleaning guys anymore I must educate myself on how the fireplace works and here are my questions.

1. There are 4 similar tubes at the top of my firebox and all have similar small holes on them. What is the purpose of these holes?

2. Why this pipe fell again after I hammer it? I know there is a notch on the pipes end and a prong in the firebox wall and I hammer it well but perhaps I didn’t hammered enough?

3. What is the purpose of the 2 firebrick above these pipes? To prevent the flames touching the metal box or they serve some other reason?

4. The dealer told me that the new part (063-955) is not firebricks but some kind of a baffle. Would the new part fit my 18 years old firebox? The dealer has no idea.

5. Some members on this thread have mentioned about cracks in the firebox. How can I inspect my firebox about cracks? Kind of difficult to find cracks in the firebox if you don’t know how/where to look for.

Thank you


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## velvetfoot (Nov 29, 2018)

I would try to get the manual, maybe off the Regency website.  It'll have a lot of good info in it.

Those baffles do look beat to me, so I think replacing would be good.

I believe removal of a tube is not necessary to remove the baffles (see manual).  It takes a little 'finagling' on my Hampton HI300, but doable.  Perhaps a sweep removed a tube in the past and that is why it was loose.

The baffle slows the flames down and redirects them so less heat goes up the chimney.  It is necessary.

I clean my chimney myself but I do it from the bottom, so that's a possibility.  I can see not getting involved in certain things while doing a bunch of other stuff.  That's getting less as time goes on, lol.

I did a little search on line and came up with this:
Regency Stove Baffle Set - Part# 063-955
Sold as a 2 piece set

Measurements: 12-7/8" x 11-1/4" x 1" per piece.

So, you can maybe check if it'll fit.   Why not buy it online? (I realize that Regency prefers to go through dealers though.)   Or, at least talk to them to see if it's the right part.

Good luck.


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## bholler (Nov 29, 2018)

velvetfoot said:


> I would try to get the manual, maybe off the Regency website.  It'll have a lot of good info in it.
> 
> Those baffles do look beat to me, so I think replacing would be good.
> 
> ...


One tube does have to come out on a 3100.


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## bholler (Nov 29, 2018)

oskar470 said:


> Sorry about the double post, my mistake. I found this thread when I searched for the Regency part 063-955.
> 
> Reading all posts here I guess I must be a lucky guy because I bought my Regency I3100 S/N: 38953 back in Nov-2000 and have been using it every season burning about 6 face cords of hardwood with no problems at all. I keep the damper always to about the midpoint and very seldom I use it to the fully extended position perhaps for 10-20 minutes (to get new logs get going).
> 
> ...


The baffle keeps the temperatures up in the firebox to allow for secondary combustion and extends the smoke path so more heat can be extracted.  The tubes introduce fresh preheated air under that baffle which burns off combustible material left in the smoke.  This gives you more heat and a cleaner burn.

The tube fell out because over time that notch spreads open a bit.  When the sweep removed it it spread it a tiny bit more so it no longer holds the tube in place.  Take a pair of plyers and squeeze it closed slightly and it will stay in place.  

And yes you need new baffles.


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## oskar470 (Nov 29, 2018)

Thanks for the reply velvetfoot. I do have the original manual and downloaded the latest from Regency site and I will read it again since it has good info but not enough for me.

I can remove the baffles only after I remove the first pipe which is not a big deal but first I must get the baffles which it takes 4 weeks delivery since they come from Vancouver. Most likely I will place the order after the holidays to avoid the mail rush. The Canadian post office workers just finish their strike and there is a huge mail backlog which may lead to my package been lost.

The measurements you indicate are correct. Buying them on line? Hhmm never thought about it but I will give it a try

How do you clean the chimney from the bottom?

Is it safe to operate the fireplace now with the baffles I have? (Until I get the new ones)

--------------------------------------------

bholler thank you too, good to know what the baffles are for and I will do the trick you mentioned to keep the pipe in place


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## velvetfoot (Nov 29, 2018)

oskar470 said:


> How do you clean the chimney from the bottom?


Flexible rods made of tubing similar to sprinkler pipe.



oskar470 said:


> Is it safe to operate the fireplace now with the baffles I have? (Until I get the new ones)


Would it be just inefficient as opposed to damaging?  I don't know.  bholler would know.  There's a gap.  Can't be too good.


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## oskar470 (Nov 29, 2018)

velvetfoot said:


> Flexible rods made of tubing similar to sprinkler pipe.



Now I get it, thanks. How do you access the chimney opening from inside the firebox. Perhaps after I remove the baffles I will see it?


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## velvetfoot (Nov 29, 2018)

oskar470 said:


> Now I get it, thanks. How do you access the chimney opening from inside the firebox. Perhaps after I remove the baffles I will see it?


Yes you will.  The key is the rods flex.  You can probably squeeze the plastic brush (recommended with a liner) past the tubes.  It's hard the first time.  And for me every time thereafter because I forgot what I did the year before.  No, just kidding.


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## oskar470 (Nov 29, 2018)

velvetfoot said:


> Yes you will.  The key is the rods flex.  You can probably squeeze the plastic brush (recommended with a liner) past the tubes.  It's hard the first time.  And for me every time thereafter because I forgot what I did the year before.  No, just kidding.



Thanks again velvetfoot, I’m not there yet but I take notes….just in case I forget, LOL


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## bholler (Nov 29, 2018)

oskar470 said:


> Thanks for the reply velvetfoot. I do have the original manual and downloaded the latest from Regency site and I will read it again since it has good info but not enough for me.
> 
> I can remove the baffles only after I remove the first pipe which is not a big deal but first I must get the baffles which it takes 4 weeks delivery since they come from Vancouver. Most likely I will place the order after the holidays to avoid the mail rush. The Canadian post office workers just finish their strike and there is a huge mail backlog which may lead to my package been lost.
> 
> ...


It is safe to operate that way short term.  The problem is that gap will lead to uneven heating of the stove and tubes which leads to abnormal stresses.  I would get replacements asap.


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## oskar470 (Nov 29, 2018)

bholler said:


> It is safe to operate that way short term.  The problem is that gap will lead to uneven heating of the stove and tubes which leads to abnormal stresses.  I would get replacements asap.



Much appreciated bholler for sharing your knowledge. I will order the part(s) tomorrow and hopefully I will get them before the holidays


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## bholler (Nov 29, 2018)

oskar470 said:


> Much appreciated bholler for sharing your knowledge. I will order the part(s) tomorrow and hopefully I will get them before the holidays


Good


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## oskar470 (Nov 30, 2018)

bholler said:


> Good



Hi bholler, here is another question regarding my Regency I3100 wood insert

Since last month’s fireplace inspection/chimney cleaning I have noticed a huge difference in the amount of logs I use per night to maintain the room temperature plus more often the amount of ashes I have to empty from the firebox.

Is it possible they adjusted something in the firebox which caused the fireplace to burn more wood?

There are only 2 big companies in my area who do chimney cleaning, sometimes the guys come in a company marked truck and most of the times they use unmarked regular pickups (always different guys). I remember about 8 years ago the guy suggested that the cap on my chimney was too small and offered to change to a bigger one which will allow a better fire. So I went for it, I think I paid around $150CAD. Well that was a mistake because I had no more control of the fire; with the damper almost closed the fire was always full blast. Good thing I kept the original cap and in the summer I got someone to go up there and switch the cap to my original one.

Since then I switched to another company, not because of the above incident but just to try the new company and now I wonder if they did something inside the firebox which allows the fire to burn more wood.

BTW I just placed my order for the new bricks and now they said about 2 weeks delivery

Thanks


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## bholler (Nov 30, 2018)

oskar470 said:


> Hi bholler, here is another question regarding my Regency I3100 wood insert
> 
> Since last month’s fireplace inspection/chimney cleaning I have noticed a huge difference in the amount of logs I use per night to maintain the room temperature plus more often the amount of ashes I have to empty from the firebox.
> 
> ...


With the baffles in that condition you are going to burn quite a bit more wood.


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## oskar470 (Nov 30, 2018)

Got it, thanks bholler


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## oskar470 (Dec 4, 2018)

bholler said:


> With the baffles in that condition you are going to burn quite a bit more wood.



Hello bholler, got a surprise today because the guy told me that my baffles arrived.

I picked them up and started the installation. I had to remove 2 pipes to install them because in front of the chimney opening there is a metal baffle about 3”-4” high which prevents me to lift / tilt the second baffle.

The new baffles have one surface smooth like glass and the other face is kind of unfinished rough. I don’t know which side is facing the flames and I decided to have the smooth side to face the flames. The old ones one had the smooth side facing up and the other I can’t say because is heavily pitted on both sides.

Does it matter which side faces the flames?


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## bholler (Dec 4, 2018)

oskar470 said:


> Hello bholler, got a surprise today because the guy told me that my baffles arrived.
> 
> I picked them up and started the installation. I had to remove 2 pipes to install them because in front of the chimney opening there is a metal baffle about 3”-4” high which prevents me to lift / tilt the second baffle.
> 
> ...


On one smooth side will be down on the other smooth side up


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## oskar470 (Dec 4, 2018)

bholler said:


> On one smooth side will be down on the other smooth side up



I guess you know everything bholler, good show

I realized afterwards there is no way to have both baffles with the smooth sides down. It’s done and fireplace is ON now.

Now that I had to remove the old baffles I noticed the chimney opening at the back of the firebox. Another member here had mentioned that he cleans his chimney from inside the firebox going up. I think it will be very difficult to do so because I believe there must be an elbow somewhere just above the firebox and this elbow may prevent pushing the brush up.

Next spring I will see what I will do. I don’t trust the guys used to come but I may search to see if there are individuals who do this job and perhaps there are much better than the ones I used to get.

Much appreciated your help


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## bholler (Dec 4, 2018)

oskar470 said:


> I guess you know everything bholler, good show
> 
> I realized afterwards there is no way to have both baffles with the smooth sides down. It’s done and fireplace is ON now.
> 
> ...


I clean them from inside all the time.  I generally use a rotary cleaner but brushes work to.


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## oskar470 (Dec 4, 2018)

bholler said:


> I clean them from inside all the time.  I generally use a rotary cleaner but brushes work to.



Thanks bholler, I will have a look at them next spring


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## Krule (Sep 4, 2019)

Hello Everyone,

I have a question about the warranty of the I3000. I am not the “original owner” however the original owner provided me with the original bill of sale, along with the original receipt of purchase/install, etc from November 1996. Will they let me claim for this stove since I have this information?

I purchased my home in 201x and had an inspection done on the stove where it failed and I was subsequently charged $150 for the inspection. The reason for the failure was that the Firebox has cracked on the inside corners (where you would open the door up, the upper left n right corners). Also noticed the metal deflector is cracked in the middle pushing it upwards and right in line with that crack on the deflector above you can find another crack going vertical about 2 inches inside the metal box itself. Another large crack across the outside middle piece where the air blows out. The baffles are chipped and completely worn out not to mention the firebricks. Also I guess the code changed for the hearth limits at some point (or the stove was never WET certified) if that was a thing back in 96? Because when they measure from the glass outwards I don’t have the required 19” of hearth. It’s more like 17” or something like that. There is also a large barn beam mantel about 3’ above the stove.

I’m worried Regency will simply say I am not the original owner and just dismiss the claim? If that’s the case my father is a welder who could fix a lot of these faults, however upgrading the hearth width would be an undertaking as it’s a solid 7-8’ concrete slab with a chipped front edge design which would either need to be completely removed or somehow cut flat and extended out. Do old inserts like this not just get “grandfathered in”? Would it not of met code back then? Does that no longer matter? I’m worried if this stove insert is not safe and I burn with it that I could loose my home in the event of a fire n not be covered by insurance!

I will try to take some pictures tomorrow and contact regency claims service directly for an answer. 

Any help is appreciated and I think it’s amazing to see the input from others who have thoroughly enjoyed this woodstove as it is truly a monster of a stove. I would hate to have to replace the entire stove if it can be fixed. 

I swept out the chimney myself and replaced the upper chimney cap/flange with a new one as the original one you could not take it off to sweep out the chimney liner (6” SS)!


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## bholler (Sep 4, 2019)

Krule said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> I have a question about the warranty of the I3000. I am not the “original owner” however the original owner provided me with the original bill of sale, along with the original receipt of purchase/install, etc from November 1996. Will they let me claim for this stove since I have this information?
> 
> ...


I don't believe the warranty is transferrable.  But it's worth a try.


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## begreen (Sep 4, 2019)

If the hearth is raised several inches then a simple hearth extension at floor level might be ok with just ember protection. The stove sounds like it has been run yearly inspite of increasing defects. This can lead to cascading failures, especially if air is leaking in and the baffle is shot. We can't judge much without seeing what you are seeing, but the likelihood of this being covered under warranty is slim.


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## Krule (Sep 4, 2019)

bholler said:


> I don't believe the warranty is transferrable.  But it's worth a try.



You are right, they will not transfer the warranty over to me even if I have all of the original receipts etc. Sad.

Found several problems inside the stove that need to be repaired. See pictures.

-Noticed inside corners on left n right cracked.
-Noticed inside metal deflector bent n cracked with a good gap where it cracked.
-Noticed 3 to 4” crack in the box by the deflector under the top.
-Noticed some rusted pinholes near the inner lip
-Cracks along the top where the blower comes across to the metal supports.

Seeing how the warranty wouldn’t cover this I’d imagine we are going to re weld this puppy up.

We are going to have to cut a section of the metal deflector off to fix that one crack. Should we just weld a new deflector to the old one? My dad has some steel to make one. Or is it worth while doing a bolt on instead? Ether way I don’t think the deflector having a crack n gap like it does would be nice to just bolt a new one up-to as there would then be a gap still.

Need to find replacement baffles and some new fire block bricks too. Any recommendations for the Durham area? Looks like I might need to install some tile or hearth extension in front of the stove as you can see the ember marks on the parquet flooring in the last picture. Sorry for the mess here, just finished cleaning the stove out and wire brushing it, now everything else to be cleaned haha.


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## bholler (Sep 4, 2019)

Krule said:


> You are right, they will not transfer the warranty over to me even if I have all of the original receipts etc. Sad.
> 
> Found several problems inside the stove that need to be repaired. See pictures.
> 
> ...


That stove is too far gone.  It's scrap


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## Krule (Sep 4, 2019)

bholler said:


> That stove is too far gone.  It's scrap



You don’t think if we fix it with welds and maybe some plating that it’s worth while? I think it’s the cost of a new stove that’s scary. Is this same model still available but in a newer style? Or is there a different style equivalent? We planned on using it to heat our home for s few winters to build up money for a propane system eventually.


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## begreen (Sep 4, 2019)

That's worse than I had visualized. The stove is in bad shape. 

The i3000 has been replaced by the i3100 which has a good long track record. While looking, compare this to the Osburn 2400 insert and the Pacific Energy Summit.


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## bholler (Sep 4, 2019)

Krule said:


> You don’t think if we fix it with welds and maybe some plating that it’s worth while? I think it’s the cost of a new stove that’s scary. Is this same model still available but in a newer style? Or is there a different style equivalent? We planned on using it to heat our home for s few winters to build up money for a propane system eventually.


Not with as much cracking in as many different areas as that.  And yes you can still buy a i3100 until the new set of regulations go into effect at the end of the year.


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## Krule (Sep 4, 2019)

bholler said:


> Not with as much cracking in as many different areas as that.  And yes you can still buy a i3100 until the new set of regulations go into effect at the end of the year.



Well I think we’re going to give it a go with some welding n hope to get this winter out of it for now. I think it’s pretty obvious that some of these cracks formed n got worse from the neglect of not being fixed in the first place so hopefully by undoing the damage and reinforcing what we can, it’ll work a little while longer. So many expenses coming at once. It wasn’t intended to be the primary heat source for the home but we found electric baseboard heating to be ridiculously expensive last year (600-800$/mo). Crazy when we have acres of wood available. I get this feeling no one wants to save a dollar anymore, but how do you get ahead if you don’t?

Any solid recommendations on a new stove with the same or very similar dimensions as this one? Any expected price idea in CAD?


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## bholler (Sep 4, 2019)

Krule said:


> Well I think we’re going to give it a go with some welding n hope to get this winter out of it for now. I think it’s pretty obvious that some of these cracks formed n got worse from the neglect of not being fixed in the first place so hopefully by undoing the damage and reinforcing what we can, it’ll work a little while longer. So many expenses coming at once. It wasn’t intended to be the primary heat source for the home but we found electric baseboard heating to be ridiculously expensive last year (600-800$/mo). Crazy when we have acres of wood available. I get this feeling no one wants to save a dollar anymore, but how do you get ahead if you don’t?
> 
> Any solid recommendations on a new stove with the same or very similar dimensions as this one? Any expected price idea in CAD?


If it wasn't for the multiple cracks in the face I would go for it.  But that looks bad.  Have you checked the face and the door with a straight edge?


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## begreen (Sep 4, 2019)

Yes, the stove has self-destructed due to deferred maintenance. I would be very uncomfortable burning in it. There are so many cracks, some in quite unusual places. The concern is uncontrollable burning, more cracks developing with a full load of fuel burning and CO leaks.

The 3 inserts mentioned earlier are all Canadian made. They sell for about $2700 here. We need full fireplace dimensions to know if they fit. If money is tight there are some decent ~2 cu ft inserts made that fall in the $1000 range in the US made by SBI. How large an area are you trying to heat?


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## Krule (Sep 4, 2019)

bholler said:


> If it wasn't for the multiple cracks in the face I would go for it.  But that looks bad.  Have you checked the face and the door with a straight edge?



Everything on the face or outside is still straight, just like hairline cracks with the exception on that middle top one (maybe 1/8”). Which I think all of those three cracks along the top front are from that crack in the top of metal box inside.


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## Krule (Sep 4, 2019)

begreen said:


> Yes, the stove has self-destructed due to deferred maintenance. I would be very uncomfortable burning in it. There are so many cracks, some in quite unusual places. The concern is uncontrollable burning, more cracks developing with a full load of fuel burning and CO leaks.
> 
> The 3 inserts mentioned earlier are all Canadian made. They sell for about $2700 here. We need full fireplace dimensions to know if they fit. If money is tight there are some decent ~2 cu ft inserts made that fall in the $1000 range in the US made by SBI. How large an area are you trying to heat?



Well we may have to pull the stove completely out tomorrow to weld it back up at which point I can get the full dimensions but it’s a very large fire pit in behind and a tall heating demand required hence why they went with this size of insert to begin with. If I didn’t trust my father’s long career of welding as a professional I think I’d agree with you and say it’s scrap time (after seeing If i could get the gold off it first-lol).

I will check out those models you’ve mentioned and contact some of the local dealers tomorrow. I’d like to see some demo’s in person. I’ve heard locals here rave about “Napoleon” stoves. Not a fan of the designs. I like some of Quadrafire inserts but not the price tag.


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## begreen (Sep 4, 2019)

Napoleon has been around for a long while. We rarely see them here on the west coast, especially the newer models, so I can't personally comment on them. Their 1400 series inserts are ok, but 2 cu ft.


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