Advice / Review need: Regency CI2600 fireplace insert risky & costly?

[Wolves1]

I made some changes Im finding it burns slower and it is better for the combuster if you close primary air to desired place wait for fire to slow down then close bypass. Last night filled at 11pm 9 hours later.

This is what the coals are like.

Stove temp.

Outside temp and temp in kitchen 25 feet from stove with cathedral ceiling in kitchen with hallway and stairway that leads upstairs next to the thermometer. Upstairs temp is 68.

Temp in living room is 75 not the 50 that's where the thermostat is set. Also cathedral ceiling in living room.

 

[marty22877]

that looks just like mine, my temps are a bit off because i'm in an older house with windows, but the stove looks just like that

 

[edge-of-the-woods]

Wolves, how long does it take you to get it to the point where you can walk away? Like from the time you start to load to the time you can close the cat and leave it alone?

Our dealer told us we would be able to "Wake up, add a couple logs, add a couple more when you get home from work, and then load it up for the night."

 

[Wolves1]

Wolves, how long does it take you to get it to the point where you can walk away? Like from the time you start to load to the time you can close the cat and leave it alone?

Our dealer told us we would be able to "Wake up, add a couple logs, add a couple more when you get home from work, and then load it up for the night."

It would take about 15min.

 

[edge-of-the-woods]

It would take about 15min.

Wow. I have to fiddle with mine for about that long, then leave the door open for 15-20 minutes until it's burning well enough that I can close it without smoldering out. WTF.

 

[marty22877]

one of the biggest thing i've seen cause that is either wet wood or the air inlet in the front of the stove gets blocked by wood. i always make sure that is unblocked and there is a trench from front to back so the air can flow around.

 

[edge-of-the-woods]

I wish that was the reason Wood is 15-20% MC, and I always make a trench.

 

[marty22877]

i've noticed with me anything above 17% just wont burn right, can you hear it hiss and sizzle when you open the door?

 

[Wolves1]

I wish that was the reason Wood is 15-20% MC, and I always make a trench.[/
Check the hole ash gets into the case around the hole and blocks air. Even if you make the trench ash is still in there you need to take your poker and the hook that curves back to you stick it in the the hole and move side to side the ash will come out. I had the same problem about two months ago getting fustrated with same problem till my wife reminded me. You can use a mirror to check to see if it's clear.

 

[kerapyfyrpase]

What to say after all this input. Can we all agree on one thing? The advertising of 14 hours plus as a burn time is false? So then what? Can we finally shift the topic? Legal action? Is it considered beyond reasonal doubt? The regency tech manager has given me every runaround in the book. Are we too complacent in ration to the main reason we bought it?

 

[Trader]

Wow. I have to fiddle with mine for about that long, then leave the door open for 15-20 minutes until it's burning well enough that I can close it without smoldering out. WTF.

Edge, thats kinda what i'm facing, takes me at least an hour to get fire built and going strong enough to take with the door held closed by a stick otherwise it smothers it out. Wood is not the issue. Air control does nothing, not blocked. Even a nice bed of coals will still not allow new wood to take without leaving door open and once that takes, still have to keep door propped open until its well underway or it snuffs out. But I will say if i pack that thing full , keep the door propped open for an hour, get roaring, temp to 1000+ (burning 30% of my fuel to do this) i can shut it down and since my air control is "one speed low" I've gotten 8-9 hrs heat, could likely geet more. But the dang thing requires a lot of babysitting. Ive found i cant run home from work and just add more wood and leave, have to do the whole babysitting thing or I'll kill it. My air control simply has no variation in the amount air it puts into the unit. It's all done by cracking the door. $4600 on a unit I have to prop open with a stick! Spent a month so far trying to navigate between the dealer, regency, the dealer telling me to talk to regency, regency wanting me to talk to the dealer to talk to them directly, ...and just waiting and reading this. Everyone has been nice, but unfortunately nice isn't fixing it. Not sure what comes next.

 

[Wolves1]

Will do. I went around the door this morning, kind of brushing the gasket, esp. where it was really flat. It was rather hard to close the door after I did that, but I think that's a good thing. Seemed to make a difference but I won't know until I get home from work.

I'm torn on the knockout plates. My dealer reached out to Regency with my complaints, and Regency responded saying definitely remove the knockout plates, take out washers (already did), put in the restrictor plate (ordered, waiting for delivery), and that they "HIGHLY recommend" that I buy/install a digital probe (so they agree with you on that point!). Also they sent the user guide I think we are all familiar with and already following.

My dealer really wants to take out my knockout plates when he puts in the restrictor plate, and maybe I should let him knowing that I can always tape it up later if it doesn't work. Though to your point it would be better for the experiment if we only had one variable (restrictor plate) rather than two (restrictor plus knockout). I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

I take it back when I covered the holes back up it was when the door was not fully sealed gasket was leaking and it seemed to burn better. Now after the bill test fixed gasket tried to uncover the plates again it looks like best burn time I ever seen.

 

[Wolves1]

With outside temperatures in the 30 to 40 rang today the stove was able to heat my house for 14 hours and could go longer but I want to go to bed so I'm going to load the stove. The cat temp was reading 350 up to hour 13 and went to cool after hour 13 but the fan was still blowing heat.

This is what it looked like after 14 hours could easly hit 14+. I filled the stove in 1 min I had a flame.

 

[marty22877]

Was that fully dampered down? I'm getting really long run times today, and it got my living room to 80 really quick. I had to turn the fan off

 

[Wolves1]

Was that fully dampered down? I'm getting really long run times today, and it got my living room to 80 really quick. I had to turn the fan off

Same here and yes everything was dampened down.

 

[JSeery]

I take it back when I covered the holes back up it was when the door was not fully sealed gasket was leaking and it seemed to burn better. Now after the bill test fixed gasket tried to uncover the plates again it looks like best burn time I ever seen.

Got it, thanks. I ordered the restrictor plate and the cat probe, once they are at the dealer he's going to put them in and knock out the plates. Will let everyone know how things go after that.

 

[i got wood]

Hi all. I Just started reading this entire post. There seems to be a handful of people that aren't getting the burn time outta their stoves and the rest seem like there doing great. I have the 2600 insert also and I am getting roughly 12 hours before I reload so twice a day on week days give or take and 3 times on the weekend when I am home. This only started to happen when I was on vacation and not rushing to close the unit down, I noticed my square ring in the top of the firebox warped a bit. I called the dealer yesterday and they called regency on my behalf what they said is I was leaving my by pass opened to long. I agree that I wasn't rushing to close the stove like I do when im late for work lol.I see one person mentioned this also. How long does everyone leave the by pass opened before closing it down for the long haul? Anyone leave their door cracked when they are restarting the stove?

 

[i got wood]

Edge, thats kinda what i'm facing, takes me at least an hour to get fire built and going strong enough to take with the door held closed by a stick otherwise it smothers it out. Wood is not the issue. Air control does nothing, not blocked. Even a nice bed of coals will still not allow new wood to take without leaving door open and once that takes, still have to keep door propped open until its well underway or it snuffs out. But I will say if i pack that thing full , keep the door propped open for an hour, get roaring, temp to 1000+ (burning 30% of my fuel to do this) i can shut it down and since my air control is "one speed low" I've gotten 8-9 hrs heat, could likely geet more. But the dang thing requires a lot of babysitting. Ive found i cant run home from work and just add more wood and leave, have to do the whole babysitting thing or I'll kill it. My air control simply has no variation in the amount air it puts into the unit. It's all done by cracking the door. $4600 on a unit I have to prop open with a stick! Spent a month so far trying to navigate between the dealer, regency, the dealer telling me to talk to regency, regency wanting me to talk to the dealer to talk to them directly, ...and just waiting and reading this. Everyone has been nice, but unfortunately nice isn't fixing it. Not sure what comes next.

why do you prop your door opened?

 

[Wolves1]

Hi all. I Just started reading this entire post. There seems to be a handful of people that aren't getting the burn time outta their stoves and the rest seem like there doing great. I have the 2600 insert also and I am getting roughly 12 hours before I reload so twice a day on week days give or take and 3 times on the weekend when I am home. This only started to happen when I was on vacation and not rushing to close the unit down, I noticed my square ring in the top of the firebox warped a bit. I called the dealer yesterday and they called regency on my behalf what they said is I was leaving my by pass opened to long. I agree that I wasn't rushing to close the stove like I do when im late for work lol.I see one person mentioned this also. How long does everyone leave the by pass opened before closing it down for the long haul? Anyone leave their door cracked when they are restarting the stove?

I close about 10 to 15 min in.

 

[i got wood]

I close about 10 to 15 min in.

opps my bad lol on Saturday I didn't close the bypass for over an hour

 

[Woody Stover]

what they said is I was leaving my by pass opened to long.

I run different cat stoves, but what I do when ramping up to temp is give it just enough air to get big flame in the box, but lazy flame, with most of the heat staying in the stove, not getting sucked up the flue. That seems to get the stove up to temp the fastest, and flue temps stay moderate and don't overheat my chimney. I try to keep that flame in the front of the box as well.

 

[Trader]

why do you prop your door opened?

I have to or my fire will snuff out. the only way to adjust my air. if i dont prop a stick up against the door, it may be open 3-4 in and sparks would fly out. with a stick holding it shut without latching it, it allows enough air into the unit to keep it burning and progressing. after about an hour i can shut it down generlly.

 

[i got wood]

I have to or my fire will snuff out. the only way to adjust my air. if i dont prop a stick up against the door, it may be open 3-4 in and sparks would fly out. with a stick holding it shut without latching it, it allows enough air into the unit to keep it burning and progressing. after about an hour i can shut it down generlly.

got ya ,my guess would be your insert isn't level so the door swings opened mines pretty good

 

[i got wood]

Wow. I have to fiddle with mine for about that long, then leave the door open for 15-20 minutes until it's burning well enough that I can close it without smoldering out. WTF.

when you close the stove down and it smolders is your cat glowing orange? The way it was explained to me is that it basically bakes the wood and as long as the cat is orange its working .When the wood smolders its providing the fuel to feed the cat and that was ok

 

[Woody Stover]

The way it was explained to me is that it basically bakes the wood and as long as the cat is orange its working

The cat can be burning, but may not be hot enough to glow. If you look at your stack in the first few hours (when there's plenty of un-burned wood) and there's no smoke, the cat is burning, even though it may not be glowing. Later in the burn, when there's not a lot of smoke coming off the coaling load, the cat can still be over 500 and burning, but not enough for it to glow.