Hi! I am new to the forum. So, we just purchased a new home and I wanted to have a stove. At our old house, we had a Regency Classic I2400 medium insert. Worked well, but house was not well insulated (built in the 1940's).
For the new house, I wanted a stove, not an insert. Decided on VC Encore 2 in 1. I am having a severe learning curve on it. With the old Regency, I could stuff it full and choke it down, no problem. It would burn away around 500 - 600. With the VC, I gingerly loaded it initially and it went up to only about 400. So, I put more in it and it raced up to +-725. This was with the damper on, cat in and fully choked on the air control. This freaked me out a bit.
Background is that I have never had a cat stove before. I was apprehensive about getting it, but with the option to run without it, I decided to go with it. So, I am looking for some advice as to how to load it. I see some people talking about the damper 'getting in the way of that last log' and I cannot even fathom putting in that much wood after my first incident. Please let me know if I am just being overly cautious and this is a normal temp.
Regarding the air control, it has a 'funny' feel to it, i.e. like there is a spring on the other side of the cast iron that is 'scraping' against the cast iron when I turn it. It does, however, seem to work, albeit slightly. I was used to the Regency air control. When I would choke it all the way down, the flames would visibly diminish and seem to dance a few inches above the wood, not on the wood. Do I have an issue with my air control? Am I being overly cautious?
I really want to give this stove a chance, but it is different than what I have used in the past.
Thanks for any help!
Erik
For the new house, I wanted a stove, not an insert. Decided on VC Encore 2 in 1. I am having a severe learning curve on it. With the old Regency, I could stuff it full and choke it down, no problem. It would burn away around 500 - 600. With the VC, I gingerly loaded it initially and it went up to only about 400. So, I put more in it and it raced up to +-725. This was with the damper on, cat in and fully choked on the air control. This freaked me out a bit.
Background is that I have never had a cat stove before. I was apprehensive about getting it, but with the option to run without it, I decided to go with it. So, I am looking for some advice as to how to load it. I see some people talking about the damper 'getting in the way of that last log' and I cannot even fathom putting in that much wood after my first incident. Please let me know if I am just being overly cautious and this is a normal temp.
Regarding the air control, it has a 'funny' feel to it, i.e. like there is a spring on the other side of the cast iron that is 'scraping' against the cast iron when I turn it. It does, however, seem to work, albeit slightly. I was used to the Regency air control. When I would choke it all the way down, the flames would visibly diminish and seem to dance a few inches above the wood, not on the wood. Do I have an issue with my air control? Am I being overly cautious?
I really want to give this stove a chance, but it is different than what I have used in the past.
Thanks for any help!
Erik