Hi all, looking for some help!
My Regency 2450 insert (1 yr old, bought & installed from a Dealer) has always run hot...too hot. Last winter, as a brand new stove, the door could not get a good seal. It could not pass the "dollar bill test." After many attempts to adjust it, the Dealer made good on the warranty and replaced the entire unit and re-installed. The new one sealed adquately but was still running too hot. Stove Top Temps flew into 700s and 800s even when turning the primary air 100% shut within 15 minutes from a cold start. Then I completely blocked the little air boost at the front just beneath the door on the inside of the firebox. Used heavy duty aluminum foil. That, in combination with the techniques described on this forum (larger splits, packed very tightly, coals raked to the front on hot reloads, top-down method for cold-starts) kept the STT between 650 and 850 at worst. Secondary air tubes always glowing red hot. I'd gotten used to that.
But yesterday I had a real scare. I use an IR thermometer and track the temperature "STT" (top of the firebox, within 1/2" of the flue collar is the hottest so that is what I use) and "G" which is the Glass. Front and center. The fire went crazy and the stove top began to glow a dark red (not the entire top, just the part within 1" of the flue collar.) I try to turn the air 100% down ASAP. I've watching each light off like a hawk and turning it down as quickly as I feel like I can without losing the flames altogether. Here is my data:
2/6
3:04 Filled box on big bed of hot coals. Originally, the coals were raked to the front but then loading wood was going to be all tilted and not fit well. So, distributed the coals all over the bottom and loaded on them.
3:08 Door shut & latched STT 260 G 345
3:14 STT 470 G 500 Air down to 20%
3:15 Air back up to 100% b/c all the flames died.
3:17 Back to full flaring. Air down to 50%
3:18 STT & G 550
3:20 Air to 35% STT 650 G 580
3:25 Air opened to 100% again because flames died out, then almost immediately shut.
3:26 STT 730 G 577. Air remains shut, should be stable now
3:44 STT 980 G 787 AHHHHHHHH (Stove top glowing red near flue collar)
3:55 STT 980 G 770
4:23 STT 820 G 750
That was very scary. Loaded full onto a full hot bed of coals and there were several small splits (like 1-2" thick) at the top so maybe that is why it got up to 980??
4:42 STT 780 G 750
6:45 STT 515 G 644 Room 75 Outside 36
OK so I blamed myself since I loaded on a full bed of coals. I figure that meant too much wood caught at once and too much off-gassing. Shame on me I figured. But then, it happened again today from a cold-start. (For cold-starts I've been using the method outlined by @begreen on the thread "Starting a Fire and Running an EPA stove" like a cookbook recipe and it has been working amazingly...until just recently.) As a result of today's fiasco, I feel like it is completely unsafe to run the stove. Here is the data for today (still burning, still have visible flame at 10:35pm..)
2/7
5:14 lit, stuffed full box (wood tetris style, but with gaps for sure)
5:16 Door shut & latch
5:24 Air reduced to 30%
5:33 STT 535 G 309 Air shut.
5:40 Fan on high
5:41 STT 870 G 500
5:46 STT 920 G 645
(Stove top glowing red near flue collar)
5:50 STT 917 G 665
6:00 STT 890 G 684
6:10 STT 870 G 750
6:22 STT 870 G 806
6:45 STT 815 G 860
7:00 STT 690 G 750
7:43 STT 603 G 680. Air opened to 10%
8:21 STT 550 G 675
10:15 STT 378 G 500
I have data for every fire going back a whole month just like this and it never went above 850 STT until just today, yesterday (and 2 days ago it also hit 890) That's three days in a row and I feel like I am burning dangerously hot and have tremendous anxiety over this. Just to be clear, every time use the stove I am completely filling the box with wood. Stuffing it like the Turkey on thanksgiving. Because that is what I'm supposed to do. What has changed? Well, over the last week, I finished my previous cord of mixed hardwood where each split was pretty big, 6-8" size thick. Now, I'm burning smallish splits of Ash which had been split and stacked as smallish splits for about one year. Some pieces are just 8-10" long so I'm using tetris skills to put things in E-W and also mainly N-S orientation. Whatever works to just fill the box as tight as possible. But it is not super tight...plenty of little air pockets throughout the pieces.
Do you guys think its possible that my stove is over-firing because of the different wood species and size of the splits?? Is that even possible??
My Regency 2450 insert (1 yr old, bought & installed from a Dealer) has always run hot...too hot. Last winter, as a brand new stove, the door could not get a good seal. It could not pass the "dollar bill test." After many attempts to adjust it, the Dealer made good on the warranty and replaced the entire unit and re-installed. The new one sealed adquately but was still running too hot. Stove Top Temps flew into 700s and 800s even when turning the primary air 100% shut within 15 minutes from a cold start. Then I completely blocked the little air boost at the front just beneath the door on the inside of the firebox. Used heavy duty aluminum foil. That, in combination with the techniques described on this forum (larger splits, packed very tightly, coals raked to the front on hot reloads, top-down method for cold-starts) kept the STT between 650 and 850 at worst. Secondary air tubes always glowing red hot. I'd gotten used to that.
But yesterday I had a real scare. I use an IR thermometer and track the temperature "STT" (top of the firebox, within 1/2" of the flue collar is the hottest so that is what I use) and "G" which is the Glass. Front and center. The fire went crazy and the stove top began to glow a dark red (not the entire top, just the part within 1" of the flue collar.) I try to turn the air 100% down ASAP. I've watching each light off like a hawk and turning it down as quickly as I feel like I can without losing the flames altogether. Here is my data:
2/6
3:04 Filled box on big bed of hot coals. Originally, the coals were raked to the front but then loading wood was going to be all tilted and not fit well. So, distributed the coals all over the bottom and loaded on them.
3:08 Door shut & latched STT 260 G 345
3:14 STT 470 G 500 Air down to 20%
3:15 Air back up to 100% b/c all the flames died.
3:17 Back to full flaring. Air down to 50%
3:18 STT & G 550
3:20 Air to 35% STT 650 G 580
3:25 Air opened to 100% again because flames died out, then almost immediately shut.
3:26 STT 730 G 577. Air remains shut, should be stable now
3:44 STT 980 G 787 AHHHHHHHH (Stove top glowing red near flue collar)
3:55 STT 980 G 770
4:23 STT 820 G 750
That was very scary. Loaded full onto a full hot bed of coals and there were several small splits (like 1-2" thick) at the top so maybe that is why it got up to 980??
4:42 STT 780 G 750
6:45 STT 515 G 644 Room 75 Outside 36
OK so I blamed myself since I loaded on a full bed of coals. I figure that meant too much wood caught at once and too much off-gassing. Shame on me I figured. But then, it happened again today from a cold-start. (For cold-starts I've been using the method outlined by @begreen on the thread "Starting a Fire and Running an EPA stove" like a cookbook recipe and it has been working amazingly...until just recently.) As a result of today's fiasco, I feel like it is completely unsafe to run the stove. Here is the data for today (still burning, still have visible flame at 10:35pm..)
2/7
5:14 lit, stuffed full box (wood tetris style, but with gaps for sure)
5:16 Door shut & latch
5:24 Air reduced to 30%
5:33 STT 535 G 309 Air shut.
5:40 Fan on high
5:41 STT 870 G 500
5:46 STT 920 G 645
(Stove top glowing red near flue collar)5:50 STT 917 G 665
6:00 STT 890 G 684
6:10 STT 870 G 750
6:22 STT 870 G 806
6:45 STT 815 G 860
7:00 STT 690 G 750
7:43 STT 603 G 680. Air opened to 10%
8:21 STT 550 G 675
10:15 STT 378 G 500
I have data for every fire going back a whole month just like this and it never went above 850 STT until just today, yesterday (and 2 days ago it also hit 890) That's three days in a row and I feel like I am burning dangerously hot and have tremendous anxiety over this. Just to be clear, every time use the stove I am completely filling the box with wood. Stuffing it like the Turkey on thanksgiving. Because that is what I'm supposed to do. What has changed? Well, over the last week, I finished my previous cord of mixed hardwood where each split was pretty big, 6-8" size thick. Now, I'm burning smallish splits of Ash which had been split and stacked as smallish splits for about one year. Some pieces are just 8-10" long so I'm using tetris skills to put things in E-W and also mainly N-S orientation. Whatever works to just fill the box as tight as possible. But it is not super tight...plenty of little air pockets throughout the pieces.
Do you guys think its possible that my stove is over-firing because of the different wood species and size of the splits?? Is that even possible??
