Regency i2500 efficiency questions.

[Ultrarunner]

I'm on my third winter with this stove, and we're loving it. With that said, some of this is an art form/experimentation....my typical MO, evening, is to get the stove up to 1500F or so by progressing loading it. Once temp peaks, usually around 1600F or so, I close the Cat, wait for the temp to peak again, then close the damper, blower to HI, and turn in. 70F in the lower level decreases to about 63-64 by early am. We don't get up and stoke the stove at night. My morning routine is similar. Just experimenting to make the most efficient use of the fuel. Comments welcomed. Thanks, Ultra.

 

[Garbanzo62]

On my 3rd year too. I don't get the insert that hot, and lately, haven't engaged the cat at all. I don't think the cat adds any heat, it just burns off what was going out the flue. Also my cat sometimes won't engage due to expansion. I actually had it stick once, so just got away from using it at all. This insert is rally an I2450 with the cat added to qualify for the fed credit. Maybe I get more buildup, but when the cat engages the draw really decreases. I start my night load at about 9 PM. Fill up the box and have things damped down by 10PM. At 6 AM I still have a good coal bed. I never have the blower on high.