Regency l3100 Cracks

[stoveliker]

I'm going to quote you on this! This can help me in negotiations. I think she said something about depth and dinky and the other one just rattled. I may need coaching on this portion as well and maybe more dangerous and difficult.

Lol, I can't coach you in negotiations with the SO. I can hardly manage my own... ;-)

 

[davidmsem]

Maybe something like this can be what the solution needs to be. This is approximately the angle the liner is entering the adapter currently. Maybe this could be modified to have a damper in it?

Then again this may be too tall. There's only about 8" between the Pacific Energy Summit Le and the block off plate. The opening in the block off plate might have to be cut wider.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Got mine from lowes for 12$ Might get a couple fender washers just to make sure the spring collar isn’t smaller than the hole. Pull the baffles one hand up the outlet with the damper plate other hand threads the damper handle. My version is friction locked in place with the spring tension. It was easier than I thought to get it installed.

It never occurred to me that a damper could be installed from inside the insert rather than having to pull the connecting adapter/liner. That’s brilliant! (It makes sense given that we clean our chimney from below with a sooteater. I just never even though about it as a possibility.)

@davidmsem, what does it take for you to get access to your liner from inside your insert?

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Thank you so much. I was a little stressed and pissy and jerky, but the folks here have stayed with me, leading me. Grateful they hung in with me.

I might try a damper on the 3100 while opened, just a little afraid to make a mistake. Not much room to work there so not sure but I will tinker. Any suggestion where to purchase a proper damper? I imagine I would place that between the elbow and the liner?

Thank you for reaching out to others for me. Looking for quality for the install.

Not sure how I could move a stove if I wanted to do that. My Kubota with pallet forks could get it on my deck, after that I'm not sure. I'm a weakling.

Kubota unloading the warranty unit that I'm selling (dad and his twin brother, great guys): View attachment 293468

Love that photo of your dad and his brother.

My husband and I have moved two stove inserts together. Both times we had the store where we purchased them load them onto a furniture dolly on our utility trailer. With good ratchet straps strapping the stove to the dolly and to the trailer, we could transport them and then move them into our houses. Neither house required lots of stairs, though.

Do you have a place (like your deck) where you could use the tractor to load the stove on a dolly to facilitate moving it?

I’m a weakling, too, so I have to figure out what I can do to make my heavy tasks easier. (Of course my husband’s strength helps out in a lot of those tasks, but the stove inserts weren’t easy, and did require two of us. We did succeed, though, with both.)

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I'm going to quote you on this! This can help me in negotiations. I think she said something about depth and dinky and the other one just rattled. I may need coaching on this portion as well and maybe more dangerous and difficult.

Have you done a search here on custom surrounds to find some good pictures for your wife? I remember searching threads and finding some good stuff a couple of years ago when we were buying our insert. Our ”surround” is not even attached to our stove. The side panels are really the top panel that we cut in half, and they’re kind of stuck into the original fireplace because that river rock is so large that the insert doesn’t come out enough to allow us to fasten the whole surround as designed. It isn’t the most elegant solution, but it works to hide the rock wool insulation that we used to line the sides of the fireplace and doesn’t rattle. Our old insert did have a rattle with the blower on high, and we had to wedge something between the hearth and the blower to stop it, so I can understand why your wife would have a concern.

 

[davidmsem]

It never occurred to me that a damper could be installed from inside the insert rather than having to pull the connecting adapter/liner. That’s brilliant! (It makes sense given that we clean our chimney from below with a sooteater. I just never even though about it as a possibility.)

@davidmsem, what does it take for you to get access to your liner from inside your insert?

I think I can take out the two stone-like baffles on top and remove the two center tubes that I take out when using the soot eater. That might be enough to reach up there while someone threads the pin through the damper. It should arrive this week.

Yeah that's pretty brilliant and it's just hitting me.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I just found this thread on a search.

Fabricating custom surround panels for Mt. Vernon insert

Thanks again to everyone who helped me troubleshoot my Mt. Vernon in a separate thread. Now, I am looking to create some surround panels to fill the gap inside our arched fireplace. I made a template with white foam core today, and am thinking to use plate steel (I have a friend who can probably...

www.hearth.com

It’s about pellet stoves, but I thought it had an interesting suggestion about using the original surround that comes with the stove and having a metal working shop cut it. Maybe you could ask the gentleman who has agreed to make a surround for you whether that would work.

I’m still trying to dig up the thread I remember reading a couple of years ago, since it was about wood inserts.

 

[davidmsem]

I just found this thread on a search.

Fabricating custom surround panels for Mt. Vernon insert

Thanks again to everyone who helped me troubleshoot my Mt. Vernon in a separate thread. Now, I am looking to create some surround panels to fill the gap inside our arched fireplace. I made a template with white foam core today, and am thinking to use plate steel (I have a friend who can probably...

www.hearth.com

It’s about pellet stoves, but I thought it had an interesting suggestion about using the original surround that comes with the stove and having a metal working shop cut it. Maybe you could ask the gentleman who has agreed to make a surround for you whether that would work.

I’m still trying to dig up the thread I remember reading a couple of years ago, since it was about wood inserts.

The Regency i-3100 surround was very easy to cut in terms of the height. There is a piece of trim around the edge that could hide any imperfections after I cut it. The Pacific Energy Summit LE is not of that configuration. And if you cut it it would just kind of look awkward as all I can describe it. I think what I'm going to do is not get the surround and have one made out of quarter or half inch steel, maybe even leave a hole where I could reach in and turn the damper that I believe I have to have installed. That would be pretty cool to have that opening to reach through for the damper. We always have gloves on when tending the fire so that could be good.

I really want to have some type of remote monitoring either one of these draft meters or temperature or some way to know what's going on. I burned for 7 years in the dark and I got burnt.

Thank you for your interest in the thread. It's been a long period and there is the stress of still bringing all this home properly. The more I've learned the more I'll worry about it being done properly.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

The Regency i-3100 surround was very easy to cut in terms of the height. There is a piece of trim around the edge that could hide any imperfections after I cut it. The Pacific Energy Summit LE is not of that configuration. And if you cut it it would just kind of look awkward as all I can describe it. I think what I'm going to do is not get the surround and have one made out of quarter or half inch steel, maybe even leave a hole where I could reach in and turn the damper that I believe I have to have installed. That would be pretty cool to have that opening to reach through for the damper. We always have gloves on when tending the fire so that could be good.

I really want to have some type of remote monitoring either one of these draft meters or temperature or some way to know what's going on. I burned for 7 years in the dark and I got burnt.

Thank you for your interest in the thread. It's been a long period and there is the stress of still bringing all this home properly. The more I've learned the more I'll worry about it being done properly.

I think I understand what you’re talking about with the trim on your Regency. If I remember correctly, our Lopi had pieces like that that went around the edge, though we didn’t need to trim our surround as it went on a huge brick wall.

I haven’t been able to turn up the thread that I remember finding helpful a couple of years ago. I must not remember enough key search terms, but I did just find this brief discussion of what thickness metal to use, so thought I’d append it here in case it helps.

Insert Surround Thickness?

I am in the midst of installing a TN20 wood insert, and need to make a custom surround for the stove. The masnory fireplace it is going into has as arch top, so I am matching the arch on the surround. I know it doesn't need to really do anything other than being decorative, but what thickness...

www.hearth.com

I’ve seen pictures where folks extend a damper handle through a surround, but I don’t think I’ve seen any with an actual hole to reach back in. I would think it would have to be pretty large to accommodate fireplace gloves. (Maybe it’s just because our fireplace gloves are really quite big because my husband has large hands.)

I’ve always used an infrared thermometer to monitor my temperatures, but I know there are a number of folks on here who use remote monitoring. I think the preferred device is something like an Auber AT 200, but @begreen can speak to that better than I can. You might need to run the aesthetics of that past your wife, too.

 

[stoveliker]

I would not reach back with a hand. You're bound to touch a hot insert one way or the other.

Install the damper with it's rotation axis perpendicular to the plane of the door. I.e.the handle facing the front. Then it should not be hard to make a metal rod to rotate the thing. (Think manually operated awnings.)

 

[davidmsem]

Looking for a solution to damper my insert. See this, but not sure how my flexible liner would be secured. Looks like this is a different attachment system than used on a flexible liner. I see a link earlier in the thread but don't see any with a damper.

Open to ideas.

6" DuraBlack Damper Section - 6DBK-DS

6'' DuraBlack Damper Section - 1605 - 6'' DuraBlack Damper Section- Find 6 inch single wall DuraBlack adapters here along with expert advice and installation information - NorthlineExpress.com

www.northlineexpress.com

 

[brenndatomu]

Looking for a solution to damper my insert. See this, but not sure how my flexible liner would be secured. Looks like this is a different attachment system than used on a flexible liner. I see a link earlier in the thread but don't see any with a damper.

Open to ideas.

6" DuraBlack Damper Section - 6DBK-DS

6'' DuraBlack Damper Section - 1605 - 6'' DuraBlack Damper Section- Find 6 inch single wall DuraBlack adapters here along with expert advice and installation information - NorthlineExpress.com

www.northlineexpress.com

I'd install the damper into the new elbow with its axis in a front to rear, or N/S position (as mentioned before)...making an extension handle should be pretty easy, and I'm sure there are many ways to do it...but myself, I think I'd just make the extension out of 1/4" round (or square?) stock with a short piece welded to one end to form a T shape...then you remove the spring from the dampers handle and attach the head of the T to the damper handle with a couple small worm gear style hose clamps...once the faceplate is installed there are plenty of ways to install a handle on the outer end of the damper control rod...anything from Vise Grips to a simple steel lock collar with set screw that has some sort of handle or knob welded or clamped to it...lots and lots of options there I'm sure...sounds like your new fab shop buddy can probably make whatever you want...

 

[davidmsem]

Posted this in another thread by mistake should have been here.

Damper is placed in and first experiment run. The damper physical size is about 5 and 1/2 in and it can't close 100% because it hits the liner. But it looks like it gets about 80% blocked from the picture. Ran a small fire and it was reasonably steady between 0.17 and 0.19 in of water with the damper fully opened. Turning a damper is closed as I could get it it dropped draft 0.14 to 0.16, about a 17% reduction.

So I don't believe a damper is going to do the job here. Can the last approximate 20% of area cause that big of a drop in output?

The probe was inserted below the baffle.

Any thoughts, this initial test is discouraging in the search for a solution to a high drafting flu.

Any thoughts that the unit might be defective?

 

[brenndatomu]

So I don't believe a damper is going to do the job here. Can the last approximate 20% of area cause that big of a drop in output?

Yes...getting it fully closed will make a lot of difference...the closer to closed you get the more difference a small adjustment makes

 

[davidmsem]

Yes...getting it fully closed will make a lot of difference...the closer to closed you get the more difference a small adjustment makes

Thanks. Maybe that's true. Ready to sell the firewood and go back to two fires a year on the holidays. These systems don't seem like they will work on this application.

 

[brenndatomu]

Thanks. Maybe that's true. Ready to sell the firewood and go back to two fires a year on the holidays. These systems don't seem like they will work on this application.

Come on, don't give up now! You need to change that elbow anyways (right?) so just make sure you get a proper liner-to-appliance adapter elbow (like you had linked earlier) and mount the damper so that it will close fully...I'm saying that getting the damper fully closed will knock the draft down to -.10" or so...and even a lil more if you cover the holes in the center of the damper plate too.
In your pic above you've just started restricting the flue...even though it looks like "80%" it won't have an "80%" affect on the draft...like I said earlier, on a tall chimney like that its gonna be that last "20%" of adjustment that really makes the difference in your draft numbers.

That damper plate won't close more if you rotate it the other direction? What happens if you push in on the handle and compress the damper spring a little bit when you rotate the damper...will that allow it to clear the liner any better/close further?

 

[davidmsem]

Come on, don't give up now! You need to change that elbow anyways (right?) so just make sure you get a proper liner-to-appliance adapter elbow (like you had linked earlier) and mount the damper so that it will close fully...I'm saying that getting the damper fully closed will knock the draft down to -.10" or so...and even a lil more if you cover the holes in the center of the damper plate too.
In your pic above you've just started restricting the flue...even though it looks like "80%" it won't have an "80%" affect on the draft...like I said earlier, on a tall chimney like that its gonna be that last "20%" of adjustment that really makes the difference in your draft numbers.

That damper plate won't close more if you rotate it the other direction? What happens if you push in on the handle and compress the damper spring a little bit when you rotate the damper...will that allow it to clear the liner any better/close further?

Thank you. I did try turning it both ways and tried compressing the damper spring. Didn't seem to close it much more. Had a 50% load of wood cruising at .18 with the damper as far as I can could get it.

I will try to install it in a full closed position if that is possible and test again if successful.

Thanks.

Building inspector is not sure if he will approve with a damper installed.

What a crappy experience this has been.

Thanks,

David

 

[brenndatomu]

Building inspector is not sure if he will approve with a damper installed.

How did they get involved in this?

 

[davidmsem]

How did they get involved in this?

Company I'm shopping at to potentially do this, owner had a real Karen episode when I said I wanted a damper installed. Talked about pulling it out onto the hearth putting in black pipe and how she wanted to call the building inspector in advance. Was a real full Karen meltdown. I mean I just asked to put a damper in it because of the draft readings I have. If I hire a company they got to pull a permit, so I want to find out in advance before I spend the money what they're going to say.

 

[brenndatomu]

Ugh...yeah I always forget how good we have it with not having to deal with getting permits for every little project around here (I'm sure it exists, but more of a big city thing)

 

[bholler]

Ugh...yeah I always forget how good we have it with not having to deal with getting permits for every little project around here (I'm sure it exists, but more of a big city thing)

Yeah we are almost never required to pull permits either

 

[EbS-P]

Come on, don't give up now! You need to change that elbow anyways (right?) so just make sure you get a proper liner-to-appliance adapter elbow (like you had linked earlier) and mount the damper so that it will close fully...I'm saying that getting the damper fully closed will knock the draft down to -.10" or so...and even a lil more if you cover the holes in the center of the damper plate too.
In your pic above you've just started restricting the flue...even though it looks like "80%" it won't have an "80%" affect on the draft...like I said earlier, on a tall chimney like that its gonna be that last "20%" of adjustment that really makes the difference in your draft numbers.

That damper plate won't close more if you rotate it the other direction? What happens if you push in on the handle and compress the damper spring a little bit when you rotate the damper...will that allow it to clear the liner any better/close further?

Mine would not close all the way either. The spring pulled the damper to it and it won’t center in the liner. I added a washer or maybe two in between the damper and the liner. It centered the damper and I can now go 360 degrees with it.

 

[begreen]

Mine would not close all the way either. The spring pulled the damper to it and it won’t center in the liner. I added a washer or maybe two in between the damper and the liner. It centered the damper and I can now go 360 degrees with it.

Do you adjust the damper with every fire? Do have the front surround trim on or off?

 

[davidmsem]

Was able to conduct a "damper 100% closed" experiment today. Took some manipulation of the damper but got here as closed and closed could be, flat to axial plane.

I must say, with all the dialog about dampers solving high draft problems, I'm going to need more than just a damper. Matter of fact in my application a fully closed damper really has little affect. Did anyone expect so LITTLE of an influence of a damper? Warm day out, average mix of wood, box on about 60% full.

I guess the question is where do I go from here. Does anybody know if a Pacific Energy Summit LE insert can be modified to reduce air coming in. I think this gets complicated because there may be two sets of inputs, one for primary air and one for secondary air. Having to keep those in balance can create a problem.

Where to go from here?

Disappointed in Connecticut.

 

[EbS-P]

Do you adjust the damper with every fire? Do have the front surround trim on or off?

Surround is off. I would not to have to adjust and I hope to find the right position where I don’t need to adjust it but I didn’t get more than 10 loads through with the damper this year. None since I added the washer to allow it to completely close.

So I have been adjusting during the. I think with another boost air hole plugged and tighter loading I can keep the the peak temps under 900 degrees with it cracked say 75 degrees. If that works I would not need to to adjust during the burn. Just need another season or two under my belt to say anything with certainty.