We got a Regency F3100 last winter at the very end of February. After spending $800 a month on oil, we needed something else. (This was $800 a month keeping the thermostat at 62 at the highest, and it was a very mild winter for this area.) We have an antique cookstove in our kitchen, and we supplemented last winter with that, and it made that side of the house awesomely warm with little effort. This made us want to go with a wood stove for the rest of the house. I am completely regretting it right now and hate our stove.
Right now we have over $5000 into this thing counting the stove, install, and all the wood we have purchased and I can't get the room it's in above 70 so far today. (It's almost noon, first reloaded after the overnight burn at 5:30, reloaded again around 9:00, and right now it's over 40F outside.)
Our house is 3000 square feet, and we thought set up ideally for the woodstove. Even the forced air furnace relies on heat rising, as there are no vents above the first level. Our living room is in the middle of the house. The one end of the living room has a stair case that goes up to a 3 story section of our house, the other end of the living room has 3 steps up to a large landing that has our kitchen, a den, bathroom, and a second set of stairs up to a 2nd story on that side with two bedrooms. So when you look at our house from the front it kind of looks like the letter U. 3 stories up on one side, first floor level in the middle (where the stove is), and a 2 story part on the other side.
So ideally the living room is roasting out with this huge stove, and the heat rises up and out of this room to heat the other two sections that are higher than this room. Problem is, this room does not get hot. We were told and asked multiple times if we were sure we wanted this big stove in this room that we have it in. It's about a 350 square foot room. We were told repeatedly we'd be sweated out of this room. WE WISH. It's not happening, not even close.
I have talked to the dealer we bought it from several times. She has an excuse for every single angle that deflects the issues off of them and on to us. Our wood isn't dry, there is a slider in the room the stove is in (we have thermal curtains on it), the temp inside is relative to the temp outside (yeah that's my worry if I can only get 68 when it's 40 out what is going to happen when it's -10?), I could go on and on and on.
I have a moisture reader. The wood I have been using reads 0%-4% moisture on the end facing the stove (it's in hoop stand) and under 20% on the other end. We bought it seasoned last spring, had it out all summer, covered all fall, and inside now.
I get the stove going, get it really flaming, the secondary burn kicks in and I let it go a bit longer, the needle on the thermometer goes way up, everything inside is glowing orange even some times. (I don't know temps as I don't exactly trust the thermometer we have, it busted and I put it back together, it's on my list to get a new one.) But without knowing temps, trust me, I know it's hot. I think some times it's too hot. So then I turn the air down and 5-45 minutes later the secondary burn goes out. I can't seem to configure any kind of method that makes a good secondary burn go much longer than that. Some times it goes out right away, usually if I turn the air down too much too fast. I have better luck if I go slower most times but even still if I go too low with the air it will go out.
I admit it's possible our wood is not seasoned well enough, but I feel strongly it's more than that. Even if the wood has some moisture it's not green, and I burn it hot to get it going and the stove gets really hot and the secondary burn happens so doesn't the moisture cook out at first? How does it affect what happens after that?
It seems like the stove gets really hot, it gets flaming great, the secondary burn gets going great and if I were to leave the air open we'd be getting lots of heat and it'd be super warm, but the stove would easily, quickly, start to over fire. So I have to turn the air down, but when I do that the stove starts to cool, the secondary burn doesn't last very long at all, and then I just end up with a smouldering small flame or two fire that barely keeps the room warm. Where is the happy medium that makes my house warm?
If you got this far GOD BLESS YOU!
Sarah
Right now we have over $5000 into this thing counting the stove, install, and all the wood we have purchased and I can't get the room it's in above 70 so far today. (It's almost noon, first reloaded after the overnight burn at 5:30, reloaded again around 9:00, and right now it's over 40F outside.)
Our house is 3000 square feet, and we thought set up ideally for the woodstove. Even the forced air furnace relies on heat rising, as there are no vents above the first level. Our living room is in the middle of the house. The one end of the living room has a stair case that goes up to a 3 story section of our house, the other end of the living room has 3 steps up to a large landing that has our kitchen, a den, bathroom, and a second set of stairs up to a 2nd story on that side with two bedrooms. So when you look at our house from the front it kind of looks like the letter U. 3 stories up on one side, first floor level in the middle (where the stove is), and a 2 story part on the other side.
So ideally the living room is roasting out with this huge stove, and the heat rises up and out of this room to heat the other two sections that are higher than this room. Problem is, this room does not get hot. We were told and asked multiple times if we were sure we wanted this big stove in this room that we have it in. It's about a 350 square foot room. We were told repeatedly we'd be sweated out of this room. WE WISH. It's not happening, not even close.
I have talked to the dealer we bought it from several times. She has an excuse for every single angle that deflects the issues off of them and on to us. Our wood isn't dry, there is a slider in the room the stove is in (we have thermal curtains on it), the temp inside is relative to the temp outside (yeah that's my worry if I can only get 68 when it's 40 out what is going to happen when it's -10?), I could go on and on and on.
I have a moisture reader. The wood I have been using reads 0%-4% moisture on the end facing the stove (it's in hoop stand) and under 20% on the other end. We bought it seasoned last spring, had it out all summer, covered all fall, and inside now.
I get the stove going, get it really flaming, the secondary burn kicks in and I let it go a bit longer, the needle on the thermometer goes way up, everything inside is glowing orange even some times. (I don't know temps as I don't exactly trust the thermometer we have, it busted and I put it back together, it's on my list to get a new one.) But without knowing temps, trust me, I know it's hot. I think some times it's too hot. So then I turn the air down and 5-45 minutes later the secondary burn goes out. I can't seem to configure any kind of method that makes a good secondary burn go much longer than that. Some times it goes out right away, usually if I turn the air down too much too fast. I have better luck if I go slower most times but even still if I go too low with the air it will go out.
I admit it's possible our wood is not seasoned well enough, but I feel strongly it's more than that. Even if the wood has some moisture it's not green, and I burn it hot to get it going and the stove gets really hot and the secondary burn happens so doesn't the moisture cook out at first? How does it affect what happens after that?
It seems like the stove gets really hot, it gets flaming great, the secondary burn gets going great and if I were to leave the air open we'd be getting lots of heat and it'd be super warm, but the stove would easily, quickly, start to over fire. So I have to turn the air down, but when I do that the stove starts to cool, the secondary burn doesn't last very long at all, and then I just end up with a smouldering small flame or two fire that barely keeps the room warm. Where is the happy medium that makes my house warm?
If you got this far GOD BLESS YOU!
Sarah