Advice / Review need: Regency CI2600 fireplace insert risky & costly?
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Wolves1
Minister of Fire
I close the damper as soon as temp hits about 550, then when it hits about 700 I close air all the way and then the temps go up slowly to about 1300. I really hope that helps. I been getting better burn times loading east, west.
I've been following this forum as my husband and I also purchased the ci2600 in mid December because of the advertised long 14 hour burn time and the nice low profile look. Unfortunately I am in the same situation as Johnny. We are also only getting on average 4 hour burn times. We also did the dollar bill test, tightened the door. At the moment we are talking with the dealer and the Regency rep who will come to our house on Wednesday to evaluate our fireplace and see what's going on. We even got instructions from regency on how to propery load and work the fireplace. We are doing exactly what they say to do. The best time we ever got was 5 hrs. On average it's more like 3-4. If they cannot fix the issue I'm probably returning as well. We are loading it up about 4 to 5 times a day. We usually fill it up completely around 11 or 12 at night and when I check it at 6:30 am it is all ashes, no fan no coals. What's funny is that when I spoke to the regency rep they don't consider burn time when the fan is on. Burn time starts from the moment you light the fire until the coals go out. What good are coals if the fireplace gives off no heat and the fan shuts off and the temp reading says cool. I'm still reloading every 4 hours.
thought you guys might like this ci2600 brochure ( http://www.regency-fire.com/Files/Brochures/CI2600_Brochure-Low.aspx ). read the second page about the eco boost feature, says over 14 hours of heat. i wouldn't care if i woke up 10 hours later and just had a bed of coals as long as it was still putting good heat out, however still after 5-6 hours fan is still on but blowing cool air. talked to my dealer yesterday told me that he was going to call regency and would get back to me. now i have to decide which insert to get now.
Wolves1
Minister of Fire
i'm getting 8-10 hours now, in fact last night it went into the 20s, i set the stove up at 11, dampered it down around 1120, set the fan on high and went to bed. i woke up this morning and came down around 7 and it was still blowing warn/hot air and probably could have for at least another hour or two. i stirred the coals, loaded it up and away she went. i am loading with red oak and i have two screws in until i get my plate.
to the people getting short burn times, what wood are you using? i was using black walnut for a week, i'll never do that again, and the stove was cold after 4-6 hours.
to the people getting short burn times, what wood are you using? i was using black walnut for a week, i'll never do that again, and the stove was cold after 4-6 hours.
Hi Marty. Here are the istructions they emailed me, which is exactly what we've been doing on the low setting for the longest burn but still no where near 10-14 hours, more like 4. Also we are using over 1 year seasoned oak and hickory which is recommended. Regency also emailed me pictures of what a full load should look like. My husband also feels that for the amount we spent on it he does not want to ticker with it himself and break it. The rep said he has been on 6 house call for the same short burn time and said it was all due to improper wood and not loading it properly. I would be shocked if that is us because we have been packing it up tight and are using good wood. We'll see what happens tomorrow when he comes to check it out.
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Grisu
Minister of Fire
Hickory and oak usually take longer than one year to get below 20% moisture. Did you bring a few pieces inside to warm them up to room temp and then test them with a moisture meter? Split them in half and push the pins of a moisture meter in the center of the fresh surface.
How long do you leave the air open when you do your full load 2? It looks like the coals are behind the fresh wood. I suggest raking the coals forward and dropping the splits behind the hot coals and on top of them. That should get your fire going more quickly and allow to close the bypass and air sooner.
I have to buy a moisture reader, but we are friends with the wood supplier and he uses it with his non cat Napoleon Hearth and get 8 hours before reload. We usually take in 4 or 5 loads of wood to warm up inside the garage and have one load waiting on the side of the fireplace to really make sure its warm. And those pics I posted are not my pictures, they are pictures that Regency sent me on how a full load should look. I usually leave the door open maybe 10 minutes till it really catches good and then close the door (that is when I'm going from a cold start up). If I go from a warm start up it catches much quicker. The start up and getting it going isn't the problem, it's making it last more than 4 hours that's the problem.
that's funny i load my stove similar to that and it only last about 6 hours. when the dealer came out a few days ago my wife told me that the tech loaded the stove and said that it should last for about 8 hours but only lasted 5 hours. when called back he told her that something must be wrong with the unit.
With some of these new posts I'm beginning to think that maybe my complaints have been valid all along..
Yes, they totally are. I have been following this forum because what you have been going through is exactly what we have been going through. I feel your frustration. Our dealer is very nice and said one way or another this issue will be resolved, even if that means pulling out the unit for a different one. And at this point we are hoping it goes that way because I don't have the time to babysit or reload every few hours. Or clean out all the over flowing ashes every day or two.
My dealer installed the same fireplace in his brother-in-laws house and he is only getting 4 hours before he has to reload too. He also said it's more of an incinerator as is ours. We also took off a few washers from the handle and now it's impossible to close the door without a lot more effort and the door looks off now and the handle and latch are a little off now. Which is why we really didn't want to mess with it ourselves. I would hate for them to blame us for breaking something that they recommended us to do in the first place.
I am, it heats my 2200 square foot home, the heat it puts out is great. I get about 8-10 hours depending on the outside temperature.
If I could go back I wouldn't buy it again. It's a new model. Only cam out over the summer. Seems like they still need to work out the kinks. Go with one that has been around longer. My friend has fireplace xtrordinair and loves it. Another friend has a Napoleon wood insert and loves it. I loved the look of this one and what is says it can do, but it's just not doing what they promised. For now look at different unit. Save yourself the aggravation!
Thanks for sharing your experience! Reputation of a unit is important to me considering the investment.
Wolves1
Minister of Fire
I love it, same as Marty filled it this morning at 7 came home early to surprise the kids and pick them up at school. Temp is 600 and still have big red hot coals.
edge-of-the-woods
Feeling the Heat
Sounds very similar to ours. After a full load at 10pm and the stove running well, by 7am there's a lot of ash and hardly any hot cot coals...like 2" of ash. Not what we were sold. This is with the stove fully loaded east-west with wood at 15-18% MC.
Cinders is your dealer charging you anything for all this? Johnny is your dealer charging you for the new stove or anything to swap it out?
Is there a better stove than this with the same kind of flush front?
We haven't got that that point yet. But I don't really know what other insert I would like to get. I do have a large area to heat though. So I'm looking for something that can handle 3000sq or more with an open floor plan and high ceilings. Any recommendations is greatly appreciated.
i put two screws in while i'm waiting for the plate, but that's it. i did notice after a couple weeks of burning it got better.
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