New Hampton HI300 in and going.. not terribly impressed.. :(

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eliter

New Member
Hearth Supporter
Oct 27, 2007
14
Oregon, Willamette Valley
So we finally got our hampton HI300 insert installed and inspected Thursday and started our first fire thursday night and have been burning since. The stove is beautiful and the hearth and stove combine excellently for aestetics...

The fire box and secondary burn really seem to burn efficiently with almost NO smoke.. however I am rather underwhelmed at the heat output of this stove. I am used to wood stove inserts that are older non-EPA stoves, without blowers.

This stove hardly radiates any heat at all even though it is hanging into the room significantly, if I stand 3 feet to the side of the center of the stove and 4 feet back I can hardly feel the heat at all even with the fire roaring. If I step in front of the fan output it is really hot but I want the heat to radiate evenly instead of just at the fan output. If
the fan is off it is warm in front of the window but that's about it.

I know a majority of my problem stems from the poor/lacking insulation in this old craftsman house, so I am already scheming on blowing insulation into the baloon framed walls.

BUT : Is there anything I can do with this stove to help it pump out more heat? The stove is rated for 2k square feet and it isn't even heating the 800 sq ft space it is in.

I am burning very dry and well seasoned maple and also seasoned doug fir and cedar for kindling.

For those with this stove or the regency i2400 what have you found is the best burn pattern? Front to back? back to front? side to side? Do you load wood N-S or E-W?

I am really pleased with the window cleanliness, fan noise, burn efficiency, but REALLY unimpressed with the heat output.. and Hampton claims 75000 BTU?? I found on the oregon dept. or energy they have the stove listed as an efficient stove but they have the max output at ~38k BTU compared to the similar Quadrafire at 43-48k..

I am actually displeased so far to the point of wondering if I should return / trade in this stove for something that will radiate heet more...

Thanks for all your feedback and advice!!
 
Was a block off plate installed below the damper? Can you remind me about the size of the house? Where is the stove located in the house?

North/South loading should give a hotter, but shorter fire. In the Willamette Valley this stove should do fairly well. It's a convector not a radiator, other stoves or a freestanding stove will do that better. Note that the 75000 btu rating is a peak rating. Read Tom's earlier post today about maximum ratings.

That said, there's no substitute for insulation, it's your best investment. If this is planned to be done soon, you may find the stove is just the right size.
 
The insert is installed with a metalbestos (type not brand) 6" chimney about 18' of stack, it pulls a great draft.

I know that this stove should be find for the willamette valley as it is not too chilly here normally (although looking outside now it is snowing at 200' elevation...)

I was already planning insulation and have been since we moved here just most places wanted to drill large holes in our siding and I have just painted it so I need to do it from the attic down the ballon framed walls. I do have ceiling insulation but none in the walls, single pane double hung wood windows, no insulation in the floor above the crawl space either...

The house is a 1917 craftsman with the stove on the external wall in the front room, contingent and open floorplan to ~800-1200 sq ft of house at the same level. There is an 800 sq foot basement and a 400 sq ft party room (far from the stove and down about 4' in floor height.

All I expected to heat were the main rooms contingent to the woodstove but it's hardly heating the 14x18 room its in...
 
eliter said:
The insert is installed with a metalbestos (type not brand) 6" chimney about 18' of stack, it pulls a great draft.

I know that this stove should be find for the willamette valley as it is not too chilly here normally (although looking outside now it is snowing at 200' elevation...)

I was already planning insulation and have been since we moved here just most places wanted to drill large holes in our siding and I have just painted it so I need to do it from the attic down the ballon framed walls. I do have ceiling insulation but none in the walls, single pane double hung wood windows, no insulation in the floor above the crawl space either...

The house is a 1917 craftsman with the stove on the external wall in the front room, contingent and open floorplan to ~800-1200 sq ft of house at the same level. There is an 800 sq foot basement and a 400 sq ft party room (far from the stove and down about 4' in floor height.

All I expected to heat were the main rooms contingent to the woodstove but it's hardly heating the 14x18 room its in...
Click to expand...

but do you have a block off plate??? that will increase heat output
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/making_a_block_off_plate/
and pics of what it looks like this was mine being put in
 

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eliter said:
The insert is installed with a metalbestos (type not brand) 6" chimney about 18' of stack, it pulls a great draft.

I know that this stove should be find for the willamette valley as it is not too chilly here normally (although looking outside now it is snowing at 200' elevation...)

I was already planning insulation and have been since we moved here just most places wanted to drill large holes in our siding and I have just painted it so I need to do it from the attic down the ballon framed walls. I do have ceiling insulation but none in the walls, single pane double hung wood windows, no insulation in the floor above the crawl space either...

The house is a 1917 craftsman with the stove on the external wall in the front room, contingent and open floorplan to ~800-1200 sq ft of house at the same level. There is an 800 sq foot basement and a 400 sq ft party room (far from the stove and down about 4' in floor height.

All I expected to heat were the main rooms contingent to the wood stove but it's hardly heating the 14x18 room its in...
Click to expand...
The key question is the block off plate that Begreen asked. This is the one you didn't answer. Your draft may be good but,
without a block off plate maybe you are also loosing your heat up the outside off your liner. There is lots of threads about block off plates. edit; iceman ya beat me to it....
 
I saw the title of this thread and it was like deja vu. I also had this exact feeling earlier in September after installing my Regency i2400. I too have an older 50's ranch that is not insulated well and has the original drafty windows. I did not feel I was getting the heat that Regency claimed possible. In fact I was so disappointed that I called the dealer back and tried to exchange it for an i3100. They were not very accommodating. So I realized I had to get the most out of my insert as possible.

The first thing I did was put the storm windows on the house to provide the second "pane" so to speak, and cut down on the draft. Secondly I installed a block-off plate, which I initially skipped because I was too impatient and wanted to try out the new stove. I used 1/8" plate stainless and sealed it up well with high-temp silicone and fireplace cement. Thirdly I installed a ceiling fan in the main room where the insert is to help circulate the air. Fourthly I got some different wood that was better seasoned and more dry. Fifth, I learned how to run the stove better. It takes trial and error to "become one" with the stove and maximize it's efficiency.

The combination of these 5 things has made a world of difference. It heats my 2,200 sq feet quite well. We still rely on the furnace during the work day when nobody is home and nights when we do not make all the way through. The living room is warmer at 76 deg than the back bedrooms which hover around 67 deg. But it make for better sleeping anyway and the furnace still kicks on when the insert cools down too much.

My next experiment is to add a humidifier in the house. Go get a couple thermometers to place around the house that have the humidity as well as temp. Also get a stove thermometer so you can see how hot you are actually getting your stove. Don't get discouraged. My Regency really pumps out the heat and I am sure yours will too. Good Luck.
 
No I don't have a block off plate but I have no masonry chimney, my masonry chimney was removed before I bought my house, the class A chimney is sealed completely with mortar so a block off plate is uneccessary.

I love the look of the stove and it is a pleasure to burn but I am really unhappy with the "convection only" heat output, in a power outage situation this stove would be almost worthless. Unfortunately I am in a similar situation as the last poster and can't exchange or trade in without a significant hit, plus this barely fit into my fireplace.

I did manage to get her to heat up the house sunday after some hours of the stove running full bore with the blower running full bore...

Anyway I guess I just am irritated that this stove doesn't radiate heat at ALL...
 
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