Pacific Energy Summit VS Regency I3100

[aouke]

So i finally sold my old Vermont Castings Winterwarm which was a problem and am on the verge of buying a new insert and the 2 that I (think) I have narrowed it down to are these 2. Although I like the look of the flush modern looking ones, from what I have read they just dont heat nearly as well as the more traditional looking inserts.

I would really appreciate some opinions on which you would think is best.
I have read tons of posts on here about both and still unsure.
Price-wise the regency is about $200 cheaper however.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[Hogwildz]

Regency doesn't include the blower, there's your $200.00 difference.
I'm partial between the two, I almost got the Regency before I bought the Summit, and am glad with my choice.
Both will heat well.

 

[aouke]

Regency doesn't include the blower, there's your $200.00 difference.
I'm partial between the two, I almost got the Regency before I bought the Summit, and am glad with my choice.
Both will heat well.

In this case the blower was costed for. Btw I have read a ton of your posts and they have been extremely helpful since I started burning and which led me to really wanting the Summit. So thank you!

 

[Hogwildz]

Certain times, they will offer the blower free, or so called free. That was the deal when I was looking at one years ago.
You will do fine with either, I still like the Summit better.
Glad to help in any way I can or have.

 

[Grisu]

I have the Summits little brother, the Super. What I like about it is the baffle which is easy to remove and and put back in when cleaning the chimney. In addition, the blowers are mounted at the side which helps with the natural convection around the insert. I often turn the blowers off when the peak burn is over. Nevertheless, for the new Summit C they changed the air path a bit so not sure how much that has changed the passive convection. The blowers are noticeable but not really loud on low. The Summit is a N/S loader, the i3100 more of an E/W loader. Most people prefer N/S as it is easier to load, uses the firebox more efficiently, and logs don't roll against the glass. I also like the look of the PE handles better.

As you can see there are only small differences between the two. They will both heat your home and serve you well for years to come. I also had the i2400 on my list but was not convinced by the dealer so I took that off. There was nothing wrong with the unit itself.

If you cannot decide, toss a coin.

 

[KB007]

I agree that you'll do well with either, it'll come down to whatever little thing gets you more excited. I'm rather biased to the i3100 - it's a great insert, basically heats our entire house (1800 sqft bungalow with finished basement).

The i3100 certainly is a N/S loader - do it virtually all the time. It's nice too that when I have soem of those 20+" splits that I cut with poor "eyeball" measuring, they fit nice E/W as well.

Most times of the year Regency offer some form of rebate/promo that'll normally get you the blower thrown in.

 

[cableman]

I found a hampton 300hi with brown enamel on cl new never used for 2400, otherwise i would have gone with the summit just from all the reviews here and to me looks nicer then the i3100.
Not sure how big your house is but found this hampton on cl in ct!
http://newhaven.craigslist.org/fod/5100238959.html

Theres a 2yr old clydesdale on the island here for 1k also if you dont mind a road trip!

 

[ccmac]

I have a Summit Classic and cannot speak of the other unit.
The positives: I will say the Summit is very good. The window stays extremely clean, the air control is precise, the looks are very nice, and the quality of the construction appears stout and well made. The secondary burn system is amazing to watch, mesmerizing even. Also the stove heats evenly and very well.
Now the negatives: My chrome legs already have slight rust spots appearing on them after only 1 year, so this is evidence of a poor chrome job. I do not use the ash pan at all, I just cannot see the advantage to using it so I don't. Other than these negatives........I looooove the stove.

 

[aouke]

Thanks everyone for the help. The owner of one of the companies i was speaking with had told me that I would be pleased with either decision I made. However his only reason for suggesting the Regency is that when the baffles broke or warped in the Summit, it would cost $500+ to repair, where as the Regency is just very simple and cheap.

Personally I am leaning to the Summit. However I am a little worried that I might be getting a stove that is just too big for my townhouse. The townhouse is 1800sq feet of living space pretty tightly sealed, and the fireplace (outside wall brick) is right in my living room where we spend the majority of the time. Should I maybe consider a smaller stove?

 

[Grisu]

Do you have some usage data of another fuel (e. g. oil, gas) that you used for heating? Knowing that will help in determining how many BTU you need to heat your home. If it is well insulated a cat stove/insert may be best. However, there is not much beyond the BlazeKing Princess and maybe a Buck insert. Would a rear-vented hearth stove fit in front of the fireplace? A Woodstock Progress Hybrid could give you a lower burn during the shoulder season while having enough spare capacity for the coldest nights.

As for the PE baffle: It falls under their limited lifetime coverage. I would not worry about it.

 

[aouke]

Do you have some usage data of another fuel (e. g. oil, gas) that you used for heating?

So my townhouse is only electric (which is a big push for me to replacing my old stove). As my old stove went "out of commission" in February, I saw my electric usage jump by 2,000KWH (from 1,377 to 3,433).

If it is well insulated a cat stove/insert may be best.

I had a cat stove when i purchased the home, Vermont Castings Winterwarm large, and had a number of bad experiences with it. After speaking to many people and from my experiences I am thinking i would like something more simple so that evern the lady of the house can operate it when I am not around. Which is why i am thinking im staying far away from the cats now.

Would a rear-vented hearth stove fit in front of the fireplace?

As for the rear-vented hearth stove, I wanted one, but the lady quickly shot that down and is pushing for something more modern (maybe like the neo 2.5, which looks fantastic but I am a bit worried about how well it actually works and any issues it may have)

 

[Grisu]

You did not say whether that was resistance heat or heat pump and if the numbers you gave were for February or the rest of the winter. Hence, use the calculations below as an example how to determine your heating load:

Assume 3000 kWh for heating in one month by electric resistance heaters. With 1 kWh = 3412 BTU it follows: 3000 kWh * 3412 BTU/kWh =10,236,000 BTU. Divided by 30 days: 341,200 BTU per day. 1 cu ft of hardwood in a 66% efficient stove gives you roughly 100,000 BTU so your heating load would be approximately 3.5 cu ft per day.

Looking at those numbers (and assuming that I correctly interpreted your situation) you won't need a 3 cu ft insert. A medium one with a firebox of 2 to 2.5 cu ft should be enough. If you load that 3 times a day you get somewhere between 600,000 to 750,000 BTU; plenty more than what you used in electric heat.

You say your house is rather airtight. Usually you want an outside air kit then but that is tricky with an insert. How tall is your chimney? You may need more than the usual 15 ft minimum to get decent draft. Is the current liner insulated or are you thinking of putting one in?

 

[aouke]

The chimney is 25 foot. There is no liner in there now, which is a huge reason I was having problems with my old VC. I plan on having it lined with an appropriate 6 inch liner but have been told by multiple stores not to bother with the insulated liner as we don't need it here.
So do you think if I got the Summit, it would be too big and give off too much heat, or is it that I just don't need that big of a stove.

 

[Grisu]

Insist on an insulated liner. Your stove will start and burn much easier, you will get less creosote accumulation, and you will get the required clearances as most chimneys are not built with enough distance to combustibles. With an airtight building you may have to fight for draft anyway especially during the early burn and the insulation will help there, too.

You know about the importance of a block off plate to keep the heat in the house? https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/make-a-damper-sealing-block-off-plate/

So do you think if I got the Summit, it would be too big and give off too much heat, or is it that I just don't need that big of a stove.

You determine how much heat the insert will provide by the amount of wood you load. Less wood = less heat. You have to decide if you really want to put an insert in that maybe for a few nights a year you will actually fill to capacity. I rather run a medium insert on a full load most of the time and supply a little bit of other heat when it gets really cold outside. That said, when my calculations/assumptions are somewhat correct a larger medium insert (~2.5 cu ft) should easily fulfill all your heating needs even in the midst of winter.

 

[aouke]

You know about the importance of a block off plate to keep the heat in the house? https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/make-a-damper-sealing-block-off-plate/

.

Yea I had put in a block off plate with the old VC as it was installed as a direct connect.

 

[stovelark]

Lots of people on here have and like their summits. Their secondary air baffle is really a good one, I like their airwash too, very clean glass. The door handle mechanism is very smooth too. I think both would heat nicely, but I'd lean to the PE. How about costs? How do they compare, I'm curious.

 

[aouke]

Lots of people on here have and like their summits. Their secondary air baffle is really a good one, I like their airwash too, very clean glass. The door handle mechanism is very smooth too. I think both would heat nicely, but I'd lean to the PE. How about costs? How do they compare, I'm curious.

Right now with the rebates the recency is about 200+ cheaper

 

[aouke]

Thanks for everyone's advice, I ended up getting the Pacific energy Summit and just had it installed and inspected. Couldn't be happier with the look and can't wait to fire it up soon. Here is a picture of it installed.

 

[stovelark]

aouke- Congrats on your new stove, looks sweet and ready to make some comfort...

 

[Grisu]

Looks great. Don't wait with the break in fires too long. You rather want to do them when you can still open the windows to let the smell out.

 

[aouke]

Looks great. Don't wait with the break in fires too long. You rather want to do them when you can still open the windows to let the smell out.

Thanks...Yea probably going to do it this weekend