Regency i3100 Insert Baffle

[velvetfoot]

How do you clean the chimney from the bottom?

Flexible rods made of tubing similar to sprinkler pipe.

Is it safe to operate the fireplace now with the baffles I have? (Until I get the new ones)

Would it be just inefficient as opposed to damaging? I don't know. bholler would know. There's a gap. Can't be too good.

 

[oskar470]

Flexible rods made of tubing similar to sprinkler pipe.

Now I get it, thanks. How do you access the chimney opening from inside the firebox. Perhaps after I remove the baffles I will see it?

 

[velvetfoot]

Now I get it, thanks. How do you access the chimney opening from inside the firebox. Perhaps after I remove the baffles I will see it?

Yes you will. The key is the rods flex. You can probably squeeze the plastic brush (recommended with a liner) past the tubes. It's hard the first time. And for me every time thereafter because I forgot what I did the year before. No, just kidding.

 

[oskar470]

Yes you will. The key is the rods flex. You can probably squeeze the plastic brush (recommended with a liner) past the tubes. It's hard the first time. And for me every time thereafter because I forgot what I did the year before. No, just kidding.

Thanks again velvetfoot, I’m not there yet but I take notes….just in case I forget, LOL

 

[bholler]

Thanks for the reply velvetfoot. I do have the original manual and downloaded the latest from Regency site and I will read it again since it has good info but not enough for me.

I can remove the baffles only after I remove the first pipe which is not a big deal but first I must get the baffles which it takes 4 weeks delivery since they come from Vancouver. Most likely I will place the order after the holidays to avoid the mail rush. The Canadian post office workers just finish their strike and there is a huge mail backlog which may lead to my package been lost.

The measurements you indicate are correct. Buying them on line? Hhmm never thought about it but I will give it a try

How do you clean the chimney from the bottom?

Is it safe to operate the fireplace now with the baffles I have? (Until I get the new ones)

--------------------------------------------

bholler thank you too, good to know what the baffles are for and I will do the trick you mentioned to keep the pipe in place

It is safe to operate that way short term. The problem is that gap will lead to uneven heating of the stove and tubes which leads to abnormal stresses. I would get replacements asap.

 

[oskar470]

It is safe to operate that way short term. The problem is that gap will lead to uneven heating of the stove and tubes which leads to abnormal stresses. I would get replacements asap.

Much appreciated bholler for sharing your knowledge. I will order the part(s) tomorrow and hopefully I will get them before the holidays

 

[bholler]

Much appreciated bholler for sharing your knowledge. I will order the part(s) tomorrow and hopefully I will get them before the holidays

Good

 

[oskar470]

Good

Hi bholler, here is another question regarding my Regency I3100 wood insert

Since last month’s fireplace inspection/chimney cleaning I have noticed a huge difference in the amount of logs I use per night to maintain the room temperature plus more often the amount of ashes I have to empty from the firebox.

Is it possible they adjusted something in the firebox which caused the fireplace to burn more wood?

There are only 2 big companies in my area who do chimney cleaning, sometimes the guys come in a company marked truck and most of the times they use unmarked regular pickups (always different guys). I remember about 8 years ago the guy suggested that the cap on my chimney was too small and offered to change to a bigger one which will allow a better fire. So I went for it, I think I paid around $150CAD. Well that was a mistake because I had no more control of the fire; with the damper almost closed the fire was always full blast. Good thing I kept the original cap and in the summer I got someone to go up there and switch the cap to my original one.

Since then I switched to another company, not because of the above incident but just to try the new company and now I wonder if they did something inside the firebox which allows the fire to burn more wood.

BTW I just placed my order for the new bricks and now they said about 2 weeks delivery

Thanks

 

[bholler]

Hi bholler, here is another question regarding my Regency I3100 wood insert

Since last month’s fireplace inspection/chimney cleaning I have noticed a huge difference in the amount of logs I use per night to maintain the room temperature plus more often the amount of ashes I have to empty from the firebox.

Is it possible they adjusted something in the firebox which caused the fireplace to burn more wood?

There are only 2 big companies in my area who do chimney cleaning, sometimes the guys come in a company marked truck and most of the times they use unmarked regular pickups (always different guys). I remember about 8 years ago the guy suggested that the cap on my chimney was too small and offered to change to a bigger one which will allow a better fire. So I went for it, I think I paid around $150CAD. Well that was a mistake because I had no more control of the fire; with the damper almost closed the fire was always full blast. Good thing I kept the original cap and in the summer I got someone to go up there and switch the cap to my original one.

Since then I switched to another company, not because of the above incident but just to try the new company and now I wonder if they did something inside the firebox which allows the fire to burn more wood.

BTW I just placed my order for the new bricks and now they said about 2 weeks delivery

Thanks

With the baffles in that condition you are going to burn quite a bit more wood.

 

[oskar470]

Got it, thanks bholler

 

[oskar470]

With the baffles in that condition you are going to burn quite a bit more wood.

Hello bholler, got a surprise today because the guy told me that my baffles arrived.

I picked them up and started the installation. I had to remove 2 pipes to install them because in front of the chimney opening there is a metal baffle about 3”-4” high which prevents me to lift / tilt the second baffle.

The new baffles have one surface smooth like glass and the other face is kind of unfinished rough. I don’t know which side is facing the flames and I decided to have the smooth side to face the flames. The old ones one had the smooth side facing up and the other I can’t say because is heavily pitted on both sides.

Does it matter which side faces the flames?

 

[bholler]

Hello bholler, got a surprise today because the guy told me that my baffles arrived.

I picked them up and started the installation. I had to remove 2 pipes to install them because in front of the chimney opening there is a metal baffle about 3”-4” high which prevents me to lift / tilt the second baffle.

The new baffles have one surface smooth like glass and the other face is kind of unfinished rough. I don’t know which side is facing the flames and I decided to have the smooth side to face the flames. The old ones one had the smooth side facing up and the other I can’t say because is heavily pitted on both sides.

Does it matter which side faces the flames?

On one smooth side will be down on the other smooth side up

 

[oskar470]

On one smooth side will be down on the other smooth side up

I guess you know everything bholler, good show

I realized afterwards there is no way to have both baffles with the smooth sides down. It’s done and fireplace is ON now.

Now that I had to remove the old baffles I noticed the chimney opening at the back of the firebox. Another member here had mentioned that he cleans his chimney from inside the firebox going up. I think it will be very difficult to do so because I believe there must be an elbow somewhere just above the firebox and this elbow may prevent pushing the brush up.

Next spring I will see what I will do. I don’t trust the guys used to come but I may search to see if there are individuals who do this job and perhaps there are much better than the ones I used to get.

Much appreciated your help

 

[bholler]

I guess you know everything bholler, good show

I realized afterwards there is no way to have both baffles with the smooth sides down. It’s done and fireplace is ON now.

Now that I had to remove the old baffles I noticed the chimney opening at the back of the firebox. Another member here had mentioned that he cleans his chimney from inside the firebox going up. I think it will be very difficult to do so because I believe there must be an elbow somewhere just above the firebox and this elbow may prevent pushing the brush up.

Next spring I will see what I will do. I don’t trust the guys used to come but I may search to see if there are individuals who do this job and perhaps there are much better than the ones I used to get.

Much appreciated your help

I clean them from inside all the time. I generally use a rotary cleaner but brushes work to.

 

[oskar470]

I clean them from inside all the time. I generally use a rotary cleaner but brushes work to.

Thanks bholler, I will have a look at them next spring

 

[Krule]

Hello Everyone,

I have a question about the warranty of the I3000. I am not the “original owner” however the original owner provided me with the original bill of sale, along with the original receipt of purchase/install, etc from November 1996. Will they let me claim for this stove since I have this information?

I purchased my home in 201x and had an inspection done on the stove where it failed and I was subsequently charged $150 for the inspection. The reason for the failure was that the Firebox has cracked on the inside corners (where you would open the door up, the upper left n right corners). Also noticed the metal deflector is cracked in the middle pushing it upwards and right in line with that crack on the deflector above you can find another crack going vertical about 2 inches inside the metal box itself. Another large crack across the outside middle piece where the air blows out. The baffles are chipped and completely worn out not to mention the firebricks. Also I guess the code changed for the hearth limits at some point (or the stove was never WET certified) if that was a thing back in 96? Because when they measure from the glass outwards I don’t have the required 19” of hearth. It’s more like 17” or something like that. There is also a large barn beam mantel about 3’ above the stove.

I’m worried Regency will simply say I am not the original owner and just dismiss the claim? If that’s the case my father is a welder who could fix a lot of these faults, however upgrading the hearth width would be an undertaking as it’s a solid 7-8’ concrete slab with a chipped front edge design which would either need to be completely removed or somehow cut flat and extended out. Do old inserts like this not just get “grandfathered in”? Would it not of met code back then? Does that no longer matter? I’m worried if this stove insert is not safe and I burn with it that I could loose my home in the event of a fire n not be covered by insurance!

I will try to take some pictures tomorrow and contact regency claims service directly for an answer.

Any help is appreciated and I think it’s amazing to see the input from others who have thoroughly enjoyed this woodstove as it is truly a monster of a stove. I would hate to have to replace the entire stove if it can be fixed.

I swept out the chimney myself and replaced the upper chimney cap/flange with a new one as the original one you could not take it off to sweep out the chimney liner (6” SS)!

 

[bholler]

Hello Everyone,

I have a question about the warranty of the I3000. I am not the “original owner” however the original owner provided me with the original bill of sale, along with the original receipt of purchase/install, etc from November 1996. Will they let me claim for this stove since I have this information?

I purchased my home in 201x and had an inspection done on the stove where it failed and I was subsequently charged $150 for the inspection. The reason for the failure was that the Firebox has cracked on the inside corners (where you would open the door up, the upper left n right corners). Also noticed the metal deflector is cracked in the middle pushing it upwards and right in line with that crack on the deflector above you can find another crack going vertical about 2 inches inside the metal box itself. Another large crack across the outside middle piece where the air blows out. The baffles are chipped and completely worn out not to mention the firebricks. Also I guess the code changed for the hearth limits at some point (or the stove was never WET certified) if that was a thing back in 96? Because when they measure from the glass outwards I don’t have the required 19” of hearth. It’s more like 17” or something like that. There is also a large barn beam mantel about 3’ above the stove.

I’m worried Regency will simply say I am not the original owner and just dismiss the claim? If that’s the case my father is a welder who could fix a lot of these faults, however upgrading the hearth width would be an undertaking as it’s a solid 7-8’ concrete slab with a chipped front edge design which would either need to be completely removed or somehow cut flat and extended out. Do old inserts like this not just get “grandfathered in”? Would it not of met code back then? Does that no longer matter? I’m worried if this stove insert is not safe and I burn with it that I could loose my home in the event of a fire n not be covered by insurance!

I will try to take some pictures tomorrow and contact regency claims service directly for an answer.

Any help is appreciated and I think it’s amazing to see the input from others who have thoroughly enjoyed this woodstove as it is truly a monster of a stove. I would hate to have to replace the entire stove if it can be fixed.

I swept out the chimney myself and replaced the upper chimney cap/flange with a new one as the original one you could not take it off to sweep out the chimney liner (6” SS)!

I don't believe the warranty is transferrable. But it's worth a try.

 

[begreen]

If the hearth is raised several inches then a simple hearth extension at floor level might be ok with just ember protection. The stove sounds like it has been run yearly inspite of increasing defects. This can lead to cascading failures, especially if air is leaking in and the baffle is shot. We can't judge much without seeing what you are seeing, but the likelihood of this being covered under warranty is slim.

 

[Krule]

I don't believe the warranty is transferrable. But it's worth a try.

You are right, they will not transfer the warranty over to me even if I have all of the original receipts etc. Sad.

Found several problems inside the stove that need to be repaired. See pictures.

-Noticed inside corners on left n right cracked.
-Noticed inside metal deflector bent n cracked with a good gap where it cracked.
-Noticed 3 to 4” crack in the box by the deflector under the top.
-Noticed some rusted pinholes near the inner lip
-Cracks along the top where the blower comes across to the metal supports.

Seeing how the warranty wouldn’t cover this I’d imagine we are going to re weld this puppy up.

We are going to have to cut a section of the metal deflector off to fix that one crack. Should we just weld a new deflector to the old one? My dad has some steel to make one. Or is it worth while doing a bolt on instead? Ether way I don’t think the deflector having a crack n gap like it does would be nice to just bolt a new one up-to as there would then be a gap still.

Need to find replacement baffles and some new fire block bricks too. Any recommendations for the Durham area? Looks like I might need to install some tile or hearth extension in front of the stove as you can see the ember marks on the parquet flooring in the last picture. Sorry for the mess here, just finished cleaning the stove out and wire brushing it, now everything else to be cleaned haha.

 

[bholler]

You are right, they will not transfer the warranty over to me even if I have all of the original receipts etc. Sad.

Found several problems inside the stove that need to be repaired. See pictures.

-Noticed inside corners on left n right cracked.
-Noticed inside metal deflector bent n cracked with a good gap where it cracked.
-Noticed 3 to 4” crack in the box by the deflector under the top.
-Noticed some rusted pinholes near the inner lip
-Cracks along the top where the blower comes across to the metal supports.

Seeing how the warranty wouldn’t cover this I’d imagine we are going to re weld this puppy up.

We are going to have to cut a section of the metal deflector off to fix that one crack. Should we just weld a new deflector to the old one? My dad has some steel to make one. Or is it worth while doing a bolt on instead? Ether way I don’t think the deflector having a crack n gap like it does would be nice to just bolt a new one up-to as there would then be a gap still.

Need to find replacement baffles and some new fire block bricks too. Any recommendations for the Durham area? Looks like I might need to install some tile or hearth extension in front of the stove as you can see the ember marks on the parquet flooring in the last picture. Sorry for the mess here, just finished cleaning the stove out and wire brushing it, now everything else to be cleaned haha.

That stove is too far gone. It's scrap

 

[Krule]

That stove is too far gone. It's scrap

You don’t think if we fix it with welds and maybe some plating that it’s worth while? I think it’s the cost of a new stove that’s scary. Is this same model still available but in a newer style? Or is there a different style equivalent? We planned on using it to heat our home for s few winters to build up money for a propane system eventually.

 

[begreen]

That's worse than I had visualized. The stove is in bad shape.

The i3000 has been replaced by the i3100 which has a good long track record. While looking, compare this to the Osburn 2400 insert and the Pacific Energy Summit.

 

[bholler]

You don’t think if we fix it with welds and maybe some plating that it’s worth while? I think it’s the cost of a new stove that’s scary. Is this same model still available but in a newer style? Or is there a different style equivalent? We planned on using it to heat our home for s few winters to build up money for a propane system eventually.

Not with as much cracking in as many different areas as that. And yes you can still buy a i3100 until the new set of regulations go into effect at the end of the year.

 

[Krule]

Not with as much cracking in as many different areas as that. And yes you can still buy a i3100 until the new set of regulations go into effect at the end of the year.

Well I think we’re going to give it a go with some welding n hope to get this winter out of it for now. I think it’s pretty obvious that some of these cracks formed n got worse from the neglect of not being fixed in the first place so hopefully by undoing the damage and reinforcing what we can, it’ll work a little while longer. So many expenses coming at once. It wasn’t intended to be the primary heat source for the home but we found electric baseboard heating to be ridiculously expensive last year (600-800$/mo). Crazy when we have acres of wood available. I get this feeling no one wants to save a dollar anymore, but how do you get ahead if you don’t?

Any solid recommendations on a new stove with the same or very similar dimensions as this one? Any expected price idea in CAD?

 

[bholler]

Well I think we’re going to give it a go with some welding n hope to get this winter out of it for now. I think it’s pretty obvious that some of these cracks formed n got worse from the neglect of not being fixed in the first place so hopefully by undoing the damage and reinforcing what we can, it’ll work a little while longer. So many expenses coming at once. It wasn’t intended to be the primary heat source for the home but we found electric baseboard heating to be ridiculously expensive last year (600-800$/mo). Crazy when we have acres of wood available. I get this feeling no one wants to save a dollar anymore, but how do you get ahead if you don’t?

Any solid recommendations on a new stove with the same or very similar dimensions as this one? Any expected price idea in CAD?

If it wasn't for the multiple cracks in the face I would go for it. But that looks bad. Have you checked the face and the door with a straight edge?