Regency l1100 wood insert- who has one... is it what i want?

[pur pony]

I have a 2001 1800sq ft colonial in CT and have been thinking about an insert for a while. I have an open fireplace at this time i do not use much, just once in a while. I also have an oil furnace.
I have been going back and forth from a wood burning insert to a pellet insert, etc. I have an unlimited supply of hardwood since my dad owns a 100 acre farm up the street but there is the time and energy that comes with cutting, splitting, stacking, etc.

I am looking for something to heat the house with most of the time and ease my oil costs so im thinking a wood insert is the way to go. My floor plan is pretty open having the living room (where the insert would be) , the dining room, and the kitchen all open together... with the staircase in the living room going up to the 3 bedrooms....

well, i have been looking around craiglist and came across a 2006 Regency l1100S wood insert for sale for $400 local to me. I was going to go check it out. Looks like its a small sized insert only rated for 1000 or so sq ft so im not sure if its exactly what i want, but for the price and if its in good shape may be worth it. I was also going to do a SS chimney liner.

Should I not even consider this insert or would it be worth trying out... Is Regency a decent company and is the l1100 a decent insert?

thanks all

 

[fredarm]

I have a similar size insert (PE Vista) in a 1900 sf house. It's the biggest that would fit in my small fireplace. While it's a useful supplemental heater, it does not come anywhere close to heating the whole house. It sounds like your layout is similar to mine, with the open LR, DR and kitchen. My insert warms the LR (where it is installed) very well, the kitchen and dining area pretty well, and the office on the other side of the first floor fairly well. Some heat finds its way upstairs, but it does not really "heat" the upstairs (4 BR up).

It depends on what you want to do. If you want to just supplement the oil heat and the unit is in good shape, that's a good price and it should do the job. If you want to heat the whole house 24/7 with wood, you'll need something bigger. Regency makes good stoves and inserts from what I've read around here, but I have no personal experience with them. I went through the pellet vs. wood descision and decided on wood because I can source at least some of my own supply. I cut/scrounge a cord a year and buy a ton of wood bricks (Bio/Eco or Geo Bricks). They give some of the convenience of pellets while preserving the option of burning cord wood.

 

[DAKSY]

That's a great price for the 1100, but at 55K BTU input
~41.25K output - & the small firebox, you may not like it.
In a well insulated house, you may get enough heat for
75% of your area, but not the whole living space.
Plus the fact that it will require your wood to be cut shorter.
I'd go for the I2400 at 75K & 77% efficiency for the size of your house,
but like I said that price is GREAT if the unit hasn't been overworked...
Check the corners of the opening behind the doors to see if there is
any crack propagation. That will tell you if it's been beat...

 

[tickbitty]

If it's in good shape I would give it a shot. You can hook it up and get an idea what it will do for you for a season or so and then decide if you want something bigger, at which point you can resell that one.

 

[realstihl]

That's a good deal. Can't go too far wrong. As said before you can resell it for about the same money if needed.

 

[WES999]

I have a Regency F100 freestanding stove ( not an insert). It is a well made quality stove. It puts out quite a lot of heat for a stove with a small firebox. I can heat about half of my 1100 sf ranch quite well. (I have not purchased oil for about 3 years!)

That insert is probably a bit on small side for your house but for the price you cant go wrong. Give it a shot.

 

[pastera]

I have about the same sized insert in cast iron (made by Regency also) and it takes care of almost 3k SF of house - the oil boiler runs when the temps drop below freezing but dropped my oil consumption ~120 gallons/month in the winter at 68 versus 63.

At 72 in the stove room, it's a little too hot right now :coolsmile:

 

[Iembalm4aLiving]

Do it You won't believe how awesome a modern insert works compared to your open fireplace. I just had an Osburn 2200 put into my open fireplace and I love it. In the past, I'd feed the open fireplace like crazy and it wouldn't heat the room at all. It was frustrating to say the least.

I'm still amazed at how long a few splits will last in the stove and the amount of heat they produce. My wife says she misses the crackle of the open fireplace, but the flame show, heat output and good looks of the insert make her forget about that pretty fast. I wish I would have done it 10 years ago.

Greg

 

[midwestcoast]

Good price, but if I were you I'd be looking for a larger insert. I have the mid-sized Regency insert (I-2400). If someone's home to feed it every 8-10 hours it will heat my older, poorly insulated 1450sf Cape on it's own.
Based just on age, size & description, I'd guess a mid-sized insert or stove would heat your whole place no prob, small size would really be pushing it.
The chimney liner & whatever else you need will cost the same regardless. Install is about the same amount of work. You have access to free wood, so why not get more heat out of the deal?
I'd only go for the small size IF the fireplace room is small and closed off from the rest of the house.

Regency is a reputable company. Relatives of mine have that insert & it has performed well for them for at least 10 years.

I'm with DAKSY: the small firebox needs small wood, & that's a bit more work for you. Also needs more frequent re-loads.

 

[Fake coal burner]

At that price I would give a try you will like the heat from it. Even if it doesn't heat the whole house. I dont think you can go wrong. They are space heaters.

 

[Dieselbreath]

I think you will be impressed with the small insert so much that you will want to go with the larger one soon. I have a I2400 and very happy with it. If you can fit it in get a larger one, you won't be sorry.