Regency not HOT enough???

[Jim and Sue]

Our older Regency doesn't seem to be getting hot enough. My experience with wood stoves is all prior to 1990. Wood is dry maple, beech or ash, 3 years old and split. With a stovepipe thermometer on top of the stove itself I have trouble getting to 600+ with the draft wide open. I know the "newer" style stoves aren't supposed to get as hot as what I used to have but is that hot enough? Thank you

 

[Hogwildz]

After the fire is well established, close down the air intake. If you're running it with the air wide open, there is a big part of your problem.

 

[kennyp2339]

BY keeping the air intake open all the way your causing more air to enter the stove reducing burn times and sending the heat the stove is producing up the chimney, I recommend getting a stove top thermometer and a chimney pipe thermometer (2 separate types)
Before firing up the stove check and make sure that your top baffle is in place, all reburn tubes are in, make a fire, keeping the air open all the way get the stove up to 450 deg, then start reducing your air in increments, you want baby flames / lazy flames coming from the wood, and a gas furnace flame coming from the reburn tubes, your stove top temp should go up to between 550 and 650 degs while maintaining 400-450 deg on the chimney pipe (if single wall)
Also check and see if you have the stove manual (to get exact model and clearances to combustibles) and then check to see if you have side heat shields.

 

[Jim and Sue]

How far do you throttle it down? I've read the manual but didn't see anything on specific burning instructions. Thank you

 

[kennyp2339]

How far do you throttle it down? I've read the manual but didn't see anything on specific burning instructions. Thank you

There's no set standard because everyone's draft is different, that's why you start in increments leaving 10min gaps, break your air control into 1/5ths or quarters, you should at a minimum be able to reduce the air by half but get a football game on today and do your experiment.
*this is why having dry wood is a must in these epa stoves (1990's and above years) wet wood at >25% will still burn with the air all the way open, but dry wood will allow you to throttle back, let the secondary reburn go into action and let the BTU's flow out of the stove.

 

[kennyp2339]

Shoot for this :

 

[aansorge]

Step one: check wood moisture with a moisture meter. So often wood is the culprit. The tool is cheap and eliminates questions. Just be sure to check after splitting open a few random pieces.

 

[Hogwildz]

Throttle it down as far as you can while maintaining a stove temp say 400 or over degrees or so. In some of our cases, we cut the air all the way back, as us with tall flues, have a potent draft even with the air cut full low. With proper dry wood, and an established fire, you will see the temp rise with the air set lower. Don't get caught and turn the air back too slow, or it will take off. Don't cut the air back too soon, or it will smolder. The temp should rise some after cutting the air back. As mentioned, you will have to experiment with settings to find what runs your set up the best.

 

[kennyp2339]

After you think you found your sweet spot go outside and look at the chimney, if you got a lot of smoke then your not quite there, but if your burning inside on low or lower in your case and you got minor smoke but more heat waves out the chimney cap then your good to go.

 

[Jim and Sue]

I've been messing with it. I can't seem to get a secondary burn like the video I'm getting a little fire at the tubes but certainly not all the way across. I don't have a meter but this wood has been down for 3 years split for 2 and under cover almost 2 years as well. I have it open again, ready to try again. Thank you Guys.

 

[kennyp2339]

I don't have a meter but this wood has been down for 3 years split for 2 and under cover almost 2 years as well

Sorry to hear that it was covered for 2 years, your wood is prob to wet. Just because something was dropped, split and stacked for longer than a year doesn't mean anything, I use seasoning on my steaks, but time and proper care insures I have dry firewood for the winter.
get a moisture meter and take a room temp piece of wood and split it, test the fresh face split, if its above 22% no Bueno, the wood may burn, but your using a lot of its potential energy just to rid the excessive moisture. Think about your fire box, you put 25lbs of wood in it @ 20% is (4) cups of pure water. 50 lbs is half a gallon and so on. Dry wood is key to get the stove working correctly.

 

[Jim and Sue]

I thought being under cover was good. I've had it in my wood shed. The sides are open and there is 8"-12" between stacks. It hasn't seen rain or snow in a long time.

 

[Hogwildz]

Sounds like the wood may be fine. You want to get it hot, criss cross the layers and let it get going, then see how she does. Sounds like you just need time to familiarize with the stove.

 

[blacktail]

Covered that way IS good.
You won't always get the look of blow torches across the top of the fire box. If you turn the air down and don't see smoke coming out the top of your stack, then I'd consider that good.

 

[Jim and Sue]

I got a meter. Random checks show 10-12%
Does the direction the holes in the tubes are facing? Front tube is facing down. Rear tube is facing front.
Thank you

 

[Woody Stover]

I got a meter. Random checks show 10-12%

To get an accurate internal reading, you need to have a big split at room temp, then take it outside, split in half and test by jabbing the pins deep in the middle of the freshly-exposed face.
But you are right to be looking at the stove for something that doesn't look right. How long have you had the stove?

 

[Jim and Sue]

This is my second season. But I used it up till now like I used older stoves I've owned years ago. It's been below zero here with the wind chill so that was a motivating factor. Maybe that's why the guy sold it to me. I will split a piece tomorrow and check it again. I think we should be feeling more heat in the room it's located. Thank you

 

[xman23]

But you get the top to 600, That would be as hot as I would run my stove. Running at that temp if you can't heat the house it sounds like there are other issues.

 

[Jim and Sue]

I was trying to see what made it tick so to speak. Remember your first small block chevy rebuild ? It was our first cold snap and I tried to warm it up in here. All day the temp stayed around 450. If the thermometer is correct. I'm using a stovepipe unit on the stove top. I have double walled pipe off the stove. The stoves I'm used to would have everyone in shorts when you opened it up.

 

[kennyp2339]

Sorry about the delay, I assumed that when you said split and covered that you were referring to a tarp, but a wood shed is a ++++, can you provide a pic or description of your current setup? Like were the stove is, how high the chimney from stove top, the size area your trying to heat, and approx. stove size?

 

[Jim and Sue]

The stove is an R-6. It is in the living room, placed in a corner. The lowest part of the house. I have 1600 sq '. The gas furnace is still "on" in case it is needed. The top of the chimney is around 15' from the top of the stove. Thank you

 

[kennyp2339]

Here is the manual for this unit: https://assets.regency-fire.com/get...0-499f-9fc1-0548cb3d91c2/R3-R7-R9-manual.aspx

Check your baffle to make sure its correct, also inspect your fire brick and make sure there in there (they add an insulating quality which helps the fire box stay hot)

 

[Jim and Sue]

Fire brick are good. I will check baffles when I get home but when I cleaned the stove this summer I cleaned the tubes and baffles and replaced the insulation. There is one thing I noticed in the manual. I have never closed the draft to the notch on the control. Maybe that is what I need to do. Thanks for sending that manual.

 

[Woody Stover]

There is one thing I noticed in the manual. I have never closed the draft to the notch on the control. Maybe that is what I need to do.

Right; That's what has been mentioned above, about establishing the fire with the air open a fair amount, then gradually closing the air in increments to the point that the wood keeps gassing, but the fire is slow enough so that the re-burn tube system has a chance to burn the smoke.
I notice that in the "Operating Instructions," they mention what has been called here the "tunnel of love." Page 10, #3) says "Form a trench in the ash (coal) bed to allow air to reach the rear of the fire box..." Doing this might route the smoke and gasses past the tubes better, allowing for more flames at the tubes.
Also, page 11, #7) mentions the ash drop gasket. It looks from the diagram that there is a brick on top of the gasket. I would check that gasket and make sure it's in good shape and sealing well. I'm not sure, but I'm thinking an air leak there could alter the air supply to the fire box, possibly causing less air to be pulled through the tubes and inhibiting the re-burn, which would limit the amount of heat produced.

 

[Jim and Sue]

Right; That's what has been mentioned above, about establishing the fire with the air open a fair amount, then gradually closing the air in increments to the point that the wood keeps gassing, but the fire is slow enough so that the re-burn tube system has a chance to burn the smoke.
I notice that in the "Operating Instructions," they mention what has been called here the "tunnel of love." Page 10, #3) says "Form a trench in the ash (coal) bed to allow air to reach the rear of the fire box..." Doing this might route the smoke and gasses past the tubes better, allowing for more flames at the tubes.
Also, page 11, #7) mentions the ash drop gasket. It looks from the diagram that there is a brick on top of the gasket. I would check that gasket and make sure it's in good shape and sealing well. I'm not sure, but I'm thinking an air leak there could alter the air supply to the fire box, possibly causing less air to be pulled through the tubes and inhibiting the re-burn, which would limit the amount of heat produced.