Blower high or low on insert?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Remember @Pisano772 is asking about the blower on an insert. Completely different experience from a free stander and there really is no comparison.
 
The thermostatic snap switch is located on the bottom of the stove/insert. It takes a while for a hot coal bed to develop and the mass of the stove to heat up enough to warm that area on a cold start. If it doesn't come on soon it could be that the snap switch is not making firm contact with the stove body and needs to be tightened a bit. Or it could be the switch is defective and needs replacing.
Thank you. It turned on shortly after I wrote this. This is the first time I’m really using this insert. I only got about 4 hrs of burn time. Thought I would get a lot more. I heard the first few burns may burn wood faster then normal. Any truth to that? Or any tips to get more burn time. Thanks
 
Remember @Pisano772 is asking about the blower on an insert. Completely different experience from a free stander and there really is no comparison.
Yes, this is especially true for flush inserts.
 
Thank you. It turned on shortly after I wrote this. This is the first time I’m really using this insert. I only got about 4 hrs of burn time. Thought I would get a lot more. I heard the first few burns may burn wood faster then normal. Any truth to that? Or any tips to get more burn time. Thanks
Good. The insert will burn better once an ashbed has built up. Did you reload the stove to keep it going?

It takes a while to get used to a new stove or insert. Your times will improve with experience.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pisano772
Good. The insert will burn better once an ashbed has built up. Did you reload the stove to keep it going?

It takes a while to get used to a new stove or insert. Your times will improve with experience.
I let it burn out too much I think. I’m new to this so what is the best way to get it restarted. There were only a few pieces of coal on the bottom. Should that be enough for me to load wood back in?
 
Open the bypass and air control. Rake the hot coals to the front. Put some tinder and kindling on them and put some smaller splits alongside. Blow on the coals to get the tinder to ignite, let the fire gain strength and add wood.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pisano772
Open the bypass and air control. Rake the hot coals to the front. Put some tinder and kindling on them and put some smaller splits alongside. Blow on the coals to get the tinder to ignite, let the fire gain strength and add wood.
Great. Thank you! This page has been a blessing.
 
Get it crankin'! Better to get it roar'n and set it back, then gradually get it up to speed and maintain. As @bergeen says, as long as you got good wood, open that bypass and air control, and get a good established burn going. As you get comfortable, use the size of the split and how many you stuff in there to gauge how it all reacts.
 
Just remember to close the bypass once the cat is >500º and active.
 
Hi I’m here on Long Island too. I just had the ci2700 installed. How long does it take for the blower to kick on when it’s in auto mode. I’m at 730 degrees for about 25 minutes now with the bypass closed and the draft midway. Debating on just turning it on manual.
To get it started Quicker turn the blower to manual within a few minutes you should hear a click then move back to auto.
 
Hi I’m here on Long Island too. I just had the ci2700 installed. How long does it take for the blower to kick on when it’s in auto mode. I’m at 730 degrees for about 25 minutes now with the bypass closed and the draft midway. Debating on just turning it on manual.
Turn it on manually for a few minutes then back to auto it should stay on.
 
OP, how do you like the regency ci2700? I'm considering it as a replacemen. Any maintenance issues?
 
very old post but i find that in my case its the EXACT OPPOSITE! i get more heat output and the temperature within the stove drops when fan at LOW. when fan is high, the air output is relative cooler and the temperature in the box (thermostat) actually increases. from my observation my rooms heats faster and hotter at low than high. i found this forum as i am researching online how or why this could be. unless my observations are totally wrong??
 
If the stove is cruising at a steady state (heat generation from combustion = heat lost up the stack and into the room), and everything else is held constant (air supply, draft, etc), then increasing the fan speed increases the heat transfer rate from the stove to the room. The temperature of the air coming out of the blower will drop, but this is more than offset by the increased flow rate. Meanwhile, immediately after changing the fan speed, inside the firebox the rate of heat production is unchanged. So the temperature of the firebox will start to drop in response to the shift in energy balance. The stove will settle down to a new steady state condition in which the firebox is cooler and the combustion rate is lower to reestablish the balance between heat generation and heat conduction out of the firebox. That part is just the First Law of Thermodynamics (i.e. conservation of energy).
Usually, the net result will be more heat output to the room in the new steady state condition. But if the firebox temperature drops so low that the combustion efficiency plummets, the opposite can be true. The main risk here is losing secondary combustion in a tube stove, or having the cat go out in a catalytic stove. Maybe that's what you are observing?
-Jim