Hampton HI200 up and running

[Adios Pantalones]

Only news on the HI200 is that the fan stopped working in auto mode. It was only in the 40's last night so just had a small fire. It was plenty hot, though. The fan should have kicked on. I ran it in manual on low. Will call the dealer today. It causes me to wonder how big a role the blower plays in preventing overfiring the insert?

The blower assembly has little tabs that engage the stove body. It's easy for them to miss, which means the assembly is sitting on the floor with a slight gap, which severely screws up the sensor contact. This is a very common issue.

Pull out the assembly, locate the hooks/tabs, lift the assemble as you slide it back in so that the hooks engage the slots in the stove body. Should solve it for you.

 

[Andy S.]

I just turn the fan on manual if I'm starting from cold, and switch it back later.

Thanks, VF. It is turning out the the HI300 is filling the role of big brother to the HI200 in more ways than one. Since it had been working fine, I didn't think anything of it until the blower still hadn't turned on after the door was closed for more than 30 min. I turned it on using manual at that point and as you suggest tried it in auto several times during the course of the night. It just turned off. In your case was the blower ever working in auto before the adjustment or did you need the adjustment to make it work?

 

[velvetfoot]

Maybe it worked some, but it would take a long time. Try what Pants said first.

 

[Andy S.]

When the door first shut at start up or re-load there is a sound like blowing across the top of a bottle. I'm assuming it is a normal thing caused by the draft and a tight stove. Do any others hear this? Thanks.

 

[velvetfoot]

Secondary air intake hole? I don't really hear it but other HI300 people have.

 

[Andy S.]

Secondary air intake hole?

Thanks, VF. It's going to get really cold for you later. Wishing you dry wood and a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Andy S.]

For other HI200 owners or researchers, I think it is important to have realistic expectations for this little insert. It is rated for 1000 ft2 and I think that is about what to expect from it. I've found that I get the most heat from it by using a couple of small splits E/W in the back of the firebox and then packing it with short, small splits N/S. That results in about 3 hours of good, usable heat before I need to stat thinking about burning the coals down so I can repeat the process. The small splits mean resplitting most of my wood and the short splits can be knocked out pretty quickly with my miter saw.

An important asterisk is that we're changing out the window coverings and currently have nothing covering the windows in the family (stove) room. Given that one entire wall is windows and there are two others on the other wall, I suspect we are losing a whole bunch of heat there. It may make me reconsider my expectations when I get them covered, but for now I'm looking at the HI200 as a good supplement to my heat pump. I keep the thermostat set at 67* and feed the fire to keep it from running as much as possible.

 

[velvetfoot]

Too late now, but I wonder if you could've squeezed in a HI300

 

[Andy S.]

No. I missed on the height and the depth. My first choice was the Lopi Revere but my wife hated the look. The only other serious consideration was the Quadrafire 2700i.

 

[velvetfoot]

My HI300 replaced a Quad 2700i.

 

[NickDL]

How small do you need to make your splits? What kind of temperature rise are you seeing in your house when using the insert? So you're only getting about 3 hours of good heat?

 

[Andy S.]

How small do you need to make your splits? What kind of temperature rise are you seeing in your house when using the insert? So you're only getting about 3 hours of good heat?

I'm still experimenting but my max of E/W is 16" long and 4" wide. My preference is 3" on the width so just about any purchased wood needs to be resplit. My best burn so far was with 8" splits loaded N/S but I've only done it once and was worried it was a runaway. Now that I'm more used to it, I will be repeating it tonight and will report back.

I take my temps with my IR so they are best used for comparison. I've seen a 3* gain in the room next to the stove where the thermostat is and the 15'x20' stove room gets up in the high 70's. Regarding the time, yes... 3 hours is about the max I've seen because I'm almost always starting from scratch and burning wide open trying to pump out heat.

In short, I know enough to wish I had a stove with a 3' firebox but do not yet know enough to pass final judgement on this little insert.

 

[Andy S.]

Started from a cold stove, the heat pump running and 67* in the house at 6:15 or so. Loaded the stove N/S after cutting a bunch of splits in half and had a roaring fire by 7. Shut the door, put the blower on low and left the air wide open. Around 7:30 I put the blower on high and left the air wide open trying to pump as many BTU's as possible into the house. Noticed that the heat pump tuned off which satisfied my personal threshold for stove performance. Temps in the family room were mid 70's and the living room where the thermostat is stayed at 67*. A little after 10:00 I loaded two TSC "fuel blocks" and they lit right off. I shut the door after a couple of minutes, let them burn on full air until 10:30, shut the air to 1/2 and went to bed. This morning there were plenty of coals at 5AM and the heat pump was running. Loaded the stove N/S with 1/2 splits, had a box full of fire in about 5 minutes and went about the day. The wife will play with it as she sees fit during the day.

In my limited experience so far, this little insert is supplemental heat at best when it is cold (it is 12* right now and that qualifies as cold). It will keep you toasty in the family room, leak enough heat to hold off the heat pump a bit in the next room and require attention every three hours.

 

[NickDL]

How did your wife makes out with the fireplace?

 

[Andy S.]

How did your wife makes out with the fireplace?

Great! She enjoys feeding the fire.As for me,I'm a little concerned at the moment that I'm over firing. I may be too cautious because I'm new,but I see the burn tubes glowing brightly and think I see the steel lip at the flue opening glowing. No glowing is seen on the door or through the blower vents. Keeping an eye on it...

 

[NickDL]

Does it seem like you're using less wood now than with the Heatilator? I bet that you'll be giving it a good workout this weekend with all of the snow that we're going to be getting.

 

[Andy S.]

Does it seem like you're using less wood now than with the Heatilator? I bet that you'll be giving it a good workout this weekend with all of the snow that we're going to be getting.

There is no comparison between the two, Nick. I think the experienced people here will agree that they are not intended to be compared. The fireplace is for ambiance and the insert is for heat. My personal opinion is that the fireplace wins hands down for "hominess" but there are probably plenty here who disagree.

 

[Andy S.]

I have no pics at this time but I wanted to get an opinion. Hopefully the description can make it clear. There is a steel lip forward of the baffle an inch or so in front of the steel plate that seals when the door closes. When the secondaries are going strong they fire out at the glass and this lip like a blow torch. There have been several times I've seen this lip, the burn tubes and the baffle glow. At first I was worried (earlier comments in this thread) but I got more comfortable with it as time went by. Those secondaries are what I was looking for, after all. Last night I noticed that the lip is slightly deformed right in the center of the firebox. I'm assuming it is warped and I'm wondering if it is something others have seen or if it is cause for concern. My thought (hope) is that the lip is there to shield the sealing surface from direct contact with the secondaries so that the sealing surface doesn't warp. The door seals tightly and the insert is running fine. Thoughts? PS: Here is a pic.

 

[Andy S.]

Adding the pic to bump the thread.

 

[begreen]

Looks like a flame shield for where the fire turns around the baffle. It's bound to be one of the hottest points in the stove. A little warping is probably fine though it wouldn't hurt to show it to your dealer for their opinion. If it cracks there then it should be repaired.

 

[USMC80]

Started from a cold stove, the heat pump running and 67* in the house at 6:15 or so. Loaded the stove N/S after cutting a bunch of splits in half and had a roaring fire by 7. Shut the door, put the blower on low and left the air wide open. Around 7:30 I put the blower on high and left the air wide open trying to pump as many BTU's as possible into the house. Noticed that the heat pump tuned off which satisfied my personal threshold for stove performance. Temps in the family room were mid 70's and the living room where the thermostat is stayed at 67*. A little after 10:00 I loaded two TSC "fuel blocks" and they lit right off. I shut the door after a couple of minutes, let them burn on full air until 10:30, shut the air to 1/2 and went to bed. This morning there were plenty of coals at 5AM and the heat pump was running. Loaded the stove N/S with 1/2 splits, had a box full of fire in about 5 minutes and went about the day. The wife will play with it as she sees fit during the day.

In my limited experience so far, this little insert is supplemental heat at best when it is cold (it is 12* right now and that qualifies as cold). It will keep you toasty in the family room, leak enough heat to hold off the heat pump a bit in the next room and require attention every three hours.

Need to close the air down while maintaining secondaries in order to get max heat into the room. Leaving it open will send a lot of heat up the stack

 

[Andy S.]

Need to close the air down while maintaining secondaries in order to get max heat into the room. Leaving it open will send a lot of heat up the stack

Thanks, Marine. The learning curve has been steep. It continues but is leveling off a little.