Hampton HI300 Newly Installed

[kcandan]

Just got my Hampton HI300 installed a few days ago and the unit itself is well-built and very nice looking. I have been burning small steady fires in the unit since the night it was installed and it works well.

I am having issues getting the heat up to the second floor of my house, which is less than 2,000 sq feet. My first floor has an open floor plan and my thermostat is maintaining a steady temperature of 70 degrees with the blower on.

The other issue I am experiencing is that the front glass on the unit is almost completely black and you cannot see inside the unit. I was told by the dealer that this should not happen, but it could be cleaned. Is there a way to avoid this from happening all together?

Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions.

 

[woodsie8]

Usually the wood is wet or not burning hot enough. That also will coat the pipe.

 

[kcandan]

Wood is not wet. I have it all covered outside and it's well seasoned. I guess I should leave the dampener open a little longer to allow the logs to burn a bit more before closing the dampener?

 

[DAKSY]

What exactly do you consider well seasoned? Have you checked your wood for moisture content? How small is your wood cut? What type of wood is it? Those black deposits on the glass come from wet wood or fires not burning hot enough or both.

 

[velvetfoot]

I had the same thing happen with mine. In retrospect it might have something to do with breaking it in because it doesn't really happen anymore like that.

I clean the glass with ashes on a moist towel-also with the Rutland glass cleaner, which supposedl contains silicone. If I really can't get the stuff out in the corners, which doesn't happen much, somethimes I use a razor blade.

Also, you're right, get it burning pretty good and then back down the air gradually. If you choke it down too quick it will start smoking and get the glass black.

Also, I too have a 2000 ft2 house, and can't get the upstairs too warm, although its an open stairway. You can feel like you're going though a warm layer of air at the downstairs ceiling when you walk up the stairs.

 

[kcandan]

What exactly do you consider well seasoned? Have you checked your wood for moisture content? How small is your wood cut? What type of wood is it? Those black deposits on the glass come from wet wood or fires not burning hot enough or both.

deposits

checked

My wood is all OAK and some CHERRY. It has been sitting outside covered for over a year. I have it cut into 16-18" pieces.

 

[raybonz]

My wood is all OAK and some CHERRY. It has been sitting outside covered for over a year. I have it cut into 16-18" pieces.

Oak can take 3+ years so I bet the wood you think is dry is not dry.. If you get any sizzling or hissing out the ends of the wood it is still not ready for prime time.. The cherry may be OK though..

Ray

 

[kcandan]

I had the same thing happen with mine. In retrospect it might have something to do with breaking it in because it doesn't really happen anymore like that.

I clean the glass with ashes on a moist towel-also with the Rutland glass cleaner, which supposedl contains silicone. If I really can't get the stuff out in the corners, which doesn't happen much, somethimes I use a razor blade.

Also, you're right, get it burning pretty good and then back down the air gradually. If you choke it down too quick it will start smoking and get the glass black.

Also, I too have a 2000 ft2 house, and can't get the upstairs too warm, although its an open stairway. You can feel like you're going though a warm layer of air at the downstairs ceiling when you walk up the stairs.

I will try to clean the glass as soon as I stop burning in the unit. I have been burning straight through for two days now. The black on the glass looks like it is caked on there pretty good. I feel as though the glass stains appeared on my second night of burning and has not returned since then.

Tonight I will load it up and keep the dampener open fully for 15-20mins and then slowly close the dampener. Throughout the day I have been burning one log at a time just to keep it going.

I have an L-shape stair case and you can feel the heat up to the landing. Once you make the turn on the landing the heat drastically dissipates.

 

[kcandan]

Hi kcandan, how hot are you getting the top of the stove ? when I would want to get the heat upstairs quicker when I was burning the steel stove 600 deg + seemed to make the cold air rush down the steps and heat rise up the upper stair well alot better, below that temp didn't move in stairwell very well, something to do with heated air expansion. Also does your stairway to basement have side walls door to door, that traps the heat in the basement big time to. Todd 2

My basement has a door at the top of the stairs that remains closed at all times. I am not aware of the temperature on the top of the stove yet. I will try to determine that ASAP.

 

[Todd 2]

As mentioned by Daksy & Ray "good dry wood" and a hot fire should keep glass pretty clean, again, watch the cut end of your wood when you load the stove and see if it cooks any water/sizzle bubbles out of the end if it, thats a good indacater still not seasoned. Todd 2

 

[Todd 2]

PS, try turning the furnace blower of when you open the door, the air moves so fast that it messes with the stoves natural radiant heat movement that is alot slower, let us know. Todd 2

 

[kcandan]

PS, try turning the furnace blower of when you open the door, the air moves so fast that it messes with the stoves natural radiant heat movement that is alot slower, let us know. Todd 2

The oil burner at my house has not ran since my Hampton was installed on 12/5. I will also try leaving the basement door cracked open, but it is impractical to keep the door open fully. -Kirk

 

[Todd 2]

My fault, stove blower slipped my mind.

 

[raybonz]

The oil burner at my house has not ran since my Hampton was installed on 12/5. I will also try leaving the basement door cracked open, but it is impractical to keep the door open fully. -Kirk

I keep my inside cellar door open 24/7 around 4 inches so the cats can use the litter box and it is cold down there and I don't feel any cold air at all from this.. Been doing this for many years..

Ray

 

[velvetfoot]

Not that it's relevant, but I cut a hole for a kitty door in the wall next to the top basement stair tread, which worked out great.

I´m not so sure about that 600 number that someone with a different stove noted. It's hard to get a good reading with our inserts. I would be careful not to get it glowing and turn on the fan earlier rather than later.

 

[Todd 2]

Just got my Hampton HI300 installed a few days ago and the unit itself is well-built and very nice looking. I have been burning small steady fires in the unit since the night it was installed and it works well.

on.

The other issue I am experiencing is that the front glass on the unit is almost completely black and you cannot see inside the unit. I was told by the dealer that this should not happen, but it could be cleaned. Is there a way to avoid this from happening all together?

Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions.

I am having issues getting the heat up to the second floor of my house, which is less than 2,000 sq feet. My first floor has an open floor plan and my thermostat is maintaining a steady temperature of 70 degrees with the blower on.

Kirk, I read your thread to fast, thought your stove was in basement. Heat from first floor (wood stove) to second floor, Correct, forget the basement thing and door, the other info has worked for me, basement to upstairs (ranch style house) about the same as 1st to 2nd floor heat transfer. sorry about that guy, Im on the same page with you now I probably had you wondering, hua

 

[hockeypuck]

Draft or wet wood would be the culprit here. I have an HI300 and love it. It has been a great stove. Oak does take two summers to dry out. Go to your local TSC and pick up some wood blocks to burn. Mix one in with your current stash of wood and see if it makes a difference.. Oh and the good news is Regency products are rated to burn "biobricks".. just keep an eye on the stove when you first burn them. You may have to adjust your burning technique a little because the blocks are soo dry.

 

[stejus]

From one Hampton HI300 to another. This stove is a great stove, but the damper is very senistive. Dry wood is a must as well or you will never get the secondaries (the tubes on top) to fire. Once the stove reaches the sweet temp, the secondaries fire. Leave your draft open longer and get the wood fire really going well before closing down. Also, close down in small increments. I usually close in 4 or 5 stages instead of just slamming it down.

Here's another hint. Upon load, take a flashlight and shine in on the wood. If you see water bubbling out of the ends for a long period of time, your wood is not seasoned enough. Like others said, OAK takes 2 to 3 summers.

 

[kcandan]

I am learning a lot from all of your posts. I am first-timer all around with burning wood. I have been working some pretty weird hours since the Hampton has been installed, so unfortunately, my wife is really the one playing around with it. I cleaned the glass off last night with a razor-blade, which worked perfect, but when I left for work this morning (after burning all night), part of the glass had stained black again. I'm assuming that the wood is slightly damp even though it's covered outside and looks very seasoned. I do not see any steam or bubbling on the ends when I throw the logs on. -Kirk

 

[Pallet Pete]

I am learning a lot from all of your posts. I am first-timer all around with burning wood. I have been working some pretty weird hours since the Hampton has been installed, so unfortunately, my wife is really the one playing around with it. I cleaned the glass off last night with a razor-blade, which worked perfect, but when I left for work this morning (after burning all night), part of the glass had stained black again. I'm assuming that the wood is slightly damp even though it's covered outside and looks very seasoned. I do not see any steam or bubbling on the ends when I throw the logs on. -Kirk

Dip a rag in cold ash and water it works really well to clean the glass. I would avoid a razor blade if possible it could scratch it up bad. If it is Oak it is wet wet wet if its only been 1 year stacked. If the sides where covered then its not dry at all. Oak needs 2 to 3 years split stacked uncovered in the wind and sun or it will still be wet. That is whats causing your glass to blacken the wet wood. The dealer will tell you 6 months to a year dry he is full of bs they leave them in log form until a few days before it is sold. Log form is not going to dry it holds all the moister in for years until it is split and stacked.

Pete

 

[stejus]

I am learning a lot from all of your posts. I am first-timer all around with burning wood. I have been working some pretty weird hours since the Hampton has been installed, so unfortunately, my wife is really the one playing around with it. I cleaned the glass off last night with a razor-blade, which worked perfect, but when I left for work this morning (after burning all night), part of the glass had stained black again. I'm assuming that the wood is slightly damp even though it's covered outside and looks very seasoned. I do not see any steam or bubbling on the ends when I throw the logs on. -Kirk

Kirk, the first year is a learning experience. The best advice I can tell you is to start planning your wood strategy now. It's best to dry the wood yourself instead of buying "seasoned" wood. Plan to season for a mimimum of 2 full years, 3 is better. Open area with sun and wind and do not cover. You can top cover the wood you plan to burn in the up coming winter.

I am showing you an example of the secondary burn in the HI300. The next time you load up, tell me if you are seeing the tubes fire up like shown in the picture.




You should also get a stove thermometer to see what you are getting for temps. Look at temps during start up and before you turn the blower on. You need a flash light as well to see the needle. Take a look at this link and it explains how we are measuring temps with the HI300.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/hampton-hi300.41972/#post-529844

 

[raybonz]

Great hi-res pics Stejus! You're burning nicely there

Ray