Hampton Regency HI300 insert

[sgrmagnolia]

Hi All. In my continuing effort to figure out why my stove keeps over firing, I have noticed two things. One: the bottom of the door fails the dollar bill tests in epic fashion. Gasket is one year old. Not sure if there is a way to adjust the door for that. Two: the gasket on the right side, where it lays next to the assembly for the latch, does not make contact with the face of the stove but rather falls down inside of the latch assembly. I can't see how an airtight seal could possibly happen that way. Seems to me that the whole door needs to sit about a half inch over to the right for the gasket to get a good seal. Can anyone else let me know if their gasket does the same?
Thanks

 

[bholler]

Hi All. In my continuing effort to figure out why my stove keeps over firing, I have noticed two things. One: the bottom of the door fails the dollar bill tests in epic fashion. Gasket is one year old. Not sure if there is a way to adjust the door for that. Two: the gasket on the right side, where it lays next to the assembly for the latch, does not make contact with the face of the stove but rather falls down inside of the latch assembly. I can't see how an airtight seal could possibly happen that way. Seems to me that the whole door needs to sit about a half inch over to the right for the gasket to get a good seal. Can anyone else let me know if their gasket does the same?
Thanks

Some pictures would help

 

[sgrmagnolia]

 

[sgrmagnolia]

This is the only shot that I can get. As you can see, the gasket just barely makes contact with the face of the stove as it passes by the latch assembly. Toward the top of teh assembly, it doesn't appear to make contact at all.

 

[bholler]

This is the only shot that I can get. As you can see, the gasket just barely makes contact with the face of the stove as it passes by the latch assembly. Toward the top of teh assembly, it doesn't appear to make contact at all.

Did you adjust the hinge assembly all the way to the right? If you have the door somehow doesn't match the stove body

 

[sgrmagnolia]

No hinge assembly to adjust unfortunately. Door sits down into a welded hinge at the top on the right.

 

[sgrmagnolia]

Well, it took all winter but my chimney guy and I figured it out. When these models were made, a new design for the door was implemented. If you look at the latch mechanism from the backside (stove has to be pulled out to see it), the door gasket sits down into the latch mechanism on the front of the stove box instead of against the stove box!! A total defect allowing a ton of air in!! We let them know and they sent out another unit. It never made it off the truck. We looked at the back of the latch assembly and the same thing. If the gasket drops down into that recess for the latch assembly, then it is not making a good enough seal with the stove box and air WILL get in. I'm furious with them as Regency does not seem to get it despite our attempts to explain this to them - and it's such an obvious failure. Oddly enough, I have the old door from the previous model, makes a perfect seal on the new box and it will be going on instead of the old one. This was checked out with Regency as an acceptable solution. God forbid they admit the defect and recall the doors.

 

[corona5k1635]

As @sgrmagnolia knows, I have the same issue. I would tell anyone who is shopping for a woodstove: do not buy this model. Due to the lack of air sealing, it overfires on a full load no matter what I do (I'm talking top-down start from a cold box with the air control fully shut within 10 minutes of first lighting) and the colder it gets outside, the worse it is due to the increased draft. Such a terrible use of a lot of money. DO NOT BUY THIS WOODSTOVE. Note: during the shoulder seasons, it behaves beautifully....yeah well it's 45-55 degrees F outside so, yeah, it doesn't runaway then. DO NOT BUY!

 

[begreen]

Sounds like an attempt to provide as large of a window as possible. It's a popular demand. A 1/2" smaller would help.

What is the flue liner height on the insert?

 

[corona5k1635]

Sounds like an attempt to provide as large of a window as possible. It's a popular demand. A 1/2" smaller would help.

What is the flue liner height on the insert?

Mine is 17 ft from collar to top of the cap, straight up, insert.

 

[begreen]

Mine is 17 ft from collar to top of the cap, straight up, insert.

That's a perfect height.

 

[bholler]

As @sgrmagnolia knows, I have the same issue. I would tell anyone who is shopping for a woodstove: do not buy this model. Due to the lack of air sealing, it overfires on a full load no matter what I do (I'm talking top-down start from a cold box with the air control fully shut within 10 minutes of first lighting) and the colder it gets outside, the worse it is due to the increased draft. Such a terrible use of a lot of money. DO NOT BUY THIS WOODSTOVE. Note: during the shoulder seasons, it behaves beautifully....yeah well it's 45-55 degrees F outside so, yeah, it doesn't runaway then. DO NOT BUY!

I have installed 9 of these and a dozen or so of the Regency ones with no problems. Not sure what happened with these. Obviously something is wrong

 

[begreen]

I'm wondering if one could remove the latch assembly and seal it with metal tape on all sides and back, then put it back in place to test the difference. Maybe even stuff gasket material on the sides of the actual latch catch. This would not be a permanent fix but if it made a significant improvement, then welding a cap on the back of the latch assembly to seal it might work.

 

[corona5k1635]

I have installed 9 of these and a dozen or so of the Regency ones with no problems. Not sure what happened with these. Obviously something is wrong

Who are the people you installed it for? Were they people that were gonna stuff it full of wood to try to get the 8 to 10 hours of burn time as advertised? Or do you think that they only would put in a few sticks at a time? I have found a couple people on this forum that have the same issue and they just put in a few sticks at a time. I’m guessing other people have never come across the issue because they don’t actually fill it with wood they just wanna make a nice fire with a few sticks.? Maybe

 

[corona5k1635]

I'm wondering if one could remove the latch assembly and seal it with metal tape on all sides and back, then put it back in place to test the difference. Maybe even stuff gasket material on the sides of the actual latch catch. This would not be a permanent fix but if it made a significant improvement, then welding a cap on the back of the latch assembly to seal it might work.

That’s an interesting idea. I think I’ll give that a shot.

 

[bholler]

Who are the people you installed it for? Were they people that were gonna stuff it full of wood to try to get the 8 to 10 hours of burn time as advertised? Or do you think that they only would put in a few sticks at a time? I have found a couple people on this forum that have the same issue and they just put in a few sticks at a time. I’m guessing other people have never come across the issue because they don’t actually fill it with wood they just wanna make a nice fire with a few sticks.? Maybe

Yes most of them heat full time with the stoves

 

[corona5k1635]

Yes most of them heat full time with the stoves

Well, I am very jealous. Anyway, I’ll try the metal tape covering the latch assembly thing.