Having trouble getting up to temp and getting heat to rest of my house

[jttoad1968]

Hi. We have a new Regency i3100L insert, it was installed by the installer recommended by the dealer. I’m having a few issues.

First is I’m having trouble getting it up to a high temp. I see to get no higher than 400 degrees and struggle to get there. Usually is in the 300 degree range. Have the magnetic thermometer on the right side of the face above door corner.

I have been loading a medium sized fire if it is a cold start which I’ve been trying to avoid or loading it up if has coals. Once it gets burning well, I try to cut back the air intake a little and keep trying to lower it more as the flames level out. I wait around 30 min before I turn on the blower as recommended in the manual.

For instance this morning I had some coals but it was cold enough the blower turned off so I did a medium sized fire. I have the intake now around half and have some small flame and it is around 200 degrees. I would like to learn how to get it consistently hotter.

My other issue is getting the heat to other areas of the house. The house is around 2600 square feet and is a cape. The insert said in the catalog it will do up to 3000 square feet. The insert is in the living room on first floor. It is next to a archway which leads into kitchen and dining room. Kitchen has vaulted ceiling. At the end of the living room directly across from the insert is an archway to a very small hallway which has a bathroom directly ahead and two rooms left and right through doorways. Second floor staircase is off dining room. There are a few bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.

I have a ceiling fan on in kitchen in reverse setting (I’ve tried low now on medium) and one in dining room on low in reverse as well. I have a small fan on floor in dining room on low pointing towards the living room where the stove is. I have another on floor in hallway that is across from the stove same way. Lastly one at top of stairs on floor aiming down the stairs.

As soon as I walk out of living room either into the kitchen/dining area or into the hallway you feel the temp drop. I think it is having trouble getting past the arches.

Any suggestions are welcome and needed. Thanks in advance.

Mike


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[jttoad1968]

Also forgot to mention. I am using wood that has moisture content in the 16-19 range. I have been splitting it open to test with moisture meter.


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[MagdalenaP]

Tape toilet paper to your arches, and see if/how much hot air flows. Do this in other places, you might be surprised what goes on.

More heat = Add more wood.

Try heating without using the blower, watch the temps then.

 

[webby3650]

I’d start with bigger fires. Fill it up! I think all those fans might be fighting each other. Blowing cool air toward the stove is correct, but the ceiling fan and the fan blowing down the stairs shouldn’t be necessary. Try just the two on the floor on low speed and a full stove, and don’t feel the need to start reducing the combustion air until you’ve got a really good fire going. Isn’t there a small area on to of that stove where you can set the thermometer?

 

[jttoad1968]

Tape toilet paper to your arches, and see if/how much hot air flows. Do this in other places, you might be surprised what goes on.

More heat = Add more wood.

Try heating without using the blower, watch the temps then.

I will try that thanks. Am I just checking that it is moving? And just not enough heat?

I have been waiting for blower until it gets close to 400. When blower on it does lower it. But without blower as it is an insert I don’t think very much heat coming into the room.


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[Sawset]

Tape toilet paper to your arches, and see if/how much hot air flows. Do this in other places, you might be surprised what goes on.

I used this. Once or twice is all it took to find and follow air flows. Yes it was interesting and surprising.

 

[jttoad1968]

I’d start with bigger fires. Fill it up! I think all those fans might be fighting each other. Blowing cool air toward the stove is correct, but the ceiling fan and the fan blowing down the stairs shouldn’t be necessary. Try just the two on the floor on low speed and a full stove, and don’t feel the need to start reducing the combustion air until you’ve got a really good fire going. Isn’t there a small area on to of that stove where you can set the thermometer?

For the larger fire should I aim for the whole thing to be engulfed before I start lowering the air intake?

Yes a thermometer is on the front right, the installer said to put there. He said the top stays a little cooler.

Ok I will try that with the fans. For the kitchen ceiling fan I was told I need it on as it has a vaulted ceiling and the heat collecting up there. I can try with it off though.

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[Ludlow]

Block off plate and insulation installed?

 

[jttoad1968]

Block off plate and insulation installed?

Insulation yes I don’t know on block off plate as was done by a professional installer. I can ask


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[danham]

Get an IR thermometer and "shoot" it at various parts of the insert. When we had a Regency (slightly smaller model but similar -- see my profile pic) the location where your thermometer is mounted was not the hottest by far.

-dan

 

[webby3650]

For the larger fire should I aim for the whole thing to be engulfed before I start lowering the air intake?

If you are looking for more heat, yes. It’s going to take some experimenting on your part to know when to shut the air down. The ceiling fan is probably a good idea on low, since it's a vaulted ceiling.

 

[trguitar]

How is the insulation in your house? Capes are notorious for having insulation problems, especially upstairs with the kneewalls. I lived in one, and I could get the downstairs very warm with the stove, but the upstairs was always cold.

I thought it was the stove, until I examined the insulation upstairs and found it was almost non-existent. I air-sealed the knee walls and the attic, and redid the insulation, and it immediately raised the temp upstairs 5-10 degrees. Here in Mass, we have a program with the state where a company will come and give your house a "free" energy audit. You should check if your state has something similar.

If not you can do it yourself. Go to HD and rent a Flir infrared camera, and look all around the house, especially upstairs in the kneewalls and attic. You will be amazed by what you find.

 

[jttoad1968]

How is the insulation in your house? Capes are notorious for having insulation problems, especially upstairs with the kneewalls. I lived in one, and I could get the downstairs very warm with the stove, but the upstairs was always cold.

I thought it was the stove, until I examined the insulation upstairs and found it was almost non-existent. I air-sealed the knee walls and the attic, and redid the insulation, and it immediately raised the temp upstairs 5-10 degrees. Here in Mass, we have a program with the state where a company will come and give your house a "free" energy audit. You should check if your state has something similar.

If not you can do it yourself. Go to HD and rent a Flir infrared camera, and look all around the house, especially upstairs in the kneewalls and attic. You will be amazed by what you find.

I honestly don’t know. We purchased in the early spring. When you say knee wall, what do you mean? And did you need to open up all the walls to reinsulate?

Thanks


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[begreen]

Have you tried loading this stove with all splits oriented N/S (parallel to the sides of the stove)?

 

[jttoad1968]

Have you tried loading this stove with all splits oriented N/S (parallel to the sides of the stove)?

I have tried both ways. Most go E/W due to the firebox depth and log length. Does N/S run hotter? I guess I could chop ends on my chop saw for the ones that are too long


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[begreen]

Air will flow through the splits more easily when the stove is loaded N/S. That can help the fire start quicker and hotter. Also, one can load the stove much fuller without worrying about wood rolling into the door glass.

 

[jttoad1968]

Air will flow through the splits more easily when the stove is loaded N/S. That can help the fire start quicker and hotter. Also, one can load the stove much fuller without worrying about wood rolling into the door glass.

I will tonight cut some down to size and see if I can get a full load like that and see if helps. I still
Have to work out the air flow to other rooms, especially upstairs


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[jttoad1968]

I’ve been reading about a register put somewhere in the ceiling in the room with the insert to act as a cold air return and then the heat would flow up the stairs. Does that make sense and if so where would I put the register? I will try to draw out the layout of my house and post. It won’t be to scale as I’m not good with that.


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[trguitar]

I honestly don’t know. We purchased in the early spring. When you say knee wall, what do you mean? And did you need to open up all the walls to reinsulate?

Thanks


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I love Capes. They just need a little extra attention for heating.

The knee wall is a half wall in any of the upstairs rooms, which intersects with the roof. They can be 2 or 3 feet high, or 6-7, depending on the Cape design. Anywhere you have a sloped ceiling upstairs -- a knee wall will be there. Some capes have drawers built in to the knee walls that are used for storage. People use them as bureaus for clothes, etc.

As far as access, some Capes have access doors in closets, where you can go behind the kneewall. You can look for them there. Others, you might have to cut out some of the drywall and take a peek. But, a Flir infrared camera (or even an IR thermometer) can tell you a lot without opening anything up.

Here's some info. There's tons of info online.

How to Insulate and Ventilate Knee Wall Attics

Have you struggled to find good information about how to insulate and ventilate the knee wall attics of your home? Struggle no more. Plus an eBook is coming on it...

energysmartohio.com

Two Ways to Insulate an Old Cape - Fine Homebuilding

Older Cape Cod–style homes may be charming, but they are often poorly insulated. Read this article to learn two ways to insulate an Old Cape.

www.finehomebuilding.com

 

[jttoad1968]

I love Capes. They just need a little extra attention for heating.

The knee wall is a half wall in any of the upstairs rooms, which intersects with the roof. They can be 2 or 3 feet high, or 6-7, depending on the Cape design. Anywhere you have a sloped ceiling upstairs -- a knee wall will be there. Some capes have drawers built in to the knee walls that are used for storage. People use them as bureaus for clothes, etc.

As far as access, some Capes have access doors in closets, where you can go behind the kneewall. You can look for them there. Others, you might have to cut out some of the drywall and take a peek. But, a Flir infrared camera (or even an IR thermometer) can tell you a lot without opening anything up.

Here's some info. There's tons of info online.

How to Insulate and Ventilate Knee Wall Attics

Have you struggled to find good information about how to insulate and ventilate the knee wall attics of your home? Struggle no more. Plus an eBook is coming on it...

energysmartohio.com

Two Ways to Insulate an Old Cape - Fine Homebuilding

Older Cape Cod–style homes may be charming, but they are often poorly insulated. Read this article to learn two ways to insulate an Old Cape.

www.finehomebuilding.com

Ok thanks I will check that. I don’t have any storage like that. Our house has dormers both on front and back of the house. Ceilings are 7 foot upstairs and right before you get to front or back where the windows are the ceiling does pitch downward around 1 door. I’m not sure when the front dormers were done but may be original or close to it. The back was added later at some point. It has newer baseboards and the floor was subfloor only the rest of the upstairs has pine floors and is older.


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