Hl300 not burning completely

[NickDL]

Did you guys install into a masonry or zero clearance fireplace? I have the smaller I200 which was installed by Estates into a zero clearance. They said that I do not need a block off plate since mine is installed into a zc unit. I will say that for the size of the unit, I'm really impressed at how well it heats our home when the temps aren't really bad.

 

[jscs.moore]

Did you guys install into a masonry or zero clearance fireplace? I have the smaller I200 which was installed by Estates into a zero clearance. They said that I do not need a block off plate since mine is installed into a zc unit. I will say that for the size of the unit, I'm really impressed at how well it heats our home when the temps aren't really bad.

Yes...they installed my HI300 into an exterior masonry chimney (28ft)/insulated line...but were adamant that a block off plate wasn't needed. All was well in mild temps (40's/50's) as the insert kept the whole house really toasty (about 74/75 downstairs and 70/71 upstairs). However, once we really got into the cold snap this season when the temps started getting below freezing and into the teens...it was taking me about 90 minutes to get the insert to cruising temps (450 to 500) and the firebox temps would start falling off much more quickly...house would starting cooling down quickly and the heat pump would start kicking on?? I made sure to use only kiln dried wood checked with a moisture reader or 3 year seasoned wood provided by a neighbor and I still had the problem? Now I will concede that I am a newbie to all of this, but after seeing such a stark difference in performance between mild temps & frigid temps...I believe I have to be losing heat to 28ft of exterior masonry? The only other factor could be that the HI300 is undersized for my home, but Estates said it was the right size (my house is approximately 1950sqft and very well insulated with brand new high efficiency vinyl windows installed last year). So in the end, I'm going to have them install the block off plate and be done with it...I just wish and had the foresight to insist on it at the time of install when I was told it wasn't needed.

 

[NickDL]

jscs, I'm surprised to hear that your unit doesn't heat as well when it is colder considering you have a larger firebox. I wrote the wrong fireplace in my previous post, we have the I1200 from Regency, not sure of the real differences between the i200 but they seem the same on paper. Our unit does well until we get into the lower 20's & forget about it when it's in the teens with the wind blowing. With this unit we were able to hold off on turning the heat pump on until just before the blizzard when the temps really dropped.

After our install I asked about what the next size to upgrade to would be and they recommended a fireplace that has the output of what you have for our home. We also have a 2 story center hall colonial. Our home was built in 1995 and is pretty well insulated. The windows however do need to be replaced but I was able to seal them up for the winter. I am new to this as well, but I would think that since your unit is capable of 20,000+ btus over mine, that you should have no problems heating your home. I am really curious to see how much of an effect the block off plate has on improving your heat output.

Does your unit have a blower? We have the blower on ours & it does a good job. We also use a box fan to blow the cool air into the family room where the fireplace is located. With your size firebox, are you able to load it full and burn all night or do you need to refill overnight? With ours being so small, we need multiple refills if we want good heat overnight.

Well good luck with the block off plate install & let us know how you make out.

 

[SeñorFuego]

It's looking like I will be running out of the current firewood supply before the end of the 2016 season. Like other newbies I didn't expect to burn as much so I'll need to plan better for the 2016-2017 season.

Quick question for HI300 owners or others in the know:

Can you burn Bio Bricks in a Regency/Hampton product without voiding the warranty?

Thanks

 

[jscs.moore]

jscs, I'm surprised to hear that your unit doesn't heat as well when it is colder considering you have a larger firebox. I wrote the wrong fireplace in my previous post, we have the I1200 from Regency, not sure of the real differences between the i200 but they seem the same on paper. Our unit does well until we get into the lower 20's & forget about it when it's in the teens with the wind blowing. With this unit we were able to hold off on turning the heat pump on until just before the blizzard when the temps really dropped.

After our install I asked about what the next size to upgrade to would be and they recommended a fireplace that has the output of what you have for our home. We also have a 2 story center hall colonial. Our home was built in 1995 and is pretty well insulated. The windows however do need to be replaced but I was able to seal them up for the winter. I am new to this as well, but I would think that since your unit is capable of 20,000+ btus over mine, that you should have no problems heating your home. I am really curious to see how much of an effect the block off plate has on improving your heat output.

Does your unit have a blower? We have the blower on ours & it does a good job. We also use a box fan to blow the cool air into the family room where the fireplace is located. With your size firebox, are you able to load it full and burn all night or do you need to refill overnight? With ours being so small, we need multiple refills if we want good heat overnight.

Well good luck with the block off plate install & let us know how you make out.

Yes, I recently did a continuous burn thru last weekends polar vortex and with wind chills it was -10 at times. I want to be fair and say up front that I love the HI300 and when I get it up to cruising temps (500 to 550) it kicks out some serious heat when I have the blower on (yes we did get the blower). However, it can take 60 to 90 minutes in really cold temps to get the unit to cruising temps and I have made sure to only burn bone dry wood (mostly using kiln dried now as my cord wood isn't seasoned enough yet). I should note however, that in moderate temps 35 to 40 the HI300 heats our house really well...I can keep the whole downstairs where the insert is located at 75 easily, and the upstairs around 70/71. But when the outside temps really drop below freezing, I notice it takes a lot longer to get up to cruising temps (this after packing it full N/S loading) and notice the firebox will start to cool much more quickly. Since I have a 28ft exterior chimney and no block off plate or insulation in the smoke chamber...I have come to the conclusion that I have to be losing heat into the masonry. I hope I'm not wrong...but I definitely don't think the HI300 is too small for a 1,950 sq.ft Center Hall Colonial. I just think a simple block off plate and Roxul will keep most of the heat coming back into the living area and not up the flu and into the masonry. But I love the HI300 so far and have every confidence this will be resolved with the block off plate and Roxul.

 

[Deano31]

Is this a insert hi300 I stands for insert they come with a blower kit you can't use a insert without a blower kit. I have had the hi300 for 4 years and it is a great unit you definitely need to at least buy a bag of roxul and jam as much as you can up from bottom and pull your cap and jam as much as you can around your linner if not you are better off heating with oil you are throwing money out the window if you do roxul and block off plate you will be amazed at the heat that thing will pump once you get it all done you should be able to get a 10 hrs burn as well

 

[cableman]

Yes, I recently did a continuous burn thru last weekends polar vortex and with wind chills it was -10 at times. I want to be fair and say up front that I love the HI300 and when I get it up to cruising temps (500 to 550) it kicks out some serious heat when I have the blower on (yes we did get the blower). However, it can take 60 to 90 minutes in really cold temps to get the unit to cruising temps and I have made sure to only burn bone dry wood (mostly using kiln dried now as my cord wood isn't seasoned enough yet). I should note however, that in moderate temps 35 to 40 the HI300 heats our house really well...I can keep the whole downstairs where the insert is located at 75 easily, and the upstairs around 70/71. But when the outside temps really drop below freezing, I notice it takes a lot longer to get up to cruising temps (this after packing it full N/S loading) and notice the firebox will start to cool much more quickly. Since I have a 28ft exterior chimney and no block off plate or insulation in the smoke chamber...I have come to the conclusion that I have to be losing heat into the masonry. I hope I'm not wrong...but I definitely don't think the HI300 is too small for a 1,950 sq.ft Center Hall Colonial. I just think a simple block off plate and Roxul will keep most of the heat coming back into the living area and not up the flu and into the masonry. But I love the HI300 so far and have every confidence this will be resolved with the block off plate and Roxul.

Should be night and day with a block off plate. Im heating 2k colonial and it does pretty good but nothings gonna heat well in those extreme low temps unless your house is insulated well and draft free.
Ive been in my attic last 2 weeks fixing electric and sealing top plates and wire holes prepping a second layer of r30, i notice a big differance just plugging up all the holes to the attic!

 

[MourningWood]

It's looking like I will be running out of the current firewood supply before the end of the 2016 season. Like other newbies I didn't expect to burn as much so I'll need to plan better for the 2016-2017 season.

Quick question for HI300 owners or others in the know:

Can you burn Bio Bricks in a Regency/Hampton product without voiding the warranty?

Thanks

The dealer I got my unit from sells crown brick. Similar to bio brick I think They told me a lot of their customer only burn them and they deliver in bulk. It almost seemed as if they were trying to get me on their band wagon for a returning income every year. I can't say if or if not it voids the warrenty or not as I am not sure but I wouldn't know why a dealer would talk highly about it if they did.

 

[Dmitry]

The dealer I got my unit from sells crown brick. Similar to bio brick I think They told me a lot of their customer only burn them and they deliver in bulk. It almost seemed as if they were trying to get me on their band wagon for a returning income every year. I can't say if or if not it voids the warrenty or not as I am not sure but I wouldn't know why a dealer would talk highly about it if they did.

You can use bio bricks. In fact , in your case I would advise to use biobricks. This way you going to learn how your stove should work with dry wood. Just don't overload it with bricks, they burn hot as moisture is low. You can mix them with your wood to improve your moisture content.

 

[bluehens66]

Yes, I recently did a continuous burn thru last weekends polar vortex and with wind chills it was -10 at times. I want to be fair and say up front that I love the HI300 and when I get it up to cruising temps (500 to 550) it kicks out some serious heat when I have the blower on (yes we did get the blower). However, it can take 60 to 90 minutes in really cold temps to get the unit to cruising temps and I have made sure to only burn bone dry wood (mostly using kiln dried now as my cord wood isn't seasoned enough yet). I should note however, that in moderate temps 35 to 40 the HI300 heats our house really well...I can keep the whole downstairs where the insert is located at 75 easily, and the upstairs around 70/71. But when the outside temps really drop below freezing, I notice it takes a lot longer to get up to cruising temps (this after packing it full N/S loading) and notice the firebox will start to cool much more quickly. Since I have a 28ft exterior chimney and no block off plate or insulation in the smoke chamber...I have come to the conclusion that I have to be losing heat into the masonry. I hope I'm not wrong...but I definitely don't think the HI300 is too small for a 1,950 sq.ft Center Hall Colonial. I just think a simple block off plate and Roxul will keep most of the heat coming back into the living area and not up the flu and into the masonry. But I love the HI300 so far and have every confidence this will be resolved with the block off plate and Roxul.

JSCS.Moore, if you have Estates install the blockoff plate and Roxul, can you let me know how much they charge you? We have similar inserts (mine is the Regency i2400) installed by Estates (I went to the showroom in Chalfont) and pretty much the same square footage Colonial with high chimney. I feel like my insert could perform a little better although I do need to improve the insulation of the windows and attic. I'm curious as to how much they will charge you. Can you PM me the price and maybe post some pictures of the install? I'd appreciate the insight. Thank you!