Napoleon Oakdale EPI3C or Regency CI2700

[CtrlAltElite]

We are doing a complete tear out / remodel of our living room. There is a wood burning masonry fireplace there. We are looking for an insert to give us an extra source of heat, and make our fireplace more efficient. Sat we went to 2 different local shops, and was amazed that 80% of what they had was gas. That said, I like the modern contemporary look and the Napoleon Oakdale EPI3C along with Regency CI2700 seem to fit the look bill. I don’t know much about either. I like the larger viewing glass on the Napoleon, but the Regency takes 22” logs. What’s everyone thoughts on how these are built, warranty, maintenance. Room is 32x22

 

[marty319]

Looks like you got a big job ahead of you.lol good luck and post some finished pictures

 

[CtrlAltElite]

No one has a preference or insight on these two companies?

 

[patdale]

I have the Regency CI2700. Really using it this fall for the first time after getting it late spring. It puts out a ton of heat with the blower only on low. It is quiet also. The cat probe monitor did stop working but I had it replaced through warranty with my dealer. The only thing I don't like is that the corner of the door glass turns black even with dry wood (split 3 years). I've seen other's have the same complaint. I load it up around 7 and have plenty of coals and heat output still when I wake up at 5. The catalyst temp was still in the 350s this morning.

 

[begreen]

We used to see postings on Napoleon stoves pretty regularly, but they have dropped off in the past 10 yrs. I like the look and the larger firebod. However, looking at this insert's design, there is one thing I am not fond of. It uses proprietary firebrick liners. This means they will only be available from Napoleon. Whether you can get them 10 or 15 yrs from now is up for question. I would inquire about the price of a replacement set.

The Regency is the 2020 evolution of the successful Ci2600. So far it's looking good. It has a smaller firebox, that uses more conventional firebrick.

Other inserts to look at would be the Lopi (or FPX) large flush hybrid, which is a good heater. There is also the Pacific Energy Neo 2.5 and the Osburn Matrix which both have a bit larger, non-tapered firebox that can be loaded N/S.

 

[josephxsxn]

I have a Napoleon Oakdale EPI3TN and have very mixed feelings about and the company. No plans to ever buy a Napoleon and would generally recommend people avoid it.

While it was able to provide a good amount of heat it took me consulting with their support team to fix the issues with it which resulted in basically ignoring the entire manual. During my first interactions with the company I was given massive limits on the number of wood fuel bricks you can burn and this resulted in incomplete combustion and pretty much worthless heat, dirt glass every day, etc.

After complaining HEAVILY that the unit was worthless with these instructions in their manual to the company I was escalated to another tier of help desk who consulted R&D for me and effectively told me they do no testing at all with wood fuel bricks and provided another calculation for how to size the unit for my fuel bricks (at least the glass stays clean and heats well but I worry it may be to hot for the longevity of the unit with these additional calculations from their R&D team). Sadly it seems these folks really know very little about their units and cant even convert temperatures correctly.. I was told the range should be and I quote "250F- 450F or 120C- 270C. " Anyone that can use a calculator knows that 270c isnt 450f, its 518f. Also while stove top gauges are typically always wrong in this case you mite as well not even try to use one as they wont read higher then 250f on this unit even if its blazing hot and over-firing. If you want to use a magnetic probe the collar is made of titanium and as a non-ferrous metal wont attach at the recommended location. The Stove Manual is also contradictory on fan use. I find the air control to not be fine grain enough for my needs to get between to hot a burn and smoldering.

Good luck getting quality help from them if you have a problem.

 

[ryanprr]

I have a Napoleon Oakdale EPI3TN and have very mixed feelings about and the company. No plans to ever buy a Napoleon and would generally recommend people avoid it.

While it was able to provide a good amount of heat it took me consulting with their support team to fix the issues with it which resulted in basically ignoring the entire manual. During my first interactions with the company I was given massive limits on the number of wood fuel bricks you can burn and this resulted in incomplete combustion and pretty much worthless heat, dirt glass every day, etc.

After complaining HEAVILY that the unit was worthless with these instructions in their manual to the company I was escalated to another tier of help desk who consulted R&D for me and effectively told me they do no testing at all with wood fuel bricks and provided another calculation for how to size the unit for my fuel bricks (at least the glass stays clean and heats well but I worry it may be to hot for the longevity of the unit with these additional calculations from their R&D team). Sadly it seems these folks really know very little about their units and cant even convert temperatures correctly.. I was told the range should be and I quote "250F- 450F or 120C- 270C. " Anyone that can use a calculator knows that 270c isnt 450f, its 518f. Also while stove top gauges are typically always wrong in this case you mite as well not even try to use one as they wont read higher then 250f on this unit even if its blazing hot and over-firing. If you want to use a magnetic probe the collar is made of titanium and as a non-ferrous metal wont attach at the recommended location. The Stove Manual is also contradictory on fan use. I find the air control to not be fine grain enough for my needs to get between to hot a burn and smoldering.

Good luck getting quality help from them if you have a problem.

View attachment 277890

Have you ever figured anything out? I just had the Oakdale EPI3C installed this past fall and I’ve been using it pretty much everyday and for the life of me I can’t get much heat out of it. My temperature gun is reading 700-800°F right in the middle of the glass and reading 650-700°F inside the top opening where the blower air comes out. It struggles to keep the room it’s in above 66°F let alone heat the rest of the house. I’m disappointed so far.