question about liner diameter for regency ci2600

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BillV

New Member
Jun 9, 2019
3
Louisville KY
Brand new to the forum and only had an insert for 2 seasons now. Sorry to introduce myself with a question instead of input, but I have a possible issue with the install. We had a total package install done in 2017. I had a chimney sweep (that did not do the insert install) come out last week for a cleaning, and he was surprised and troubled to find that I had a 5.5" liner (ID, stainless and insulated). He felt strongly that I should have a 6" liner. I didn't realize I had a 5.5" liner, because the installer quoted me a 6" liner. Anyway I am waiting for someone from Regency to call me about which I should have. It appears in the manual that 5.5 or 6 is acceptable, so at this point maybe I should be more worried about performance than safety? I don't understand yet why either diameter is acceptable.

Below is some info on the parameter of the installation. I would appreciate any thoughts on which diameter is suitable for my situation.

unit = Regency CI2600
exterior chimney, brick faced
top of unit to top of chimney ~11-FT (+/- 3")
liner is inside a ceramic flue with interior dimensions of roughly 10x14
located in Louisville, KY (elev ~500-ft)

Apologies if I've omitted any pertinent info.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts, Bill
 
Regency allows use of a 5.5" liner. From the manual:
Regency Inserts are designed to use either a 5.5" (140mm) or 6" (152mm) flue stainless steel liner.

Of perhaps greater concern is the short 11' length of the liner. How well is the insert functioning? Was the liner insulated?
 
Thanks for the reply.

The liner is pre-insulated (looks like 1/4 thickness), flex steel, with a coating on the insulation exterior. The installer said it's manufactured by National Chimney. The chimney sweep I had out last week said the ash build-up at the top of the liner looked good, which seemed to mean that he saw little creosote build-up.

I don't know exactly what to expect with function because I'm new to these units. I will say that it can take me 45 minutes to get the catalytic converter glowing so that I can close the damper, which seems like a long time and takes a good bit of attention sometimes. It came with an external thermometer display. I've seen it got over 1000 F, but normally it runs 8-900 F. I can fill the box at night when it's still hot, shut all the vents down, and still have coals enough to restart a fire with small-medium pieces in the morning. I'm not sure what to expect with ash/coal build-up, but after about 3 days of pretty solid running (evenings/overnight, letting it burn-out while away during the day) I need to clean out about a gallon of warm ash/coals that have built up so I can keep feeding it wood. Hope this makes sense and that I'm not doing something wrong.

Thanks again,
Bill
 
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Thanks for your assessment.

I'm curious why this unit can have a 5.5- or 6-inch liner, and if one is better than the other in my situation. Perhaps Regency will let me know when I speak with them. Why the installer used the smaller but quoted the larger is a mystery. He initially said the flue was too small, but I corrected him when I gave him actual dimensions.

Starting to vent a bit now - sorry.

Thanks again,
Bill