Regency 3000 wont burn efficiently

[Dont buy a Vulcan]

I have a few problems with my 1994 Regency 3000 wood stove which I just recently bought. I get only about a three hour burn on a fully loaded stove with 3 year-old seasoned maple and oak. There are tons of coals left after a 12 hour burn (about 1/3 of the firebox is filled with them) with the damper shut down. If I’m around the house all day, I’ll push the coals to the front by the damper, open it up and place one piece of split wood, about 6” or so, and let it burn hot, which burns up the coals from the night before. This takes all day, and the only comfort I get is that I saved a little wood by “recycling” the coals, but it’s a pain in the keester.
My chimney is new triple walled and the stack is about 25 feet. I’m concerned that I may have too much draft and should install a draft control flap in the stove pipe. The door gasket looks fine, the door seals tight and when I hold a smoldering stick around the perimeter of the door, there is no air pulling the smoke in.
I use different sized pieces of wood, ranging between 4” splits and logs to half-sized 12” splits and 8” whole logs. I’ve tried using different sizes, playing with the damper, nothing seems to work.
I’m losing too much sleep waking once or twice to load this sucker up at night! Help!!
I bought it because it is supposed to be able to heat a large space, and it does this fairly adequately, but my main concern is that it does not seem to be burning efficiently.
Any suggestions? Thanks, Kevin McDaniel

 

[ozarkjeep]

I would think that if you have that many coals left over, you either are using too large of splits of wood, or do not have enough airflow. ( or a combo of both)

I have a few problems with my 1994 Regency 3000 wood stove which I just recently bought. I get only about a three hour burn on a fully loaded stove with 3 year-old seasoned maple and oak. There are tons of coals left after a 12 hour burn (about 1/3 of the firebox is filled with them) with the damper shut down. If I’m around the house all day, I’ll push the coals to the front by the damper, open it up and place one piece of split wood, about 6” or so, and let it burn hot, which burns up the coals from the night before. This takes all day, and the only comfort I get is that I saved a little wood by “recycling” the coals, but it’s a pain in the keester.
My chimney is new triple walled and the stack is about 25 feet. I’m concerned that I may have too much draft and should install a draft control flap in the stove pipe. The door gasket looks fine, the door seals tight and when I hold a smoldering stick around the perimeter of the door, there is no air pulling the smoke in.
I use different sized pieces of wood, ranging between 4” splits and logs to half-sized 12” splits and 8” whole logs. I’ve tried using different sizes, playing with the damper, nothing seems to work.
I’m losing too much sleep waking once or twice to load this sucker up at night! Help!!
I bought it because it is supposed to be able to heat a large space, and it does this fairly adequately, but my main concern is that it does not seem to be burning efficiently.
Any suggestions? Thanks, Kevin McDaniel

 

[webbie]

It's not clear how you only get a 3 hour burn, yet there are coals after 12 hours!

When folks talk about overnight burns, they mean only that some coals are left in 8 hours. It is rare for the flame stage of a wood fire to last more than a few hours.

As to attended burning. most non-cat stoves likes your burn nest when 2-3 splits are loading in every 3-4 hours. That is how you should burn it when you are around the house. Then time it do that when you are going to sleep, the box is down to mostly embers. Load it up with the hardest and heaviest wood you have, open the control fully, and let the wood catch and some moisture burn off, then adjust the draft control way down.....just so there is maybe a little dancing flame up by the baffle.

You should have coals 8-10 hours later.

 

[Sandor]

Vucan,

I owned the same stove as you, and had the same problems as you... that I never resolved.

I NEVER recommend a Regency for 24X7 burning, but they are great for a Saturday afternoon/emergency kinda thing.

Its just the design of the stove. And your problem is not unique, the question comes up about every two weeks.

 

[weetim67]

Vucan,

I owned the same stove as you, and had the same problems as you... that I never resolved.

I NEVER recommend a Regency for 24X7 burning, but they are great for a Saturday afternoon/emergency kinda thing.

Its just the design of the stove. And your problem is not unique, the question comes up about every two weeks.

I'd disregard this attached comment. It sounds like someone with a beef against the company. The truth is that this unit will burn overnight if vented properly and has an adequate combustion air supply. I have one of these and it is actually my third. I had the same on in my previou two homes and when I moved decided I wanted the same again. I'd agree with the comment that a three hour burn and coals after eight hours is confusing though. If you load this stove up with the correct type and size of split logs, get it burning before you shut it down, you should see a significant improvement in the performance. I think I am fairly experienced with this unit and would be happy to help you if you want it. I'd also recommend that you think about contacting the Regency Technical Support guys. They are a pretty knowledgable group of guys who are always glad to help. You will also always get a person, not an electronic message.

Meanwhile, make sure you know what you expect from the stove and ask them if this is realistic or not.

 

[Sandor]

Vucan,

I owned the same stove as you, and had the same problems as you... that I never resolved.

I NEVER recommend a Regency for 24X7 burning, but they are great for a Saturday afternoon/emergency kinda thing.

Its just the design of the stove. And your problem is not unique, the question comes up about every two weeks.

I'd disregard this attached comment. It sounds like someone with a beef against the company. The truth is that this unit will burn overnight if vented properly and has an adequate combustion air supply. I have one of these and it is actually my third. I had the same on in my previou two homes and when I moved decided I wanted the same again. I'd agree with the comment that a three hour burn and coals after eight hours is confusing though. If you load this stove up with the correct type and size of split logs, get it burning before you shut it down, you should see a significant improvement in the performance. I think I am fairly experienced with this unit and would be happy to help you if you want it. I'd also recommend that you think about contacting the Regency Technical Support guys. They are a pretty knowledgable group of guys who are always glad to help. You will also always get a person, not an electronic message.

Meanwhile, make sure you know what you expect from the stove and ask them if this is realistic or not.

Oh, lets see. I have been here for over several years and 900 posts, and you have been here for six weeks with 3 posts.

I have had two Regency's. The 2K and 3K. Until you experience something else, you really have no clue whats out there.

I see you are from Canada, where that stove is made. Maybe you work for Regency.

I have burnt many stoves, and there are MANY better units out there FOR 24X7 BURNING.

What in the hell is "correct type and size of split logs" anyway?

The stove is not meant to be burnt 24X7, admit it.

If you keep going, I will tell you why I will never own another steel stove.

I will also tell you about the secondary air tubes falling out on a weekly basis.

I will tell you why it makes a great occasional burner.

Until I here back from you, I'll disregard you as a Regency shill.

 

[weetim67]

Vucan,

I owned the same stove as you, and had the same problems as you... that I never resolved.

I NEVER recommend a Regency for 24X7 burning, but they are great for a Saturday afternoon/emergency kinda thing.

Its just the design of the stove. And your problem is not unique, the question comes up about every two weeks.

I'd disregard this attached comment. It sounds like someone with a beef against the company. The truth is that this unit will burn overnight if vented properly and has an adequate combustion air supply. I have one of these and it is actually my third. I had the same on in my previou two homes and when I moved decided I wanted the same again. I'd agree with the comment that a three hour burn and coals after eight hours is confusing though. If you load this stove up with the correct type and size of split logs, get it burning before you shut it down, you should see a significant improvement in the performance. I think I am fairly experienced with this unit and would be happy to help you if you want it. I'd also recommend that you think about contacting the Regency Technical Support guys. They are a pretty knowledgable group of guys who are always glad to help. You will also always get a person, not an electronic message.

Meanwhile, make sure you know what you expect from the stove and ask them if this is realistic or not.

Oh, lets see. I have been here for over several years and 900 posts, and you have been here for six weeks with 3 posts.

I have had two Regency's. The 2K and 3K. Until you experience something else, you really have no clue whats out there.

I see you are from Canada, where that stove is made. Maybe you work for Regency.

I have burnt many stoves, and there are MANY better units out there FOR 24X7 BURNING.

What in the hell is "correct type and size of split logs" anyway?

The stove is not meant to be burnt 24X7, admit it.

If you keep going, I will tell you why I will never own another steel stove.

I will also tell you about the secondary air tubes falling out on a weekly basis.

I will tell you why it makes a great occasional burner.

Until I here back from you, I'll disregard you as a Regency shill.

I wouldn't take this so personal bud. It wasn't meant that way. The truth is I do live in Canada, along with 30 million others. I doubt they all work for Regency either. I'm actually a retailer who has tried in the past to get Regency but can't. therefore I have no loyalty to them or anyone else, but I do know that the problems you describe could easily be fixed by calling the techs there. They have helped me on many ocassions. But to be fair, I doubt that the number of posts make me any less knowledgeable than anyone else. As I said, I speak from experience and I doubt if Regency would be where it is if they made a stove with this problem. Again, this wasn't personal, don't read it that way. You have after all confirmed you have a beef, justifed or not.

 

[weetim67]

I have a few problems with my 1994 Regency 3000 wood stove which I just recently bought. I get only about a three hour burn on a fully loaded stove with 3 year-old seasoned maple and oak. There are tons of coals left after a 12 hour burn (about 1/3 of the firebox is filled with them) with the damper shut down. If I’m around the house all day, I’ll push the coals to the front by the damper, open it up and place one piece of split wood, about 6” or so, and let it burn hot, which burns up the coals from the night before. This takes all day, and the only comfort I get is that I saved a little wood by “recycling” the coals, but it’s a pain in the keester.
My chimney is new triple walled and the stack is about 25 feet. I’m concerned that I may have too much draft and should install a draft control flap in the stove pipe. The door gasket looks fine, the door seals tight and when I hold a smoldering stick around the perimeter of the door, there is no air pulling the smoke in.
I use different sized pieces of wood, ranging between 4” splits and logs to half-sized 12” splits and 8” whole logs. I’ve tried using different sizes, playing with the damper, nothing seems to work.
I’m losing too much sleep waking once or twice to load this sucker up at night! Help!!
I bought it because it is supposed to be able to heat a large space, and it does this fairly adequately, but my main concern is that it does not seem to be burning efficiently.
Any suggestions? Thanks, Kevin McDaniel

Have you had any satisfaction yet? I really would call the factory.

 

[Dont buy a Vulcan]

hey everyone
thanks for all your great feed back, sorry I haven't gotten back - my responses from you were in the spam box, and I just saw them there this AM. I have contacted Regency, and am awaiting their response. Thanks Again, guys. It was very reassuring to hear similar stories, and also a little hope. Perhaps I did set my expectations too high with regard to how long I expected real heat (300 or better) from the stove for an 8 hour period. However, after trying every variable mentioned by all who responded, and more variables after that, I still get a 3-4 hour 'hot' burn, and what I consider to be too many unburned coals after the main burn has subsided. If I want to clean the stove out to allow 'maximum loggage', I must do so every 12 hours or so, as there are at least 4-5" of burning embers and coals in the stove. OK - gotta go clean the stove, load it up and head off for work! thanks again, Kevin

 

[kolbyTheDog]

Like you, I am the new owner of a early 90's Regency. I just picked up a 1991 Regency R6 freestanding woodstove with pedestal base. I'm having some burn problems with it, specially getting a fire going in the morning. I think maybe my wood is not as dry as it should be which I have learned is a common newbie problem. I did notice in the manual that there is supposed to be a flexible piece of insulation above the baffle plate to help insulate the top of the fire box. The newer Regency's use actual fire bricks above the baffle plate or just bricks as the baffle above the air tubes.

Is the 3000 a free standing or insert? Does yours have bricks as the top baffle? I think some of my problems are due to not having this piece of insulation and so I am having a hard time keeping heat in the firebox which is shorting my burn times / efficiency.... I'm also getting more smoke and somoldering than I think I should - wet wood, poor draft, missing insulation???

I called my local Regency dealer and he has this piece on order from Regency for me. Its around $20. He said the Regency techs told him that over time this material degrades and falls apart and disappears, so its possible yours might not have this since you have an older unit??

Here is a thread I started on this subject:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/12528/

How much did you pay for yours? I got my used Regency for $300.00

 

[MrBigLog]

Hi all,
In my old Regency i also had the insulation blanket and that is excatly what its for. Insulating the fire chamber to keep the temps hotter in there. I had upgraded last year to the Regency 3100 stove and the lack of the blanket up top concerned me after the installer left. A quick call to regency set my mind at ease assuring me that the new stoves do not require the blanket and that they burn even more effecitnly than my old one. There was a post above regarding the air tubes falling out ,and let me say after a $65 dollar service call to teach me how to install them properly i will never again not read the manual..lol To instal the tube rite the first time just line it up and using a vise grip attached to the middle of the tube whack it with a hammer to the right and they lock rite in and stay in....

 

[Rich M]

I still get a 3-4 hour 'hot' burn, and what I consider to be too many unburned coals after the main burn has subsided. If I want to clean the stove out to allow 'maximum loggage', I must do so every 12 hours or so, as there are at least 4-5" of burning embers and coals in the stove.

Not sure but it sounds to me like you might be overloading the stove. Don't pack the wood right up against the firebrick, leave some airspace. Try a mixture of small to medium size splits and don't pack them too tightly either, leave a little airspace between them. And don't over damp, try leaving the air open half way. You should get a hotter, more complete and somewhat shorter burn. Remember burn time includes the coaling stage, you have to let the coals burn down some after the firing stage and you won't get high heat during the entire burn cycle. Your aiming for about half the coals your getting, reduce the amount of fuel your putting in to achieve that.

 

[woodjack]

I recently bought a used 1994 Regency 3000L woodstove. It's sitting next to my old top loader. I was going to build a new pad before I connected it, but reading the comments in this thread scare me . I want a top quality stove because I use wood as my primary heat source and my house leaks warm air.

Also, I have been unable to speak to a person from Regency. Via email, they refer me to my nearest dealers, which are not so near. Also, no one at Regency or the dealer is able to provide me with a manual. They tell me it's almost the same unit as the newer 3100L and to use that manual instead.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[kolbyTheDog]

I recently bought a used 1994 Regency 3000L woodstove. It's sitting next to my old top loader. I was going to build a new pad before I connected it, but reading the comments in this thread scare me . I want a top quality stove because I use wood as my primary heat source and my house leaks warm air.

Also, I have been unable to speak to a person from Regency. Via email, they refer me to my nearest dealers, which are not so near. Also, no one at Regency or the dealer is able to provide me with a manual. They tell me it's almost the same unit as the newer 3100L and to use that manual instead.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Try calling Regency at this number: 1-604-946-5155 and ask to speak to a Technical Services Specialist. I found this number after doing a few google searches. It is for the Regency parent company. They should be able to e-mail you a PDF of the manual for your exact stove. They were able to do it for me and I printed it out and followed it to the T when self installing my used R6 about a month ago.

I got the insulation blanket / baffle that my stove was missing from my local dealer. I installed it the best I could figure out and it turns out I ended up blocking off most of the air space to the flue forcing all the air to travel up along the front door glass and then up through the top of the stove. Every time I opened the door smoke would come out into the room and my wood was charing and not burning up properly leaving me with lots of ash and chunks of black wood and nasty gases. When the weather warmed up last week I let the stove cool down and pulled the insulation piece out and trimmed about 1.5 inches off of it and stuck it back in - wow - what a difference! (I posted a thread on the subject and also called Regency and they all suggested I trim the insulation to fit - I guess it's a non-model specific piece I got) I now have more draft and the stove is working great. I also got a rick of wood delivered from a different source than I first used and this guy's wood is much dryer and is burning down great!

All in all, I don't blame the stove, I blame myself as a newbie for the problems I have had so far. Running it for 2 weeks without the insulation resulted in extreme stove top temps and inefficient burning, then running it for two weeks with the insulation installed incorrectly resulted in smoke and inefficient burning. Now running it for a week installed correctly and with good wood, the stove works great!

I've also just realized that I had been loading the stove too often resulting in too thick of coal bed and more ash than I really ought to have. Now I'm letting the logs burn down to almost nothing before re-loading and the new logs still catch fire just as good as they did before so now I'm getting longer burn times and using less wood.

Also, the wood I got from the new source is cut in shorter lengths which allows me to do North/South loading which seems to burn down to less coal chucks and ash than E/W loading. This guy also splits his splits into flatter board like pieces which he said stacks better out on the wood pile and works great in his stove. I can fit more of these into my stove than the more 1/4 rounded splits I first had so that is helping extend the burn times too and also resulting in less ash.

zzzzzz - looks like the logs I put in when I first started this post have caught fire good and now its time to damper down and go back to bed!

 

[weetim67]

I recently bought a used 1994 Regency 3000L woodstove. It's sitting next to my old top loader. I was going to build a new pad before I connected it, but reading the comments in this thread scare me . I want a top quality stove because I use wood as my primary heat source and my house leaks warm air.

Also, I have been unable to speak to a person from Regency. Via email, they refer me to my nearest dealers, which are not so near. Also, no one at Regency or the dealer is able to provide me with a manual. They tell me it's almost the same unit as the newer 3100L and to use that manual instead.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Try calling Regency at this number: 1-604-946-5155 and ask to speak to a Technical Services Specialist. I found this number after doing a few google searches. It is for the Regency parent company. They should be able to e-mail you a PDF of the manual for your exact stove. They were able to do it for me and I printed it out and followed it to the T when self installing my used R6 about a month ago.

I got the insulation blanket / baffle that my stove was missing from my local dealer. I installed it the best I could figure out and it turns out I ended up blocking off most of the air space to the flue forcing all the air to travel up along the front door glass and then up through the top of the stove. Every time I opened the door smoke would come out into the room and my wood was charing and not burning up properly leaving me with lots of ash and chunks of black wood and nasty gases. When the weather warmed up last week I let the stove cool down and pulled the insulation piece out and trimmed about 1.5 inches off of it and stuck it back in - wow - what a difference! (I posted a thread on the subject and also called Regency and they all suggested I trim the insulation to fit - I guess it's a non-model specific piece I got) I now have more draft and the stove is working great. I also got a rick of wood delivered from a different source than I first used and this guy's wood is much dryer and is burning down great!

All in all, I don't blame the stove, I blame myself as a newbie for the problems I have had so far. Running it for 2 weeks without the insulation resulted in extreme stove top temps and inefficient burning, then running it for two weeks with the insulation installed incorrectly resulted in smoke and inefficient burning. Now running it for a week installed correctly and with good wood, the stove works great!

I've also just realized that I had been loading the stove too often resulting in too thick of coal bed and more ash than I really ought to have. Now I'm letting the logs burn down to almost nothing before re-loading and the new logs still catch fire just as good as they did before so now I'm getting longer burn times and using less wood.

Also, the wood I got from the new source is cut in shorter lengths which allows me to do North/South loading which seems to burn down to less coal chucks and ash than E/W loading. This guy also splits his splits into flatter board like pieces which he said stacks better out on the wood pile and works great in his stove. I can fit more of these into my stove than the more 1/4 rounded splits I first had so that is helping extend the burn times too and also resulting in less ash.

zzzzzz - looks like the logs I put in when I first started this post have caught fire good and now its time to damper down and go back to bed!

Woodjack, I tend to agree with KolbyThe Dog. I have had nothing but good results calling the technical guys at Regency using the number he gave you,1-604-946-5155. They will even return your call at their dollar. When I asked about an 800# they told me theat line was specifically for dealers and installers in the field and this makes sense. Besides, they will still take the weight of the cost from you so I guess they are serious about leaving the dealers line open.
Your comment about the manual does surprise me too because on two separate occasions I have required an older manual, one in my previous home, and they were able to provide it at no cost. One they mailed to me the other they emailed directly and I was able to download and print it off.
Originally Regency techs asked me to contact the dealer also and once they explained why I was able to make sense of it.
I can honestly tell you that from my experience, these guys are the best in the business at being able to get answers from and also you rarely get a voice machine and I have never failed to get a real person to speak with. You can't say that about too many companies of any kind!
I'd give the number a shot and I bet you'll get through to a person someplace. They recently told me they have people all over the country who's job it is to take these calls and help anyone, not only dealers, when they have questions. Try it. I'll be interseted in the response you get.

 

[woodjack]

I can't tell you how appreciative I am to hear your comments. I'll try the number you suggest to contact Regency, and I'm happily shocked that you have had a good customer service experience with them.
When I emailed them (I think it was the main office in Canada) they refused to give me a telephone number to talk to them directly and could not answer basic questions about my wood stove . . . like what's the difference between my F3000L and the current 3100L.
Anyway, it's great to hear that you're enjoying your Regency. I was going to buy a modern looking Scan or a QuadraFire at my local stove shop when I came across an ad for my Regency. I paid $200 and another $100 to have it delivered to my living room.

 

[weetim67]

Hey woodjack, as far as I know, the only difference between the older F3000L and the F3100L is the way they shipped them. The F3000L came with glass as a separate and the F3100L comes glass in. This is what I was told when asking about differences between various part numbers for product. To be honest as a businessman myself who deals with distributors and dealers, I can see why they'd want to have you contact a dealer rather than the manufacturer. The delaer is usually, though admittedly not always, closer and more able to provide fast service. I suspect any Regency dealer will tell you they have the best tech support around. This is what I have heard consistemtly from dealers I have spoken with.
Good luck with this.

 

[woodjack]

I just spoke to people at Regency and they were incredibly nice and helpful. Great customer service makes life so much easier.
They concurred that the only difference in the 3100 from the 3000 was the manner in which the glass was shipped.

 

[burntime]

I have the HI300 hampton which is the 2400 insert with an enamel face... I burn overnight without a problem with an internal chimney and no insulation. Regency is great to answer questions but if it costs them anything they are FAR from customer service friendly. With the liner and installed right you should have no problem getting an 8 hour burn. If I really pack mine and reload a little early the last thing before bed I can still have enough to light a fire 12 or 14 hours later...with heat over 100 degrees for say 8-9 hours. After 8-9 hours there is minimal heat blowing. Hope you solve the dilema