Regency ci2600

[mtnhiker70]

Hi. I recently bought a (not burned) floor model of the regency ci2600 hybrid. We are having it installed this week.
After buying it and communicating directly with the manufacturer, i wanted to let folks know about this unit. There have been several upgrades since it was introduced (and it's not that old!) I was told by 'Joe' at Regency customer care that there have been a couple of upgrades/updates. the 1st version has serial # 1192. the update after this was a restrictor, though helpful, not significant. Mine has a serial number 4##, so it's a later version than this, but not the latest either.

The current models have a full cast iron top inside the firebox. (Mine does not and it's from april 2014). Mine has a cast iron rectangular/oval ring where it connects to the collar/flue, but clearly is made of sheet metal. The update is NOT interchangeable with the older versions either. I don't know what this means as far as performance, but I wish this guy from Regency had replied to my email BEFORE i bought the unit.

I have also been told by Joe that I cannot burn bio-bricks in my unit, because they get too hot. Sounds ridiculous to me!

I want to let people know, so they can evaluate a unit before they buy. The serial # and date is visible when you slide out of the bottom tray. Also open the door and check for a full cast iron top inside the firebox. Knowing what I know now, I'd want the newest version, though i saved about $1k on the unit.
HTH.

 

[DAKSY]

Good info to know, however, the top of your unit is NOT "sheet metal."
It is 5/16" (.3125") steel plate.
It is probably MORE durable than cast iron, but the continuity of one-piece
construction is probably more desirable...

The reason he gave for not burning bio-bricks is the standard CYA answer, because
the units were not burn-tested with bio-bricks, only cordwood, so if you burn those big ole
pellets & something warps, they won't warranty the repair/replacement.

 

[mtnhiker70]

Good info to know, however, the top of your unit is NOT "sheet metal."
It is 5/16" (.3125") steel plate.
It is probably MORE durable than cast iron, but the continuity of one-piece
construction is probably more desirable...

The reason he gave for not burning bio-bricks is the standard CYA answer, because
the units were not burn-tested with bio-bricks, only cordwood, so if you burn those big ole
pellets & something warps, they won't warranty the repair/replacement.

Yup, you're right steel plates... We'll see how it burns. There must have been a reason for the change. Regency rep was cagey about it. Does anyone on here burn bio-bricks in this unit or similar?? Is it just a CYA statement or will the unit really be damaged??!! He said the bio-bricks burn 25% hotter. There are lots of guys selling wood around here, though i don't know how much of their supply is DRY wood. We only have about a cord that's dry. We have another stack that was just split that's about 20% moisture. I should probably be looking for more wood right now, but just paid $388 for oil today and the install is going to be $2k. OUCH

 

[Attaboy]

Yup, you're right steel plates... We'll see how it burns. There must have been a reason for the change. Regency rep was cagey about it. Does anyone on here burn bio-bricks in this unit or similar?? Is it just a CYA statement or will the unit really be damaged??!! He said the bio-bricks burn 25% hotter. There are lots of guys selling wood around here, though i don't know how much of their supply is DRY wood. We only have about a cord that's dry. We have another stack that was just split that's about 20% moisture. I should probably be looking for more wood right now, but just paid $388 for oil today and the install is going to be $2k. OUCH

Most stove manufacturers who do accept eco-logs will always warn you not to use more than one or two eco-logs at a time depending on their size. I purchase them by the skid 3'' dia. x 12'' long, 620 or 650 individual pieces per skid if I recall and yes they do burn a whole lot hotter, however depending on the size eco-logs you are considering you can break one down in to 2 or 3 pieces making it easier to burn in your unit by adding a piece to your hardwood logs.

Hardwoods @ 20% or less moisture content are normally acceptable to burn in most stoves. I would suspect that even in your hybrid this would be acceptable, wood that is to dry is not better either.

 

[mtnhiker70]

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind. I had planned to buy some biobricks as a backup, but the manufacturer said it'd void my warranty. We don't have a lot of wood split. About 1 cord is dry and split. But we've had a lot of warm wet weather. The more recently split pile (which is also less than a cord) is fluctuating between 16-24% moisture.

It's was 50 here yesterday, so we'll have to see how it performs when it's colder. It was 40 last night and it heated my whole house! We only put one log in every few hours and it reached 72 in an adjacent room and didn't go below 60 even at the opposite end of the house, upstairs. Our house is a 2800sf volume with a couple of cathedral spaces too.

I didn't draft it down last night or really load it up and we were down to coals by 6am. Tonight I'll see if I can get 8 hrs of a healthy fire.

The glass on the door is dirty though. And I cleaned it yesterday. I've read threads on that- once it's cold it should go away. Should I clean it again? It was a lot of work.

I'm so happy with this unit (thus far)! I've wanted one for many years! I love being warm!

Most stove manufacturers who do accept eco-logs will always warn you not to use more than one or two eco-logs at a time depending on their size. I purchase them by the skid 3'' dia. x 12'' long, 620 or 650 individual pieces per skid if I recall and yes they do burn a whole lot hotter, however depending on the size eco-logs you are considering you can break one down in to 2 or 3 pieces making it easier to burn in your unit by adding a piece to your hardwood logs.

Hardwoods @ 20% or less moisture content are normally acceptable to burn in most stoves. I would suspect that even in your hybrid this would be acceptable, wood that is to dry is not better either.

 

[vetrano]

My experience with this insert is it becomes more difficult to clean if you let it build up over several burns. I haven't had luck with hot fires cleaning the glass, but I haven't had the insert that long.

You should join the CI2600 operation thread now that you are up and running.

 

[blacktail]

Will the glass not clean up with a damp paper towel? Get a little ash on the paper towel if the glass is really bad.

 

[vetrano]

My experience is you get a really difficult to remove black creosote coating. There is some of the easier brown stuff that just wipes off but the black coating takes a lot of time and effort even with chemicals.

 

[mtnhiker70]

I'm getting a thick coating on the glass now, part of it is iridescent too. I cleaned it on Sat, but not since because the stove has to be cold to do it.
Now i cannot get the downstairs temp to go above 67. It appears that the fire lasted all night though. I loaded it with 4 splits. Our splits are really small, in my opinion. 3" thick and 16" long. Looks like each log was cut into 4 splits. When it was warm out (50s during day/40 at night) on the weekend we were able to heat the whole house loading 1 split at a time. Now I'm putting it 2 at a time and cannot get it above 67. It is windy though. But it's not that cold outside (35) now either.
I had to open the air control 100% - the house didn't heat up at all with it 1/2 open. Maybe I need to really load it up with a full box? Can I load it all the way to the top or does it need air space?
Maybe I should mention my each floor in our house is 1,350sf, and the first floor has 2 cathedral areas, including the room the stove is in.
Any input would be appreciated.
TIA

 

[mtnhiker70]

My experience with this insert is it becomes more difficult to clean if you let it build up over several burns. I haven't had luck with hot fires cleaning the glass, but I haven't had the insert that long.

You should join the CI2600 operation thread now that you are up and running.

Where's the 'operation thread'? Isn't this it??

 

[Attaboy]

This stove can heat up to 2,600 sq. ft. and this is at its best with optimal conditions favoring this, I have often wondered how these sq. ft. numbers are reached, I suspect that it is set at around 40°F are somewhere around that. However in real life the colder the temperature drops the smaller the sq. ft. area of heat coverage is.

As per Regency own brochure:

Typical Sq. Ft. Heated up to 2,600 sq. ft. **


* Length of burn time and BTU range depend on type of wood,

moisture content, climate conditions and installation.

** Varies depending on home floor plan, house layout, heat

loss of the house and quality/moisture content of wood.


Do not overfeed your stove, I suggest you go at it with a slower learning curve, load and learn gradually by increasing fuel loads slowly and monitoring the results, stove and flue temps.

 

[mtnhiker70]

Will the glass not clean up with a damp paper towel? Get a little ash on the paper towel if the glass is really bad.

Yes, the glass is really bad... Black. It's very difficult to clean off. I have noticed that once I started bigger fires yesterday, part of it seems to be burning off in the corners.

The unit did heat our entire house (with little wood) when the temps were in the 40s. Yesterday it took me all day to get the temp up to 70 downstairs. I finally realized that I'd have to add several pieces of wood at once.

Page 2 of this: https://assets.regency-fire.com/get...879-a98ec89e3423/Pro-Series-User-Guide-Insert show a pic of how much wood is HALF of a load. I cannot get 6 splits that are 3-4" x 16" to fit in my unit. I don't see how that pic would be HALF of a firebox load. Do folks load it wood until its touching all the firebricks and the metal cat housing? I did see the cat was red hot last night.

In 3-4 days we have used a 41" long, 4' tall rack of wood. My husband thought it would last all week. Temps have been in 30s-50s. Not cold. Still learning here...

 

[Woody Stover]

Where's the 'operation thread'?

Hover over "forums" above, then you can access the search. This is the most recent thread...previous one is closed, but still around. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/the-regency-ci2600-operation-thread.158238/page-6#post-2144172

 

[Xtrl9]

FWIW hearthstone also says no to bio-bricks and they won't cover damages caused by your stupidity/operation under warranty if you use them.

 

[Attaboy]

FWIW hearthstone also says no to bio-bricks and they won't cover damages caused by your stupidity/operation under warranty if you use them.

That is why you use some good old common sense and use only one small eco-log or a small part there of the larger bio bricks, do not use large overnight ones designed to sustain very hot fires for hours. Manufacturers have no alternative but to protect themselves and their products from idiots who have thrown several bio bricks in to their stove, overfired them and obviously damaged their stoves seriously and then expect the damage to be covered under warranty.