Regency ci2700 issues

[Gf77]

I had a Regency ci2700 insert installed last season. I had three local highly rated stove shops come out and 2 independent sweeps chat over the phone and all of them said they don’t recommend insulated liners and they’ve never done an install with a block off plate. They looked at me like I was crazy when I suggested it and I told them everyone here on the forums recommended them. No dice. The installer I chose ran a 25ish foot non insulated flex liner up my masonry chimney and left six inches overhang above the top of the brick, underneath the cap.

From day one I had issues starting a fire and smoke pouring in when I added logs to an established fire. I’m no expert, but it isn’t my first stove, I came from a Quadra fire. It isn’t the wood, I split my own and know how long it’s been aged and I test it before firing it, 14-17% and I even used envi blocks at around 10% to make sure that wasn’t it. Besides the horrible burn times (6 hours with oak at slightly above choked off and catalyst engaged left me with sub 200 degrees after 6 hours), I couldn’t take the smoke pouring in. This was with me doing the slight crack, waiting 10 seconds, then slowly opening it, full air. They came out and chopped the liner level to the top of the brick. It fixed the difficulty in starting burn, but did nothing for smoke coming in with fire established.

Besides the issue with smoke pouring in during adding, there is a constant camp fire smell. It’s strong. It gives everyone in the house a headache. I bought a very expensive air cleaner and it fouled it up with smoke smell after two days. There is no visible smoke, just the smell. Everyone who has come over has mentioned it. I have to take a shower before bed and my entire upstairs smells like faint smoke, not fire smoke. I have a carbon monoxide detector there and it doesn’t sense any.

The company has been responsive and promises to get to the bottom of the issue, but they keep telling me a smoke smell is normal when burning wood. This is contrary to my other insert and everyone in my family who burns wood. A slight smell on startup or when refueling I get, but constant smoke isn’t right to me. Am I wrong? They’ve come out and checked the liner, the glass and door for leaks, and have said they have no idea what’s wrong.

Does anyone here have any ideas please? I don’t want to have this nice unit I can’t use. Is this amount of constant smoke smell normal? What can I have them check? Thank you for your help.

 

[begreen]

The code is clear about a liner needing insulation. Unless the proper clearances for the masonry chimney are honored (2" interior or 1" exterior), the liner must be insulated.

Here are some things that might be creating smoke -
• paint burning off. This should go away after the insert has been run at full operating temp (500-700º) a few times.
• chimney not properly cleaned and creosote in contact with the hot liner
• silicone or other compound applied directly to the liner and liner adapter
• a leak or tear in the liner

Is there another flue next to the one with the liner? If so, it may be siphoning smoke from the stove liner down the other flue.

 

[Gf77]

The code is clear about a liner needing insulation. Unless the proper clearances for the masonry chimney are honored (2" interior or 1" exterior), the liner must be insulated.

Here are some things that might be creating smoke -
• paint burning off. This should go away after the insert has been run at full operating temp (500-700º) a few times.
• chimney not properly cleaned and creosote in contact with the hot liner
• silicone or other compound applied directly to the liner and liner adapter
• a leak or tear in the liner

Is there another flue next to the one with the liner? If so, it may be siphoning smoke from the stove liner down the other flue.

Thank you for the advice. The paint smell was unique, I distinctly remember it and it went away in the first week. I burned it almost 24-7 from late November to February of this year. The chimney was cleaned before the liner was inserted, but you make a good point- I don't know how well it was cleaned. The liner itself is clear from creosote, it was the first thing they checked. Silicone on the liner is not something I thought about, because to me it didn't smell like chemicals. They did not check for a leak in the liner, they said I'd see smoke if it was that.

There is no other flue next to the one with the liner, I actually chose this chimney specifically because my old oil furnace flue was next to the fireplace chimney on the other side of the house and I read that that issue could happen on these forums. The chimney the insert is in is kind of inside the house- the back side of it is in the garage as opposed to completely outside. I guess that means it probably needs 1inch? I asked about this before the install even happened, and day of install, and was told by the salesman and the installer that they don't do it in CT, it isn't code. I was adamant about this and the block off plate from reading these forums.

My concern is that it's actually a crack in a weld or something, but they said I'd see smoke pouring in if it was that. I appreciate the responses, I just want to create a list to go down with them when they come next week. I am not crazy though, it shouldn't smell my entire house up like smoke while it's running and closed, to the point where we get headaches and I have to shower every night?

 

[begreen]

A poorly cleaned chimney is a common suspect, especially if they did not clean the smoke shelf and a lot of debris has accumulated there.

A crack in the stove usually results in a hard to control burn and not smoke leakage because the firebox is under vacuum from the draft. Does the smell get worse with the blower on as opposed to off?

 

[Gf77]

A poorly cleaned chimney is a common suspect, especially if they did not clean the smoke shelf and a lot of debris has accumulated there.

A crack in the stove usually results in a hard to control burn and not smoke leakage because the firebox is under vacuum from the draft. Does the smell get worse with the blower on as opposed to off?

The constant smell has gradually gotten worse as the season went on. At one point I thought the blower was making it worse, but it's hard to tell because you get kind of "smell blind" to the smell after awhile of being in the house until you leave the house and come back after awhile and it hits you in the face. We went on vacation for two weeks, and when we returned and lit a fire we had to leave the house because it made us all so nauseous. I don't think it was worse than before we just weren't used to it after being away for a few weeks.

On a windy day a few weeks ago, I could smell the smell in the house again on a smaller scale and we hadn't used the insert for almost a month at that point and I had cleaned it out already. If the seal on the door works, there's no reason wind blowing down the liner should make my house smell when not in use, right? It's theoretically an airtight seal from the liner to the firebox, stopped by the insert door.

 

[bholler]

The constant smell has gradually gotten worse as the season went on. At one point I thought the blower was making it worse, but it's hard to tell because you get kind of "smell blind" to the smell after awhile of being in the house until you leave the house and come back after awhile and it hits you in the face. We went on vacation for two weeks, and when we returned and lit a fire we had to leave the house because it made us all so nauseous. I don't think it was worse than before we just weren't used to it after being away for a few weeks.

On a windy day a few weeks ago, I could smell the smell in the house again on a smaller scale and we hadn't used the insert for almost a month at that point and I had cleaned it out already. If the seal on the door works, there's no reason wind blowing down the liner should make my house smell when not in use, right? It's theoretically an airtight seal from the liner to the firebox, stopped by the insert door.

It is not air tight if you have a downdraft air will get out of the stove.

This is kind of odd all of the symptoms point to low draft other than the short burn times which would point to high draft. How much wood are you loading at once?

 

[bholler]

Any chance you could post a pic of the top of the chimney?

 

[Gf77]

It is not air tight if you have a downdraft air will get out of the stove.

This is kind of odd all of the symptoms point to low draft other than the short burn times which would point to high draft. How much wood are you loading at once?

Low draft was definitely an issue in the beginning, until he snipped the extra few inches of overhang liner on the top off. I still may not have great draft, as evidenced by the smoke pouring out when I do a reload before I'm at ashes (when I have to go to bed, etc.). For the final load of the night, I usually push the embers off to one side and load it pretty full (to within a few inches of the cat), east-west because that's the way I can fit the most of my cut length (cut them before I had the insert sized), let it establish, choke damper 3/4, push in bypass, go to bed around 11, wake up at 530, it's rarely enough embers to start a new fire. I do have the regular plate, I saw on a thread here that some people had better draft when they removed it.

 

[Gf77]

It's the one on the left.

 

[bholler]

View attachment 295009

It's the one on the left.

I wonder if they have a top plate up there under that cap? If not your smoke could easily be coming down between the old and new liner and into the house.

 

[bholler]

And at 25' of liner you don't want to remove the restrictor plate

 

[Gf77]

I wonder if they have a top plate up there under that cap? If not your smoke could easily be coming down between the old and new liner and into the house.

The single chimney on the left? I don't believe they installed a top plate, because when the liner extended a few inches above the chimney brick, it was leaning over to the left and I asked them if that was normal and they said yes. What do you mean new liner vs old liner? I don't think that chimney had a liner in it at all before they put one in, it was masonry.

 

[bholler]

The single chimney on the left? I don't believe they installed a top plate, because when the liner extended a few inches above the chimney brick, it was leaning over to the left and I asked them if that was normal and they said yes. What do you mean new liner vs old liner? I don't think that chimney had a liner in it at all before they put one in, it was masonry.

It most likely has a clay liner for the fireplace. And if there is no top plate that is where I would start. Honestly I would have a sweep come out to look over everything. The installers honestly sound like hacks and I wouldn't trust their work.

 

[Gf77]

It most likely has a clay liner for the fireplace. And if there is no top plate that is where I would start. Honestly I would have a sweep come out to look over everything. The installers honestly sound like hacks and I wouldn't trust their work.

Thank you. I'll have him check out the top plate situation and then if that doesn't fix it, I think it's a good call to bring in another set of paid eyes in the form of a sweep.

 

[abbyandjake]

Thank you. I'll have him check out the top plate situation and then if that doesn't fix it, I think it's a good call to bring in another set of paid eyes in the form of a sweep.

Hi! Just wondering if you ever figured this out and were able to stop the "campfire" issue. We installed a ci2700 last year and w have had the same issues for a year. It seems no matter what we do we just get smoke in the house when opening the door. We are using totally dry wood, and even if the fire is going and door is cracked for a few minutes and we open super slowly - smoke just inevitably pours in. Just wondering if you ever found any solutions or if this just is what it is.