Regency F2400 Questions

[russb]

I just picked up a Regency F2400, and completed the installation. I can't wait to fire it up in the next couple of weeks, but I have a couple questions. I saw some discussion on some older forum posts, but none of them were directly applicable, from what I could tell.

1. One or Two of the secondary air tubes are cracked and have about 1.5" by 3/8" holes (roughly) directly in the middle of the tube, I think it happened during transport. Will this give me too much secondary air? Can I buy some steel tube and drill my own holes?

2. The baffle bricks are toast. Is it wise to buy new ones from a dealer, or better to buy the material (high density ceramic fiberboard?) and cut it myself? Where do you get this stuff?

3. There's no damper in this stove! I have a 25' or more lined (insulated flexible SS) flue, drafts well. Should I buy a chimney damper right away, or should I operate it without one?

 

[Jags]

That big of a cracked area WILL affect the secondary burn. I would be looking into replacing them. Be aware that if you decided to fab your own, stick to the same size/position and amount of holes the original has.

The baffle bricks are your call (dealer vs outsourced material). Just make sure they are there and in reasonable condition.

Dampers aren't really recommended unless there is a need. I wouldn't be installing one until I have proven the stove difficult to control.

 

[russb]

That big of a cracked area WILL affect the secondary burn. I would be looking into replacing them. Be aware that if you decided to fab your own, stick to the same size/position and amount of holes the original has.

The baffle bricks are your call (dealer vs outsourced material). Just make sure they are there and in reasonable condition.

Dampers aren't really recommended unless there is a need. I wouldn't be installing one until I have proven the stove difficult to control.

Thanks for the input. Any clues on where to get the material for either the baffles or air tubes? I like doing things myself, but I don't know where to get the materials. I'll definitely forego the damper unless it seems necessary.

I'll try to get a pic later, but a couple of my air tubes also have an apparently intentional bend (about 140 degrees if I had to guess) in them, which I've not seen in any pictures on here. I'm just fishing for anybody else's experience with this. The guy I bought the stove from said that's how they came from the dealer. Is there any reason this is a bad (or good) idea? I'm thinking the bend might be responsible for the weak point, which turned into a hole (both cracked air tubes have the bend).

 

[Jags]

Page 22 gives the breakdown of the tubes. None look to be anything but straight.
(broken link removed to http://www.regency-fire.com/Files/Manuals/F2400-918-154.aspx)

I would start with Regency for your parts. Sometimes a DIY project just doesn't work out to be a saver. I am not familiar with Regency pricing for parts.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

I own a Regency F2400, it's a good stove. I can't add much to what Jags has already said, but definitely post some pictures of these "bends" you are talking about. All my tubes are straight.

 

[russb]

I own a Regency F2400, it's a good stove. I can't add much to what Jags has already said, but definitely post some pictures of these "bends" you are talking about. All my tubes are straight.

Here's a pic of the tubes still in, and another after I pulled them out. Have an inquiry into the shop the stove was originally purchased at (think the warranty is transferable).
Note: they got worse (though the straighter tube was actually more bent before I pulled it) during removal, I believe. Might have gotten worse during transport as well, but they were definitely similar to this when I got the stove.

A different shop quoted me $90+ for the baffles, and $120 for the air tubes. How could the air tubes cost that much? We'll see what the shop servicing the warranty says.

 

[Jags]

Those are toast. They need to be replaced.

 

[russb]

For sure Jags, they definitely need replacing. Is $120 a bit much though? I've never purchased tubes before, so it very well could be appropriately priced, but it was higher than I was expecting.

 

[Jags]

I guess $120 for tubes and baffle really doesn't surprise me, but I have been around for awhile.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

LOL, the reason those tubes and your baffle are toast is because somebody got carried away with the chimney brush. It looks like they bashed the heck out of the tubes, probably after breaking right through the baffle. Not likely that sort of abuse will be covered by warranty, but if you talk nice and play the helpless victim, they might give you a better discount.

 

[Jags]

LOL, the reason those tubes and your baffle are toast is because somebody got carried away with the chimney brush

Exactly what I thought.

 

[russb]

Aha, okay, that makes sense. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how normal use could do that. I though someone bent the tubes for some crazy reason, which created a weak point, which cracked, which opened up more from the bouncing in the back of my truck. Seemed far-fetched though. Thanks guys.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Well, I must confess that I forgot to remove my baffles once when cleaning my chimney and ran the brush into them and cracked one in half. I realized right after hitting it what I had done and pulled up, but it was too late the damage was done. Fortunately it was a clean break and still fits together very nicely, now instead of having a two piece baffle I have a three piece baffle. LOL
As for the tubes themselves, I've ran this stove hard now for 5 years and they show no signs of sagging or corrosion. It's actually been a very good stove for us.

Out of curiosity, can you get a picture from the inside of the stove looking back out at the inside looking back just above the door? One other Regency F2400 owner posted a picture of how his was corroded in the airwash delivery chamber there, just above the door. I could never figure out why his was so corroded in that area. I doubt you have a problem there, I'm just curios.

 

[begreen]

Is this an insert of free stander?

 

[russb]

Yeah the poll is probably a distraction. Chimney is >100 year old brick and mortar, with an insulated (pre-insulated Magnaflex) SS flexible liner. From top-down, there's 25' of that setup, then about 2' of horizontal single wall stovepipe, a 90-degree elbow, then about 4-5' of vertical down to the stove. I was just surprised there was no damper built into the stove. Granted, last year I burned a Kent Tile Fire, which has the damper built-in. Jags set me straight right away on that, so the poll question became the least important at that point. I don't think I can delete the poll though.

 

[begreen]

I'd get the stove fixed up and run it for a while. 25 ft with a couple 90 deg turns should work just fine. Modern stoves regulate differently than older stoves. Closing down the air will encourage secondary combustion and the stove will actually run warmer. The Kent set a high standard so give yourself a month or two to get used to the Regency. It will be a different but hopefully pleasant experience. FWIW, I put a damper on our stove and ran with it for a few months, then removed it.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Is this an insert of free stander?

If Russ has the name right (F2400) it is a free stander. The (I2400) is what they call the 2400 insert. I assume the F stands for Free stander, and I stands for Insert.

 

[russb]

Yeah it's the F2400, free standing.

begreen, I only burned the Kent one year, and mostly fed it too-green wood, so I didn't reap the benefits others seem to. It still served me well, and when I found good loads of wood to put in, it was great. This year, I have the larger stove (more BTU's), and the wood I'll start off with has been split and seasoning since late winter, and I modified my chimney a bit for the better, so I no longer come out of the stove and immediately turn 90 degrees. I gotta keep getting ahead with the wood, and I've already started collecting for 2015/16, but I'm thinking this year will be better than last, and so on...

Lumber-Jack, need to find time to take that pic you asked about. I haven't forgotten, just haven't done it yet.