Regency HI500 Hampton / CI2700 Catalyst Re/Re Problem

[Avian Manor]

Hello everyone,

Well, it's that time of year when one prepares for the colder autumn / winter months to come, which in my case means cleaning the flue as well as my Regency HI-500 Hampton Wood Stove / Catalyst. A number of parts easily removed by the loosening a few hex bolts gains access to the flue and Cat unit for cleaning. The rectangular shaped Catalyst unit mounted above the front opening of the stove was a little snug and took a bit of wiggling back and forth to remove. Once out, it's simple enough to clean. My stove is only a couple of years old, and I'm not sure what wear and tear on the Cat unit would be considered normal, but overall it appears to be in reasonable shape, with just a few cracks and fractures here and there.

Following a careful cleaning, I spent the better part of two hours trying to slide the Cat unit back into the rectangular shaped opening, to no avail. The tolerances are so tight, that even the slightest expansion of the Catalyst unit makes it impossible to fit. The design of the Cat is such that on the back side, the walls of the box can expand, particularly in the middle, which then makes it impossible to fit in it's designated opening. There is no way to get one's hand above the unit to facilitate / compress the middle of the Cat Unit and get it to fit. The work space is extremely limited, plus the unit has to be angled into place, which aggravates the problem.

Just wondering if other owners of the HI-500 Hampton / CI2700 have encountered difficulties with their Cat unit during annual cleaning / service intervals.? Does the wear and tear (please see attached photos) on my 2 year old Cat Unit seem typical for it's age? My understanding is Regency offers a lifetime warranty on the Catalyst, and will replace it once at no charge. Out of warranty, this part is close to a $1000 to replace. I really wouldn't want to be replacing this part every year because heat has warped the Cat enclosure. It seems to me a couple metal straps spot welded on the backside of the Cat enclosure would keep the middle section compressed and the correct shape to fit into it's slot properly.

Look forward to what other Regency owners have to say.

Cheers!

 

[bholler]

Hello everyone,

Well, it's that time of year when one prepares for the colder autumn / winter months to come, which in my case means cleaning the flue as well as my Regency HI-500 Hampton Wood Stove / Catalyst. A number of parts easily removed by the loosening a few hex bolts gains access to the flue and Cat unit for cleaning. The rectangular shaped Catalyst unit mounted above the front opening of the stove was a little snug and took a bit of wiggling back and forth to remove. Once out, it's simple enough to clean. My stove is only a couple of years old, and I'm not sure what wear and tear on the Cat unit would be considered normal, but overall it appears to be in reasonable shape, with just a few cracks and fractures here and there.

Following a careful cleaning, I spent the better part of two hours trying to slide the Cat unit back into the rectangular shaped opening, to no avail. The tolerances are so tight, that even the slightest expansion of the Catalyst unit makes it impossible to fit. The design of the Cat is such that on the back side, the walls of the box can expand, particularly in the middle, which then makes it impossible to fit in it's designated opening. There is no way to get one's hand above the unit to facilitate / compress the middle of the Cat Unit and get it to fit. The work space is extremely limited, plus the unit has to be angled into place, which aggravates the problem.

Just wondering if other owners of the HI-500 Hampton / CI2700 have encountered difficulties with their Cat unit during annual cleaning / service intervals.? Does the wear and tear (please see attached photos) on my 2 year old Cat Unit seem typical for it's age? My understanding is Regency offers a lifetime warranty on the Catalyst, and will replace it once at no charge. Out of warranty, this part is close to a $1000 to replace. I really wouldn't want to be replacing this part every year because heat has warped the Cat enclosure. It seems to me a couple metal straps spot welded on the backside of the Cat enclosure would keep the middle section compressed and the correct shape to fit into it's slot properly.

Look forward to what other Regency owners have to say.

Cheers!

View attachment 300250 View attachment 300251 View attachment 300252 View attachment 300253 View attachment 300254 View attachment 300255

I have never had that issue with any that I work on. After a few years it may be time for a new cat anyway

 

[Avian Manor]

Hi bholler, thanks for the prompt response. Seriously? I need to replace a 1 kilobuch part every couple of years? Regency claims ten years life expectancy under normal use.

 

[bholler]

Hi bholler, thanks for the prompt response. Seriously? I need to replace a 1 kilobuch part every couple of years? Regency claims ten years life expectancy under normal use.

No they give you a 10 year warranty like pretty much every other manufacturer. But the cats only last 10 to 15000 hours. Your first replacement will be free under warranty though.

 

[Avian Manor]

No they give you a 10 year warranty like pretty much every other manufacturer. But the cats only last 10 to 15000 hours. Your first replacement will be free under warranty though.

Right you are bholler, from the owner's manual:

"A good combustor is designed to withstand approximately 12,000 hours of
continuous use. This will translate into five to ten years of use, depending
on the length of your heating season and how often you use your stove.
Proper maintenance will increase the combustor’s effectiveness and pre-
vent many problems. Inspect your combustor before each heating season,
and during the season if your stove’s performance seems to change"

"Five to ten years" then, would seem very optimistic. I estimate however, perhaps 5, 000 hours on my Cat so far - replacement now would seem a little premature. You said you've never run into a fit problem -what would be so different about my stove / cat combo as to create such a problem?

 

[bholler]

Right you are bholler, from the owner's manual:

"A good combustor is designed to withstand approximately 12,000 hours of
continuous use. This will translate into five to ten years of use, depending
on the length of your heating season and how often you use your stove.
Proper maintenance will increase the combustor’s effectiveness and pre-
vent many problems. Inspect your combustor before each heating season,
and during the season if your stove’s performance seems to change"

"Five to ten years" then, would seem very optimistic. I estimate however, perhaps 5, 000 hours on my Cat so far - replacement now would seem a little premature. You said you've never run into a fit problem -what would be so different about my stove / cat combo as to create such a problem?

I would guess the horizontal split across your cats caused swelling. I sell and service the exact stove you are using and have not had the problem. But if you only have about 5000 hrs on it chemically it's probably fine. But physically it's clearly danaged

 

[Avian Manor]

I would guess the horizontal split across your cats caused swelling. I sell and service the exact stove you are using and have not had the problem. But if you only have about 5000 hrs on it chemically it's probably fine. But physically it's clearly danaged

 

[stoveliker]

Do you know what your draft is? Too high draft could pull in more flame impingement, leading to mechanical damage of the cat. What's your chimney height?

Also $1000 for a cat seems steep. I don't have your stove, but I do have a cat stove. A new cat for me (last summer) was $294.

 

[Avian Manor]

According to Regency's service recommendations, unless the Cat Cartridge / Combuster is badly damaged, cracked with large pieces falling out, and otherwise working normally ( burning smoke ), it need not be replaced. As this is the case, damned if I'm going to shell out a K-note to replace my Cat that's only half way through it's useful life, unless I absolutely have to! ......They don't call me "McGuyver" for nothing!

With a few C-Clamps to compress the centre section, a couple wood sticks and, a smidgen of Household Goop, I managed to bring the Combuster back to square. Once the glue had set and clamps removed, the Combuster Cartridge slipped back into it's spot as if it were brand spanking new! Upon next fire, the wood sticks and tiny amount of adhesive should burn off completely, and hopefully the whole affair will give me a least one more season of use.

Perhaps my solution will work for any other members who encounter the same issue.

Cheers!

 

[Avian Manor]

Do you know what your draft is? Too high draft could pull in more flame impingement, leading to mechanical damage of the cat. What's your chimney height?

Also $1000 for a cat seems steep. I don't have your stove, but I do have a cat stove. A new cat for me (last summer) was $294.

Hi stovekiller, thanks for the response. I'd say my draft is normal, chimney height 18 feet, give or take. When I purchased the stove new 18 months ago, the local dealer told me a new Cat for the HI500 was in the neighborhood of $700 CAD, plus freight and tax. Guessing with the upward trend in regards to the cost of everything these days, I'm thinking a new, out of warranty Cat is now likely approaching $1000 CAD. I'll contact my local dealer and double check just for yuks.

Cheers!

 

[bholler]

Hi stovekiller, thanks for the response. I'd say my draft is normal, chimney height 18 feet, give or take. When I purchased the stove new 18 months ago, the local dealer told me a new Cat for the HI500 was in the neighborhood of $700 CAD, plus freight and tax. Guessing with the upward trend in regards to the cost of everything these days, I'm thinking a new, out of warranty Cat is now likely approaching $1000 CAD. I'll contact my local dealer and double check just for yuks.

Cheers!

Don't buy from the dealer. Order from condor directly

 

[Avian Manor]

Don't buy from the dealer. Order from condor directly

Hello again bholler -thanks for the tip -prices seem quite reasonable however, their website says "REGENCY CATALYSTS NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME". I'll check back at a later date.

 

[bholler]

Hello again bholler -thanks for the tip -prices seem quite reasonable however, their website says "REGENCY CATALYSTS NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME". I'll check back at a later date.

Hmmm I just bought 4 last week.

 

[Klaubs]

any issues getting your catalyst in and out? I took mine out to clean behind it, was not easy, it didn't come out until the insert cooled... now I can't get the darn thing back in, there just isn't enough room to get it into position.

 

[Klaubs]

Ended up removing the top metal tab completely with a grinder after fighting with it for 3 days. Now it slides back in.