Regency I2100M Cant Keep Up

[k3c4forlife]

Hey all,

So its 4* outside. I loaded up the Regency I2100M before I went to bed. I woke up at 4AM and the house was 52*!

The stove is rated for 1,500 sf. My one floor ranch is only 1,300 sf. The insert is in a good location in the house, relatively centralized. It has the blower and puts out quite a bit of heat but it doesnt get past the living room when its really cold out. When it's 20* out, the house is 75*. When its 4* out the house is 50*...

Anyone have any ideas? I am going to head up into the attic after lunch to make sure the insulation is sufficient. The windows are 3 years old high efficiency

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[grateful]

I have the same issue- when the outside temp is 5 to 20 deg. the inside temp is 63 or lower. My wife and I don't mind 63 until evening then the boiler goes on just to warm it up. After the boiler heats the house then I can keep the inside temperature around 65 to 68 with wood. When the outside temp is over 20 the inside temp is cosy. Closing the window shades after sundown really helps. Our wood stove is a Regency F2400.
Our house is a 1959, 1700 sf rancher with 12" attic insulation, 4" fiberglass wall insulation with 1" fiber sound board over the insulation. Several contractors have recommended removing the 1X12" cedar siding, replace the insulation and fiber board with rigid foam insulation and put it back together. Yeah, that sounds like a great way to spend the summer!! I will have the insulation experts over before I do that. New windows? The advise I get is- insulation is a priority, then windows and finally a new furnace.
Spring will be here soon.

 

[michaelryba]

I think you've already diagnosed the situation--not enough btu's provided. I don't think it's a function of the stove--other than Regency telling you that you could effectively heat 1500 sq. ft house with that size stove. (I think it has a 1.6 firebox.) It's just not going to cut it at those temps.
Until I started heating with wood; I didn't realize just how many more btu's are needed at low temps.
Insulating your home better will help, but I don't think it would eliminate a 4 am feeding. Only a larger stove would do that.

 

[Fsappo]

On paper the 2100I would do 1300 sf in "most" applications "Most" of the time.

 

[BrowningBAR]

On paper the 2100I would do 1300 sf in "most" applications "Most" of the time.

Yeah, and in 90 degree weather an Intrepid can heat my 2,150 sq ft home with very little issue. Hardly uses any wood at those temps...

 

[k3c4forlife]

Ya,

So I guess I should accept the fact that my stove isnt going to completely heat my house when its so cold out... Going to turn to better insulation and just suck it up and run the electric heat when its so cold out. In NJ it doesnt get into the single digits that often. Gotta do what you gotta do I guess... The next house will be getting the I3100...

Thanks for the responses.
Kevin

 

[stejus]

It may not keep up to the extreme cold, but it still reduces your dependancy on other heat sources. My oil heat is set to 55 on both floors excect a 2 hr AM cycle in the bedrooms. It has cycled in the AM due to these temps. First time this year, I can't complain. I can't imagine how much oil I'd be using for this cold snap without wood buring.

 

[Shari]

k3:

Do you have a chimney block off plate just above your stove? If not, you are losing btu's up the chimney even if the top of the chimney is blocked off.

Also, are here (Wisconsin) numerous stove shops have told us to deduct 30% off manufactures quoted heating area. In that case, a stove rated to heat 1500 sq ft is actually going to heat 1,050 sq ft. This depends on the average temps in your area of course.

Shari

 

[VCBurner]

"Hi Kevin,
Could it be more about the stove placement than firebox size or BTU output? What's the temp in the room where the stove is? We heat 1000 ft ² from a 760ft ² basement install. Total heated space 1,760 ft ². Yesterday it got down to 0 °C in the am the house temp was 63 °C at 9am. The last load was put in at 2am. Today 10 °C outside, 67 °C inside at 9am, 77 °C at 11:30am in the main hallway, 68 °C in the kitchen (furthest from the stove, it was 65 °C at 9am.) Our single story 1960 ranch has 2x4 fiberglass insulated walls with the foil faced batts facing out and plastic vapor barrier facing in. Outside the frame is 1/2 plywood, 3/8 homosote, scalopped cedar shakes, covered with vinyl sidding. Our windows and doors are the weak link. They are the original single pane with storms outside. The doors are just as old. We also have an old non air tight box stove in the fireplace(pic in my avatar), that only takes the chill off the livingroom other wise it would be 70 °C in here. The Surdiac in the basement only has a 1 cubic foot firebox. I hope this helps. Burn on!"

 

[k3c4forlife]

k3:

Do you have a chimney block off plate just above your stove? If not, you are losing btu's up the chimney even if the top of the chimney is blocked off.

Also, are here (Wisconsin) numerous stove shops have told us to deduct 30% off manufactures quoted heating area. In that case, a stove rated to heat 1500 sq ft is actually going to heat 1,050 sq ft. This depends on the average temps in your area of course.

Shari

I installed a layer of rockwool insulation just above the fireplace damper to keep in the insert area. I need to see if there is anything else I can do to help the insert keep up. It should be getting a little warmer out the next few days. It usually isnt this cold in NJ.

 

[k3c4forlife]

k3:

Do you have a chimney block off plate just above your stove? If not, you are losing btu's up the chimney even if the top of the chimney is blocked off.

Also, are here (Wisconsin) numerous stove shops have told us to deduct 30% off manufactures quoted heating area. In that case, a stove rated to heat 1500 sq ft is actually going to heat 1,050 sq ft. This depends on the average temps in your area of course.

Shari

I installed a layer of rockwool insulation just above the fireplace damper to keep the heat in the insert area. I need to see if there is anything else I can do to help the insert keep up. It should be getting a little warmer out the next few days. It usually isnt this cold in NJ.