Regency i2400 draft noise

[Mors]

Hello, hopefully this is the right place to post a question and someone might have a suggestion or two Here's the situation, I have a regency i2400 insert that was installed a few months back, and now that the temps are dropping I've been using it several nights a week for 8-9 hours at a time. After getting the fire going, if I reduce the draft control to ~60% or lower I get a humming sound that grows increasing louder as the draft is closed more. I don't mind it so much if I'm just heating the house while we're sleeping, but it makes it annoying to sit in the same room and the only solution is to leave the draft open further which is less efficient. It's hard to tell exactly where the hum is coming from, but it's definitely tied into the how open or closed the draft control rod is. Has anyone heard of or encountered this problem before? Not sure how to handle it in terms of speaking to the installers as it only occurs when a fire is going...Thanks in advance

 

[Dieselbreath]

Common problem with this stove. There is a hole on the right side directly across from the hole for the air control shaft on the left side that likes to moan or howl when there is a good draft. Pull the fan assembly off the front bottom and you will notice a rectangular (if I remember right) hole on the right and left side. Shine a light in the right side one and you should see a hole. I caulked mine to fix the problem, another put a magnet over the hole. Just plug it up & you should be good to go.
Good luck
Dan

 

[michaelryba]

Same stove, same problem, same solution.
There are some other threads that give additional descriptions of where to plug the hole. Actually, first shoved a tiny peice of bark in the hole to see if I had it right. Now it's quiet when I close the damper as you describe.

 

[Mors]

I placed a nickel-sized magnet over the hole and problem solved, much appreciated!

 

[hilly]

I ripped an old speaker apart and got the magnet from that.

 

[Tim Vandersluis]

Hey Folks,

The hole you are referring to is the minimum burn air inlet. Blocking this inlet is a modification which will void your warranty, not to mention the effect on your efficiencies and emissions.

The harmonic noise you are experiencing is a result of a very strong draft pulling across this round smooth hole. The further you close the primary air control, the greater the pressure on this minimum air inlet and the greater the noise in this scenario.

Instead of blocking the hole simply install a strip of aluminum tape over it. Then punch the tape into the hole with a pencil, as close to the original size as possible. This will make the round hole somewhat irregular and diffuse the air, killing the droning sound.

Tim Vandersluis
Regency Fireplace Products
Technical Support Services

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the advice Tim and welcome to Hearth.com. Maybe Regency could develop a small pop-in screen for this hole that could be an easy retrofit?

 

[Tim Vandersluis]

Installing a screen would restrict the hole size too much and would likely require re-certification of the insert. This aluminum tape technique is a slam dunk and since you’re not re-sizing the hole, there are no listing, warranty or performance issues.

 

[begreen]

Do you know if the factory be making any future mods to correct this whistle? Seems to be a common complaint and not every owner comes here to find a solution.

 

[Tim Vandersluis]

The next time this unit comes up for certification I believe this will be addressed, but I'm just tech - not R&D. Bear in mind that although this may seem common, it only occurs in units with an exessive draft issue.