Regency i2450 noise/harmonic sound

[VA Bart]

I had a Regency i2450 installed last week. Today when the wind kicked up, it produced a harmonic sound similar to blowing across the top of a bottle. The sound stops if I open the draft control. It seems the i2400 had a similar problem that people corrected by placing aluminum tape over the minimum air inlet and punching a hole in it so the edges were ragged or by placing a ring magnet around the inlet. That secondary intake on the i2400 is located on the side opposite of the draft control rod and can be accessed by removing the blower. Unfortunately, it's not in the same location on the i2450.

Does anyone know where it is located? The instruction manual indicates "the I2450M unit has a secondary draft system..." but doesn't say where it is. Thanks!

 

[BigJ273]

I’ve heard this happens when the stove is not hot enough and/or the draw is not established yet. I’ve noticed the same with my i2400. So far, it has stopped once the stove gets hot and the draw gets stronger.

 

[VA Bart]

Thanks.

Actually, it's happening when the insert is dead cold, as in, I haven't even had my first fire in it. Whenever the wind picks up above 6-7 mph (per my weather station), the harmonic sound (hum? moan?) starts. With a light wind, I only need to pull open the draft control a bit to stop the noise. When the wind tops 10 mph (which is often here), I need to open it fully. At first I thought it was simply the wind blowing across the top of the flue, but then I decided to try adjusting the draft control to see if that would silence it. Since it did, I figured that must mean when the draft control is fully or partially closed, the down-draft is pushing air through the minimum intake hole. The problem is that I can't seem to locate that hole on the i2450 to test if it's the problem.

It seems odd that it's not in the same place as the i2400, but such is life I suppose.

UPDATE: The folks who installed it came out over the weekend. They were baffled, so they took a video with sound and said they would send it to Regency. As best as they can tell, Regency may have moved the secondary/minimum intake to the back of the unit, but they're not certain its accessible even if they pull the unit. I'll update this post when they get back to me with an answer from Regency.

UPDATE (about a month later): Regency customer service has been useless. I submitted a question via their online form and also called. A week later, I received a reply with detailed instructions about how to solve the problem for a different model. I reiterated that I owned an I2450, but all I've heard since then is crickets.

The folks who installed it had slightly better luck. Regency sent them photos of where to locate the minimum air intake. They also sent a magnet and said to install it "partially" over the hole. The min. air intake can only be accessed by pulling the unit out about a foot. There are "slots" on the bottom of both sides. If you shine a light through the ones on the right side (the side opposite the draft control), you can see the min. air intake hole in the middle of the unit near the front. Getting the magnet in place isn't too difficult. Just attach it to the outer floor plate and slide it along with something like a wooden ruler or silicone spatula.

But here's the catch: the magnet didn't solve the problem. Perhaps it reduced the volume of the noise a teeny, tiny bit, but even with a 2-3 mph wind, it's still noticeable while sitting in the room.

The installer contacted Regency again, but this time he's also heard nothing but crickets. He also said that when he talked to the regional rep that that fella said a few other people around the country have encountered a similar issue (for whatever that's worth).

Bottom line: the installer offered to swap out the unit for another model, so I'm taking him up on it.

I only did three burns in it. None of them were "full" fires. It seemed to throw off a reasonable (though not excessive) amount of heat. It's difficult for me to judge because the box wasn't fully loaded. I was also impatient with turning on the blower, kicking it on after 10-15 minutes rather than more like 30. The glass stayed reasonably clean, maybe an inch inward from the edge of grime, but it was easily cleaned with a paper towel and some cooktop cleaner.

Needless to say, it's been a frustrating experience.

 

[Squirrley Dan]

I recently had an I2450 installed. It makes a horrific howling sound regardless of fire size/heat. I would like to try to alter the secondary intake as you have with a magnet however I am not certain of the location of it given your description. I also have had no luck getting any information from Regency. Customer care seems to be their last priority.

I installed the 2450 to replace a 15 year old 2400 that spontaneously cracked.

 

[VA Bart]

You need to remove the blower and pull out the unit a bit, so there's perhaps 8" or so of clearance on the right side (when you're facing it, i.e., not the side with the draft control). On the side (again, right, not the side with the draft control), near the bottom, you'll see some openings/slots. Shine a light in the one closest to the front. You'll see the bottom of the outer wall of the firebox. Near the middle, about an inch from front, you'll see a hole. It's about the size of a pencil. That's the air intake hole. You'll want to nudge the magnet in place with something like a ruler.

If that's not clear, you can pull out your unit about 8-12" and snap a photo of the right side and I can point out the slot in the photo, then you can take another by shining a light in it and I can show you where the hole it. That said, if you do both of those things, it's going to be very obvious. If I remember correctly, you can actually see the slots without pulling out the unit. You merely need to remove the blower. But I don't think you can see the air intake without pulling out the unit.

I hope that helps. If not, take a photo or two and I'll try to walk you through it.

 

[Squirrley Dan]

Thanks. Once burning season is over I will do that. I have sent an email to Regency regarding the problem. I will wait to see if I get an answer. Another issue I have encountered is smoke smell entering the room on high fan. If the fire is really rocking there is no smell if the fan is turned to high. If, on high fan, the fire starts to dwindle to almost no flame and only coals with the damper closed down to about an inch open a strong smoke smell is blown into the room. I am wondering given the location of the secondary combustion air inlet hole if the fan is pulling smoke out like a venturi. Anyone else experience this?

 

[VA Bart]

In my experience, Regency has been utterly useless. I emailed and called. As I noted above, the only response to the email I got was a solution to a problem I didn't have. When I replied to further clarify what should have been abundantly clear anyway, I got no response. On a positive note, the operator at Regency was extremely pleasant, but she merely directed my calls to voice mail. From what I gather, no one checks voice mail at Regency, so I guess there's that.

The fellow who installed the I2450 and ultimately replaced it with a CI2600 said that they've had a few clients complaining about the noise. He thought Regency should recall them, but they hadn't at that point.

Re: the smoke issue: that wasn't my experience. Actually, I didn't have any smoke issues. The glass did get dirtier than I expected, but otherwise it seemed to work fairly well. I will say this, though, my initial impression of the CI2600 is quite a bit better than the I2450. I like the flush mount and it seems to throw quite a bit more heat. I don't know about the burn times. I'm still fiddling with the draft control and trying to figure out when to engage the bypass. Also, it seems the auto on my blower may not be working properly, but I've been running it on manual to see how the temperature in the firebox drops/rises when it's on, so I haven't given it much thought.

 

[Squirrley Dan]

Regency responded with.............talk to your installer. It is still howling and still blowing smoke into the room on high fan when the fire begins to die down. I called the installer and he is checking with Regency. More later.

 

[BigJ273]

Tried to find the hole on my 2400. Couldn’t find it. Anyone have a pic?

 

[VA Bart]

Tried to find the hole on my 2400. Couldn’t find it. Anyone have a pic?

Did you pull out the unit and look through the holes at the base on the right side (i.e., opposite side of the one with the draft control)?

If you do and look through the slots on the bottom near the front, the hole is in the middle of what would be the opposite side of the floor of the firebox. It's only a few cm. at most from the front edge. Sorry I don't have a photo (insert has been replaced with a CI2600), but it's really, really obvious if you pull out the unit and shine a light through the bottom slots at the base on the right-hand side. Also, when I say, "pull out the unit," I really mean pulling it out about a foot or so, perhaps a bit less.

 

[VA Bart]

Also, I'm not certain it matters if you block or alter the shape of the hole. Perhaps it reduced the volume of the sound in mine but it didn't eliminate it. The installer said that others have complained about the same issue, so it sounds like the magnet alteration didn't work for anyone else either.

The only solution I found was to keep the draft fully open when I didn't have a fire, but I didn't consider that a viable option.

 

[bholler]

They have the 2400 not the 2450. I believe their hole is accessible from the front if you pull the blower. We don't have the problem often bet when we do I try filing the hole first if that doesn't work a peice of foil tape with about a 1/4" hole in it works for us

 

[bholler]

We haven't sold any of the Cascade line yet. I am not going to push them until they are out for a while and we hear some feedback

 

[VA Bart]

They have the 2400 not the 2450. I believe their hole is accessible from the front if you pull the blower. We don't have the problem often bet when we do I try filing the hole first if that doesn't work a peice of foil tape with about a 1/4" hole in it works for us

Ah, yes. I didn't read closely and figured it was a question about the 2450 since that's the focus of this thread. The secondary intake can be accessed in the 2400 by pulling the blower. It's on the right-hand side. I seem to recall there are quite a few posts about it, including at least one with photos. You just need to search the forum to find them.

 

[BigJ273]

They have the 2400 not the 2450. I believe their hole is accessible from the front if you pull the blower. We don't have the problem often bet when we do I try filing the hole first if that doesn't work a peice of foil tape with about a 1/4" hole in it works for us

I pulled the blower off. Don’t see any small holes at all.

 

[VA Bart]

I pulled the blower off. Don’t see any small holes at all.

Did you search the forum? There are multiple posts about this issue as well as a photo here: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/regency-i2400-howl-draft-noise-another-fix.175222/

 

[Squirrley Dan]

The weather has warmed to a point where I have let the fire go out. Since the insert was cold today I put a magnet over part of the secondary air hole and lit a fire. There is no howl at whatever damper setting I choose. We nearly lost our marbles listening to that howl over the winter!

Not sure about the sound with no fire as it has been burning 24/7 since my first post.

Now to tackle the smoke smell coming into the room on high fan.

 

[BigJ273]

The weather has warmed to a point where I have let the fire go out. Since the insert was cold today I put a magnet over part of the secondary air hole and lit a fire. There is no howl at whatever damper setting I choose. We nearly lost our marbles listening to that howl over the winter!

Not sure about the sound with no fire as it has been burning 24/7 since my first post.

Now to tackle the smoke smell coming into the room on high fan.

Squirrely Dan......lol....I get it! Great show!!

 

[tadmaz]

Would the freestander 2450 have this problem?

 

[Squirrley Dan]

Would the freestander 2450 have this problem?

Don't know.

The quiet was short lived. Todays fire was full of howling when the damper is closed 1/4 way and and on. On high fan when the fire burns down to a coal bed smoke smell, to the point of eye and respiratory irritation, fills the room.

Now I can't open the door to add wood to the coal bed without billows of smoke coming out despite opening the door slowly to promote the draft.

Hopefully the dealer can work with the installer and the manufacturer to FIGURE IT OUT as these issues are risking our health.

 

[BigJ273]

Is ur chimney dirty? Cap plugged?

 

[Woody Stover]

Regency responded with.............talk to your installer. It is still howling and still blowing smoke into the room on high fan when the fire begins to die down. I called the installer and he is checking with Regency.

That's a reason they have dealers..so that they don't have to deal with customers that aren't nerds and have no idea how a stove works.

The quiet was short lived. Todays fire was full of howling when the damper is closed 1/4 way and and on. On high fan when the fire burns down to a coal bed smoke smell, to the point of eye and respiratory irritation, fills the room.
Now I can't open the door to add wood to the coal bed without billows of smoke coming out despite opening the door slowly to promote the draft.
Hopefully the dealer can work with the installer and the manufacturer to FIGURE IT OUT as these issues are risking our health.

Is it any better when the blower is run at lower speed? Why do you run it high..lot of hot air needed to heat the house, or what?

Is ur chimney dirty? Cap plugged?

Yep, that sure sounds like some kind of restriction in the flue..

Would the freestander 2450 have this problem?

You sound like a stove nerd that wants to switch stoves, just for something different. That's why I steered my SIL toward getting a non-cat..I had never run one, and I wanted a new toy to play with.

 

[bholler]

Would the freestander 2450 have this problem?

It can. It all depends upon draft strength

 

[bholler]

Don't know.

The quiet was short lived. Todays fire was full of howling when the damper is closed 1/4 way and and on. On high fan when the fire burns down to a coal bed smoke smell, to the point of eye and respiratory irritation, fills the room.

Now I can't open the door to add wood to the coal bed without billows of smoke coming out despite opening the door slowly to promote the draft.

Hopefully the dealer can work with the installer and the manufacturer to FIGURE IT OUT as these issues are risking our health.

Have you had the installer back out to check things out?

 

[Squirrley Dan]

Is ur chimney dirty? Cap plugged?

No. That was the first thing I checked.

Have you had the installer back out to check things out?

He is coming next week.

Woody Stover...thanks for your enlightening input. Have a great day.