regency insert owners

[dswineford]

I would like to know how many of you insert owners have added a flue damper to your insert. This could be a dumb question because typically you cannot adjust it once it's inserted. But I have the back all exposed because it's in a see-thru fireplace. I'm thinking of putting one in because my heat seems to be going up the flue and i have a super strong draft. I'm thinking I could slow down the burn time and get more heat out of the box by doing so. Right now I have to run it with the primary about 1/2 closed , any more than that and I get to much coals that don't want to burn up.

 

[burntime]

I have the hampton, same insert with a different face. Why not just choke it off more with the standard controls? Unless you have a very long chimney it should not be needed. Do you have a block off plate installed?

 

[dswineford]

Yes I have a blockoff plate. Like I said if I choke it down with primary air I don't get everything to burn up, lots of coals. I have a really stong draft, to strong I think.
You say "standard controls"? I only have one, a primary air inlet control. You got more than that?

 

[burntime]

When I get a lot of coal buildup it is usually slightly damp wood. You will get the big chunks of "charcoal" left. Unless something was way out of the ordinary I can not see needing the additional damper.

 

[dswineford]

You say “standard controls”? I only have one, a primary air inlet control. You got more than that?
Wood is Ash- it might be just a little damp, but I don't think so, it sure burns good.

 

[burntime]

Nope, 1 is all I have. I had an old insert and used to split my wood and leave it large. Now I use much smaller splits. Try that? Wood does not season as fast when it is larger pieces.

 

[dswineford]

That's funny you should say small splits work better for you. I get better burn with one large split and then put a smaller one in front of it. If I use smaller splits, then that's when I get lots of coals that is hard to get ride of. BTW, I've tried every burn method EW and NS, lincoln log, cris cross you name it.

 

[burntime]

I get more heat with smaller and it seasons faster. The only thing other than that I can think of is your stove is possessed :cheese: Some woods produce a lot of coal, some do not. Maybe that is the answer? I know I pull out about 6 shovel fulls of ash everyday and have small coals still left. Are you expecting just silt left? I am scratching my head on this one?

 

[dswineford]

Ash wood is not as good as oak,maple,etc.. but all I got. If I burn small splits I got to run hot! or I get lots of coals. When I say lots of coals I mean a 3 or 4" thick bed of coals that will eventually insulate the bottom of the stove and cause alot less heat to be pushed out. Then I got to stir them up and get real creative on how to burn them up. A real pain in the azz

 

[burntime]

Ok, how long does it take to get 3-4 inchs of coals? Are we talking 2 hours or 24? If its 24, well that is pretty normal, take some out each morning.

 

[dswineford]

Ok, how long does it take to get 3-4 inchs of coals? Are we talking 2 hours or 24? If its 24, well that is pretty normal, take some out each morning.

3 or 4 hours. And if I let them burn down, stove cools off after about 4 or 5 hours and they won't burn up. I have to rake them into two rows and put 2 or 3 splits EW accros them, or rake all coals to the front and put a log on top to try to burn it down. The whole time temp is not great.

 

[burntime]

I gotta go back to the wet wood again. Try a different species??? Sorry, I am of no help at this point...at least you got your moneys worth!

 

[dswineford]

Thanks! I still think I'm gonna try a damper to keep more heat from going up the chim, could help burn up the coals by keeping them hotter longer.

 

[ibelieve]

Not to hijack this thread, and I can start another if you would prefer, but I to have a see-thru fireplace and have not been able to find any insert for it. I see that you have an insert in a see-thru fireplace and was wondering how that works.

The fireplace I have is a pre-fab unit by Lennox ( http://www.lennoxhearthproducts.com/products/overview.asp?pid=251 ) and is in a new home. All it does is smoke ... no matter what I have tried ... seems I create a lot of negative pressure after a couple hour of burn time. I was hoping that an insert might help solve the smoking problem.

I found this unit ( http://mb-soft.com/juca/jucal.html ) from JUCA that is custom built for see-thru fireplaces.

Basically, it would be nice if my see-thru worked but we are getting tired of the smoke alarms going off and going to bed with our eyes and throats burning.

/Steve

 

[burntime]

If it were me I would brick up one side.

 

[dswineford]

My house is 30 years old, and see-thru is very large. Never worked right, so we never used it. Flue is 13.5"sq and 25' high and gets way to much draft. So insert was a big help. It has a full liner with cap and blockoff plate, but still has strong draft. I blocked off backside of seethru with cheepie glass doors, can use empty space for storeing ash pail or kids use it to dry out wet gloves or boots from playing out in snow. Seethru is custom built masonary, not prefab. All in all, works fine, and have only used 200 gal propane, as opposed to 2000 gal. burning 24/7.