Review - Regency Cascades I1500 Hybrid Catalytic Fireplace Insert

[cloudmover]

In the summer of 2021, we had the Regency Cascades I1500 Hybrid Catalytic Fireplace Insert installed in our first-floor living room. It has been in service for three months. I now think I can give it a fair review.

Am I happy I purchased it? Yes.
Does it supplement the heat in my 2000 sq. ft. home? Yes.
Any smoke from the chimney when the catalyst is active? No. None.
The glass stays very clean during use with a small amount of discoloration on the two bottom corners.
Would I purchase the stove again? Yes, with one caveat.

This year, we are burning kiln-dried firewood. I have had no problem lighting or keeping the fire lit.

One thing before I continue, in my opinion, the fan is ESSENTIAL to the stove’s use and heat distribution. I don’t understand why Regency would sell it as an option. The heat the stove puts out is minuscule without the fan.

Heating
From whatever the starting temperature is in my home, I can raise the temperature two degrees in every room. If it’s 65 degrees, after about an hour of wood stove use, the temperature will rise to 67. That's not bad. It heats up my living room, kitchen, dining room, bedrooms and attic. Strangely enough, the steam pipes might be helping transfer the heat. The contractors who worked on my home in the 1920s did not seal the steam pipes from the basement, first, second and attic floors. We feel a convective breeze through the steam pipe floor holes when the stove is on.

Catalytic Converter
The catalytic converter seems to be working well. Using the supplied Regency probe thermometer, if I pack the stove 3/4 full, I can achieve catalyst temperatures from about 1000 to 1250 degrees. A few times, after my “terror Jenga” loading, I managed to find the right shaped firewood pieces and completely filled the firebox. The catalyst temperature rose above 1400 and stayed there for about a half hour before finding the 1200 temperature. Those were good if somewhat terrifying nights.

Overnight Burn
I cannot achieve anywhere NEAR the Regency stated 10-12 hour burn. Let me clarify that statement. If Regency means the coals from a fire will go out in 10 hours, then I guess that’s about right. If I start the fire at 10:00 PM, I will have a few coals at 8:00 AM to restart the fire. Realistically, I can achieve approximately 5-6 hours of usable heat before the fan cuts off and the firebox is a pile of glowing coals.

I get the best results with a North-South loading pattern averaging about an hour more than East-West. I often wonder if there is an issue with my stove. Sometimes it seems like I am burning through the wood at a furious pace, even with the air intake closed. I have tried the dollar bill test on the door. It passes. I might post a video and ask the forum for help if this continues.

The Caveat
North-South loading. To “hopefully” achieve the longest burns, I need to load North to South. Since my small firebox can only hold a 10-inch log, I have to CUT DOWN EVERY SINGLE LOG I purchase. In addition to the hours required to complete the cutting task, we have to find or adapt firewood racks to hold the smaller 10-inch logs. This is a massive hassle.

We purchased this wood stove after eliminating all other insert options because they were too large for our fireplace opening. We had no other choice. I AM delighted with my purchase. The heat from the wood stove keeps us warm in a way that no other heat does. However, if you are in the market for this Cascades series and can buy a larger model, do it. Don’t worry about the cost. The freedom to put any standard log in the firebox in any configuration you choose would be more than worth it. I would exchange my insert for a larger Cascades model in a heartbeat if it fit my fireplace opening.

 

[snobuilder]

Great honest review. I was getting overnight burns in my DAKA add-on wood furnace before I added a secondary array to burn cleaner.
But I was rolling slow coal so to speak at creosote build temps. I am ok with the trade off but loping down into the basement at 3 am after loading at 8-9pm is only fun like 3-4 times a week.

 

[bholler]

Honestly as a regency dealer I am not a fan of the cascade line. And really don't try to sell them at all.

Also not sure why they eliminated the larger firebox they used to have.

 

[begreen]

The 5-6 hr "real" burn time sounds about right for that size firebox. Many long burn time claims are just marketing, or with a major caveat like: 24 hr burn time tested in Portland, OR at 45º outside in a well-insulated house. The same stove might only provide 8 hrs usable heat in an old Portland, ME farmhouse at 10º.

 

[wjohn]

The 5-6 hr "real" burn time sounds about right for that size firebox. Many long burn time claims are just marketing, or with a major caveat like: 24 hr burn time tested in Portland, OR at 45º outside in a well-insulated house. The same stove might only provide 8 hrs usable heat in an old Portland, ME farmhouse at 10º.

Regency has a nice page at least explaining what they define as burn time, which is better than most manufacturers: https://www.regency-fire.com/en/Blog/Burn-Times-Explained-How-they-Work-How-to-Maximize

Excerpt:

"What are Burn Times?​

A burn time is the total amount of time a single load of wood will burn from ignition through to smoldering. This includes from the time you light a stove, to when the coals are hot enough that you can add another log and the fire ignites again (without having to use another match). Burn time does not refer to the amount of time a piece of wood will display visible flames and be producing large amounts of heat (BTUs)."

By their definition/per the video in that link, I have been getting 24 hour burn times out of my Aspen C3, even a 36 hour burn time once, ha... Matchless relights with some kindling on the buried coals is pretty easy. But the stove hasn't had any significant heat output for 12 hours or so after 24 hours. I agree that at some point the stove stops putting out enough heat to continue heating the space adequately and that is a variable the stove manufacturer can't control.

It would be nice if some industry group came up with a standard for this so we could compare apples to apples, but I doubt that happens anytime soon if ever.

I do take for granted cutting my own wood to whatever length I need. I can see how cutting everything down to 10" is pretty annoying when purchasing firewood.

 

[snobuilder]

It would be nice if some industry group came up with a standard for this so we could compare apples to apples, but I doubt that happens anytime soon if ever.

I do take for granted cutting my own wood to whatever length I need. I can see how cutting everything down to 10" is pretty annoying when purchasing firewood.

Your times will vary....LOL...of course depending on your wood splits species size etc. so apples to apples will most likely be asparagus to weeds.

You make a great point on the 10" of N/S room the Regency has....I cut my logs to 16-18" which will have to change with my new Peasant Hearth which is 14" usable in depth....I never considered anything but the width as my orientation. These new stoves are real game changers for something so simple as a fire.

 

[AstroBoy]

Thanks for starting this thread and sharing your experience! It’s timely for me since I’m considering both the i1500 and the i2500. Our fireplace opening is 49” x 26.5”, so plenty of room for the larger unit (and then some), but our first floor living space is only about 600 sq. ft. Second floor is about the same, plus another ~300 sq ft. in a bedroom that extends over the garage (but which probably won’t get much heat from the fireplace).

So I’m a little concerned about overwhelming the main floor with heat, but the smaller unit would look tiny in that big fireplace, so I’m leaning toward the i2500. It’s helpful to hear your experience with the small firebox of the i1500, which also pushes me a bit toward the larger unit. Going to look at both at a local dealer this weekend to see what we think.

 

[cloudmover]

So I’m a little concerned about overwhelming the main floor with heat, but the smaller unit would look tiny in that big fireplace, so I’m leaning toward the i2500. It’s helpful to hear your experience with the small firebox of the i1500, which also pushes me a bit toward the larger unit. Going to look at both at a local dealer this weekend to see what we think.

If you are concerned about overheating the main floor, you can use less wood. I would get the bigger model. The I1500 does a fantastic, efficient job but, there hasn't been a night during this 2021-2022 winter that I wish we could have installed the larger unit.

I have been trying to see if I can squeeze a little more burn time on my stove with North-South / East-West configurations. Sunday morning, I packed it full of something that was as hot as hell and burned FOREVER . Now, I am also going to have to pay close attention to what species of wood I am using. I would have never thought that burning wood was so complicated.

BTW
I made a jig to cut my firewood down to a size that will fit N/S in my stove. I do this every three weeks.

 

[JonH]

Honestly as a regency dealer I am not a fan of the cascade line. And really don't try to sell them at all.

Also not sure why they eliminated the larger firebox they used to have.

What do you think of the classic line i2450/hi2450? I’m also frustrated bc I want a large firebox non-cat but regency only makes larges with a cat. Every regency dealer around here promotes the 2450s, I’d love to hear your unbiased opinion since you’re not getting the sale from me. I tend to believe them bc 2 of them told me off the record that they weren’t a fan of the ci2700, they’d love to sell it to me bc of the price tag but can’t in good conscience promote it (unless I was dead set on it).

 

[bholler]

What do you think of the classic line i2450/hi2450? I’m also frustrated bc I want a large firebox non-cat but regency only makes larges with a cat. Every regency dealer around here promotes the 2450s, I’d love to hear your unbiased opinion since you’re not getting the sale from me. I tend to believe them bc 2 of them told me off the record that they weren’t a fan of the ci2700, they’d love to sell it to me bc of the price tag but can’t in good conscience promote it (unless I was dead set on it).

The 2450s are good stoves. Not much different from the old 2400s they sold for years but they aren't very big.

The ci2700 has been around for quite a while now and after some initial issues has worked very well. I would choose it over a cascade any day.

 

[AstroBoy]

The ci2700 has been around for quite a while now and after some initial issues has worked very well. I would choose it over a cascade any day.

Man, just 1% shy of qualifying for the tax credit… (HHV of 74%)

 

[begreen]

Man, just 1% shy of qualifying for the tax credit… (HHV of 74%)

That's true of many stoves. 75% is an arbitrary mark that cut out many stoves.

 

[JonH]

Honestly as a regency dealer I am not a fan of the cascade line. And really don't try to sell them at all.

Also not sure why they eliminated the larger firebox they used to have.

I just found out tonight that the 26% tax credit would benefit us. So now I’m looking at the i2500 and the blaze king princess or ashford (and any unit that is good and can give me a bigger tax refund). Will u please elaborate on why u don’t like the cascades? In my un trained eye the catalyst appears to only be there to reduce emissions and not up front like BKs or the i2700.

 

[bholler]

I just found out tonight that the 26% tax credit would benefit us. So now I’m looking at the i2500 and the blaze king princess or ashford (and any unit that is good and can give me a bigger tax refund). Will u please elaborate on why u don’t like the cascades? In my un trained eye the catalyst appears to only be there to reduce emissions and not up front like BKs or the i2700.

Yes my problem is that the heat from the cat is completely wasted. And the durability of a moving cat is very questionable.

 

[JonH]

Yes my problem is that the heat from the cat is completely wasted. And the durability of a moving cat is very questionable.

I find it strange and disappointing that the i2700 can't hit the 75% but their i2500 can, seems like with Regency's money they could figure out how to squeak out 1% and make their most modern looking stove eligible for the 26%.

 

[bholler]

I find it strange and disappointing that the i2700 can't hit the 75% but their i2500 can, seems like with Regency's money they could figure out how to squeak out 1% and make their most modern looking stove eligible for the 26%.

When they were developing the stove they didn't know about the tax credit or what the cutoff would be

 

[JonH]

Yes my problem is that the heat from the cat is completely wasted. And the durability of a moving cat is very questionable.

The i2500 looks like it has the same # of air tubes as the 2450 but just has the addition of a cat, so in theory if the cat gets messed up could it just be removed and used like a regular i2450 until a new cat was installed? The tax credit is tempting

 

[MrMattNH]

Yes my problem is that the heat from the cat is completely wasted. And the durability of a moving cat is very questionable.

Hey bholler, it’s been a while since this post but can you elaborate on “the heat from the cat [being] completely wasted”? I have this same model and feel the cat only serves to boost the flue temperatures but I feel less heat output.

 

[bholler]

Hey bholler, it’s been a while since this post but can you elaborate on “the heat from the cat [being] completely wasted”? I have this same model and feel the cat only serves to boost the flue temperatures but I feel less heat output.

When slid into place the cat is directly below the flue outlet meaning any heat given off by the cat goes straight up the chimney

 

[MrMattNH]

When slid into place the cat is directly below the flue outlet meaning any heat given off by the cat goes straight up the chimney

Thank you, that’s what I was thinking all along perhaps some of the radiant heat hits the stove body but probably not. It just sucks the combustion air out of the box, leaving higher temps in the chimney, but more coals and lower temps down below.

 

[bholler]

Thank you, that’s what I was thinking all along perhaps some of the radiant heat hits the stove body but probably not. It just sucks the combustion air out of the box, leaving higher temps in the chimney, but more coals and lower temps down below.

The flue collar does run through the convective jacket so a little heat will be scavenged there but not much in that short distance

 

[cloudmover]

I've found that with the blower on, the air is significantly hotter when the Catalyst is engaged. I can't hold my hand against the blower air when the Catalyst is in the 1200s. As I said in my review, this unit can barely be called a heat source without the blower.

I'll never know if my stove underperforms or works fantastically. Actually, that's not true. My family is in the early planning stages of a winter getaway, and the cabins we are looking at have wood stoves. Maybe I'll find the model for my NEXT house on my trip!


Since I am here, let me write a-

Quick 2nd season review

In September, the sweeps cleaned the stainless steel liner. The chimney tech said my liner was as clean as expected.
Note - To clean the flue, one must remove the front burner tube, top fire brick baffles, and the Catalyst. I did it myself since the sweeps said they "were not liable if they broke something in disassembling the unit."

The Catalyst showed no damage.

Strangely enough, the stove is performing better this season. I "THINK" that either the top baffles were not correctly installed by my dealer and/or they shifted when I placed firewood in the chamber. In any case, the wood is burning longer on average than last year.

All in all, we are still pleased with our purchase.

Upon reflection, I wish the buying process for a wood appliance was more consumer friendly. Only one of the two stove dealers in my area had wood stoves on display. My selection was further limited by which manufacturer those dealers distribute. True, I could have found some online shop to ship me any stove I wanted and found someone to install it. I thought of doing that and had lined up a few prospects, but the Achilles heel of this process was, for some reason, wood stove manufacturers only communicate with dealers.

I know things can go (innocently) wrong, and I didn't want to be in a position where I was posting on hearth.com for a simple fix or part to get my wood stove fixed because the manufacturer wouldn't speak to me.