Should this crack worry me? Hampton HI300

[pulldownclaw]

I think these holes are for the recycled heat to give the glass a wash. I'm thinking I need to replace my gasket anyway, wondering if this crack is from air leaking in and overheating that area. Thanks

 

[HotCoals]

Looks like a stress crack. Your theory maybe true but I would not worry much about it. Though that may just be me.

 

[begreen]

It does look like an area of poor gasket contact. It may have overheated that area. How long has it been this way?

 

[bobdog2o02]

In that location I wouldn't be worried but would check the gasket as it was likely the culprit.

 

[skinanbones]

that's a common area for all regency's to crack at over time. Also check really close in the corners and at the cut out for the door latch, you may see the start of small cracks there. It seem any unit over 6 years old that we come across has a crack somewhere on the face.

 

[pulldownclaw]

Thanks guys, appreciate the input. I only noticed it at the end of last season's burning. My unit is 6 or 7 years old I guess. I'll try and tackle the gasket before I get fired up this year.
Glad to be back on Hearth, I've been awol for a few years....

Cheers!

 

[bjkjoseph]

Underneath right where the crack is..is completely rotted out on my hampton...I have to pull it out and see if i can get it welded...for now i will use furnace cement...This will be my last steel wood stove,they are way too expensive for this to happen.

 

[velvetfoot]

Underneath right where the crack is..is completely rotted out on my hampton...I have to pull it out and see if i can get it welded...for now i will use furnace cement...This will be my last steel wood stove,they are way too expensive for this to happen.

Just discovered the same thing. Not sure how to proceed.

 

[velvetfoot]

Called my dealer. He's getting ball rolling.

 

[bholler]

I am a regency dealer and that is covered under warantee get ahold of your dealer. We honestly dont see that many cracked but i have see 2 with cracks like that that have spread further.

 

[velvetfoot]

I am a regency dealer and that is covered under warantee get ahold of your dealer. We honestly dont see that many cracked but i have see 2 with cracks like that that have spread further.

Not only are there cracks in the air wash manifold, but it looks like a chuck of metal in the middle rotted out.

 

[sportbikerider78]

The good news is that the crack is a round hole and that means its likelyhood of spreading is less. Holes are often drilled to stop cracks.

 

[velvetfoot]

A tech person at the stove dealer is in touch with the company.

Front:

 

[bholler]

Not only are there cracks in the air wash manifold, but it looks like a chuck of metal in the middle rotted out.

Yeah they have since switched the design of that deflector to a bolt in stainless one. The old design was a problem

 

[velvetfoot]

I should say on mine, the front plate with the holes is not cracked.

 

[bholler]

I should say on mine, the front plate with the holes is not cracked.

In my experince once that heatdeflector cracks and warps it is only a matter of time before the front cracks

 

[velvetfoot]

In my experince once that heatdeflector cracks and warps it is only a matter of time before the front cracks

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind during my interaction with the dealer.

 

[velvetfoot]

Here is response from dealer:

Hi xxxx,

Below is the response I received Regency. So currently no problem to use just keep an eye on it and get back in touch if you see a crack in the steel body. At that time we can put in a warranty claim.

“Yes, this is the smoke deflector. There isn’t a replacement one and the current one can’t be retrofitted.

Currently, if this is the only issue with the unit, they can continue to use the unit. Just monitor that area. If the steel that the smoke deflector attaches to ever cracks, then discontinue the use of the unit.”

 

[bholler]

I would tell your dealer to go back and insist on a replacement. Regency has replaced stoves for us with less damage.

 

[jscs.moore]

Thanks guys, appreciate the input. I only noticed it at the end of last season's burning. My unit is 6 or 7 years old I guess. I'll try and tackle the gasket before I get fired up this year.
Glad to be back on Hearth, I've been awol for a few years....

Cheers!

Welcome back! I be going into my third season with the Hampton HI300 this fall. Love the unit. I had a block off plate installed last season and definitely noticed a big difference since I have an exterior chimney. I really think it's a work horse, only complaint is when it's really really cold it can just chew through the wood! Forget about 7 or 8 hours burns, I'm reloading to a full firebox every 4 to 5 hrs? You ever experience this problem...I think it could just be because it's a non-cat unit?

 

[begreen]

Sounds normal. Any stove, cat or non-cat is going to experience reduced burn times when pushed hard to keep up with very cold weather.

 

[jscs.moore]

Sounds normal. Any stove, cat or non-cat is going to experience reduced burn times when pushed hard to keep up with very cold weather.

Thanks Begreen, so the cat stove owners who often claim they just load up the firebox, light the fire and receive 10 to 12 hours of toasty home comfort without doing anything else...are just telling tall tales These claims always seemed like "fish stories" to me, especially in really cold weather?

 

[edyit]

cold is relative. whats cold to someone from northern california is different than what someone from my area in the adirondacks would call cold, and i'm sure that @Poindexter has an entirely different view on what cold is compared to me. burn times are also relative to how well your residence is insulated as well.

 

[Poindexter]

Thanks Begreen, so the cat stove owners who often claim they just load up the firebox, light the fire and receive 10 to 12 hours of toasty home comfort without doing anything else...are just telling tall tales These claims always seemed like "fish stories" to me, especially in really cold weather?

I have no trouble achieving 12-18 hour burns in shoulder seasons. Most of my winter i run 2 back to back 12 hour burns every day.

In really "cold" weather i squeeze a 4 in the evening between two 10s.

Were i to upgrade to a BK king i could probably get through the winter on mostly 24s with some 18s in the colder weeks.

They arent fish stories, its balancing the firebox size to the desired BTUs per hour.

Calling for snow in the Brooks Range today, forecast 4" accumulation on the Haul Road of Ice Road Trucker fame through Anatuvik Pass, more at higher elevations.

 

[begreen]

Thanks Begreen, so the cat stove owners who often claim they just load up the firebox, light the fire and receive 10 to 12 hours of toasty home comfort without doing anything else...are just telling tall tales These claims always seemed like "fish stories" to me, especially in really cold weather?

Edyit has it right. Burn times are going to vary with outdoor temps and windiness vs the home's sealing and insulation.

There also is a large variance in the burn times between different manufacturer's stoves, particularly in cat stoves. Blaze King and Woodstock have very good burn times. Buck stoves are good, but the don't seem to get quite as long burn times. Some of the hybrid cat stoves even a bit less. Regardless of the stove type, burn time will vary with the season. A stove that gets 24 hr burn times when the heat demand is low may only provide 10 hr burn times when the heat demand is high. It's simply a matter of how much heat is required to keep up with the house's heat loss.

This is the same with our big non-cat stove. We live in a milder climate zone where average winter temps are in the low 30s. Our stove will provide 12 hr burn times during this weather. This will vary bit with the wood species being burned and how well the stove is loaded. If the temps drop into the low 20s or teens then our burn time goes down to about 8 hrs.. The change is not a fault of the stove. The house is old and has too much glass area equaling a lot of heat loss. We need more BTUs to stay comfortable so the stove is pushed to provide them.

If you want longer cold weather burn times, figure out how to reduce heat loss. We are considering insulated curtains or shades as an option and sealing up recessed can lights.