You were unlucky enough to get the VC insert at the worst possible time for the company. Sadly they were purchased by Majestic, who makes gas grills, and they caused the quality to really suffer. And that's sad because VC was one of the best stoves on the market! Right up there with Fisher.

Here in Vermont many of my neighbors have had them literally for decades with no problems. Up here many of us use their stoves as the main heat source during the day.

But they were bought by Majestic, and later sold again to an investment company, and later still sold to another stove manufacturer. So the local stove dealers won't touch VC anymore. But you can get a Vermont Castings gas grill at Home Depot!

But why isn't your stove heating? Do you have a magnetic thermometer on the top of the stove? If not go to your stove shop and get one. They're under five bucks. The surface temp should be between 400 and 600 degrees. And if it's not, you have to figure out why. Is it getting enough air? Can you remove the CAT and try it that way?

But if you want to replace the stove, the VERY first thing I would do is go to a LOCAL stove dealer and talk to them. You want tomeone who will be there if you have any problems. You don't want to keep at the manufacturer, you want to call Mike at the store and talk to him.

Also it depends on what you want. Cast iron? Soapstone? Steel? CAT or non CAT?

In 1990 just after the EPA stepped in and forced 95% of stove manufacturers out of business, I purchased an Avalon stove. The new EPA design. It had pipes running through the chamber and was very efficient. It heated my home in NE Pennsylvania very nicely. We had electric heat so we never had to turn that on again! In 2002 we moved to Vermont. I wanted another stove so I talked to the LOCAL stove shop and they didn't carry Avalon, but they did have Regency. We sized the stove to our newly built home and found that their smallest stove would do fine. The F1100. Total cost including installation and chimney, $2,500.

Currently it's 15 below outside and that stove is heating the house just fine.

And I like the lifetime warranty too. Last year I had a problem with the door handle. I called Mike at the stove shop and he said "we'll send another one right out".

Thanks Christopherh for your insights and experience. I have spoken to a shop that carries my stove who suggested getting it quite hot before channeling the air current through the catalyst. I have not obtained a thermometer but will do so first. I'm guessing that the placement of the thermometer will be different on my inset for it is shielded on top and sides to funnel the air forward with those weak fans.

I could try it without the cat. I did check out your stove F1100 on the web. I'm sure a free standing as that one is would be best. I'm not sure how much more efficient free standing are to insert's.

Thanks again for the help.

The advantage to a free standing stove is that the entire box radiates heat, as oposed to only a portion of an insert doing so.
But all manufacturers, not just Regency have inserts too. What brands does your local stove shop carry?

I have a Hampton HI300 insert that I got 1 year ago and it sure will put out the heat. It has a 2 speed fan which works great. Make sure you are putting in enough wood if that is your problem before you get rid of it.

Christopherh, I have a number of shops here with a large variety of brands. Regency is supplied at the closest shop. There I purchased a magnetized thermometer. They had three brands. I asked what the difference was. He replied the more expensive would be more accurate. Upon examination I determined they were all identical except for the painted colored number scale and logo. I bought the cheapest for I'm sure they were all built from the same company. So much for trusting that sales person. Maybe using this thermometer will get me into the ball park of satisfaction.

Other than the problems I listed initially, the design and construction of the stove's cast iron structure itself seems solid and should be a good stove but as I said those fans are weak and the shop said more powerful ones could not be fitted.

Tombo55, thanks for the tip and I will load it up more than I have.

When we had the Avalon, it had a fan too. We never used it! It just felt like when the fan was on, it was colder in the house, and when we just had the radiant heat, it was warmer.

All that fan should do is just move the air, not keep you warm. So a slow, "weak" fan is good. And take that 10" fan away! Put it in the hallway, not on the stove, as you will never get warm! I speak from experience!

But you've gotta get that stove cranking! And then a slow warm heat will be moving from it with that "weak" fan.

They're calling for wind chills of minus 45 tonight with the air temp of minus 20. My little Regency will surely be cranking!

We installed a Vermont Castings Winter Warm Small insert in 2006. Our experience has been entirely different. We love this stove. With the problems this person experienced, I suspect an installation problem, possibly an operation problem and maybe even a poorly insulated home. We live in Minnesota, our home is a 2600 square foot walkout rambler with 1350 square feet on the first floor. Our Winter Warm is installed in a fireplace on an exterior North wall a little off the center of our home. Our home is well insulated and the Winter Warm insert heats our entire home. Here are some items that may explain our success:

1. We installed an inch of ceramic insulation in the fireplace behind and above the insert.

2. We installed a stainless steel chimney liner

3. We use only well seasoned wood

4. We start our fires with softer wood like poplar, box elder or elm and add harder maple or oak after we have a very hot fire

5. It is important to get a hot fire established before closing the damper

6. It is helpful to add wood before letting the fire burn too low

7. This stove burns best without using the fan. The fan can push heat out into the room but can cool the firebox down and cause the stove to burn less efficiently. Once the brick around the stove heats up, the stove burns even better and we experience a heat that is similar to what one would get from a masonry wood stove.

8. This is a small stove and it will not heat a cold area quickly but, once it is going, it can put out a lot of heat for a small amount of wood

9. Burning a little poplar or box elder along with oak will help keep the oak from sooting up the glass.

10. It is important to clean the catalyst periodically to make sure that smoke can flow through it and burned before going out the chimney.

We had to replace our first catalyst pretty quickly. I think that putting wood with a little snow on it into the stove may cause this problem. Our replacement catalyst has been good for years now.

I was sad to see Vermont Casting discontinue this stove. I would definitely buy another!