Quad 5100i ACC big time problem......please help.

RayBurner · Mar 13, 2013

Let me start out by thanking all you experts for being so helpful to a rookie with a million questions.

I am new to this site and new to wood insert burning. I've had my Quad for 3 weeks now and am extremely frustrated. I have to reload every 2-3 hours. My temp will get to 500 but it goes down to 150-250 within the reload time.

I'm burning dry wood as I've purchased a moisture reader and I'm between 12-18%. It's mainly Ash and some Maple.

I did the $1 test and it pulled out fairly easy. My dealer who I don't think is very knowledgable put in a new gasket. The $1 still pulled out the same. I talked to a guy at Quad and he told me to remove a washer on the handle, the $1 pulls out a little harder--but I still have the same results.

Also my chimney is 28 feet high. I live in metro Detroit.

One other thing is I will put 3-4 splits (as much as I can fit-due mainly to having such a deep coal bed 4-6") in when I leave for work at 8 and when I return at 3 I have a bunch of red hot coals but not much ash. The temp on the stove will read 150ish when I return after even being gone 3+ hours and the thermostat in the house will have kicked on losing 5-6 degrees from the morning.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Quad does not seem too helpful.

Jags · Mar 13, 2013

Hmmm...thoughts...
First - dry wood, 12-18%. Reading 12% on air dried wood tells me that you are probably probing the outside of the wood surface. Do you re-split and then test the newly exposed face?

Second - a coal bed of 4-6" seems a bit excessive. Wood (dryness) can be a factor in this as well. Variety of wood can also be a factor. I know you said ash, but what kind of maple (soft/hard)?

Your 5100 has the same size firebox as my Isle royale. No way in heck can I burn up a full load in 2 or 3 hours unless I allow it to go thermonuclear.

If your gasket offers resistance, that is really all that is needed. No need to be able to tear a dollar bill in half or anything.

How long will the stove maintain 500 before it starts to drop? Where are your air settings? Does the ACC close the start up air completely?

And welcome to the forum. Stick with us and we will get this figured out.

begreen · Mar 13, 2013

Excellent assessment Jags. Agreed, on reload there should only be enough coals to rake forward to the front of the stove, then reload behind them. Reloading on a large hot coal bed is only going to help the reload burn down quickly.I'm also concerned about the temps the stove might be reaching loaded this way. Have you tracked it on a weekend?

To help burn down the coals faster, open up the air and put a small 2-3" split of dry pine or softwood on top. a 2"x4" scrap will also do. You might also try loading less wood for the overnight loading to have less coals in the am.

RayBurner · Mar 13, 2013

Jags thanks for your reply--I have re-split my wood in taking moisture readings, as someone else on the forum had suggested to me. 12% is not the norm, but I have had readings that low. The norm is usually 15-17%.

80% of the wood I am burning is Ash and the rest is Maple. I don't know if it is soft or hard Maple. How do you tell? Also what does thermonuclear mean??

The stove will maintain 500 for no more than 1 hour. I have tried all different combination settings with the Burn Rate Control and the Start-Up Control. It doesn't seem to make a difference in how long my wood will last until the next reload. Also I never have a problem getting the fire started. I believe the Start-Up is getting closed completely, but how so I know for certain???

Thanks for your help.

Jags · Mar 13, 2013

15-17% should light like it was impregnated with kerosene. Stick your thumbnail into the maple. If you make a fair dent, it is soft. If you can barely make a dent (if at all) it is hard. For the record, I have noticed more coaling with Ash than some other varieties. YMMV.

You should be able to maintain 500f for at least a few hours. The start up is used only for start up. If the lever returns to its normal position, I would assume that it is closing properly.

Your primary air setting should have a drastic effect on the way the wood is burning. If it doesn't, check for proper connection (refer to owners manual for break down). This will probably require some work on your part.

At what setting do you normally try to run the stove when it is "cruising"?. For ref. I run mine 5-10% open.

Pallet Pete · Mar 13, 2013

RayBurner said:
Jags thanks for your reply--I have re-split my wood in taking moisture readings, as someone else on the forum had suggested to me. 12% is not the norm, but I have had readings that low. The norm is usually 15-17%.

80% of the wood I am burning is Ash and the rest is Maple. I don't know if it is soft or hard Maple. How do you tell? Also what does thermonuclear mean??

The stove will maintain 500 for no more than 1 hour. I have tried all different combination settings with the Burn Rate Control and the Start-Up Control. It doesn't seem to make a difference in how long my wood will last until the next reload. Also I never have a problem getting the fire started. I believe the Start-Up is getting closed completely, but how so I know for certain???

Thanks for your help.

I am still thinking you have to strong of a draft ! I would be glad to come over and inspect your setup and see what I can find for you. Let me know on that. As for the draft 28ft is tall and too much draft can suck the heat out so fast the stove won't get very hot for long. The door is not helping either and I would like to see if I can remedy that too. From our conversation I am seriously beginning to think the latch is bent on the inside. I have a few tricks to test the draft out that could be a cheap indicator of how it's flowing.

Pete

Jags · Mar 13, 2013

...And I would take Pete up on his offer. A pair of eyes that have some experience behind them might be able to detect something that conversation can't.

alex johnson · Mar 13, 2013

RayBurner said:
Let me start out by thanking all you experts for being so helpful to a rookie with a million questions.

I am new to this site and new to wood insert burning. I've had my Quad for 3 weeks now and am extremely frustrated. I have to reload every 2-3 hours. My temp will get to 500 but it goes down to 150-250 within the reload time.

I'm burning dry wood as I've purchased a moisture reader and I'm between 12-18%. It's mainly Ash and some Maple.

I did the $1 test and it pulled out fairly easy. My dealer who I don't think is very knowledgable put in a new gasket. The $1 still pulled out the same. I talked to a guy at Quad and he told me to remove a washer on the handle, the $1 pulls out a little harder--but I still have the same results.

Also my chimney is 28 feet high. I live in metro Detroit.

One other thing is I will put 3-4 splits (as much as I can fit-due mainly to having such a deep coal bed 4-6") in when I leave for work at 8 and when I return at 3 I have a bunch of red hot coals but not much ash. The temp on the stove will read 150ish when I return after even being gone 3+ hours and the thermostat in the house will have kicked on losing 5-6 degrees from the morning.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Quad does not seem too helpful.

Hello, Mr. Frustrated. We all have been there. What hit me is the 28 foot of flue, that much flue can pull one hell of a vacuum. If it's a true airtight stove, that much vacuum. Should not be a problem, you may have to shut your air controls down even farther, than normal. If its. Not aritight, not good. A good thing to do, no fire in the stove at all. be cool to the touch. Light something that will smoke, and run that smoke around the stove to see if it is sucking air, through a crack. With out a fire you will still be pulling a draft, with 28 foot of flue. When they epa test stoves they have a flue that is 13'8". your above that by 15 feet. also when your stove is starting to slow down, and cools off. it is still sucking warm air from the house.

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