QUDRA FIRE 7100 in house smoke

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kenh

New Member
Nov 10, 2010
2
central calif.
My qudra fire 7100 is three years old. I get a lot of smoke in the house when its up an running. Starting a new fire requires the burning of paper first to warm up the chimney. If I do not do this it generates so much smoke in the firebox that it starts coming out the intake vents at the bottom of the fireplace. I have never had this problem with other fireplaces I've owned. Also when its not being used I get a lot of cold air coming out the bottom intake vents. I have it set to heat outside air. I hope its just my operating ignorance and not a mechanical problem. I did have it installed by the fireplace shop I bought it from so I hope it was done properly. Any input would be helpful. Wow i'm sitting here just ready to send this post and my smoke alarms go off.
Thanks

Kenh
 
kenh said:
My qudra fire 7100 is three years old. I get a lot of smoke in the house when its up an running. Starting a new fire requires the burning of paper first to warm up the chimney. If I do not do this it generates so much smoke in the firebox that it starts coming out the intake vents at the bottom of the fireplace. I have never had this problem with other fireplaces I've owned. Also when its not being used I get a lot of cold air coming out the bottom intake vents. I have it set to heat outside air. I hope its just my operating ignorance and not a mechanical problem. I did have it installed by the fireplace shop I bought it from so I hope it was done properly. Any input would be helpful. Wow i'm sitting here just ready to send this post and my smoke alarms go off.
Thanks

Kenh
Click to expand...
How tall is your flue. is it lined.
 
kenh said:
My qudra fire 7100 is three years old. I get a lot of smoke in the house when its up an running. Starting a new fire requires the burning of paper first to warm up the chimney. If I do not do this it generates so much smoke in the firebox that it starts coming out the intake vents at the bottom of the fireplace. I have never had this problem with other fireplaces I've owned. Also when its not being used I get a lot of cold air coming out the bottom intake vents. I have it set to heat outside air. I hope its just my operating ignorance and not a mechanical problem. I did have it installed by the fireplace shop I bought it from so I hope it was done properly. Any input would be helpful. Wow i'm sitting here just ready to send this post and my smoke alarms go off.
Thanks

Kenh
Click to expand...

Yeah, how tall is the flue. THe 7100 requires either the double wall air cooled or the triple wall air/insulated flue. WHich one do you have?
Do you have the outside air open? I know on my North Star, same basic unit as your 7100, if forget to open the outside air up it has a tendency to do what you describe, but really not to any bad degree, but I have a 28' flue.
 
My flu is 17-18 foot tall,not insulated and the bonnet very close to the top of the chase (approx 1 foot from top) per installers recommendation. The outside air is on. The paper burn for chimmy preheat was recommended in the mfg operating manual. I suspect the flu may not be tall enough to create enough draw. If this is correct how much taller should I go? Does anyone know if there are manufacturer reps that can be used to analyze installations or do they just look tyhe other way after sale and leave it up to us to solve problems. I will go back to seller but they outsource the installations so I don't know how that will turn out.
 
Q-fire writes that my insert is tested at 12-14 foot chimney length, measured from the bottom of the insert. That's not very high. The 17 feet should be plenty.
 
kenh said:
My flu is 17-18 foot tall,not insulated and the bonnet very close to the top of the chase (approx 1 foot from top) per installers recommendation. The outside air is on. The paper burn for chimmy preheat was recommended in the mfg operating manual. I suspect the flu may not be tall enough to create enough draw. If this is correct how much taller should I go? Does anyone know if there are manufacturer reps that can be used to analyze installations or do they just look tyhe other way after sale and leave it up to us to solve problems. I will go back to seller but they outsource the installations so I don't know how that will turn out.
Click to expand...

Is the Chimney in an insulated chase? My North Star replaced a builder special 0 clearance and it was similiar 8" flue, I used to have to preheat that. WHen I tore that all out I was in the chase and it was completely un-insulated so completely insulated and type-x drywalled the entire chase. I never have to preheat the North Star. I do see smoke filling the fire box, but usally only for about 5-10 seconds before the draft sucks it out, it never comes out the front.

Perhaps you just need preheat with less smoke and a more sustained flame, like with a firestarter, like a super cedar or those parrafin firestarters.
 
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