Quadrafire 5700 doing a horrible job heating

I am not an expert but it sounds like it is a combination of 8 month oak( i.e. unseasoned) and the fact that it sounds like a direct connect install, which I know most brands owners manuals say is ok but from what I have heard here and from people in this industry is not conducive to a well performing EPA stove. I think if you lined that chimney most of your problems would go away. I think you simply have a bad combo of damp wood and a poor draft.

94BULLITT said:

I have been racking my brain all week trying to think of something cheap that is 6'' to use a temporary liner but I can think of anything. I could tell in 30min if it made a difference.

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My in-laws have 20 feet of old pipe behind the barn, but that's a bit of a drive for you. Some cheap old junky pipe was the first thing that came to mind, but if you were to measure the draft without a fire, you'd have more options.

take the stove out to the driveway, stand 15 feet of single wall pipe on it, get a fire giong, and see if moving the stove around a bit unplugged any blockage in the internal air path? (Oh and if the smaller diameter flue drafts better.) Or I could send one of my girlfriends over to provide induced draft for a while to see if that helps!! My three votes are for a liner, liner, liner

Dont the quads have multiple air injection points thru the fire bricks? are they covered? random thoughts from rob not so handy

BeGreen said:

BB has it correct I think. This is a draft issue, period. Get a liner on that stove.

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I suppose the fact that the stove is in the basement points that way - greater likelihood of negative pressure from stack effect, etc. The former owner of my stove couldn't make a go of it - I figure it was the basement install that caused that.

Any chance of moving the stove upstairs?

BrotherBart said:

If that stove burns fine with the door open and doesn't with it closed then that chimney needs to be lined to get a proper draft for it to burn right. Period.

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What he said, x3

Can you post some pics of your current set up? It might help to post some and start a new thread asking on how to proceed. That 5700 is a beast and should throw some serious heat!

Do you have a ceramic wool blanket on top of the secondary baffle? Sometimes this can get bunched up partly blocking the flue.

94BULLITT said:

So basically my goal is to get the stove to where it will burn with the draft cut back to 1/4 open?

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Yes . . . or less . . . with very well seasoned wood and a decent draft I most often have my air control shut all the way . . . in my first year with wood that was only semi-seasoned I never could shut it all the way.

94BULLITT

I have the same stove. I live n a old farm house ( ie lots of drafts ) .

How tall is your chimney? Do you have the ash pan with your stove ?
I tend to agree with the notion that the chimney is too big, and than maybe there might be slight Negative pressure in your basement, not letting the air flow freely into the stove. I have had mine for 4 seasons now. Most all of my wood has been split and stacked the spring before. I have not had a problem with the stove.

I really didn't need to, but I put on a outside air kit to see if there was any differences in the stove performance and any difference in how cold the corners of my house are. There is a slight improvement in both. nothing to really write home about. Also I have not had any problems with the kit at all.

Believe me when this stove runs well it puts out a boat load of heat !

Good luck with your chimney. Please let us know how you made out.

Jeff

94BULLITT said:

I have a quadrafire 5700 and last week it was 50's in the day and 30's at night. It was about all the stove would do to keep the house 69* or 70*. We are burning well seasoned hardwood. We have tried placing the wood in the stove different ways. We run the stove with the primary draft 100% open and the stove is usually between 300-400*. We also have a blower on the stove. This stove is not anymore efficient than the 25 year old earth stove it replaced. Anyone have any ideas what I can do to make it heat? Is there something wrong with the stove?

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I'm burning a new Quadrafire 5700 this year and it works great. I'm heating a 2300 sq ft 160 year old farm house, well insulated. It puts out all the heat I need. I run my stove at the second front mark on the burn rate control with the ACC closed on the side. Fan on medium speed and it heats the place fine. My chimney goes out to a masonary chimney, 6x6 flue tile, with a 22 ft insulated liner. I can get the stove up to 600 no problem at all. Is your insulated blanket laying flat on the top of your stove? I'm wondering if it's bunched up blocking your draft. Also that you say your stove has been doing this since new, I would take off the side panel, a couple of screw on the back side, and check out all the draft controls underneath. Maybe your rate burn opening was not cut out all the way . I never doubt anything. As some new stuff on my stove was not made right and had to be made right. My stove is a blast furnace if I need it to be. All the heat I want. Good luck and keep us posted as to what you find. That heat from that stove with the blower on high should be driving you out if you want. Without the blower on, I have to just crack the burn rate, and stove will stay at 400 no problem. I've been burning hickory,oak and ash.