I've been lurking for awhile and learning but I think I've finally gotten to a point where I need to actually ask for advice. We picked up a 2005 model Quadra Fire Santa Fe for $700 in the Spring 2010. Following a living room remodel the stove finally got installed and fired up a few weeks ago. The house is 1650 sq. ft., 2 story with the attic having the only insulation in the home. So yeah, you can feel a breeze inside on some of the windiest Illinois winter nights. We're burning Somersets from Menards Home Center priced at $3.99/bag. I don't think the original owner had ever done a cleaning to the stove. I pulled the brick panels out and the exhaust was packed with ash. Actually didn't even know the exhaust was there until I vacuumed out the pile of ash and revealed the exhaust. I've done the leaf blower trick once to clean the flue with good results. My concern is that I'm not sure how much heat to expect from this stove. I didn't expect it to heat the house but I thought we'd at least keep the downstairs around 70. We normally burn on medium and that will keep the 270 sq. ft. living room (stove is corner installation) around 70 but the rest of lower level is lucky to get above 65. The stairway is enclosed but without a door, but temps up there won't get out of the 50s. As you know we've hit quite a cold snap this week with temps in the single digits. Just wondering if I can do anything to get more heat? It appears the Santa Fe is limited to low/med/high settings, along with the hopper flow adjustment lever which we have closed to minimal opening. I've tried the flow opened up fully and also burned at high speed but still not getting the heat I'd like. We bought the used stove with the idea that if we liked it we'd bump up to a nice new stove. Maybe the Santa Fe is simply a garage heater, which is what is was being used for by the person we bought from. Would upgrading to a different stove actually make that much difference though? thanks for any ideas you can pass along.
How do I know if my Santa Fe is burning at most efficient?
- Thread starter Foos
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Havlat24
Member
- Feb 27, 2007
- 145
Foos said:
I have a sante fe... and its alot colder up here in Northern Alberta.. and its heating my house. My house is about 1200-1300 square feet. Stove is in a fully finished and insulated basement. The house is insulated to withstand northern Canadian Winters... (2x6 insulated walls, alot of insulation in the attic).. .. I set the thermostat to 80 in the basement, and the stove will cycle on and off up until it gets to below -25Celcius...then it pretty much stays on. I have it set to medium... and the adjustment lever in the hopper is almost all the way closed. I'm burning Spruce Pointe pellets too...great heat from them....
We had a week of -50 with the windchill last year, and the stove ran non stop..but the house was warm. Maybe its your pellets?
kinsmanstoves
Minister of Fire
The Santa Fe is a good unit but a small stove. burning on medium you might bet 20,000 btu's approx 3 lbs an hour times 8,000 minus what is sent out the vent.
What is your ash looking like? If it is a grayish fine powder it is doing it's job. If not check the venting and pellets.
Eric
What is your ash looking like? If it is a grayish fine powder it is doing it's job. If not check the venting and pellets.
Eric
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/64123/
Check out this thread, lots of ideas about this stove. The one thing that helped me the most was tuning the convection (room fan) on high, I have a 10 year old house, 1600 sq ft Stove in the living room upstairs, keeping the house warm, on low heat setting, it is getting colder, though, as it was near zero last night, and the house temp is down to 66 to 67. If you have any q's just pm me, I am burning corn in mine, have been for 9 years............
Check out this thread, lots of ideas about this stove. The one thing that helped me the most was tuning the convection (room fan) on high, I have a 10 year old house, 1600 sq ft Stove in the living room upstairs, keeping the house warm, on low heat setting, it is getting colder, though, as it was near zero last night, and the house temp is down to 66 to 67. If you have any q's just pm me, I am burning corn in mine, have been for 9 years............
slls
Minister of Fire
tjnamtiw
Minister of Fire
I second slls' advice. You have way too small a stove for the house you are describing with little insulation. Why are you only burning on medium setting if your house is cold? Crank that sucker up and feed it enough pellets to get a good 6" high flame. That's the recommended feed rate.
I have a Santa Fe as well and had a couple observations and questions. I am running the stove on low most the time since i am in a small guest house that is only about 650 square feet, however at night when it drops below 50 degrees or so, the stove wont work unless I have it on low or medium. I was wondering if it would be more efficient to run it on a higher setting, since it might get to the right temp quicker, and then it would shut down. I would like to keep it around 65-70 degrees. I am trying to save money and was wondering if running it on low medium or high would be the best option. I know the burn rates range from 1.5 to 4 pounds, but wasn't sure what would save pellets but still heat enough. I also dont have the best insulation.
One more question I had was if the burn rate changed once the blower kicked in and if it would be wise to keep it on a lower setting once the blower had started and the stove had already gotten really hot from being on the high setting prior to the blower kicking it. Thanks for the help in advance
One more question I had was if the burn rate changed once the blower kicked in and if it would be wise to keep it on a lower setting once the blower had started and the stove had already gotten really hot from being on the high setting prior to the blower kicking it. Thanks for the help in advance
www_godzilla
Member
I own a Sante Fe. I live in Maine and it's been a typical winter thus far. My stove heats my 1000 SQ 2 floor home fine. I have NO insulation in my home. It's over 100 years old. When it is in the 20's or lower the stove is on high. When it is in the 30's the stove is on medium. When it is in the 40's the stove is on low.
As far as cleaning your stove. Did you clean the back of your stove ? There's 2 spinning fans that can get pretty dirty. Use a tooth brush to clean them. Make sure your holes in your burn pot are clear and not gummed up from carbon. If so....use a brass bore clean brush from a gun kit.
As far as cleaning your stove. Did you clean the back of your stove ? There's 2 spinning fans that can get pretty dirty. Use a tooth brush to clean them. Make sure your holes in your burn pot are clear and not gummed up from carbon. If so....use a brass bore clean brush from a gun kit.
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
Adding insulation is like adding permanent pellets in your stash. What is the other form of heat, Could you install a pellet furnace and sister it in? Another option is multiple stoves like snowy rivers is doing.
Vinelife
Minister of Fire
save$
Minister of Fire
make sure you follow the recommendations in the stove's manual. My stove has a high setting, but the manual warns not to run the stove on that setting for any length of time.
Do you have OAK installed? that alone with boost the comfort level in your home. Remember that without OAK, you are using heated room air for combustion and that is going right out your chimney. Worse yet, it creates negative pressure which means that replacement air will be pulled into your home through the cracks and gaps. That air is from the outside. It is cold and causes a draft on your floors. The volume of air that is being exhausted out the stove is the same volume that is being pulled into your home through those air leaks. Once you have achieve a good burn in a clean stove, that is the best that stove is going to put out. While getting a second stove, or one with a higher heating capacity will give you more heat, there is no guarantee that it is going to be adequate. Unless you fix the problem, which is insulation, you will be spending money over and over.
http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11170
Do you have OAK installed? that alone with boost the comfort level in your home. Remember that without OAK, you are using heated room air for combustion and that is going right out your chimney. Worse yet, it creates negative pressure which means that replacement air will be pulled into your home through the cracks and gaps. That air is from the outside. It is cold and causes a draft on your floors. The volume of air that is being exhausted out the stove is the same volume that is being pulled into your home through those air leaks. Once you have achieve a good burn in a clean stove, that is the best that stove is going to put out. While getting a second stove, or one with a higher heating capacity will give you more heat, there is no guarantee that it is going to be adequate. Unless you fix the problem, which is insulation, you will be spending money over and over.
http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11170
despalmy
New Member
Foos,
I think the replies to your original question are nearly all correct.
More insulation, etc, all make sense. Your choice of pellets is important, too.
This stove is a little work horse and you got it for a great price, it's much more than a garage heater,
but it probably would do a fine job there, too, haha.
I'm heating approx. 1800 sq ft of a bi-level and the stove is a basement install.
Bought the Santa Fe new in '05 and run it on high nearly all the time at this time of year.
The only repair I've had to perform in the last five years is a door gasket. Everything else is original.
Don't recall reading anything in the manual about not running it on high for any extended period, but
perhaps I should read it again. Can someone correct me if its true...
Sounds like you have cleaned it pretty well, I would suggest pulling the exhaust blower and cleaning it, too.
Don't forget to have a replacement gasket.
All I know is, if you keep it clean, it should perform well for you.
Good luck with it.
I think the replies to your original question are nearly all correct.
More insulation, etc, all make sense. Your choice of pellets is important, too.
This stove is a little work horse and you got it for a great price, it's much more than a garage heater,
but it probably would do a fine job there, too, haha.
I'm heating approx. 1800 sq ft of a bi-level and the stove is a basement install.
Bought the Santa Fe new in '05 and run it on high nearly all the time at this time of year.
The only repair I've had to perform in the last five years is a door gasket. Everything else is original.
Don't recall reading anything in the manual about not running it on high for any extended period, but
perhaps I should read it again. Can someone correct me if its true...
Sounds like you have cleaned it pretty well, I would suggest pulling the exhaust blower and cleaning it, too.
Don't forget to have a replacement gasket.
All I know is, if you keep it clean, it should perform well for you.
Good luck with it.
peirhead
Feeling the Heat
Save$ was referring to his Napoleon stove, not the Quad...the Quads will run happily all day long at high.
There are ways to blow insulation in the walls and only have holes in the wall to patch. This would be very cost effective and the comfort level would be incredible in comparison. The 'bigger' stoves would probably be able to heat your house as it is but you also might double your pellet consumption to accomplish it. The stove you have with adding insulation would probably be fine. The money you put in insulation will still be there 5 years from now. The money invested in a bigger stove would still be also but the money invested in fuel will not. I would seal and insulate and keep what you have going.
despalmy
New Member
tjnamtiw
Minister of Fire
While the OAK is a great idea on many stoves, the Sante Fe and Castile are so 'loose' in the sealing of the input side of the burn pot area that IMHO OAK's don't offer much advantage. You're going to suck room air in even with an OAK hooked up. 'Path of least resistance' theory. If we could seal around the ash pan and other areas then yes it would help. Unfortunately for me with my inserts, the air would have a choice of the room or down a 17 foot length of pipe.
checkthisout
Feeling the Heat
Foos said:
Double-check your clean-up job by take out the combustion blower and what not.
Then put the auger control to the metal!
Single digit temps would have many member's stoves running at Wide Open Throttle including mine. If it can't keep up then sell it and get a bigger one. You were smarter than most of us and purchased used so selling it would mean very little monetary penalty (if any).
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
I wish i could insulate the room better but im not really sure how i would. I dont want to be doing a bunch of drywall work again. Is there an easier way to insulate? I also have two large windows that i weatherized that are single pane so that doesnt help. I do notice a draft whenever the stove is on which kind of sucks, because even though the room is getting warmer, i still feel a cold draft.
Also I was wondering if it would be smarter to say, run the the stove on high for an hour, or medium for two, or low for 4?
Also I was wondering if it would be smarter to say, run the the stove on high for an hour, or medium for two, or low for 4?
peirhead
Feeling the Heat
If you are on a thermostat control (which comes with all the newer quads) the High/Med/Low choice will determine your cycle times....assuming the stove can get the room temp to the thermostat setting....I mean on high it will cycle more often. I usually burn mine on high if I am not in the room because that is the most efficient and cleanest burn in my Castile, but if I am in the room I'll turn it to Med to cut out the noise of the blowers.
There are many options for insulating a wall without ripping off the drywall....I think it was mentioned somewhere but often you can just drill a couple of holes between each set of studs and blow in cellulose, fibreglass or even foam. On my old house we used to put up the plastic storm windows that come as a kit, basically 6 mil poly in a kit with doublesided tape that you put over the inside of your window...worked pretty good to keep down the heat loss and drafts.....remember though the more you tighten up the house the more likely you would benefit from the outside air kit.
There are many options for insulating a wall without ripping off the drywall....I think it was mentioned somewhere but often you can just drill a couple of holes between each set of studs and blow in cellulose, fibreglass or even foam. On my old house we used to put up the plastic storm windows that come as a kit, basically 6 mil poly in a kit with doublesided tape that you put over the inside of your window...worked pretty good to keep down the heat loss and drafts.....remember though the more you tighten up the house the more likely you would benefit from the outside air kit.
tjnamtiw
Minister of Fire
jibberishballr said:
While the draft will possibly be PARTLY the combustion blower sucking air from the room, don't forget that you have a circulation blower blowing hot air into the room. Where is THAT air coming from??? The room at floor level...... You're always going to have circulation of air toward and away from the stove. It's a space heater.
As far as LOW/MED/HIGH speeds go, the LOW speed blower on our Quads is IMHO about useless. I can pass gas faster than that flow rate (I am an old fart
). B-mod has done an easy rewire to run the fan on high on all feed rates and it appears to really work. That's on my 'to-do list' also. I feel like too much heat is going up the exhaust when the blower is on low but haven't taken measurements to prove it yet.
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
Mind if I join in.
If you can get an OAK that really means something on the Quad, I'd do so. I understand this isn't an easy task.
Here is what happens when any device has a fan that vents air to the outside.
Air from the room with the device in it gets sent outdoors, this air must be replaced otherwise eventually there will be too little air in the room to keep the stove (or you) operating. This air will be sucked into the room from outside of the room and eventually from outdoors.
In this process some of the air you have already heated will also get sucked out of the room.
This is "not good" {tm}.
The air being moved by the convection fan will after a period of time will tend to become warmer and the draft will not be noticed unless you are close to the stove.
I always operate my convection system on high as I need to move as much air as I can.
If you can get an OAK that really means something on the Quad, I'd do so. I understand this isn't an easy task.
Here is what happens when any device has a fan that vents air to the outside.
Air from the room with the device in it gets sent outdoors, this air must be replaced otherwise eventually there will be too little air in the room to keep the stove (or you) operating. This air will be sucked into the room from outside of the room and eventually from outdoors.
In this process some of the air you have already heated will also get sucked out of the room.
This is "not good" {tm}.
The air being moved by the convection fan will after a period of time will tend to become warmer and the draft will not be noticed unless you are close to the stove.
I always operate my convection system on high as I need to move as much air as I can.
My SF heats my big living room 20x20 on a really cold day but it doesnt get much above 70. I keep the thermostat at 80 and it never gets close to that on a cold day or nite. I burn about a bag of pellets every 12 hours too. My downstairs is about 60 if that, unfinished basement and my upstairs gets around 60 or so. I dont have the best installation either but I have not used my heat pump yet this year either, if I go downstairs for any period of time, I just bundle up.
I think I should have gotten a bigger heater for my house split level about 1600 sq. foot mostly open, but normally my little rooms would be warm, like the bedrooms and kitchen, but now my living room is actually the warmest room and that is where I want the heat the most. So I guess it depends too where you want your heat. I can make do with the current situation but if I had a baby in the house or something it would not work. Just me and hubby so we can make do. PLus I like the cool kitchen since when I am in there I am usually moving around.
Would I get the SF again? Probably not. I also dont like that it has a high setting but you are not supposed to use it much.
I think I should have gotten a bigger heater for my house split level about 1600 sq. foot mostly open, but normally my little rooms would be warm, like the bedrooms and kitchen, but now my living room is actually the warmest room and that is where I want the heat the most. So I guess it depends too where you want your heat. I can make do with the current situation but if I had a baby in the house or something it would not work. Just me and hubby so we can make do. PLus I like the cool kitchen since when I am in there I am usually moving around.
Would I get the SF again? Probably not. I also dont like that it has a high setting but you are not supposed to use it much.
peirhead
Feeling the Heat
My dealer has several models of quads on display and rarely runs them on anything but high (his castile and Mt Vernon run 24/7 )...there is no problem whatsoever running them on high.. (other than the noise!)
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