I have been searching around the forums for a while now searching for an answer to my question and have found several good threads pertaining to an issue I am having with keeping my fire going.
Here is my setup. I have a Quadrafire Voyageur insert that was installed into a prefabricated fireplace. A stainless steel liner was installed inside the existing fire place liner all the way to the top. Since I had a prefab fireplace, the insert exhaust (on top of the firebox) did not line up properly with the existing flue as there was about a 2" offset, so the local hearth shop fabricated an adapter made out of sheet metal that connects the woodstove to the liner. All in all, it was a tight fit but we got it installed.
The problem I'm having is keeping the fire going once I close the insert door. I thought it might be an issue with the wood i'm burning so I bought some kiln dried wood from the local hardware store. I'm assuming this is decent wood as I have not tested it with a mositure meter yet. That hasnt solved the problem.
So I thought it may be the way i'm operting the fireplace. According to the operating instructions, during a cold startup the burn control lever is moved to the "up" position and the ACC is either pushed all the way in which bypassess the the shutdown mechanism, or it is pulled all the way out which slowling closes the startup air over 30 minutes or so. During my normal startup, I move the burn control to the "up" position and push the ACC all the way in for max air. Once thef rie takes off the flames burn violently and travel towards the front of the insert and around the baffles in the top and out the flue. Seems to be a really healthy fire. During this time I have to leave the door just barely cracked. After 20 or 30 minutes when it gets up to temp and the fan blower comes on i'll shut the door. Within 30 seconds the fire dwindles to almost nothing.
As mentioned before, I have searched these forums and have found people with similiar issues. Several suggestions have been to extend the chimney which is supposed to help with proper draft. I feel that the draft is sufficient as seen during startup but perhaps i'm wrong. I will say that my chimney is not in the best location. It is on the east side of the house roughly 8 feet lower than the peak of the house.
I realize this is a new model offered by Quadrafire so there isnt much out there yet but I hope someone has some sage advise that may be able to fix my problem =). Thanks for your help.
Here is my setup. I have a Quadrafire Voyageur insert that was installed into a prefabricated fireplace. A stainless steel liner was installed inside the existing fire place liner all the way to the top. Since I had a prefab fireplace, the insert exhaust (on top of the firebox) did not line up properly with the existing flue as there was about a 2" offset, so the local hearth shop fabricated an adapter made out of sheet metal that connects the woodstove to the liner. All in all, it was a tight fit but we got it installed.
The problem I'm having is keeping the fire going once I close the insert door. I thought it might be an issue with the wood i'm burning so I bought some kiln dried wood from the local hardware store. I'm assuming this is decent wood as I have not tested it with a mositure meter yet. That hasnt solved the problem.
So I thought it may be the way i'm operting the fireplace. According to the operating instructions, during a cold startup the burn control lever is moved to the "up" position and the ACC is either pushed all the way in which bypassess the the shutdown mechanism, or it is pulled all the way out which slowling closes the startup air over 30 minutes or so. During my normal startup, I move the burn control to the "up" position and push the ACC all the way in for max air. Once thef rie takes off the flames burn violently and travel towards the front of the insert and around the baffles in the top and out the flue. Seems to be a really healthy fire. During this time I have to leave the door just barely cracked. After 20 or 30 minutes when it gets up to temp and the fan blower comes on i'll shut the door. Within 30 seconds the fire dwindles to almost nothing.
As mentioned before, I have searched these forums and have found people with similiar issues. Several suggestions have been to extend the chimney which is supposed to help with proper draft. I feel that the draft is sufficient as seen during startup but perhaps i'm wrong. I will say that my chimney is not in the best location. It is on the east side of the house roughly 8 feet lower than the peak of the house.
I realize this is a new model offered by Quadrafire so there isnt much out there yet but I hope someone has some sage advise that may be able to fix my problem =). Thanks for your help.