Since this is my first post, lurking is a pretty good description of my activity on hearth.com to date. This web site is an excellent resource for anyone considering the purchase of a wood stove, insert, etc.We live in western CT and had a Quadrafire 3100i insert installed in late February of this year. Went with a full 20' ss chimney re-line. We've burned about one and a half cords in the 6 weeks or so since the insert has been installed. Lessons Learned:1 - Quadrafire claims that the 3100i can accept 18" lengths. While 18" will fit loaded diagonally, 16" cuts are really the longest that you would want for straight-in loading. This wasn't too much of a surprise to me, as I read the reviews of the Quad 3100i on this site before buying the insert.2 - Do as I say, not as I do... My 2 young children (so far) have heeded my warnings about staying away from the insert. Dad on the other hand, learned the hard way. One evening, I sat on the hearth and accidentally leaned on the insert and received a nice burn on my arm.3 - Based on what I burned this year (cord wood/not skin), I estimate that I'll need 4-5 cords for next season. So far, I've split 2 cords in prep for next year. I will be getting another 2 cords of cut to length rounds delivered in about a week. I split the first 2 cords with an 8lb maul and some wedges. The first cord which was mostly red oak and some beech, was not too tough to split. The second cord which was mostly cherry (I think) was really difficult to split. I may rent a splitter for the next 2 cords of rounds. I'll also have to consider buying a splitter at some point. Next year's investment perhaps.4 - I've got stacked piles of wood all over my property! Right now, I don't really have one spot where I can stack all of the wood that I will need. My wife is not too pleased about the lovely variety of green, blue and silver tarps I've selected to cover them with. I'm going to have to plan this out a bit better for 09-10 season. Perhaps I'll try to build a couple of holz-hausen or even a wood shed, at some point.5 - We have a 2 story colonial and the insert has done a good job of heating the first and second floor. Before the insert was installed, we kept the house at 64-65 degrees. We still had some cold days in March and the insert had no trouble keeping the house at 69-70. The finished basement however is really cold, now that the (oil) boiler rarely runs. 6 - I didn't plan on having to add a hearth extension. I made my own 2'x4' extension. I screwed 1/2" cement backer over the existing oak flooring and used 12x12" ceramic tiles trimmed with oak quarter round. I haven't grouted yet, but it turned out nicely, if I don't say so myself.7 - Our oak mantel is pretty low. One of the options I selected was a mantel shield. Some day I might raise the mantel or invest in a non-combustible mantel. I'd like to remove the shield so that I can put a cast iron steamer on the top of the insert. Once I remove the shield, I'm pretty sure there is enough surface area on the top of the insert for a steamer.8 - Other items on the to buy list are: gas powered chainsaw (I have a small electric saw which is ok for small trees & limbs), magnetic thermometer so I can measure insert temp and a vinyl chimney brush, etc. so I can clean the chimney liner myself. I don't have any regrets, except that I wish I had purchased the insert sooner. Based on how little heating oil I've used in 6 weeks, I expect that the insert will pay for itself in 2-3 years. I'm very happy with the Quad 3100i and with the dealer/installer. My one comment about this specific insert, is that I wish the variable speed blower was standard. I did purchase the optional blower. However, it is not temperature actuated like similar units that come standard with a blower.
