Altering baffle on an old Quadrafire

[Doug Morford]

I have an 89' Quadrafire 3000. I like it a lot, and it works great for the small space I use it in. However, I've noticed that the newer models have a quite different air flow arrangement: a vent on the front-bottom of the firebox which feeds the coals on the bottom, the airwash, three tubes up top for a secondary burn, and an air feed above the baffle to create combustion as gas exits the fire box.

My stove has the same general shape, but with only two air feeds: the air wash and one feed tube in the top-rear of the fire box. I have noticed that the secondary burn would probably benefit from air being fed along the entire bottom portion of the baffle like the newer models do.

I'm looking for some thoughts on my plan to weld together a new baffle. The current baffle is just 1/4" sheet metal with fire bricks on top for insulation. I would like to weld together a new baffle that would be hollow, taking up the same amount of vertical space as the original baffle and bricks. The air supply would enter the stove from inside the baffle, and I would drill holes in some sort of pattern on the underside for secondary combustion. I may also drill a series of holes in the front of the baffle to create combustion as gas exits the fire box.

I hope someone has messed around with something like this.

 

[Doug Morford]

I ended up drilling holes above the airwash outlet 2" below the top plate of the stove. This puts O2 into the flame right before the gasses head back to the flue. It actually helped a lot.and I can visibly see secondaries burning where I drilled and I can tell the stove burns a little more efficiently now. Hope someone gains something from this : )

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the update Doug. Good to hear it's working better.

 

[David.Ervin]

Any chance you could post some pictures? Your new setup sounds like you've got something like Pacific Energy's baffle going on now, which is pretty cool if you fab'd up one from scratch!

http://www.pacificenergy.net/technologies/wood/baffle/

 

[Doug Morford]

That's actually what I was going to copy. I never ended up doing it, and just put an inlet strip up in the top front of the stove a little above the baffle by drilling some holes.

If I were to add more air in the actual firebox, I don't think I would go with the Pacific energy design now that I've thought about it. I would instead install two more burn tubes that pull air from holes drilled in the sides of the stove. A lot easier to fabricate and basically just copies the newer quadrafire design.

 

[Doug Morford]

I'll try to get some pics of the holes I drilled though.