Fireplace Xtrordinair: 44 Elite or qudrafire 7100

[malibud]

I have narrowed it down to these two and am leaning toward the extrordinair any suggestions ?

 

[builderbob]

I have narrowed it down to these two and am leaning toward the extrordinair any suggestions ?

Points of differentiation:

1) Quadrafire 7100 is a non-catalytic unit, FPX uses a catalytic converter. At some point the FPX catalytic converter needs to be replaced (maybe 3-7 years life), at cost of couple hundred bucks. In the meantime, the catalytic converter as it wears out (gets plugged up) would slightly degrade emission performance and efficiency of unit.

2) Both have decent warrantys, but I think Quad has somewhat better coverage. Read them both in owners manuals to compare coverage.

3) FPX44 has larger viewing area of fireglass.

4) Quad can use DuraPlus chimney by Duravent which is triple walled. It is aircooled in outer layer, but inner layer does have ceramic insulation. Go to Duravent website to read details. In a way it seems like a solidpack with an extra aircooled layer outside the solidpack, if I read the construction details correctly.

 

[malibud]

I was told the the quads chimmney is about a 1000 more and has had mor problems than the FPX plus you can open the door of the FPX and it is a little cheaper. The dealer is realing trying to steer me toward the FPX.
Thanks
DC

 

[Shane]

DuraPlus is double walled. Both of those units are good. I would steer towards the FPX because I like FPX and I like Travis industries. The chmney that the FPX uses is fairly inexpensive but in the many we put in we never had any real issues with it.
The line about the cat in my opinion is dealer/manufacturer spin. No one ever mentions that cat stoves have a greater temperature range in which secondary combustion occurs thus giving you more control over the amount of heat output without having ot burn small amounts of wood in short bursts. Not knocking non-cats because they're great too but there is no reason to down one of these forms of combustion for the other. It's a matter fo how the person will use the stove etc. that should be the deciding factor in cat v. non-cat.

 

[builderbob]

DuraPlus is double walled.

Duraplus is triple-walled. Here is link to manufacturer spec page for it:
http://www.duravent.com/?page=1b.php

It has three layers of metal walls. The outer-most wall and the middle wall form an air channel. The middle metal wall and the 3rd or inside metal wall are packed with ceramic insulation per the manufacturer. Inside the inner (3rd metal wall) is the vent channel where the smoke "goes up the chimney".

 

[builderbob]

I was told the the quads chimmney is about a 1000 more and has had mor problems than the FPX plus you can open the door of the FPX and it is a little cheaper. The dealer is realing trying to steer me toward the FPX.
Thanks
DC

If you haven't read the consumer reviews of units, available here at Hearth.com, they may be helpful. I believe there are several reviews for the FPX units and some for the Quad 7100 as well. Owners leave comments about their units and their experience with them.

At the hearth home page, upper right, next to the "Go" button open the menu for the box. One of the menu choices about half or 2/3 way down is "Rate your stove". Select that and press "Go". You can search the ratings by stove maker/model, or just scroll thru them all.

Sometimes it is nice to get owner perspectives after actually using units.

 

[builderbob]

The line about the cat in my opinion is dealer/manufacturer spin.

I am not a dealer or manufacturer rep---are you? I am just a consumer been getting educated about zc fireplaces. Catayltic unit replacement issue may mean nothing to you, but I as a consumer do think ongoing maintenance/costs/aggravation is a little more than "no big deal".

Anyway, it is a point of differentiation between the models potential buyers should be aware of. And educated enough about to decide for themselves---do I care about that or not.

 

[Shane]

Duraplus is now triple walled, my bad. It used to have the inner wall, insulation wrap then air space then outer wall. They must enclose the insulation wrap with a third wall. Been years since I've used it.
I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH OR ANY LONGER EMPLOYED IN THE HEARTH INDUSTRY. My opinions are simply that opinions and anyone can have them. As for cat replacement costs etc. I never said anything pro or con about replacement costs. I am sorry that I expressed an opinion that ever so slightly contradicted your "education" o mighty master of all things hearth.

 

[WarmGuy]

I had an XTrordinaire in my last house, that I bought in '92 and used until we moved in '99. I don't recall the model, but "44" sounds familiar.

I had a serious problem of leaking lots of smoke into the room when I opened it for refueling. I even added a metal plate to cut down on this, even though it limited my view of the fire.

I have to say I wouldn't get another one of those. Also, I prefer the simplicity of a non-cat stove.

 

[Shane]

Sounds like that could have been a chimney issue. What was the chimney height, surrounding structures etc.? Like I stated non-cat is a good option as well, just not the only one. And it is highly doubtful that a catalyst caused your draft problems since you open the bypass to reload. I'm mainly just sticking up for myself in that BTB seems to insinuate that me offering my opinion is for any purpose but to try to help someone out. Like I'm promoting a company for personal gain of some sort. There is absolutely no benefit for me.

 

[builderbob]

I'm mainly just sticking up for myself in that BTB seems to insinuate that me offering my opinion is for any purpose but to try to help someone out. Like I'm promoting a company for personal gain of some sort. There is absolutely no benefit for me.

Easy up there my friend. Sorry if you thought I "insinuated" anything. I just made a statement about my background and asked a question about yours. That doesn't "insinuate anything"---in this part of the country it's called "introducing oneself".

Everyone is entitled to their opinions including you to yours. When you made the statement "Duraplus is double-walled", you didn't say "in my opinion", you stated it as fact. I just wanted readers to know what Duraplus specs actually were.

I'm sure most posters here, you included, want to be helpful to others with information sharing, and open discussion. With the number of hearth products available, and things changing all the time, it's open discussion like possible here on this forum that helps people the most---in my opinion.

 

[Shane]

I am not a dealer or manufacturer rep---are you?

Took that as insinuation that you thought my post was based on bias towards a brand due to me being a dealer or such. I plainly admitted that I was wrong about the Dura Plus, that is clearly not a matter of opinion. One cannot imagine a third wall. In my opinion this sentance could have been excluded from your introduction of yourself. It is also my opinion that I must apologize for my "master of all things hearth" comment, that was inflamatory.

What part of Oregon are you from? Alot of my family is from/lives in the Rogue Valley, (Shady Cove & Eagle Point.)

 

[builderbob]

What part of Oregon are you from? Alot of my family is from/lives in the Rogue Valley, (Shady Cove & Eagle Point.)

Up North, Willamette Valley, the end of the Oregon Trail. Every once in awhile when travelling southern Oregon area, I wonder about the Applegate Trail which I think ran through those parts.

 

[Gooserider]

I have a VC - Encore CAT, and I find that operating a cat stove is a no-brainer, even my GF can do it with no problem, though she tends to load the stove more often than it needs.

Starting drill - build fire w/ paper, kindling, small splits - Open bypass, light fire, set air to max, close doors. - When stove top hits 3-400 close down air, close damper - do reload in shorter than normal interval due to not having full load when starting, and space occupied by kindling.

Reload drill - Open top door, stir coalbed a bit to make most ashes fall into pan. Close door, check pan - change if needed (every couple of days) Close pan. Open door and bypass, fill stove w/ wood. Close door, open air to max. When wood fully flame engulfed (5-10 minutes) close down air to desired heat level, close bypass damper - go away for next 8-10 hours...

Nothing complex, nothing difficult. My old smoke dragon needed far more futzing with, and was trickier to control.

The cat replacement - If used right, the cat should last at least SIX years, (it has a pro-rated warranty for that long) seven to ten seems typical, some go longer. The aftermarket cats for my stove are about $150 last time I checked, so we are not talking a major expense - in addition, it appears that many Non-Cats have a need to replace burn tubes, baffles, and other reburner parts at similar intervals and at approximately similar costs.

I would tend to say that the cat / non-cat arguement is mostly a non-issue, sort of like Ford vs. Chevy - each has its advantages, and neither is a perfect solution.

When I first came to Hearth.Com, I was fairly sure I didn't want anything to do with a cat stove. Now that I have one, I would say that they are a very good solution to my needs, and I have no regrets about getting it.

Gooserider

 

[rjustice4]

I had an XTrordinaire in my last house, that I bought in '92 and used until we moved in '99. I don't recall the model, but "44" sounds familiar.

I had a serious problem of leaking lots of smoke into the room when I opened it for refueling. I even added a metal plate to cut down on this, even though it limited my view of the fire.

I have to say I wouldn't get another one of those. Also, I prefer the simplicity of a non-cat stove.

Warmguy, I have the exact same year and model XTrordinaire, and it leaks smoke into the room when I refuel! I'm in the process of doing my homework for a replacement this spring. I'm steering away from the XTrordinaire, although I've heard that they've gotten better. It costs thousands to pull these babies out if they don't work right, and I don't want to take any chances. Mine was manufactured in Sept. of 1992, and is the 44A-ZC.

 

[scfa99]

I have narrowed it down to these two and am leaning toward the extrordinair any suggestions ?

malibud, i don't think you can go wrong with either unit. i put a 7100 in 05 and heat our home primarily with it, 5mos out of the year. my buddy also put in the same unit in his house, both of us are really happy. let me know if you have any specific questions on the quad and i'll reply. also do a search i have a lot of posts on it.

good luck.

matt

 

[Randy S]

Hi ,

My folks have the Quad 7100. This is their first season using it in their new house in N GA. One month into our cool season down here, they love it, very efficient on amount of wood used and puts out the heat. They have a very open floor plan in a 2500 sf ranch style home.
Best wishes in your search.
SG

 

[dskup]

I just put in a 7100 last week. I did considerable research (as a consumer) before hand, looking at RSF, Security, Travis, Napolean, and Quad. For what it's worth, I'm more than pleased so far. I'd also be happy to answer any questions.

 

[builderbob]

I just put in a 7100 last week. I did considerable research (as a consumer) before hand, looking at RSF, Security, Travis, Napolean, and Quad. For what it's worth, I'm more than pleased so far. I'd also be happy to answer any questions.

What was it about the Quad 7100 that you liked compared to Napoleon, Travis FXP, Security, RSF, etc?

And when will we get to see some pictures?

 

[dskup]

I will post some pics when the masonry is done. I think it will be very
nice looking when finished.... hopefully a few weeks.

There have been a lot of posts on this subject, but here's my two cents.

Napoleon: Far and away the nicest looking unit (High Country). Built to last forever, very heavy construction. But... not EPA certified (exempt, which means it wasn't tested.) And just too darn big. The firebox is beyond huge. So is the overall unit. In the end, I just saw myself wasting too much wood.

RSF: Great units. But I was looking for the antique, rustic, arch top look. Their stuff is just too utilitarian looking for my taste.

Security: Nice looking, well built. Not as efficient as I'd like to see, but good unit. No auxilliary convection air intake.

Travis: Well.... catalytic. I don't want to start a war here. It's just my preference no to deal with maintenance than is necessary. Very nice looking product though.

In the end, the 7100 has everything I wanted. In my opinion it's not the nicest looking, but it does look good. It's not the best built, but hopefully it's sufficient to stand the test of time. So far it has burned very efficiently, with great visual flames, and cranks out tons of heat. The fans are quieter than I expected. The intallation drafts nicely and doesn't cough much smoke. The doors stay nice and clear as long as I burn it at a good clip. So far so good.

 

[velvetfoot]

I've had two smaller Quads that I like(d), but they both had those lightweight firebricks that for me don't last too long and I replaced with normal firebrick.
In my very limited look at those big units, I found one that had some kind of cast lining in the firebox, like the zero clearance heatilator fireplace that came in out current house, which didn't seem to practical (not rugged) for the long term.