Anyone seen this kind of firepot deterioration on a stove/insert before? I've only had the cb1200i for a little over a month.
Firepot deterioration
Firepot deterioration
Firepot Deterioration on New Quadra Fire CB1200i
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Holy Crap! Judging from the outside of the firepot and its discoloration and the condition of the burn chamber with some warpage and discoloration in there, I'd venture a guess that you are overfeeding the HELL out of the stove! Just my opinion, of course. 
Have you ever set the burn height on HIGH per the manual or are you just running the thing with the feed wide open?
Have you ever set the burn height on HIGH per the manual or are you just running the thing with the feed wide open?
Now don't go jumping to conclusions tj, Roy could be following all of the instructions and just happened to have some of that special metal in his stove from the other side of the pig pond.
Per the manual I've set it the system to high and noticed that flame was low (did not extend 4 to 6inches from firepot). In fact the convection blower would constantly turn off. The manual states that if the flame is not 4 to 6 inches tall adjust the feed rate, which is what I did. When the fire got tall and lazy, I reduced the feed rate. In many cases this did not help until I cleaned the stove.
You always make adjustments with the stove clean.
About the installation and several other things, did you do the install or did someone like the dealer do it. Was the draft set at that time? What pellets are you burning?
From a burning standpoint it looks like you had an extremely hot fire in a reduced oxygen environment. Sort of like a blacksmiths forge when the bellows aren't being used. This is hard for any metal to take.
About the installation and several other things, did you do the install or did someone like the dealer do it. Was the draft set at that time? What pellets are you burning?
From a burning standpoint it looks like you had an extremely hot fire in a reduced oxygen environment. Sort of like a blacksmiths forge when the bellows aren't being used. This is hard for any metal to take.
When a fire gets tall and lazy it is time to clean the stove, in fact if anyone is temped to make adjustments to a stove that was burning just fine because the fire is getting tall and lazy they are doing exactly what they shouldn't do.
Stoves need to be cleaned on a regular basis that is determined by the pellet you are burning. What may work for Cubex isn't even close for Infernos.
Stove cleaning also isn't a simple 5 minute job.
Stoves need to be cleaned on a regular basis that is determined by the pellet you are burning. What may work for Cubex isn't even close for Infernos.
Stove cleaning also isn't a simple 5 minute job.
As I said I did clean the stove, frequently. At times I would clean it on daily basis (thorough cleaning) and at minimum once every 2 days.
I think the reduced oxygen environment maybe the issue here.
I think the reduced oxygen environment maybe the issue here.
I'd remove that burn pot and soak it in a bucket of warm soapy water. Then most of the crud should come right off with at most a light brushing, then locate and clean out all of the holes in the burn pot make certain you get them back to their original sizes.
We have no air circulation system for the house. The insert is located down in the basement. Is this scenario indicative of an OAK requirement? The installer didn't mention anything about one.
Smokey- No way to set draft on the Quad. Has High/Med/Low feed rates and a slide in the hopper to restrict/increase pellet feed.
RoyA... That does look bad. I almost gotta agree with Tjn and say it was overfired.
For a Quad to have a lazy flame. Only so many things it could be. Bad or leaky gaskets, dirty stove/vent, failing blower, or a bad board sending incorrect voltage to the motor. My Quad burns like a raging inferno. Looks like an angry tornado.
I would check all gaskets (do the dollar bill test), make sure the ash trap in the back of the stove is clean (area by combustion blower), make sure vent is clean and cap is clear, and also try to sneak some SAE 20 oil (3-in-1 oil/blue can) on the bearings if you can.
How long have you owned the unit? Also, if you remove the burnpot, you will need a new gasket.
RoyA... That does look bad. I almost gotta agree with Tjn and say it was overfired.
For a Quad to have a lazy flame. Only so many things it could be. Bad or leaky gaskets, dirty stove/vent, failing blower, or a bad board sending incorrect voltage to the motor. My Quad burns like a raging inferno. Looks like an angry tornado.
I would check all gaskets (do the dollar bill test), make sure the ash trap in the back of the stove is clean (area by combustion blower), make sure vent is clean and cap is clear, and also try to sneak some SAE 20 oil (3-in-1 oil/blue can) on the bearings if you can.
How long have you owned the unit? Also, if you remove the burnpot, you will need a new gasket.
SmokeyTheBear said:
Sorry I appeared to jump on you but the condition of the stove scared the crap out of me. Smokey may very well be correct in it being a bad casting from our 'friends' in China. I still worry about what appears to be warped vertical plates surrounding your drop chute.
It sounds like you are certainly taking the cleaning seriously and did the adjustment properly but I worry that the stove would not perform correctly on HIGH to give you a good flame 4-6" high. That points, I believe, to the theory of insufficient combustion air.
Keep digging and the group will find the problem.
If you are burning it in the basement, are you keeping the door open? Starving the stove for air without an OAK could give you that lazy flame unless it could gather air from upstairs. Is your house extremely tight? Is you drier down in the basement too and was it running at the same time that you had the problem? It would be sucking air out of the house too.
It's always a good idea to use an OAK if it's feasible.
It's always a good idea to use an OAK if it's feasible.
The warping around the drop chute was how the baffles came. They never lined up. I've had the stove for just over a month and I've cleaned in all the areas suggested over and over and over again.
Something is amiss. I cleaned ours once every weekend during peak burning season. It was easy to get a hot fire going and to regulate the pellet drop. After 5 years our burnpot looked better than that. Are the pellets good premium pellets and are they dry?
Roy A. said:
OK, that rules that out. I would open a window or door in the basement and try the HIGH setting feed rate adjustment again just to be certain you have enough air available. Gotta go one step at a time. Don't get frustrated when people keep saying 'clean stove' since that is USUALLY what the problem is BUT NOT ALWAYS.
Roy A. said:
If it came like that. Maybe the previous owner got rid of it, because of that?? Warped firebox, may be leaking somewhere. I would check ALL gaskets, pull both blowers and clean thoroughly, and look for any gaps within the firebox.
They may have gotten rid of it to upgrade. They may have gotten rid of a problem child??
Roy A. said:
The wood burning fire sucks a HUGE amount of air out of the house unless it's a prefab one with a built in OAK. My son has one of those in his double wide. I'd try the open window thing to see if you can set it up correctly like you did before.
Roy A. said:
New stove. Simple... Call the dealer and let them look at it. But in the meantime, Try new pellets in the mean time and maybe try to tighten the ash pan and Firebox door.
Roy A. said:
Yep X2 on calling the dealer on the warped plates. I don't have a 1200 but I can't imagine that gap on the left side is doing the air flow any good. I still wonder what is causing those streaks and white marks to the right of the burn pot. It looks like there was fire being drawn across that area and it was plenty hot.
The dealer needs to get in there and regain a satisfied customer.
Yup, I've contacted the dealer and they went ahead and ordered a new firepot. The problem is they say it will be 2 weeks out. I was hoping to try find the root cause of this issue. I'm not entirely sure a new firepot is the final answer.
I have 2 cb 1200s that are the same age. I bought my 1st one new then found the 2nd one on Craig's List. The 1st owner bought it the same time that I did, used it for 3 weeks then his wife made him take it out. I bought it from him after it sat in his garage for a season. The two stoves look like they are made from differant material when you look inside them. The used stove is in my basement and rust forms on the inside and on the burn pot. I spray it with WD 40 every few weeks to try to keep it from rotting away. The stove in my living room gets used daily and looks great. It might be that Roy's stove has inferior metal in the burn pot, because I think one of mine does.
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