There hasn't been much talk about the Grand Voyageur recently and it's hard to get a consensus on owners' opinions based on previous threads. It's on my shortlist and Quad's even got a $300 coupon going until the end of the month which makes it all the more enticing.
So here are a few questions based on concerns I've seen in older threads.
- ACC - useful or not really (and if you do use it, when/how)?
- Do you have issues keeping the glass clean?
- Do you need to keep the door open when starting fires?
- Realistic burn times? (can you reliably get coals after 8-10 hours overnight?)
- How big is your home and how well does it heat it?
- As an extension of the above question, how do you feel about the heat throw in general?
- Is the fan obnoxious at medium or loud settings? Is it almost silent when on low?
- Heard of some issues with wood at back of firebox not burning well or fully - your experience?
- If you could do it all over again, would you buy it again or something else (if so, what?)
Would also just love to hear general likes and dislikes or any other opinions on this insert!
Sorry I didn't get to reply to this thread last September, but I figure better late than never. This is my fifth winter using this insert. The first year hearth.com was a regular read for me, but once I got things figured out better I rarely visited this site. Anyway I'll do my best with the questions, the limiting factor being this is the only insert I've ever used.
I like the ACC. I only use it when starting a fire. It allows me to light the fire and immediately leave it unattended if necessary. It provides extra air for the first 15 minutes to help the fire get started.
Once I have a hot fire, I usually burn with the air control closed as far as it will go. The wood lasts longer that way and less heat is lost up the chimney. This causes the lower corners of the glass to stay sooty dark, sometimes the entire bottom half of the glass gets dark. A few minutes of a large hot fire with the air control all the way open clears the glass quickly, but it gets dark eventually when I burn with the air control closed. There is always enough clear glass to see how the fire is doing which is nice.
As long as the wood is dry I can always start a fire with the door closed.
With the air control all the way closed, no problem having glowing coals 10 hours later, even 12 hours later. Larger rounds leave more glowing coals that burning smaller splits. I often just add some kindling after 12 hours and have a good fire going real quick. With the air control halfway or more open, all the coals are gone in 8 hours.
Because of the climate here in California, I have no need to keep a fire going in the afternoon. Typical winter day is low of 32-35 degrees, high of 70-75 degrees. Therefore the heat from the insert never really has enough time to get to the far corners of the house. My insert is in the living room which is open to the dining room and kitchen and all gets nice and hot pretty quick even when in the 30's outside, and my old adobe house has lots of single pane glass too. I also heat a bedroom down a hallway and it would be about 10-15 degrees cooler than the other rooms. My ceiling is vaulted and uninsulated, so a bunch of heat goes out there instead of down the hallway with the lower ceiling to the bedroom.
I am very happy with the heat throw. Can be 25 degrees outside and no problem keeping 75 or more inside. And we like having the bedroom a little cooler for sleeping at night.
Because of the tone of the fan, it is never obnoxious, even on highest setting. Just have to turn the tv up a little louder. On lowest setting it is still very easily heard. My biggest wish would be a quieter fan on lowest setting when it is blowing very lightly.
Lower back log burns the slowest. This is where I get my hot coals to restart the fire the next night. In a climate with colder afternoons and the insert burning hard all day, it would not be a problem to rake the coals from the lower back log forward before adding more wood.
I would buy it again. It has worked out very well. Only thing better would be a different house with enough floor space for a wood stove instead of the space saving fireplace insert. That way I could have heat without the noise of the fan.
Would love to hear your thoughts
