MY Quadra Fire Cumberland Gap is not burning right all of a sudden, any advice?

[jcolgan]

For about the last week, when I come downstairs in the mornings and add more wood it just sits there and smolders, not much smoke, no fire. It doesnt matter if I open all the air intakes and/or the doors slightly, this doesnt seem to help, but as soon as I take the tray that catches the ashes out the wood burst into flames and I have a roaring fire. The ash pan is not full and the grates seem clear, it seems like a lack of air, but since opening the doors slightly doesnt help, I cant imagine thats what it is. Often the fire will die out again once I close put the ash pan back in and close the ash pan door, even if I have all the other air intakes still on full, but as soon as I open the ash pan door the fire starts up again. The coals remain hot and red no matter what, but they start really glowing when the ash pan door is opened up and thats when the flames start again. The only change has been in the weather, it has cone from the 30's to the 10's and 20's. My wood is the same, The stove is clean, I just dont get it. This stove is new and the chimney is good.

Does anyone know what might be happening?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Check for plugged cap or creosote in the flue.

Matt

 

[jcolgan]

I dont think creosote is an issue, as I just had the chimney checked 3 months ago and they said it was fine. The chimney looks like it would be hard as hell to plug, its just a mesh cage on top of the chimney from the looks of it (I havent been up there personally)

 

[Pagey]

That mesh can plug faster than you think, especially if you've had a cold snap and have been running more wood than usual through the stove. You'd be surprised how much a difference in draft something that "simple" can cause. I inspect at least monthly, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to check things since you've been 3 months w/out an inspection.

Is it possible that you've just gotten in to a batch of wood that is larger in size and/or less seasoned. I know that as I go deeper into a stack the stuff towards the bottom isn't quite as dry as the top shelf stuff.

 

[jcolgan]

I will check the chimney out this weekend (Ive never examined a chimney before), its a like a cage on top, not a fine mesh (as far as I can see), I cant imagine how anything coming out of the chimney could block it though, unless something like a dead raccoon was laying on top or something like that which is not likely.

Yes I have moved to much larger pieces of wood lately, as they seem to burn much longer, but its from the same guy whos been giving selling me the wood, he just splits it the size I want it. Now that I have the stove heated up again, if I just crack the ash pan door, its like throwing gasoline onto the fire, it completely erupts, when I close the door, I go back to red glowing embers and logs with red glowing areas, but no flame.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

You either ran into wet wood in the pile, or you have a chimney issue. My guesses.

 

[jcolgan]

You either ran into wet wood in the pile, or you have a chimney issue. My guesses.

If it was wet wood, woulnt a few minutes of intense flames and heat evaporate all the water and leave me with dry wood, or does it not work like that?

 

[Pagey]

What kind of wood are you burning? I burn mostly red and white oak, and split size can make a huge difference for me. Oak holds on to water like a starving man to a ham sammich. I have some larger oak splits that have seasoned the same amount of time as the smaller splits (1/2 to 1/3 the size), and it's simply no comparison.

Again, not saying that is YOUR issue, but it is something to consider. Hope you get it figured out!

 

[Adios Pantalones]

You either ran into wet wood in the pile, or you have a chimney issue. My guesses.

If it was wet wood, woulnt a few minutes of intense flames and heat evaporate all the water and leave me with dry wood, or does it not work like that?

A few minutes aren't enough- but it can be done. If the splits are thick it's a real issue. If the wood's been wet all along, you could easily plug up a chimney in a few months.

 

[jcolgan]

What kind of wood are you burning? I burn mostly red and white oak, and split size can make a huge difference for me. Oak holds on to water like a starving man to a ham sammich. I have some larger oak splits that have seasoned the same amount of time as the smaller splits (1/2 to 1/3 the size), and it's simply no comparison.

Again, not saying that is YOUR issue, but it is something to consider. Hope you get it figured out!

oak and ash. I was burning smaller pieces which burned hot, but very fast, so this load I requested halved instead of quartered since they seemed to burn slower, so I had to refill the stove less often, but I got the same amount of heat. This wood was chopped down in the spring, but only split to order. I was worried that the wood would be too new to burn, but my last load burned great, almost too fast, very high heat and very quick, this time around doesnt seem as good. The wood is stored in my garage, so I know its not getting wet since Ive had it, but I dont know how it was stored before then.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Ash seasons very quickly, and in fact is pretty dry in log form. Most here suggest 2 yrs drying for oak (2 yrs after it's split).

Does the wood hiss and blow bubbles out the end at you?

 

[jcolgan]

Ash seasons very quickly, and in fact is pretty dry in log form. Most here suggest 2 yrs drying for oak (2 yrs after it's split).

Does the wood hiss and blow bubbles out the end at you?

My last order was more ash than oak, this order looks more oak than ash. The wood doesnt pop as much as my last order, but does his a little more, definitely much more smoke from this wood. One thing I noticed is that my glass turned very black, I just let the wood burn for about 8 minutes with the ash pan door cracked and all of a sudden my doors got cleanup with the intense heat...I dont know if this helps.

 

[northwinds]

You need to check your cap and chimney. And I wouldn't use the ash pan drawer anymore. Try cracking the door
instead. You've got high-moisture wood.

 

[jcolgan]

You need to check your cap and chimney. And I wouldn't use the ash pan drawer anymore. Try cracking the door
instead. You've got high-moisture wood.

Thats whats odd. In the past, when I cracked the doors I would get a lot of flame, but now, it doesnt do much, its only when I open the ash pan drawer.


On another note, if I go up to the roof and check the chimney, is there something specific that I should be looking for?? Will it be very apparent to someone who doesnt know crap about chimneys that the chimney cap is clogged? What exactly do I do to unclog it??

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Get the right sized brush and a steel hand brush.

If you have any nasty black stuff that doesn't look like the screen- that's creosote. It can clog it up entirely. Scrape down to steel. Sweep the chimney- lots of how-to's online and on Hearth for that.

 

[northwinds]

You need to check your cap and chimney. And I wouldn't use the ash pan drawer anymore. Try cracking the door
instead. You've got high-moisture wood.

Thats whats odd. In the past, when I cracked the doors I would get a lot of flame, but now, it doesnt do much, its only when I open the ash pan drawer.


On another note, if I go up to the roof and check the chimney, is there something specific that I should be looking for?? Will it be very apparent to someone who doesnt know crap about chimneys that the chimney cap is clogged? What exactly do I do to unclog it??

It will be obvious. I didn't know crap about chimneys when I first went up on my roof. I suspect you'll find that there are crusties on
your cap that are preventing good draft. That's why your conditions are deteriorating and you need your ash pan open to get good
draw. You will be able to see the restricted air flow, if that's the problem. But the increased hissing and the fact that you are using
more oak are signs that your wood is not optimal and you need to check the chimney more often.

The first time I did it, I used a steel brush on the cap and chimney. Then I read here that a poly brush is better for steel chimneys.
You aren't alone. I'm going up on the roof later this week or next to make sure things are going right.

 

[jcolgan]

You need to check your cap and chimney. And I wouldn't use the ash pan drawer anymore. Try cracking the door
instead. You've got high-moisture wood.

Thats whats odd. In the past, when I cracked the doors I would get a lot of flame, but now, it doesnt do much, its only when I open the ash pan drawer.


On another note, if I go up to the roof and check the chimney, is there something specific that I should be looking for?? Will it be very apparent to someone who doesnt know crap about chimneys that the chimney cap is clogged? What exactly do I do to unclog it??

It will be obvious. I didn't know crap about chimneys when I first went up on my roof. I suspect you'll find that there are crusties on
your cap that are preventing good draft. That's why your conditions are deteriorating and you need your ash pan open to get good
draw. You will be able to see the restricted air flow, if that's the problem. But the increased hissing and the fact that you are using
more oak are signs that your wood is not optimal and you need to check the chimney more often.

The first time I did it, I used a steel brush. Then I read here that a poly brush is better for steel chimneys. You aren't alone.
I'm going up on the roof later this week or next to make sure things are going right.

Thanks, I usually feel like an idiot when I post on here, because Im learning as I go and this is my first wood stove (well the first that Ive had to care for at all). If I were to search online for the right chimney brush(s) what specifically should I search for. My wood stove store has lots of supplies, but nothing for chimney maintenance that I ever noticed.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

There are no stupid questions- only stupid people - Mr. Garrison

LOL- we've all been through this learning curve my man. It's a lot less painful now with people here to ask.

 

[Pagey]

Scroll about half way down through this thread: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/44747/

That's some heavy duty creosote right that. That is what you DON'T want to see in your flue.

 

[jcolgan]

Scroll about half way down through this thread: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/44747/

That's some heavy duty creosote right that. That is what you DON'T want to see in your flue.

Ok, when I open the door to the chimney I see a pile of that stuff sitting there, is that normal, or is that bad? I cant look up the chimney , itself to see more from there though.

 

[Pagey]

Get a small flashlight and a small mirror (like a woman's makeup compact or something). Point the light up into the chimney, then put in a small mirror. See what you can see trying that and let us know.

 

[northwinds]

Most large hardware stores or home improvement stores carry the rods and brushes to do the job.
The rods screw together, and the brush screws into the rod. Buy enough rods to go the length of your
chimney. They'll have brushes too which match the size and shape of your chimney. I'm not particularly handy
or brave about heights, and I was able to do it. Be careful up there. We don't want to hear about someone
falling off their roof in ne Pennsylvania.

 

[jcolgan]

Well, I didnt have a mirror, but I had a flashlight and digital camera which got the job done.


This is what my chimney looks like on the inside:

This is whats collecting at the bottom of the chimney inside the door

 

[Pagey]

You definitely have some buildup. I can't see how a good sweep would hurt things. I assume that is a pic looking up from the cleanout door, right? How high is the chimney? I wonder how far up we're seeing in that pic.

 

[jcolgan]

Yes, its from the cleanup door. I would guess that the chimney goes about 30+ feet up from the point where the photo was taken.