No grates or andirons for the Quadrafire 7100

[dskup]

Howdy folks. I just had a 7100 installed, and so far I love it.
However, I just read on the front page of the manual (safety
requirements section) that I am supposed to build the fire directly
on the brick "floor" of the fire box. It specifically says no grates,
and no andirons.

This is a bummer, because I happen to think the front "lip" of the
firebox is too short, and there is a risk of logs rolling out. However,
apparently there are other safety issues involved. Could it be that the
fuel would over-fire? Does anyone know anything about this?

 

[Hogwildz]

Load it North to South (front to back) and you won't have to worry bout logs rolling out. And it will burn better.
NO grate! Splits go right on the floor of the firebox. You don't have to worry about over firing, unless you leave the air wide open after its up to temp. Run it pretty much same as a stove as far as I know.

 

[jtp10181]

You don't need a grate. Just use it for a while without one and you will see.

 

[dskup]

Ok, I'll do that. I assume the instructions in the manual are correct.
However, as a UL engineer (solid fuel burning appliances are not my
area of expertise) I am just really curious as to why a grate could
pose a safety concern. I wonder if Hearth & Home answers consumer
emails? I tried calling a few fireplace manufacturers at one time and
was basically told I need to talk to my distributor. Unfortunately the
distributor doesn't know much about the unit.

 

[Corie]

Grates pose both a safety concern and an emissions concern. If the stove is tested without the grates for both safety and emissions, no modifications are allowed when burning the stove.

 

[scfa99]

grates also greatly reduce the amount of usable space in the box. north to south is a great way to load, but your wood will have to be 14" of less. i cut all my wood for this season so I can stack north to south. You can really pack the firebox alot tighter. if you stack east west you can safely fill it, just have to stack it carefully.

have you done and big overnights with it?

 

[dskup]

Interesting. It never occured to me to stack "north and south." Of course I have
5 cords of wood already cut to 16". But I'll consider that in the future.

I haven't done any big overnights yet. I'm still building the room in which it resides.
But I have burned it all day long at a rip roaring paces. So far I think its a great unit.
The visual aspect is much more impressive than I expected from such an efficient unit.

I hope it will stand the test of time though. I have a Fisher wood stove in the basement,
30 years old. No fancy features, but it's build like a Sherman tank. MUCH heavier
construction. But I realize a company like Hearth & Home has to balance technical performance,
safety, and cost if they want to remain a market leader. TIme will tell.

 

[velvetfoot]

You can't fit a 16" piece in a Quad 7100?
I used to fit that in a Quad 2100, as I recall.