problems with quadra-fire castile

[tjnamtiw]

I follow the same cleaning process. Every 50 bags. I have not removed the exhaust blower. None of the blowers look easy to remove. I will check into a UPS devise and talk to an electrician. The blower at the rear bottom looks like a real prize to remove and clean.

You burned 50 bags or one ton before you did the 15 minute cleaning described above your post???

 

[tjnamtiw]

I returned the stove to the dealer. I left him a demand letter which gave him the option of paying me $3000, giving me a wood burning stove of comparable value or going to small claims court. Yesterday I received a cheque in the mail for $3000. Based on my experience with this stove it would take some serious arm twisting to go with another pellet stove. From what I see on this forum Harman seems to be the most dependable and reliable stove. Any recommendations on a wood burning stove?

After all your problems, get the simplest, basic stove you can find.

 

[kilbury]

I agree, sounds like you need the most basic stove you can find. Its too bad that unit didn't work out for you. I would say you made out pretty good, returning a 2 year old unit and getting 3 grand back after using for those 2 years. I'm not sure taking the company, whoever it may be needed to be done. Did you ask the dealer about a refund before threatening lawsuit?

 

[zinfit]

In my province a law exists which gives the consumer a refund on the purchase price plus damages if the product is found not fit for purpose. The limitiation period on that law was just about up. This stove only worked for 16 out the 23 months I owned it. I did a google search on Quad stoves looking for a wood stove. I came across a site in which owners gave their experiences with stoves. Something like 21 people posted reviews on the Castille. With the exception of two or three people the reviews were very negative. My situation is not isolated. I might go back to the dealer and buy a wood burning stove.

 

[kilbury]

Yes those reviews are out their but people are always quick to spread the bad news before the good. You also have to keep in mind the bad units out there are relative to the amount of units sold. Knowing that there are literally thousands of Quad's out there, it certainly has to figure out to be a small percentage of negative reviews. Not saying that they may not have been a problem, but I would like to think that the dealer should have taken care of the problem long before he did.

 

[zinfit]

If I ran a top quality corp in which 99% of my products were top notch I would replace the 1% that were duds. Bad experiences leads to a lot of negative advertising. Happy customers tend to be quite folks. On the other hand how many of the happy posters here are dealers for Quadra Fire or have direct connections with the company? I am not suggesting this is as a fact , just speculating. That's what others are doing when they suggest that other sites seem to attract only those who have had bad experiences. When I go to Consumer Reports it isn't hard to come to the conclusion that Honda and Toyota have outstanding reliability records. The auto posting on other sites seem to only confirm there findings. As a comment on Harman they seem to have less critics. Most of their complaints center on poor parts supply and weak dealership service. There does seem to be less complaints on reliability issues. Just observations.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Personally, I have very, very little faith in Consumer Reports. I think their reports are biased and appear to be sponsored by the winning brand. I can't tell you how many times I've had cars, trucks, appliances that were rated poorly but I never had any problems or issues as pointed out in the reports. The problems they point out never occurred. I never trusted them to give unbiased reports. They are the ABC of rating guides, IMHO.

From reading here and on iburncorn forum, most problems result from people not doing proper maintenance, not understanding what they bought, or expecting to treat their much more sophisticated stove like they treated their old wood burner.

 

[zinfit]

Let me be clear I cleaned the pot and cleaned the chamber and the heat exchanger twice a day. I removed the baffles and did a major clean up after every 50 bags. It is easy to dimiss problems on the assumption that the owners are idiots and don't know how to take care of things. I look at this stove and really question it's design both from an operational standpoint and a service standpoint. It could make some major improvements. Sometimes low tech is better then high tech. Once who taken something apart two or three times and put it back together you start questioning the system and the design of this product.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Let me be clear I cleaned the pot and cleaned the chamber and the heat exchanger twice a day. I removed the baffles and did a major clean up after every 50 bags. It is easy to dimiss problems on the assumption that the owners are idiots and don't know how to take care of things. I look at this stove and really question it's design both from an operational standpoint and a service standpoint. It could make some major improvements. Sometimes low tech is better then high tech. Once who taken something apart two or three times and put it back together you start questioning the system and the design of this product.

Hey, I didn't call you an idiot, let's be clear on that. You got a bum stove, from what it sounds like. I was talking about many of the negative comments that you referred to. I've seen many items on Amazon that I wanted and I always read the comments prior to purchase. After a while, you can see that some people just don't know how to operate the device, whateveer it is. Case in point. I just bought a Kindle, which is an electronic book storage system with a screen that you can download books to and read them anywhere. Some of the negative comments had to do with the ability to read the screen in direct sunlight. I truly don't know what they are talking about because it is crystal clear in direct sunlight. The same can and is true of those who comment on stoves sometimes. They expect everything to be perfect. Life is NOT perfect!
So, in case you were wondering, you're not an idiot. Sorry if I upset you.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

sounds like you could use some help, would you like the sercive manual?
castile fs/ or insert?
year serial number?
pm me an email adress

 

[zinfit]

You have your opinion on Consumer Reports. I have been driving bullet prove Toyota and Honda vehicles for 25 years. I have found their reliability ratings dead-on. In 1999 I ignored their ratings and purchased a Chrysler Concorde. What a dog of a vehicle. I kept it for less then a year. There is a reason why your government has poured billions of your tax dollars into GM and Chrysler and they have become state owned enterprizes? It is one single word "quality". Consumer Reports had it right and the consumer had it right. Toyota didn't become number one by luck. Go to most discussion forums and see what owners are saying about their vehicles? It isn't what I see when when I go to discussion forums and ask about Quadra Fire. Please bear in mind that the modern car is a lot more complicated then a pellet stove. I wish Honda would make a pellet stove. I would be one of their first buyers.i

 

[tjnamtiw]

You have your opinion on Consumer Reports. I have been driving bullet prove Toyota and Honda vehicles for 25 years. I have found their reliability ratings dead-on. In 1999 I ignored their ratings and purchased a Chrysler Concorde. What a dog of a vehicle. I kept it for less then a year. There is a reason why your government has poured billions of your tax dollars into GM and Chrysler and they have become state owned enterprizes? It is one single word "quality". Consumer Reports had it right and the consumer had it right. Toyota didn't become number one by luck. Go to most discussion forums and see what owners are saying about their vehicles? It isn't what I see when when I go to discussion forums and ask about Quadra Fire. Please bear in mind that the modern car is a lot more complicated then a pellet stove. I wish Honda would make a pellet stove. I would be one of their first buyers.i

I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you over a pellet stove you don't even own anymore. Sure Toyota and Honda make great cars. That's a no brainer. Anybody with half a brain knows that and should not need Consumers Report to tell them.

 

[mnkywrnch]

1998 Toyota Camry 2.2L



Reliability Data






CATEGORY RATING COMMENTS
Transmission & Driveline Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Steering & Suspension Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Brake Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Heating & Air Conditioning Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Starting & Charging Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Accessories Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Engine Occasional problems on this vehicle are failures of the Engine, the Charcoal Canister/Evaporative Solenoids and the Air Fuel Ratio Sensor, 2.2L engine only on California specification vehicles. Failure of the Engine is caused because the engine oil gels. Engine oil gelling will also cause excessive engine oil usage. When proper maintenance schedules for oil changes are followed, oil gelling should not occur. Toyota has issued an 8 year unlimited mileage goodwill repair for this condition. Failure of the Charcoal Canister/ Evaporative Solenoids or the Air Fuel Ratio Sensor will cause the check engine light to illuminate.

RATINGS KEY: Significant Problems

This is a reliability report on a 98 camary not alot of problems but as you can see its not bullet proof.

 

[slls]

1998 Toyota Camry 2.2L



Reliability Data






CATEGORY RATING COMMENTS
Transmission & Driveline Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Steering & Suspension Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Brake Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Heating & Air Conditioning Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Starting & Charging Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Accessories Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Engine Occasional problems on this vehicle are failures of the Engine, the Charcoal Canister/Evaporative Solenoids and the Air Fuel Ratio Sensor, 2.2L engine only on California specification vehicles. Failure of the Engine is caused because the engine oil gels. Engine oil gelling will also cause excessive engine oil usage. When proper maintenance schedules for oil changes are followed, oil gelling should not occur. Toyota has issued an 8 year unlimited mileage goodwill repair for this condition. Failure of the Charcoal Canister/ Evaporative Solenoids or the Air Fuel Ratio Sensor will cause the check engine light to illuminate.

RATINGS KEY: Significant Problems

This is a reliability report on a 98 camary not alot of problems but as you can see its not bullet proof.

It did take 2 years and law suits to knowledge the engines were cooking the oil to gel. For 2 years they blamed the owners for not changing the oil. Gee, just like a American auto company.

 

[mnkywrnch]

1998 Toyota Camry 2.2L



Reliability Data






CATEGORY RATING COMMENTS
Transmission & Driveline Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Steering & Suspension Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Brake Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Heating & Air Conditioning Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Starting & Charging Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Accessories Infrequent problems reported, all with low repair cost
Engine Occasional problems on this vehicle are failures of the Engine, the Charcoal Canister/Evaporative Solenoids and the Air Fuel Ratio Sensor, 2.2L engine only on California specification vehicles. Failure of the Engine is caused because the engine oil gels. Engine oil gelling will also cause excessive engine oil usage. When proper maintenance schedules for oil changes are followed, oil gelling should not occur. Toyota has issued an 8 year unlimited mileage goodwill repair for this condition. Failure of the Charcoal Canister/ Evaporative Solenoids or the Air Fuel Ratio Sensor will cause the check engine light to illuminate.

RATINGS KEY: Significant Problems

This is a reliability report on a 98 camary not alot of problems but as you can see its not bullet proof.

It did take 2 years and law suits to knowledge the engines were cooking the oil to gel. For 2 years they blamed the owners for not changing the oil. Gee, just like a American auto company.

You are absolutely right,Im just pointing out NO CAR is bullet proof foreign or domestic.

 

[zinfit]

Consumer Reports did not recommend the 1998 Camry. It doesn't recommend the current Toyota Tundra because of serious reliability issues. To the credit of Toyota it didn't take them long to correct the engine problem that plagued the 1998 model.

 

[Darin Walker]

After all your problems, get the simplest, basic stove you can find.

I see that you have a Quadra Castille - I'm looking for an insert and can't find an "accurate" review. Can you share your thoughts? I have a 2 story, 1,600 sq' house and the insert will be the primary source of heat. I've priced out the Harman Accentra and the M55 and while they are pretty nice, the pricetag is not. I'm looking for a quality insert that will be dependable, easy to use and efficient as well.

If you can let me know a couple of helpful tips and tricks that would be great.

Thanks.

 

[tjnamtiw]

While the Castile is a great stove, I don't think it will put out enough heat to keep a two story 1600' house warm enough. Don't know where you live or what your layout is, but you will need more BTU's. Maybe a step up to the Quad 1200i would be a smarter move, In retrospect, I wish I had gotten a 1200 instead of my Sante Fe, which is more centrally located in my house. I could use the extra 10,000 btu's there. Also, what is your backup fuel?

 

[Darin Walker]

While the Castile is a great stove, I don't think it will put out enough heat to keep a two story 1600' house warm enough. Don't know where you live or what your layout is, but you will need more BTU's. Maybe a step up to the Quad 1200i would be a smarter move, In retrospect, I wish I had gotten a 1200 instead of my Sante Fe, which is more centrally located in my house. I could use the extra 10,000 btu's there. Also, what is your backup fuel?

Thanks for the info.

I don't live in an extremely cold climate (on the coast south of San Francisco - winter is wet and maybe 20's at the absolute coldest). I think I've settled on the Harman Accentra - it's a little more than I thought I would need to pay; but, I think it will definitely do the job and will be a good investment. I do have electric baseboard heat but I don't use it - electricity is pretty spendy where I live. I see that the Harman has a battery back up option - is it worth it? We do have our share of power outages and that would be a nice option if they work.