Quad 3100i Baffle Plate

[jackson]

Howdy Everyone!

This past summer I installed a used Quad 3100i into my fireplace. The install went great thanks to all of the research I did on this site. SS liner, block-off plate, the works.

This is an older model that has the steel baffle plate. I took it out to clean it up, and I'm not sure if I put it back in correctly. It has a lip at the front edge and I put it with the lip pointing down, because I thought that is the way it was before. I get a lot of smoke out the door when I open it, so I was wondering if I should have pointed the lip up. With the lip pointed up, it might let the smoke roll into the upper chamber easier.

Anybody know?

Thanks.

 

[velvetfoot]

I had a 2100i. I'm pretty sure the lip went down.
Are you turning off the fan and opening the door slowly?

 

[jackson]

The fan might be the problem. I haven't really been thinking about it when opening it. Thanks.

 

[velvetfoot]

I thought about it the other day: it sucked in an ember and melted part of the fan's vanes!

 

[jtp10181]

Yeah the lip goes down. I recently worked on an old 1800FS with the metal baffle. Holy crap that thing was hard to get in and out.

Did you get the baffle all the back and onto the locator pin in the back? If that thing even has one.

Do you still have the full insulation blanket on top of the baffle?

There are lots of reasons you can be getting smoke back in. Tell us about your chimney setup a little more.

 

[jackson]

There is no locator pin. I just pushed the baffle back as far as it would go. The original insulation blanket was trashed so I got a new one from the local dealer. One thing that I do have to fix is that the rear burn tube is not seated in the hole on the side quite right. I haven't been willing to "shut it down" to fix it since I noticed it though.

The baffle plate IS hard to get out. Take it down on an angle, turn it sideways, pull it out.

The chimney is about 25' tall from the stove on an outside wall. I put in a 6" ss liner, no insulation, the clay flue was only 8 x 8 outside, so it was a tight fit as it was. The liner makes a hard turn at the smoke shelf to get it through. I didn't want to cut it out and I had just enough room to pull the liner through with some persuasion. I installed a block off plate and stuffed a bunch of insulation around the liner at the top before capping it. I was really happy with the install. It was really tight hooking the liner to the stove though, there was limited space for my hands between the top of the stove and the fireplace lintel. I got it good and tight though at then smeared stove cement around the joint.

Even though it smokes when I open the door, it seems to draft pretty good. It lights up no problem and and burns hot.

Sounds like you have some experience. Any tips for fine tuning the stove? I think it is 10-15 years old.

 

[jtp10181]

Has it always smoked back with the door open?
Have you checked the chimney cap recently? If it has a spark screen those can get clogged fairly easily.
Do you have a lot of smoke coming out of the chimney when burning?

Did you get the insulation blanket cut the right size and in there right, should be left to right all the way and front to back as well, just to the front edge of the baffle.

What about the wood you are burning? What kinds and how long ago was it split and stacked?

How about the Isle Royal, does that have any problems, usually the basement is most common for smoke back due to the lower pressure zone down there.

 

[jackson]

I don't think it did smoke back at first, I just have been noticing it a lot recently. I have not checked the chimney cap since it was installed. I'll check it out. Maybe the screen is clogged.

I burn red and white oak, seasoned for probably three years. Some has been wet recently though due to rain. I've been burning it anyway.

The royale is incredible. I love that stove. No problems there.

 

[jtp10181]

When was the 3100i put in? Sounds like a classic case of a clogged up screen. Check it out with some binoculars if you can, before climbing up on the roof.

Your wood sounds like it should be good as long as the insert is being operated correctly.

 

[velvetfoot]

I used to go on the roof of the other house to clean the flue. You don't have to take off the metal baffle, just the insulation, and let the stuff land on the baffle and then clean it off and vacuum.