Quadra-Fire Classic Bay 1200i blowing smoke?

[joshw0000]

With the 2009-2010 tax credit expiring, I finally decided to take the plunge and get a pellet stove. My neighbor has a Thelin stove and I've researched for some while so I wasn't buying blindly. I bought a small batch of 100% hardwood pellets from my neighbor so I'd be ready to burn when it was installed. We've had it on a thermostat for four days now and I have a few questions:

1) Sometimes when the stove lights itself so much smoke will build up that upon ignition it will blow smoke through the seams of the glass door, into the house. It even blows the ash pan trap door open. I have the hopper feeding at about half capacity and the fan is set to low. I've tried about every combination of feed rate and fan speed and it still does this two or three times a day (that I know of). Is this normal?

2) How long does it typically take for the glass to turn black? Mine begins turning with the first burn after cleaning it. I thought it's supposed to take weeks to get dirty.

3) I understand that Quadra-Fire does not provide adjustable flues but is there any other way to adjust the amount of wind/air in the stove? It sometimes looks as if there's a wirlwind inside my stove. The ashes and burning pellets are blown all over the stove.

4) The Quadra-fire video says that your flame height should maintain a few inches above the pot. Mine typically maintains just above the top of the pot. Obviously it's higher when it first lights, but after the first 10 minutes it dies back down to just above the top of the fire pot. I've tried adjusting the feed rate to full capacity and turning the fan on medium or high. I can eventually get the flame to maintain higher but I must turn the feed rate as high as it will go. Is this normal for this stove?

Any feedback is much appreciated. I plan to call my local dealer tomorrow and ask them the same questions. From what I've read, this forum community is much more knowledgeable then the "sales rep".

 

[jtakeman]

A couple of things will make some pellets smoke more than others. 1ST is moisture content and the second is the quality of the pellet.

What pellet brand are you using? Please don't say Inferno's!

 

[joshw0000]

I'm currently using Turman pellets. Is it normal for smoke to blow into the room or just build up in the stove?

 

[PAV1]

Welcome to the club, I have the exact same stove and going on it's first full season. My thoughts:

1) Smoke into the room "is not normal"
2) My glass gets dirty pretty quick, not "black" but dirty.
3) That sounds normal, stoves are designed to swirl the air so that ash does not build up in the burn pot.
4) Flames sound ok, mine burns high at start up and then comes down a bit. I run mine on the smallest feed setting and it is fine. Pellet size and type will have a lot to do w/ this.

I would check your door gasket, sounds like air leak may be causing #1 and #2.. The gasket is likely fine, so I would tighten the two adjusters on the door latches to make sure it is good and snug when you close it up.

Enjoy!

 

[jtp10181]

Is it vented up an old flue with a liner system? Have you removed the side panels during startup to watch the vent connection? Check that for smoke also.

I recently fixed on SantaFe insert that was smoking out the door on startup also. One thing i found was a huge glob of silicone right at the end of the exhaust outlet on the stove. This could restrict the exhaust flow enough to cause a slow start. Eventually if you get enough smoke in the firebox it will leak into the room, so the trick is to get the pellets to light better.

 

[joshw0000]

I adjusted the door as tight as I felt was safe but it may still be too loose. I just spoke with my dealer and he suggested closing a piece of paper in the door and seeing how difficult it was to pull it through. He's also going to call Quadra-Fire because he's never had a stove blow smoke back. Thanks for the quick replies. I'll post back when I know more.

 

[jtakeman]

I forgot to welcome you to the forum SO, Welcome and glad you stopped by.

Quads seem to have issues with lighting. Smokey starts are normal, But the pop and blowing smoke in the room can be minimized. One thing you need to keep an eye on is the holes in the burnpot. They have to be cleaned every few days or the start ups will get worse. Same with the burnpot, It needs to be scraped depending on the build up in it. The cleaner you keep the burnpot the better it will start. Pellet moisture could be an issue as damp pellets take more heat build up to light. They will smoke more and pop when they finally light. The smoke basically is exploding. Like gas fumes do.

Are you using a Thermostat And does the stove completely stop before lighting again?

This video is not normal! Caution loud music turn the speakers down!

 

[joshw0000]

The stove is vented in a 60-year-old chimney. They said the pipe is 3" expanded to 4". The chimney is approx. 25-30' tall. The stove is on a thermostat and does completely go out before re-lighting. It does not seem to blow smoke when it re-lights soon after going out. It's when the firepot cools down and re-lights that it blows smoke. I have not taken the cover off yet but I will if Quadra-Fire does not offer a simple solution. It sounds to me from reading your posts that it's a problem with the stove taking too long to ignite. I don't think my pellets are damp (no clotting or sticking) but I will bring a few bags in from the back porch and see if this is the problem as well. Again, thanks for all the feedback.

 

[jtp10181]

Check the slot at the bottom of the firepot, this is where the air from the ignitor flows into the pot. This could possibly have some debris in it from the factory.

Also check the ash dump door from inside the ash pan area. If that is sagging at all it lets cooler air into the firepot during startup and makes it take longer to ignite. You want the firepot floor as tight as possible, while still able to move it freely using the ash dump lever.

You want as much of the air as possible going through the igniter area, this gives you the best chance for a quick startup.

 

[joshw0000]

Where is that slot at? I didn't see that. When I clean the firepot it takes considerable force to pull the lever. I doesn't automatically close so I typically push and pull the lever several times until it gets easier to move. The instruction video shows them scraping the firepot outside of the stove. I assume I shouldn't remove it unless I'm having problems, right?

 

[DexterDay]

There is probably a build up on the the clean-out plate. Stick your head in there (when its cool ) and you should feel a bump ( build-up on the bottom of the pot). You may have to use a scraper or screwdriver to break this up. Once clean this Rod should pull very easy. Only Resistance should be the small spring.
As for the Flame. The Burn pots holes are Drilled in a matter that creates a Vortex. Making the flame somewhat violent and circular. As for the smoke, mine smokes for about 10-15 seconds. Gets pretty thick in the short time. But once ignited all smoke disappears. Never had smoke in the house. I would make sure the door latches and ash pan latches are tight.
I run my 1200 24/7 On Low Heat setting and High Fan. Shutting down once a day to scrap the pot and hit it with the ash vac real quick. I do a Full bi-weekly cleaning.
The lower your burn setting the quicker your glass will get dirty and faster your pan will fill with ash.
Good Luck hope you get your problem resolved. Are you running an OAK???

 

[joshw0000]

I believe the pellets are primarily red and white oak. I plan to clean the pot thoroughly tonight, so I'll give it a good scraping.

 

[joshw0000]

I thoroughly cleaned my stove tonight and scraped the fire pot. I didn't see any bumps but after some scraping I was able to open the trap door with little effort. I couldn't find any clogs in the venting either. I slipped a piece of paper in the top and bottom of the glass door and tightened it until it was difficult to slide it back out. The top will actually hold the paper while the bottom will allow me to slowly pull the paper back out. It felt as if the latch would break if I tightened it anymore.

So I plugged it in, the fan kicked on, and the fire pot began filling up with pellets. After about 3 minutes a small flame flickered and grew to a large one. I never saw any smoke.

I'm hoping I wont get any more smoke clouds in my house. I guess I'll see as the stove gets dirty again. Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[jtp10181]

The bottom does not have gasket, its the air wash. Do not test the gasket seal there....

You might want to loosen the handle back up a little, only testing the sides and top. Tooo much pressure could cause the glass to break.

The slot is to the front of the burn pot all the way down, right in front of the ignitor. You cannot see it unless you use a mirror. You can feel it though. I suspect you cleaned it when you cleanewd the entire pot.