Quadrafire 5100 insert vs. 5700 stove burn times

[jophysx]

Stopped in my local Coastal Farm and Ranch yesterday and took a look at some Quadrafire stoves. I was very surprised to see the 5100 insert quoting 14 hr burn times and the 5700 stove right next to it, with the same 3.0 ft^3 firebox quoting 21hr burn times. These stoves looked identical except one is an insert, the other free standing. Neither has a cat, and both sport the "Automatic Combustion Control" technology.

What could possibly explain such a big difference in burn times?

 

[charly]

Stopped in my local Coastal Farm and Ranch yesterday and took a look at some Quadrafire stoves. I was very surprised to see the 5100 insert quoting 14 hr burn times and the 5700 stove right next to it, with the same 3.0 ft^3 firebox quoting 21hr burn times. These stoves looked identical except one is an insert, the other free standing. Neither has a cat, and both sport the "Automatic Combustion Control" technology.

What could possibly explain such a big difference in burn times?

I pulled my 5700 Quad out after 2 years and am now in the process of installing a Woodstock Fireview. I was very disappointed with the heat output for the size of the stove. Only time the stove pumped the heat out was with the blower on high and the stove at 600-650. Without the fan, heat just came out the glass and the top half of the stove. The step top back half was much cooler. Nothing off of the sides, being a convection stove it had side shields. My Esse cook stove has side shields and puts out better heat then my Quad 5700 did, so it's not something I was imagining. I read a post a while back that the earlier 5700's put out much more heat. Fire box must have been redesigned. I think running a fan takes away the peacefulness of running a wood stove, it's like having a forced hot air furnace running in your living room with the blower on. Plus mine came through with ill built legs and a side bracket that wasn't made right so as to hold the ash dump bracket open. Just my 2 cents.

 

[jophysx]

I'd be interested to hear if you have a better experience with the Fireview.

 

[Benchwrench]

See if you can locate an ACT version of the QF if you're going that route. Specs are in my sig.
Compare that to the ACC version, I think you'll find a significant difference.

 

[charly]

I'd be interested to hear if you have a better experience with the Fireview.

I'm betting all that mass once up and running will out power the steel stove. I'm a 24/7 burner so there will be no cold starts involved. It seemed like all my heat was going up the chimney. My flue gases verses my stove temps were almost always the same with the Quad. Yes it had a big fire box , but it seemed like heat that could have radiated out into the room stayed in the stove or up the pipe. An odd duck of a stove . I had a Country S210 before this stove that put out a lot more heat and that was in a house built on an uninsulated slab, 50 years old. The Quad is going in my garage, I don't care about the blower running in there. I'll give her a run for her money in the garage