Quadrafire 5700 doing a horrible job heating

[Pagey]

My dad handed me a red oak round the other day that had been indoors in the dry for god knows how long. It was bone dry to the feel. It was so dry that bugs had already drilled under the bark, and when he picked it up, dust poured out from under the loosened bark. It was probably about 3" across the face of the round. He said, "Take that home, split it, and test it with your moisture meter."

So, I did, and he was more than surprised at the results: 19% in the dead center, 16% on the ends. And that was a small 3" or so diameter split. Now take a bigger, "quarter" split sized piece and I will bet you it's way higher than 19%.

 

[94BULLITT]

How big should my splits be for optimum performance/ efficiency?

 

[Pagey]

Smaller splits can make for easier loading and hotter/quicker fires. Bigger splits are better for overnight/longer fires, but they need to be loaded on a deeper, well established coal bed.

 

[Jags]

How big should my splits be for optimum performance/ efficiency?

With a stove that size use the palm method. If you can comfortably grab the end of a split and pick it up, your good to go (or smaller). Larger splits, especially of Oak varieties, will need quite a bit more time on the stack than a maple or hickory.

 

[BrowningBAR]

While you are out picking up the moisture meter go and grab a bundle of kiln dried wood. Some supermarkets, gas stations, and hardware stores carry them. It will give you the opportunity to try other wood and see if the stove runs any differently.

 

[94BULLITT]

The wood is definitely split small enough then the average split is 3 to 4'' in diameter.

 

[Pagey]

I think you may end up unpleasantly surprised at just how 'wet' that oak really is. It is notorious for holding water. We took down a standing dead red oak in September of 2009, and it pegged my moisture meter at 40%, the highest value it will read.

As suggested, you could pick up a sack o' kiln dried stuff for kicks and giggles to see if that does make any difference.

 

[94BULLITT]

So basically my goal is to get the stove to where it will burn with the draft cut back to 1/4 open?

 

[Pagey]

So basically my goal is to get the stove to where it will burn with the draft cut back to 1/4 open?

Yes, or even fully closed. I leave mine about 1/4" or so open. Some people can literally close theirs entirely and still have active, secondary combustion. Even with some 14% MC beetle-kill pine rocking in my stove, if I close it all the way, I will have a smoky, smoldering mess after 10 minutes. You'll learn your stove's "sweet spot" as you go along.

 

[Jags]

So basically my goal is to get the stove to where it will burn with the draft cut back to 1/4 open?

Or possibly even less. I often burn my IR barely bumped off of the low end stop.

 

[sbk12rs]

With my 3100 last year ( first year ) i found that the wood looked/felt dry but was far from it .
Learning to burn with wood and wet wood made for a long first cord of wood .

I got a second cord from a different guy who told me it was two year old and WOW what a difference !!

Starting this year , the 3100 is running awesome ......

 

[94BULLITT]

Thanks for all of the replies. I will get a moisture meter as soon i can; in the mean time I will try to find the driest wood I have but I don't know if I will need a fire tonight possibly even the rest of the week.

 

[Beowulf]

So basically my goal is to get the stove to where it will burn with the draft cut back to 1/4 open?

Yes... I run an older QF with the air just cracked on the secondary lever and completely shut on the primary, once things get good and hot (500+)

 

[BrotherBart]

With that 11X7 flue it is a good bet that you aren't gonna ever have sufficient draft to close the primary air down much past half way. I ran my basement stove for a season into 11X7 tiles and heat production was mediocre at best until I lined that chimney before the next season. After lining it the sucker is a little blast furnace.

These stoves have to have a good strong draft to do their thing. Especially the big'uns.

 

[North of 60]

The unlined 7' by 11" tiled flue is not helping much either. If a good draft cannot be sustained @ a 1/4 closed with questionable wood that cannot heat up that tiled oversized flue mass then you will be dead in the water as you are.

EDIT: for an old guy you can sure type fast BB.

 

[oldspark]

There IS a chance some of his wood is dry enough, I cut dead Oak and it is 20% when stacked in single rows in the wind and rain in one summer.

 

[Jags]

There IS a chance some of his wood is dry enough, I cut dead Oak and it is 20% when stacked in single rows in the wind and rain in one summer.

Sure - there could be some that is, but if it is questionable and as BroB and No60 points out, he has a big ol flue to heat up, he is gonna have a heck of a time without everything being "perfect". And maybe not even then.

 

[ansehnlich1]

I have oak that's been sittin' split for 2 years. Some for 3 years. I won't even try and burn oak til it sits for 2 years, ain't worth it. YMMV

Put a liner in that chimney!

 

[oldspark]

There IS a chance some of his wood is dry enough, I cut dead Oak and it is 20% when stacked in single rows in the wind and rain in one summer.

Sure - there could be some that is, but if it is questionable and as BroB and No60 pointser out, he has a big ol flue to heat up, he is gonna have a heck of a time without everything being "perfect". And maybe not even then.

Just saying the wood could be dry and the problem be something else, all oak does not take 2 years.

 

[corey21]

There IS a chance some of his wood is dry enough, I cut dead Oak and it is 20% when stacked in single rows in the wind and rain in one summer.

Sure - there could be some that is, but if it is questionable and as BroB and No60 pointser out, he has a big ol flue to heat up, he is gonna have a heck of a time without everything being "perfect". And maybe not even then.

Just saying the wood could be dry and the problem be something else, all oak does not take 2 years.

My problem was the height of my chimney.

 

[branchburner]

There IS a chance some of his wood is dry enough, I cut dead Oak and it is 20% when stacked in single rows in the wind and rain in one summer.

Sure - there could be some that is, but if it is questionable and as BroB and No60 pointser out, he has a big ol flue to heat up, he is gonna have a heck of a time without everything being "perfect". And maybe not even then.

Just saying the wood could be dry and the problem be something else, all oak does not take 2 years.

True. I found some 4" limbs recently fallen, but have been dead for years. They'll burn great in under a month.

I'm guessing the OP has a wide variety of dryness in his stacks of standing-dead wood - I know I do!

 

[Jags]

There IS a chance some of his wood is dry enough, I cut dead Oak and it is 20% when stacked in single rows in the wind and rain in one summer.

Sure - there could be some that is, but if it is questionable and as BroB and No60 pointser out, he has a big ol flue to heat up, he is gonna have a heck of a time without everything being "perfect". And maybe not even then.

Just saying the wood could be dry and the problem be something else, all oak does not take 2 years.

True. I found some 4" limbs recently fallen, but have been dead for years. They'll burn great in under a month.

I'm guessing the OP has a wide variety of dryness in his stacks of standing-dead wood - I know I do!

This is all very true, but in the troubleshooting world of stoves, what would the smart, easy, least expensive place to start, be? Check the wood, my man. If it ain't that, we can move on down the Boolean logic chart.

 

[oldspark]

Jags that is my point (sort of) I think he has some good wood in the mix some where as it was all dead and stacked for 8 months, dead cherry should be dry in 8 months should it not.

 

[Jags]

dead cherry should be dry in 8 months should it not.

I would think so, too.

 

[94BULLITT]

I got a moisture meter from lowes and my hardwood is ranging from 14 to 19% and my some of my pine was as low a 7%. I built a fire last night I got it up to 500* I had a decent secondary fire going for a while but it would not last a long period of time unless you sit right there and work the draft to keep it going. One thing that is weird about the stove is the fire is always in the front the and it works it way back the wood. I would think the whole stick of wood should burn somewhat evenly. Today I was messing with the stove and I closed the primary draft all of the way and opened the start all the way. When I did that the wood was burning evenly and there was a nice secondary fire.