Too much draft?

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markst44

New Member
Nov 23, 2011
4
Southern Maine
Hello,

I just recent purchased a Quad Santa Fe Pellet Insert, that now resides in our masonry fireplace. The chimney is 25 feet tall, and the stove is hooked up to a 3' flex liner, that goes all the way up to the top of the chimney. My concern is draft - I think I may be getting to much of it.

On the high setting, I rarely get flames that extend more than two inches above the fire pot, and this is with the feed adjustment set all the way up. The fire is hot and active, but I feel like I will be blowing through a lot of pellets, since I feel like I'm losing a lot of heat up the liner.

I also have a wood stove which I burned with last year (Bosca Limit) and learned how to operate the damper on this unit for maximum efficiency. From what I have gathered from this forum (and others) is that Quadra Fire pellet units (including my Santa Fe) don't have a damper that you can adjust.

I know that having draft is a good thing, and much better than no draft, but can you get too much draft with pellet stoves, or is this something that the stove's computer takes into consideration? I have read different opinions on different websites, but I'm not sure.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

PS I burn Cubex pellets.
 
I've got a Quad vented vertically 25' or better and I've never felt I have too much draft.
But I can get a crankin flame tho, and its a MtV AE not a Sante Fe.
Maybe try chokin off your OAK just to see if it improves your flame height?
 
watch the pellets. If they are flying out of the pot you have too much air. some need to come out. happy medium.....
Air adjustment.
 
My manual recommends a 4" pipe for runs greater than 15'. You might want to check yours to see if you need more exhaust flow to pull it out, and thus, pull on the flame. different model though, so consult yours.
 
You really don't need any draft with a pellet stove since it has an exhaust fan...
 
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