Air adjustment on stove

[rideboard147]

I have read a lot of post in the past of people adjusting there air rate on there stove. My question is how do I do that on a quadra fire freestanding Castile? I have looked in the manuals and around the stove, but I am not really sure what I am looking for. I would like to adjust it so that my pellets will burn better and cleaner.

 

[jtakeman]

I don't believe you can. Quad doesn't incorperate a damper IIRC. The controller does all the adjusting for you.

 

[john193]

Correct, no manual adjustment.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The adjustment you have to clean up your burn is on the fuel feed side there are instructions in the manual on how to properly set the feed gate.

 

[mralias]

The adjustment you have to clean up your burn is on the fuel feed side there are instructions in the manual on how to properly set the feed gate.

Just to add to smokeys post from what I have seen with my CB1200i, the type and brand of pellet will also force you to adjust your feed rate as all pellets do not burn the same.

 

[rideboard147]

K thanks I will adjust the feed rate. It's the same pellets but burning way different then before.

 

[SwineFlue]

K thanks I will adjust the feed rate. It's the same pellets but burning way different then before.

How is it different?

 

[Bioburner]

Pellets change from same manufacture. I have pellets from same manufacture supposedly of same year and there is a noticable differance. Second ton has wood shavings and chips and fines. Makes for more cleaning

 

[rideboard147]

My Rocky Mountains use to burn real clean all the way through. I would not have to clean the burn pot for 1 week. Now they are caking up the pot and I have to clean it every other day, sometimes everyday. I dunno if it's the pellets or my stove. I have a feeling it was a bad batch.

 

[SwineFlue]

I dunno if it's the pellets or my stove.

It could be either. It could be both. Give the stove & exhaust vent a thorough cleaning. If these pellets are ashier, it could be building up in the exhaust faster than you are used to seeing. This could then reduce airflow through the burnpot and cause the caking. If this is the case, it will progressively get worse.

I can't comment on the pellet brand. My only experience with them was with a few bags that had been stored outdoors.

 

[SwineFlue]

On the stove side, check your door gasket. A leak could cause air to bypass the burnpot.

 

[DexterDay]

Yep. If you have to clean daily, then I would say its a Leak somewhere. Door gasket is a good place to look, as noted above.

I can go about 1-2 weeks without even pulling the dump rod. If you have all the burn air that's supposed to be there, it keeps the pot very clean. With just a little less air, it can't eject that ash out and you end up with a "Cake" on the back of the pot.

 

[MommyOf4]

How does a person know when they need to close the damper a bit?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

How does a person know when they need to close the damper a bit?

Your fire going out is one clue, another is large pieces of pellets being ejected from the burn pot, a third is a small highly active blowtorch like flame that actually results in very little heat from the stove (it is going up the flue instead).

Fires in a pellet stove are a balancing act, you need the correct ratio of air to fuel no more and no less to get a good burn and heat into the room.

Remember not all stoves have dampers.