blowers - are they worth it?

[Stevebass4]

i have a QF 2100i insert and i guess this is an older insert - found a shop that can order me the blower kit but it's $270.00

are they really worth the money? the house is a 1300 sf ranch and if i run the stove all day it does get nice and warm - what would i gain from a blower

thanks

 

[jtp10181]

The blower helps to circulate the heat better. Pushes the warm air away and thus pulls more cooler air to the unit to be heated. I'm gonna check that price.

 

[Stevebass4]

thanks very much

The blower is part # 832-3190 quoted $129.00 and the speed control is part # 832-1400. quoted 110.00 plus shipping of $30.00 plus tax.. not too sure why he added shipping if i was to pick it up at his store

 

[BrotherBart]

If I was you I would buy the blower and then order one of these:

(broken link removed to http://www.northlineexpress.com/detail~PRODUCT_ID~5SA-4008.asp)

I just put one on my blower and it works great. For $25.

 

[jtp10181]

Instead of ordering the parts separately you can also order the whole kit. Then you know you are getting everything you need.

Part # 831-0911 which is coming up for me at $264, that should be close to the MSRP.

 

[titan]

IMO,it really depends on your stove location,style,and house layout.Well-placed ceiling fans can do a lot to fight stratification in the home as well.Having said that,I believe a blower is more critical for an insert than a free-standing stove.Like BB said-a good speed-controller is nice to have on a blower as well.

 

[begreen]

It depends on the house and stove setup. The blower will help distribute the heat quicker and perhaps a bit more efficiently. That means faster warmups. But if the stove is running 24/7 that may not be a big benefit. However, if it gets more heat out of the stove, then perhaps you may be able to run with smaller fires?

 

[Stevebass4]

Thanks guys - this insert is so small i can't get it to run 24/7 sounds like i should have one

any place on line to order the kit?

 

[webbie]

With an insert, blowers can really help....more questionable on a freestanding model.

BB might have something there with the speed control if you want to save money....but make certain the blower is self-contained (can work) without the speed control from the factory.

In fact, if you PM stoveguy13 - he is an expert on those particular models and might be able to help.

 

[jtp10181]

Any dealer should be able to order that kit. If you have trouble I could ship it anywhere in the US from our store. Where are you located?

Hopefully that part is still available, it is enabled in my system and not marked obsolete so I hope it is.

 

[Stevebass4]

great thanks again for the info jtp10181 - i'm in Norfolk ma

i'll make a few calls tomorrow to see if i can get one locally

 

[jtp10181]

FRANKLIN FIRE PLACE
456 WEST CENTRAL STREET

FRANKLIN, MA 02038
508-528-1234


They are a quad dealer. Nearest one to you. Quadrafire.com has a dealer locator.

 

[Stevebass4]

FRANKLIN FIRE PLACE
456 WEST CENTRAL STREET

FRANKLIN, MA 02038
508-528-1234


They are a quad dealer. Nearest one to you. Quadrafire.com has a dealer locator.

called them first said they could not order the part because the insert was so old??

 

[Robbie]

I have a regular wood stove and it makes a huge difference in the heating capabilities I think.

It heats probably 4 times better with the blower on low or medium.

In my opinion, you can get a lot more heat output with a blower.



Robbie

 

[budman]

SB4, I have a lopi flush mount insert and without a blower this stove would be useless.

 

[wg_bent]

Yes, they are worth it. 2 experiences here.

My sister has a Lopi Answer insert. She ran it for years with out a blower, then when she saw my Osburn 1800i installed and working, she promptly went out and purchased one. She said it was like buying twice the stove. It now easily heats her ranch home where it did not before.

Second, one day two heating seasons ago we lost power. The day was fairly cold, temps around 10 or so. The Osburn lost ground very quickly, and I planned on having the kids sleep on the LR floor. With the blower, our stove will loose some ground once temps hit 10, but no where near that fast.
We're trying to heat around 2200 sqft with it.

 

[jtp10181]

FRANKLIN FIRE PLACE
456 WEST CENTRAL STREET

FRANKLIN, MA 02038
508-528-1234


They are a quad dealer. Nearest one to you. Quadrafire.com has a dealer locator.

called them first said they could not order the part because the insert was so old??

That's jut plain idiotic.... I will check today if its available from Quad.

 

[Stevebass4]

great thanks again!

 

[drizler]

It must do a lot of good some how. By using the fans in my Multifuel corn, pellet stove it manages to heat one end of the house from the other and I have a 25' hallway in between. I agree with the rheostat speed control for one good reason, NOISE. Sometimes you want the fan up there and sometimes not like when you are there in the room watching tv. Those fans can be a blessing or a curse from thenoise aspect and they seem to build on each other. Still I find they move the air quite well and do serve a useful purpose. With a speed control I bet it will be a lot handier.

 

[Gooserider]

Depends on the stove and the setup, some folks swear by them, others don't find them that useful. If you are happy with the way the stove works without it, you may not get that much benefit from it, though it probably can't make things worse.

As a cheap experiment to see what it might do for you, try getting a small box fan and point it at the stove in a way that will give you the same sort of air circulation that the blower would - if you find it helps, the blower is a good idea. If it doesn't seem to do much good, then it might not be worth the money.

(Also at the price mentioned, I might be tempted to look for alternatives that I could make work - what did Quad do with that blower, GOLD plate it or something???)

Gooserider

 

[BrotherBart]

OK I took a look at the 2100i fan setup in the manual. I would definately go with all Quad parts for that setup. The speed control is in-line so the plug in jobbie I suggested would not work. Also that is a fairly elaborate fan setup with one fan on each side of the insert and a wiring harness.

As to whether it would increase heating, I definately think so. I have never seen any insert that didn't benefit greatly from moving the air out of that shroud out into the room.

 

[burntime]

I have a blower on my insert. Without a question yes. With a stove that is exposed I still feel that it will help get the heat out quicker and to the outer regions of th home. I only have about 25 years experiance but with inserts only so others may be better qualified. Look at it this way...you are doing pretty damn good if your worst mistake in like is 264.00.

 

[jtp10181]

BAH! lots of things came up today and I think I only sat down for 5 minutes. I will try and call Quad on Monday, I better email myself a reminder.

 

[elkimmeg]

Steve I know the guys at Franklin if jtp10181 confirms that parts are still avaliable PM me and I could make a call with the part # and see if they will order it.

It helps that there next installation might end up being inspected by me.

 

[Stevebass4]

Steve I know the guys at Franklin if jtp10181 confirms that parts are still avaliable PM me and I could make a call with the part # and see if they will order it.

It helps that there next installation might end up being inspected by me.

wow that's great & thanks Elk

i called them again on Friday and was told the same thing - sorry old stove can't order the parts (heck couldn't even get a price from them)