Cracks in rear channel quadra fire 5100i ACT...fix?

[profitone]

I bought a quadra fire 5100i new from dealer in Feb 2011. I noticed some cracks in the rear channel in the left and right upper corners back when cleaning it in Dec 2024.. I used it until april 24/7 and didnt notice any operational or functional issues related to the cracks and they dont look any worse now then they did then.
I contacted the dealer and was told my lifetime 10 year limited warranty was over now.... Im just glad that Ive managed to live 5.7 lifetimes. I've read there is a "reliner kit" and this is what was recommended by my dealer and quadrafire tech support. My burn tubes are perfect and i dont have any warping and havent overfired.. I have an on stove themometer and an IR that i use to double check. The dealer told me the channel having cracks in it creates a negative pressure and will affect the efficiency of the stove. The reliner kit doesn't even repair the cracks . It just covers them.. I'm confused by all of this as I read in a forum here from 2014 where a quad tech genius stated that "the rear channel is neither an air channel or structural support and it's function is to hold the brick in place"... He also stated" the cracks are neither a safety or efficiency concern and do not require welding.. but does require the reliner kit to prevent further damage."
So after all of this I'm left wondering.... Do I actually need to buy and install a $300 "kit" that essentially just covers the channels but doesn't actually fix the cracks? Now i cant even monitor the cracks anymore bc they are covered-- but not repaired... Should I just have the crack welded as others have done? How exactly does the stove utilize air bc my dealers explanation is somewhat contradictory to what the quad tech said..Id like to understand how it works as I admit i dont know. Any links to how this or a similar insert works? (like air comes in 2 tubes at back and travels up into the manifolds and thru the burn tubes etc IDK ?)

My pictures are attached below the reference thread below...

Forum from 2014: response from quad supervisor is in this thread..

Thread 'Cracks in Quad'

Mar 14, 2014

I have a Quadrafire 5700 Step Top stove that I purchased 3/2007. I cleaned the chimney the other day and also disassembled the stove to vacuum the upper interior. I noticed a vertical crack in each corner of the secondary air supply channel. I took pics and emailed them to the store where it was purchased. The owner then forwarded my email to Quadrafire.

Here are some pictures:



Left corner.




Left corner with wire inserted in crevice into air channel.



Right corner with wire inserted into cavity.

Quadrafire got back to the...

• RonB
• Replies: 28
• Forum: The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces

 

[begreen]

Ask a good welder to look at it and see if the old welds can be ground out and then rewelded.