Heat Exchanger question for the Quad Tech's out there

[Hat City Hauler]

While cleaning my CB1200 insert this morning, I found one of the heat exchanger tubes had "fallen" from the upper support, preventing the cleaning rod from full travel.

I removed the grill, and baffles and was able to reposition the errant tube, and a simple twist seems to be holding it in place.

The question I have is: Is there a sealant, or adhesive that needs to be on the end of this tube and the support bracket, holding it in place and keeping exhaust gases from entering the convection air, or is it simply a friction fit?

I am hesitant to relight the stove until I know more, but don't want to call the dealer unless there is a need. I'm sure they are busy enough.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Try using 'search' tab. I'm sure you'll find quite a bit on the HX tubes. From what I understand (from reading thos threads) they have to be swaged back into position and can only be done by a Quad service tech with the proper tools. It cannot be accomplished by the owner. Call the dealer.

 

[3650]

I would think those are welded in place. I warped mine. If you run a Quad wide open for very long its possible to damage the tubes, which is what I did. I had the stove up to 780* for about 2 days. I was new....lol.

 

[SidecarFlip]

No, they are not welded in place, they are swaged in place and again, it's a procedure that only a Quad factory trained tech can do. Do not run the stove with a loose HX tube.

 

[kappel15]

On the backside they are just a" friction fit"as you say. At the upper end, us a dead punch to swell the tube to keep it from coming out again. Be sure not to puncture the tube. kap

 

[DMKNLD]

Kap et al,

I believe this is the 3rd post in the past few months of Quad owners having heat exchanger tube separation issues, all of them being CB's as I recall. Is this a problem unique to the Classic Bay model or is that just coincidence?

 

[Hat City Hauler]

Thanks for the replies

 

[kappel15]

Kap et al,

I believe this is the 3rd post in the past few months of Quad owners having heat exchanger tube separation issues, all of them being CB's as I recall. Is this a problem unique to the Classic Bay model or is that just coincidence?

Seems to be.

 

[Hat City Hauler]

View attachment 154256

I apologize if your feathers were ruffled by my question.

For your information, I did search quite extensively before I posted the question. The majority of threads I found under searches were pertaining to a cracked tube. In my case, it was simply displaced. And on none of those threads did I see the answer that I was looking for, which kappel15 was able to answer.

Again, I apologize if I inadvertently caused distress, and wasted bandwidth with my question. My intentions were nothing but honorable.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I apologize if your feathers were ruffled by my question.

For your information, I did search quite extensively before I posted the question. The majority of threads I found under searches were pertaining to a cracked tube. In my case, it was simply displaced. And on none of those threads did I see the answer that I was looking for, which kappel15 was able to answer.

Again, I apologize if I inadvertently caused distress, and wasted bandwidth with my question. My intentions were nothing but honorable.

My post was not meant to show distress. It was meant to avoid covering the same ground over and over. There were two posts in the last month including pictures of these tubes falling down. Kap gave the answer to those. They ARE in the archives.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/heat-exchanger-tubes-keep-falling-down.138769/

 

[tjnamtiw]

I would think those are welded in place. I warped mine. If you run a Quad wide open for very long its possible to damage the tubes, which is what I did. I had the stove up to 780* for about 2 days. I was new....lol.

This is BS. You can run a Quad wide open all winter and IF you follow instructions and adjust your flame height correctly, you will not damage it. If you don't follow the directions and overfire it, then who knows? Also, if you pull or push on the cleaning rods while the stove is hot, you're going to eventually loosen the tubes and push them down and out of the tube sheet.
Also you can't weld aluminum tubes to steel tube sheets.

 

[3650]

yep said I was new didnt I. You sure got your panties in a bunch tonight dont ya there big boy?

 

[BrotherBart]

Settle down folks.

 

[BrotherBart]

My post was not meant to show distress. It was meant to avoid covering the same ground over and over. There were two posts in the last month including pictures of these tubes falling down. Kap gave the answer to those. They ARE in the archives.

Then just point them to them. Try answering the same question 3,000 times in ten years. A standard around this joint is not smacking people that ask questions that have been asked before. And always will be.

 

[BrotherBart]

I apologize if your feathers were ruffled by my question.

You aren't the one that owes an apology.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Then just point them to them. Try answering the same question 3,000 times in ten years. A standard around this joint is not smacking people that ask questions that have been asked before. And always will be.

I DID post a link but it sure would be nice for people who inherit stoves and know nothing about them to at least make the effort to find the answers that have been posted 1000 times before! We are all here trying to help but after 4 years of the SAME QUESTIONS being asked there are many on here who are ready to hang it up and say good riddance. It's only our fortitude and desire to help those WHO CAN BE HELPED get through their problems that keeps us going. We just want to see some effort made on the other side of the coin.

You have to admit that this year has been exceptional for the number of people getting used stoves either through Craigslist or with a house and running them without knowing what they are doing. Then it's almost impossible to get intelligent, meaningful answers from them when a dozen people, most of whom don't even own that brand of stove, chime in with their suggestions and confuse an already confusing situation. The stove owners don't know a combustion blower from a convection blower and don't know how to even properly adjust the stove. Links to owners manuals would be helpful. Earlier this year, we ALL spent a huge amount of time trying to educate someone on how to even read a meter and then trying to figure out what he was reading and how it related to his problem.

I won't smack anyone who asks the 1001 repeated question. I just will ignore them.

 

[BrotherBart]

I just will ignore them.

Yep.

 

[kappel15]

It would be nice if each stove brand had their own section to avoid issues. I sometimes miss posts cause they don't mention their stove brand, and have to try and read between the lines. kap

 

[tjnamtiw]

It would be nice if each stove brand had their own section to avoid issues. I sometimes miss posts cause they don't mention their stove brand, and have to try and read between the lines. kap

I already begged for that one, Kap, with no luck. Someday soon me thinks our dreams will come true. Curiously, many of the posters were against such a thing when, in fact, it would have made their lives easier too. We both have seen the benefits of such a system and the helter-skelter chaos of NOT having such a system.

 

[Bkins]

I agree it can be and is frustrating especially when you try to help a new member and never hear back from them. We spend the time thinking about THEIR problem and how to help and then spend our time composing a response only to have our questions ignored with the poster just going off on tangents that have nothing to do with their problems.

Then you have the members who do as asked and answer the questions asked and whom your able to help. This is what this site is all about. It to bad there is no way to know if the member is acting like a troll and just leave them be.

I don't know what got this thread off track as there was a answer to TJ before he made a post, at least on my computer.

I'll continue to answer one time and go from there.

 

[Hat City Hauler]

First, allow me to say thank you for the link to the previous thread. It was very informative, though my stove looks nothing like the OP's in that thread. I can't answer why it didn't come up when I searched prior to my OP.

Second, just to clear a few things up...this stove was not "inherited" as you inferred, and I'm not a simpleton either. I spent the morning yesterday digging through the literature that came with the stove when I purchased it new. I have had the stove for a few years now, and this is the first problem I've had, and considering how cold it has been here in New England, I was a bit concerned, and thought I might get things back up and running, without a call on Monday morning to the service tech. I then turned to this forum, to research the problem. I can't answer why the thread you posted didn't come on the four or five searches I ran, but I assure you, it didn't. This is not the first forum I have ever participated in, and I am familiar with searching before I ask a question. If you noticed my profile, I have been a member here since 2013, and yet have only a few posts....that is because I use the search function and find answers to my questions.

And finally, thank you to the moderator staff here. Having served as a moderator on other forums several times over the last decade, I know how frustrating and difficult it can be on the patience. You have my never ending gratitude. I will now simply go back to the lurking here that I was doing before.

 

[kappel15]

Do let us know if you resolve your issue for future posters. Stay warm. kap

 

[tjnamtiw]

search 'tubes falling down'.