Over firing Quadra Fire 3100 Flat Top

[dollaway85]

I'm new to the business of owning a wood stove and my husband and I have had some burning (no pun intended) questions regarding ours. We recently bought a house with the Quadra Fire 3100 Millennium Flat Top installed (probably from the early 2000s based on photos we've seen). We bought seasoned split wood that the sellers says was seasons two and a half years. It is dry and burns great.

However, we have noticed the stove top temp reaching 500 when loading it fresh with 3-4 pieces of medium sized wood. We have been unable to find a good stove top temp recommendation for this stove. We believe the pipe is double wall, and it goes straight up through our 25 ft vaulted ceiling. Our inspector said everything looks good as far as the chimney/pipe were concerned and we cleaned it.

Since we have double wall pipe, what should the max temp be measured on the stove top? Currently have the thermometer to the right of the pipe and a bit forward. We have kept a steel pot of water on it to help with air dryness. Not sure if this is bad or not.

I suffer from anxiety and this is a cause some nights as I fear the house burning down, even though I know I left it burning at 350 before bed.

We have a fuel oil furnace that is ancient and use it as back up for when the fire goes out. We can keep our 1300 sq ft home at 68 degrees in areas furthest from the stove in 10 degree weather, so long as I continue to load it throughout the day. I'm getting about 1.5-2 hours burn time on 2 pieces of wood at 350 degrees. We have creosote burners that we throw in the fire when I reaches 400 once a week to stop it from building up.

Tonight the fire went completely out so I had to restart it (I use peeled off bark) and it reached 500 F in about 25 minutes. I closed the intake on top and let it burn from the bottom for about 10 minutes longer before closing that off. I felt fine with that until I looked again and it was up to 525.

Opinions? Knowledge? Thanks in advance!

 

[firefighterjake]

I'm not sure about that particular stove . . . but with my cast iron woodstove the normal operating temp (stove top) is generally considered 450-600 degrees F or so.

One mistake some folks make is the belief that by running the stove on the cooler side it's a good thing . . . other folks think they should run it hotter to "burn" out the creosote. The reality is most woodstoves want to run in the "Goldilocks Zone" -- not too cold and not too hot. Run it too cool and and it will tend to produce creosote (even if your wood is pretty well seasoned) . . . and run it too hot and the creosote present in the chimney can ignite.

Other random thoughts:

A pot of water on top of the stove will add some moisture and humidity into the house . . . but honestly most folks will tell you that it really doesn't do a whole lot if decreasing the dryness is your goal. Most folks use actual humidifiers.

Anti-Creosote Chemicals: Not necessarily a bad thing . . . especially since they help convert the really bad creosote into the not-so-bad creosote. However, what I have found is if you run the stove at the right temp and use well seasoned wood AND check and clean the chimney on a regular basis the chemicals are pretty much unnecessary.

Loading: For maximum efficiency just loading 1-2 splits is usually not all that great. Most modern woodstoves tend to burn better in cycles -- reloading when the stove has reached the coaling stage (for me I wait longer if the temps are mild -- say in or near freezing -- and sooner if the temps are in the single digits or below freezing.) And while I rarely pack it to the gills -- mainly because I have a very strong draft -- I do load it up most of the time unless it's early fall or late spring when I just need a small, quick fire to take the chill out of the air.

Probe Style Thermometer: If you truly are anxious about the temps consider a probe style thermometer for your double wall pipe . . . I find that I often rely on this thermometer for running and checking the "health" of my burn more so than the stove top thermometer. If you have a drill and 10 minutes you can easily install a probe style thermometer.

Finally . . . welcome to the site.

 

[Jags]

500F is just getting into the proper zone with that plate steel stove. You ain't hurting a thing at 500 for a stovetop temp. As a fellow quad owner (albeit a cast iron stove), I strive for the 550F butter zone. A little higher or a little lower is no big issue. It sounds like the stove is dialed in and doing the work for you.

 

[VirginiaIron]

Welcome to the form. This one article says that the wood temperature ( inside the firebox)for secondary combustion to occur is anywhere from 500 to 1100° And exceeding 1100° because the charcoal inside the firebox burns at a much higher temperature.

http://store.msuextension.org/publications/HomeHealthandFamily/MT198405HR.pdf

 

[dollaway85]

500F is just getting into the proper zone with that plate steel stove. You ain't hurting a thing at 500 for a stovetop temp. As a fellow quad owner (albeit a cast iron stove), I strive for the 550F butter zone. A little higher or a little lower is no big issue. It sounds like the stove is dialed in and doing the work for you.

Thank you for your reply. I had it up to 500 again this morning and felt better about it. It was hard finding anything detailed about this particular stove other than a manual that has no temperatures listed.

 

[dollaway85]

Thank you for replying. I didn't think that two pieces was enough but my husband worried about getting too many pieces in and not being able to calm the fire once they all started. Of course I just worried about the temps reaching 500 so quickly. We are going to install a probe style thermometer this weekend and hope it gives us a better gauge of where we're at. I'm attempting to load the stove with two larger pieces and two small pieces and it seems that is the max capacity as it is filled. Hopefully it will burn a little more efficient this way and also stay hotter longer.

Thank you again.

I'm not sure about that particular stove . . . but with my cast iron woodstove the normal operating temp (stove top) is generally considered 450-600 degrees F or so.

One mistake some folks make is the belief that by running the stove on the cooler side it's a good thing . . . other folks think they should run it hotter to "burn" out the creosote. The reality is most woodstoves want to run in the "Goldilocks Zone" -- not too cold and not too hot. Run it too cool and and it will tend to produce creosote (even if your wood is pretty well seasoned) . . . and run it too hot and the creosote present in the chimney can ignite.

Other random thoughts:

A pot of water on top of the stove will add some moisture and humidity into the house . . . but honestly most folks will tell you that it really doesn't do a whole lot if decreasing the dryness is your goal. Most folks use actual humidifiers.

Anti-Creosote Chemicals: Not necessarily a bad thing . . . especially since they help convert the really bad creosote into the not-so-bad creosote. However, what I have found is if you run the stove at the right temp and use well seasoned wood AND check and clean the chimney on a regular basis the chemicals are pretty much unnecessary.

Loading: For maximum efficiency just loading 1-2 splits is usually not all that great. Most modern woodstoves tend to burn better in cycles -- reloading when the stove has reached the coaling stage (for me I wait longer if the temps are mild -- say in or near freezing -- and sooner if the temps are in the single digits or below freezing.) And while I rarely pack it to the gills -- mainly because I have a very strong draft -- I do load it up most of the time unless it's early fall or late spring when I just need a small, quick fire to take the chill out of the air.

Probe Style Thermometer: If you truly are anxious about the temps consider a probe style thermometer for your double wall pipe . . . I find that I often rely on this thermometer for running and checking the "health" of my burn more so than the stove top thermometer. If you have a drill and 10 minutes you can easily install a probe style thermometer.

Finally . . . welcome to the site.

 

[dollaway85]

I am attempting to burn a full load currently. I think we have a draft that causes the fire to heat up quickly and also burn the wood fast. My husband said he needs to replace the seal on the door and it should help some, but unfortunately we live in a windy area and some of the draft is coming from the chimney.

I didn't pack it full but did put 4 medium splits in that left about 6-7 inches from the top open. It would probably only pack 6 large pieces total. It's not a huge firebox.

It got up to 575 quickly. By quickly I mean ten minutes. I put the wood in, opened both intakes, and by the time I filled my two humidifiers and the pot on the stove it was HOT. Closed top intake, closed bottom quarter of the way, then all the way ten minutes later. Waiting to see if it gets hotter.

***It is up to 600 on the top but the flames have slowed. This is about an hour after loading it. I can't see it getting much hotter. We will need to learn how to time when the intakes need to be closed. I'm watching it until I'm sure it isn't getting any hotter. Then, calling it success.

Thanks again everyone.

I'm new to the business of owning a wood stove and my husband and I have had some burning (no pun intended) questions regarding ours. We recently bought a house with the Quadra Fire 3100 Millennium Flat Top installed (probably from the early 2000s based on photos we've seen). We bought seasoned split wood that the sellers says was seasons two and a half years. It is dry and burns great.

However, we have noticed the stove top temp reaching 500 when loading it fresh with 3-4 pieces of medium sized wood. We have been unable to find a good stove top temp recommendation for this stove. We believe the pipe is double wall, and it goes straight up through our 25 ft vaulted ceiling. Our inspector said everything looks good as far as the chimney/pipe were concerned and we cleaned it.

Since we have double wall pipe, what should the max temp be measured on the stove top? Currently have the thermometer to the right of the pipe and a bit forward. We have kept a steel pot of water on it to help with air dryness. Not sure if this is bad or not.

I suffer from anxiety and this is a cause some nights as I fear the house burning down, even though I know I left it burning at 350 before bed.

We have a fuel oil furnace that is ancient and use it as back up for when the fire goes out. We can keep our 1300 sq ft home at 68 degrees in areas furthest from the stove in 10 degree weather, so long as I continue to load it throughout the day. I'm getting about 1.5-2 hours burn time on 2 pieces of wood at 350 degrees. We have creosote burners that we throw in the fire when I reaches 400 once a week to stop it from building up.

Tonight the fire went completely out so I had to restart it (I use peeled off bark) and it reached 500 F in about 25 minutes. I closed the intake on top and let it burn from the bottom for about 10 minutes longer before closing that off. I felt fine with that until I looked again and it was up to 525.

Opinions? Knowledge? Thanks in advance!

 

[VirginiaIron]

The gasket on the door should be adjustable through the handle. There's a nut on the handle that has to be removed to access the thin spacer washers to make the appropriate adjustments. Double check this condition, then go to the Quadra fire site and get the manual for your particular stove and make the adjustments as necessary. The movement of the handle may be stuck with a little bit a rust and might require some lubrication or a little elbow Grease. Perform the dollar bill test first around the door to determine if your gasket requires adjustment.