Problem removing and replacing baffle in old Quad 4100

[Yemil]

I have an old Aladdin wood stove that has served my wife and I for 30 years without any problems through many extremely cold winters high in the Colorado Rockies. We love it and unfortunately cannot afford to replace it now that we have a problem with it.
The baffle is warped and needs to be replaced but....I cannot lift it out through the opening because it appears to be a 1/4 inch too wide. I have attached a picture to show what I mean. I am puzzled why this is not an easy project. How would it have been installed in the first place ? Was this stove assembled a different way ?
If anyone has a solution to this I would love to know what it is. I have considered using a grinder to cut through it which seems to be of a heavy duty method to resolve the problem. I did notice there are screws at the back of the unit but I am not sure what removing them might accomplish. Could the baffle be removed from the back if part of the stove is disassembled in some way ?
If I ever manage to remove it I have considered having a local ironworks shop make a new baffle to match the one I have. My question here is...can it just be flat without the "nose" or "bend" in it ?
As an alternative a ceramic replacement has been suggested. Is that a good option ?
One last thing...are manuals available for this stove ?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Yemil

A lot of questions but I am determined to get this stove up and running efficiently again, my wife needs expensive eye surgery so purchasing a new and very expensive stove is just not possible right now. Winter will be bearing down on us far too soon. At 8,500 feet elevation in the mountains it isn't going to wait for us to fix this problem

 

[begreen]

This is an EPA stove, a Quadrafire 4100. Is the baffle metal? I thought it had a ceramic fiber baffle, but that may have been later.

 

[Yemil]

The baffle appears to be cast iron, there was no ceramic fibre baffle introduced in those early models.

 

[begreen]

The manual is online here. It covers multiple models including the 4100. Baffle removal instructions are on pages 21 & 22.

Quadra-Fire 2100 Installation, Operation And Maintenance Instructions (Page 22 of 25) | ManualsLib

www.manualslib.com

 

[Yemil]

Thanks for the manual link.
I'll give it a try and see what happens.....

 

[Yemil]

I finally have the time to deal with this challenge but I have another question concerning the instructions in the manual.
For the 4100 it says remove " all the tiles".
I have removed the back and side tiles but the instructions don't clearly mention the floor tiles. Do I need to remove them as well ? I don't want to remove them if I really don't need to.

The baffle weighs 33 Ibs. This is ridiculously heavy and cumbersome. I am not looking forward to turning it around 180° in order to remove it! Something tells me this is going to be a nightmare task.
Thanks
Any response and any suggestion that helps me get through this will be appreciated.

 

[bholler]

I finally have the time to deal with this challenge but I have another question concerning the instructions in the manual.
For the 4100 it says remove " all the tiles".
I have removed the back and side tiles but the instructions don't clearly mention the floor tiles. Do I need to remove them as well ? I don't want to remove them if I really don't need to.

The baffle weighs 33 Ibs. This is ridiculously heavy and cumbersome. I am not looking forward to turning it around 180° in order to remove it! Something tells me this is going to be a nightmare task.
Thanks
Any response and any suggestion that helps me get through this will be appreciated.

View attachment 315647

Yeah those old steel ones are a real pain. I hope it's not warped so bad that you can't get it to spin. If that's the case you get to have the fun of cutting it in half inside the stove. And that metal doesn't cut easy after being heated and cooled that many times. Good luck

 

[Yemil]

It is somewhat warped unfortunately. I hope it will spin but if it doesn't what would be the best tool to use to cut it in half ?
Would a grinder do ?

 

[bholler]

It is somewhat warped unfortunately. I hope it will spin but if it doesn't what would be the best tool to use to cut it in half ?
Would a grinder do ?

Yeah an angle grinder and 10 pack of cutoff wheels

 

[Yemil]

Thanks....Sounds like a whole bag of fun!
Any recommendation about the floor tiles ?

 

[bholler]

Thanks....Sounds like a whole bag of fun!
Any recommendation about the floor tiles ?

Bricks. And try it without pulling them. If you do pull them you will probably need all new ones

 

[Yemil]

Thanks....bricks it is....
I was hoping there would be sufficient space in the width to spin the baffle without having to screw with those bricks as well.

That baffle is almost as heavy as the backpack I was carrying for a three day camping trip last weekend and now I have to give it a spin when it is balanced on just two hands in a very tight space ! It's enough to make m want to move to a warmer climate that doesn't require a wood stove in the winter

 

[Yemil]

SUCCESS !
I finally managed to extricate the baffle from the stove. It was a bit of a "strong-arm fiddle" but it worked with determination and luck. It was warped but not enough to make it impossible to remove.
Thanks for for quick and informative responses, they were much appreciated and I already had a plan B in place based upon your recommendations. The thought of cutting that baffle in half did not appeal to me one bit so I am very relieved I wan't need to do it.
I am thinking of just replacing it with a ceramic baffle board and and a Kaowool blanket and I am hoping that these will get me up and "burning" again.
Last questions if I may. What was the purpose of the front bend in the steel baffle and do I somehow need to replicate that in some way or will the omission of whatever that function was cause the stove to be less thermally efficient ?
Thanks again for your help.
Yemil

 

[Yemil]

I forgot to mention that the secondary burner right at the rear of the stove was completely stuck in place and had to be split in half with a grinder before it could be removed. This burner was snagging the baffle and making the removal of that impossible.
The story now is...I can't seem to find a replacement for one online anywhere. It is 17" wide by 3/4 " in diameter.
Any tips for where I can purchase one would be welcome.

 

[begreen]

Unfortunately, the tubes are often sold as a set. Check with your local Quad dealer to see if it can be ordered individually. Or get a section of stainless tube and drill it out using the old one for hole size and spacing.

This set is for the 4100i insert. Not sure if the freestanding part is the same.

https://www.stove-parts-unlimited.com/quadra-fire-manifold-tube-set-832-3530-p/832-3530.htm

 

[Yemil]

Yeh...I really don't need to be paying for extra tubes I'll probably never use.
I had to cut through one tube at the rear of the stove that was blocking the baffle removal and would not come free. I am wondering if the two halves could be welded together ?????