Quadra 3100i or 5100i? Would love an opinion on capacity to heat

[bigstepper]

Hi,

I have a few questions on fireplace wood inserts, specifically the Quadra 3100i and the 5100i units, and their capacity to heat my house.

Here are a few specifications to consider.

The first floor of my house is about 1500 square feet, with the living room 20 x 18' --or roughly 360 square feet . This is where the fireplace is and where the Quadra insert will go.

The living room also is open air, with 20' ceilings. The second level has three bedrooms and overlooks the living room. I also have a nice 54" fan up in the living room ceiling.

Given the size of my house and the ceiling height, how do I really judge which one to buy? I have no reference point on judging BTU's and whether the larger, more expensive model (5100i) would make a difference. Is the rule of thumb to buy as much "BTU as you can"?

One other point: The Quadra dealer has the 3100i in stock, while the 5100i is backordered and scheduled for a late October/early November delivery ( apparently demand has exceeded supplies, so it might be later... )

Should I wait for the 5100i or go with the 3100i?

I know this isn't all the information, but do most owners regret on not going larger? Or does a smaller unit actually work harder, and therefore is more effective?

Thank you in advance for your help and advice.

 

[savageactor7]

Ordinarily I'd always go with bigger is better but heating 1500sf in MD I thinking you'll be very happy with the 3100. Jerry in NJ has the same stove and ...last I heard is very pleased with it. Lets see what he has to say.

 

[Jclout]

I have the Quad 3100 millennium, not the insert, but I can say the quality is very good and I love mine.

 

[yukiginger]

To be safe I'd be considering the 4100i or the 5100i, but the 5100 might be overkill in your climate. What's your total sq. footage?

MarkG

 

[bigstepper]

Square footage is over 5,000 for the house, but I'm only interested in heating 3,500 square feet of it. The other 1,500 is in another wing of the house, which is sectioned off in the winter, and is heated independently.
Again, it comes down to capacity. would the 5100i be "overkill", i.e. I wouldn't use/need the extra BTU's? ( And therefore saving me about $800 from one model to another.) As a comparative, is it (the 5100i) like a Porsche that has 500 horsepower and you drive it to work doing 55 mph? I hope this makes sense.

 

[Redox]

I think it depends on the age of the house and insulation level, as well as your expectations on performance. I have a 4300 freestanding in about 3000sf of 50yo house also in the MD area and I sometimes wish for bigger. Chances are if I had gotten the bigger one, I'd be wondering if the smaller one would have been a better idea! Short of buying both and putting quick connects on the flue, you have to weigh the pros and cons. The 3100 will put a dent in your fuel bill, but I don't think you are going to heat the entire 3500sf with it, especially if the house is older. The 5100 may be a bit overkill, but Quad's seem to idle down well and would allow you to get a longer burn out of it.

To further the car analogy, Porches are like a thoroughbred that needs to run wild once in a while to keep them in good shape, or they run like crap. What you want is probably more like a fuel injected BMW that can idle about town all day, but still jump when you want it to. I consider the Quad more like a V8 Buick, myself...

Chris

 

[bigstepper]

Thank you for your reply.

The house is 10 years old and built fairly well.

I guess it also comes down to the dealer having a couple of 3100i's in stock, versus having 5100i's on order, but due in about 4-6 weeks. But I guess since the investment is long term, what's 4-6 weeks, right?

You're probably right, if I'm reading you correctly, that my question is probably going to be answered only by buying one unit over the other and then wishing I had bought the next model up, or down.

BTW, since you have a Quadra, where did you purchase yours? Is that information allowed on this forum?

Also, strictly your opinion, is there a big difference between a unit (the 3100i) that puts out 54,000 BTu peak, and one that puts out 78,000 ( the 5100i)? I mean, if both were side by side and blowing out hot air, is it the amount of air coming out, or the temperature of the air (or both...)

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[Redox]

Personally, I think the 3100 is going to be a little small. (opinion alert, standard disclaimers apply) Peak output isn't going to be sustainable over a long period of time as the fire dies out. You're talking about 45% more heat, and it comes out as more air and more radiant energy generally. How big is your furnace or boiler? A small one is 100K for comparison's sake.

I got mine from Courtland's in Belair and we can discuss them because I don't work for them. They seemed very experienced and knowledgable and have been handling Quad for some time. I have to submit a warranty claim on the baffle, but I don't expect much of an argument.

The opinions expressed.........

Chris

 

[bigstepper]

Thanks for your thoughts.

Incidentally, I live in Northern Baltimore County, and am dealing with Courtland in Fallston. They seem very knowledgable and experienced, as you state.

I'm looking forward to an Quadra insert, 3100i or 5100i, to complement my heating system, not to replace it. I agree, the 3100 may be overmatched.

While my standard fireplace put out some nice ambience last winter, it also sent my heat up the old chimney, along with my heating bills. So anything will be an improvement. If I can knock $$ off of my BGE heating, well less goes to Constellation Energy, and our great Governor. : )

 

[BrotherBart]

A 747 idling in the family room wouldn't overheat a 5,000 sq. ft. house. :lol:

Get the big'un.

 

[begreen]

:lol: Get the 747. Those Pratt and Whitneys would do a heck of a job for heat circulation too.

 

[jeffee]

A 747 idling in the family room wouldn't overheat a 5,000 sq. ft. house. :lol:

Get the big'un.

Glad you're back. I always enjoy and learn from your posts.

-Jeff

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Why did you skip the 4100I in your consideration? Thinking back we may have picked the 4100I for looks more than more heat output than the 3100I.

If you want to fully heat a large floor space your problem is more than the size of the insert/stove, how do you get the air around? My approach is to use my central heating system and let the insert take over when we want the extra warmth, albeit with some cool temperatures in rooms remote from the fireplace. We have forced air heat and we do use the circulation fan, but the remote rooms are still 10-15 degrees colder than the room with the insert. A larger insert would make it easier to get more heat into the host room, but we don't want that room to be at 90 degrees.

 

[Redox]

I don't think the fumes coming off the jet engine are going to be very pleasant; we have problems with helicopter exhaust now that everyone wants to land them on the building. :roll:

Circulation doesn't sound like it will be a problem with the cathedral ceiling and fan. I just think there will be a lot of mass that is going to need heat and you are going to want the big one. It will be a lot easier to get an overnight burn which will help you knock some more $ off the fuel bill.

Chris

 

[yukiginger]

I would definitely go with the 5100i. Bigger firebox means longer burns when needed and also less fire tending. The 3100i is too small for you. With your high ceilings (do these open to the upstairs?) air should flow out of the room well enough that you won't get heated out. Although you plan not to heat the entire house with it wouldn't it be a nice option to have? You won't get that with the small unit. The extra cost won't be noticed in the long run.

MarkG

 

[bigstepper]

You've all been very helpful.

I checked with the Air Force, no 747s available...

With all due respect to Jerry in NJ, but my wife doesn't like the grill on the 4100i. ( I like it, but my vote doesn't count. If you're married, you'll understand that a happy wife makes for a happy life...) So I've had to rule that model out, thus leaving me the choice of the 5100i and the 3100i.

Also, Jerry, a friend of mine suggests as you do to run my HVAC unit with the fan on (but heat off) to circulate the heated air the Quadra produces, so it reaches the rest of the house. To review, the main room has a cathedral ceiling and fan ( first floor has 1500 sq feet total) and is open to the upstairs ( also 1500 sq feet). I assume if the bedrooms upstairs are not as warm as the main room but warmer than last winter (before Quadra), that would be a victory.

So, am I hearing that the consensus is the 5100i?

If this all goes right, a round of beers on me. : )

 

[Jags]

5100 all the way, if it gets too hot in the general area of the stove, just have Jeeves set a fan to push some air around. Just make sure that its not pointing at the brie, I hate cold brie.

 

[bigstepper]

So, are you saying "To brie, or not to brie? That is the question".

: )

 

[Jags]

So, are you saying "To brie, or not to brie? That is the question".

: )

Ooohhh.....you catch on quick. Welcome to the site.

 

[bigstepper]

Jags: Northern Illinois, is that where you are? Talk about cold winters ( and brie) , I'm sure your Quad is a necessity up there.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Go Cubs.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Understood, I was happy with the 3100I myself, and mainly because it cost less and would do the job, we're about 1,000 sf per floor, two floors. My wife liked the looks of both the 4100I and 5100I, we took the 4100I for the same reason I was reaching for the 3100I. As it turns our I got a few hundred off the "list" price on the Insert and on the chimney liner, from a different dealer. So, I got a win-win, good thing I was negotiating before the latest shortages. From the sound of it you can get the insert, no shortages.

Enjoy, the 5100I looks like a great insert.

 

[granpajohn]

I've advised others to install the biggest insert that will fit, but there is the $800 difference I suppose.
That said,...I wouldn't want smaller than the 4100. (Given your situation, climate, blah, blah, blah...)

 

[Jags]

Jags: Northern Illinois, is that where you are? Talk about cold winters ( and brie) , I'm sure your Quad is a necessity up there.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Go Cubs.

Yep, 90 miles west of Chicago. Many a day that Isle Royal is pumping hard to keep up, but it does. 110 yr old farm house, on a hill with basically no wind break for 2 miles (fields and a few trees). It gets plenty cold.

 

[bigstepper]

Hi All,

An update and a question.

After much discussion, I bought the larger QuadraFire 5100i. I have fired it up about 6 times since it was installed in mid-October.
The heat it puts out has been great, but Maryland hasn't had really cold temperatures yet. The lows have been for the most part in the mid 30s to low 40s. So the true test hasn't come yet.

Going back to the installation, the installer had to cut out the old damper so the liner would fit through and connect to the stove. I've read in other forums that a" block off plate" of some kind aids greatly in filling the area around the liner and preventing heat loss. It's supposed to also aid in the heat that comes into the house.

Is this true?

Has anyone with a Quadrafire wood stove insert had a "block off plate installed during (or after) the stove's installation?

I'd like to have the 5100i ready when the real cold weather comes in December.

Any thoughts would greatly be appreciated!

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Congratulation on the new Quad. I have fired up my new 4100-I about the same number of times, in fact it is running now with the outside at about 32 degrees, and snow, wow, snow in October, very unusual.

I do not have a block off plate, and I have read many posts on the subject. I think if your chimney is an outside wall (I assume your liner is insulated) a block off may help, but I bet you'll not be able to measure it.

We are happy with the heating of our unit, and the bay window is nice for seeing the fire when sitting to either side, not facing the fireplace.

My damper too had to be cut out to make room for the 6" stainless steel liner.