quadra fire 3100 troubleshooting?

[jpryorx2]

hey guys this is our 4th heating season with our 3100 step top up untill recently it has been heating our house (about 1800sf) without any problems.i think i actually have a couple different questions/problems. first off it used to produce a very fine ash to the point we would only empty the ash pan once a day but now we getting alot of large chunks like the wood isn't burning all the way.also the coals in the back of the stove don't seem to be getting hot. the back will literaly be black and the fire brick black where the coals were touching but the front will be glowing orange like it shoud be. this year it seems like we've had to run it on hi almost 24 hours a day in order to keep the house warm (75-80)in the room the stove is in. in the past the house would be 80 on low where it would be run most of the time. and i think my last problem is that i noticed tonight that the door latch seems to be getting loose is there a way to adjust it.
thanks in advance for any input and sorry for any grammer mistakes it's pretty late and my mind isn't working so good.

 

[offroadaudio]

I recently had a similar problem - turned out the cap on the chimney liner was clogged. When was your last cleaning?
That might solve it for you - if it can't breath - it can't burn.

 

[jpryorx2]

I've actually only cleaned it 3 times in the past 3 years and everytime there was no build up in the pipe it was still shiny steel. however I just went out and looked at the cap and it does look clogged up so it looks like i will be climbing onto a snow and ice covered roof today. If the pipe has anything in iti'll run the brush down it while i'm up there.

thanks

 

[jpryorx2]

well I was able to get on the roof without sliding off. the cap wasn't as bad as it looked from the ground but did have some build up on the screen. the pipe it self looked pretty clean but i did run the brush through it a few times anyways. while the stove was cold I took the side covers off to clean under them and hopfully solve a rattle. I also took off the outside air pipe and made sure it was clear.i even took my blower apart and cleaned it all out (talk about dust build up) But i think i found the answer to my burn problem when i cleaned out inside the fire box. I had never noticed that inside of the back air tubes is a smaller tube that the air goes through both of these holes were clogged so i was only getting air in from the front hole. hopfully the air wash will keep the door glass cleaner now too. we just relit it so we'll see how it goes. the door doesn't seem to be leaking but i still think the latch needs to be adjusted a little tighter.

 

[jtp10181]

The door latch may have some spacer washers under the cam. You can remove the cam and take a washer or two out, then put them on the other side of the cam so you don't use them. There will be a small "key" in the cam which keeps it from rotating on the handle, make sure you don't loose it.

 

[pen]

If that doesn't fix it, any change in your wood supply?

pen

 

[jpryorx2]

nope no change in wood. it is putting off alt more heat now but something still isn't right. at the front of the fire box the logs are burning normal but at the back there not burning at all. as the logs burn down in he front i've been having to turn them around in order to burn them the rest of the way. i let the stove get down to just coals and the front 6 inches was glowing a nice orange but at the back was just black coals. what could cause this stove to have cold spots like this all of the sudden? i might try to call the dealer i bought it from in the morning but getting ahold of them isn't always easy.

 

[offroadaudio]

Sounds like you're loading east / west - what if you go north / south? Just to see what happens.

 

[jpryorx2]

never tried that before so i guess i'll have to. i did just get back from the dealer i bought it from. he says my entire problem is the door seal since it failed the dollar bill test. so he sold m 7 feet of 3/4 in rope and a tube of the adhesive so i'm gonna replace the seal now. anyone know how long it needs to set up before getting the fire going again? or any tips on replacing he rope?

thanks

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_YykBbOTDg

 

[jpryorx2]

ok that video brings up another question. the dealer was out of the rtv so he sold me a 2oz bottle of turland high temp stov gasket adhesive code 75s. this is a liquid not rtv. is this going to work or do i need the other stuff. i'm still waiting for the stove to cool down before i can change it. i'd just rather do it right the first time around because i see dollar signs going thru the roof everytime the propane furance kicks on. normally the stove burns 24/7 and we only light the furnace if we go away for the weekend.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

ok that video brings up another question. the dealer was out of the rtv so he sold me a 2oz bottle of turland high temp stov gasket adhesive code 75s. this is a liquid not rtv. is this going to work or do i need the other stuff. i'm still waiting for the stove to cool down before i can change it. i'd just rather do it right the first time around because i see dollar signs going thru the roof everytime the propane furance kicks on. normally the stove burns 24/7 and we only light the furnace if we go away for the weekend.

turland, or rutland>?

assuming rutland, yah, thats good stuff.
clean track with water, it is water soluble...

 

[jpryorx2]

sorry forgot to reread what i typed. yes i ment rutland. on the back of the bottle it says " for superior adhesion on fiberglass gaskets we recommend code 77. rutland stove gasket cement" so i as just making sure i use the right stuff. also it doesn't say how long to let it sit before lighting a fire any idea?