Quadra Fire 4300 Step Top.... Asking For A Friend !

[Dix]

Seriously, he's not computer savy

Any thoughts on this stove? I'll upload pics, it looks to me to be in pretty good shape.

 

[Dix]

 

[Dix]

 

[begreen]

It's a good heater, though this one looks like it's been worked hard. The front burn tube is sagging. It also looks like a lot of firebrick is missing. I think this stove uses pumice firebrick like the PE.

 

[Ludlow]

It's a good heater, though this one looks like it's been worked hard. The front burn tube is sagging. It also looks like a lot of firebrick is missing. I think this stove uses pumice firebrick like the PE.

Can pumice brick be replaced with clay brick when needed?

 

[Dix]

Some of the bricks were cracked. I've hooked him up with Stove World, which is where I got my replacements for the PE.

How serious is the burn tube issue?

He had already bought the stove & piping before he talked to me.

 

[begreen]

Can pumice brick be replaced with clay brick when needed?

Yes, usually they are the same dimension. But the insulative properties are not the same. This may affect starting and emissions. A well insulated firebox gets up to temp quickly.

 

[jtp10181]

How serious is the burn tube issue?

This indicates it was probably over fired at some point or likely on a regular basis. I would fully inspect the rest of the firebox for any cracks or bulging. The warped tube could effect the secondary burn and also the board and blanket that rest on top may not sit flat. Speaking of which it might need a new board and blanket if it was burned that hard repeatedly. Hard to tell in the pic what is going on above those tubes. Looks wrong up there unless you have found one of the really old stoves that used a steel plate or firebricks for the baffle?




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[Ludlow]

Yes, usually they are the same dimension. But the insulative properties are not the same. This may affect starting and emissions. A well insulated firebox gets up to temp quickly.

I know that the subject has been beat before. Has anyone ever found a decisive answer as to whether the type of brick affects the clearances of a stove? Mine came with pumice and to tell you the truth they arent much sturdier than styrofoam from the look and feel. Very fragile.

 

[begreen]

They do insulate better allowing for a quicker hotter burn in the firebox. This affects efficiency. We've had pumice bricks in our stove now going on its 10th season. Original bricks. One in the rear developed a crack a year ago. I know exactly when that happened and I was the one that did it. Don't slam wood against them and they hold up fine.

Several years back we had a discussion about this. I contacted PE and was told that Pacific Energy requires the pumice firebrick for their stoves in order to maintain their high efficiency burn. They do not recommend using clay firebrick replacements. I've read a competitor's salesperson diss this saying it is just to save shipping weight. That doesn't hold water. The higher cost of the bricks makes stoves with them cost a bit more which adds to the stove cost. Someone also once posted that they thought a manufacturer got a special deal on pumice stones that was less than clay firebrick. That is not backed by fact. Pumice bricks cost more to extract and manufacture.