Quadra-Fire Expedition II Insert
We purchased and had the dealer install a new Quadra-Fire Expedition II Insert on December 16, 2020. We already have a wood stove in our living room, a See Fire which is 30 years old. Age of this stove, plus the desire to use our fireplace and re-center our living in a way which takes advantage of the fireplace, were the prime factors in adding the Expedition II. The fireplace as a wood burner was too inefficient to use for any serious heating, but was great for ambience. Our plan is to keep the old stove in place until Spring when we can more safely work on the roof to remove the old chimney.
The Expedition II is a 2020 EPA certified stove with a heat output of 25,000+/- btus and an emission rate of 1.8 grams/hr. Design unique features include automatic combustion control (ACC) and automatic blower control. The “uniqueness” of the design is both its strong and weak points, but in our opinion if the weak points accomplish the low emissions and if the stove still provides adequate heat, this stove will be a “win.”
The ACC works by eliminating operator control over the draft, which now basically has a fixed setting with the ability for the operator to give one (or more) boosts in draft of 20 minutes length by operating a plunger which activates a mechanical timer.
My experience with our old stove, as well as the Tarm boiler in my shop building, is that draft is frequently a moving target depending on many factors, including chimney height, obstructions, wind direction and velocity, and outside temperature.
My early experience with the ACC is that it works, sort of. The boost feature does increase the draft and the fixed draft without boost is pretty good for our chimney characteristics with outside temperatures of mid-teens to low 30's F. Colder temperatures should work to increase the draft. But currently on starting the stove and bringing it up to operating temperature, and sometimes when refueling, the firebox door needs to be left open a crack to get adequate draft, and then closing the door when the burn is well established. However, opening the firebox door a crack to improve draft also was necessary at times with our old stove, and based on comments of other wood burners is not unusual. Also, the lack of ability to close the draft means that more attention needs to be given to not over firing the stove.
Initial conclusion on ACC: this is OK as is, but more time and burning experience under various conditions will allow for a more considered opinion. The Manual with the stove at page 12 gives this advice, which I think is good for the Expedition II as well as any wood stove:
“Since there are no user controls to adjust the burn rate, the easiest method is to learn how many logs you need at a time for the amount of heat desired. In addition to the amount of wood and the size of the logs, take the time to experiment with split and unsplit logs as split logs will burn faster than unsplit logs.”
The automatic blower control does not seem to be operating properly on my Expedition II. It is not turning on the blower reliably as the stove heats up. When it does operate it has so far shut the blower off as the stove cools down. The blower control, if it works, would be a benefit but for me is not a significant issue. The blower also can be operated manually with five speed settings. Operating the blower increases heat output but also cools the stove. Care also will be needed to operate the blower so as not to over-cool the stove to result in an efficient burn. I will be contacting the dealer regarding the apparent problem with the blower control.
I have more to report on the Expedition II, but I want to gain more burn experience first. Let me know if you are interested.
We purchased and had the dealer install a new Quadra-Fire Expedition II Insert on December 16, 2020. We already have a wood stove in our living room, a See Fire which is 30 years old. Age of this stove, plus the desire to use our fireplace and re-center our living in a way which takes advantage of the fireplace, were the prime factors in adding the Expedition II. The fireplace as a wood burner was too inefficient to use for any serious heating, but was great for ambience. Our plan is to keep the old stove in place until Spring when we can more safely work on the roof to remove the old chimney.
The Expedition II is a 2020 EPA certified stove with a heat output of 25,000+/- btus and an emission rate of 1.8 grams/hr. Design unique features include automatic combustion control (ACC) and automatic blower control. The “uniqueness” of the design is both its strong and weak points, but in our opinion if the weak points accomplish the low emissions and if the stove still provides adequate heat, this stove will be a “win.”
The ACC works by eliminating operator control over the draft, which now basically has a fixed setting with the ability for the operator to give one (or more) boosts in draft of 20 minutes length by operating a plunger which activates a mechanical timer.
My experience with our old stove, as well as the Tarm boiler in my shop building, is that draft is frequently a moving target depending on many factors, including chimney height, obstructions, wind direction and velocity, and outside temperature.
My early experience with the ACC is that it works, sort of. The boost feature does increase the draft and the fixed draft without boost is pretty good for our chimney characteristics with outside temperatures of mid-teens to low 30's F. Colder temperatures should work to increase the draft. But currently on starting the stove and bringing it up to operating temperature, and sometimes when refueling, the firebox door needs to be left open a crack to get adequate draft, and then closing the door when the burn is well established. However, opening the firebox door a crack to improve draft also was necessary at times with our old stove, and based on comments of other wood burners is not unusual. Also, the lack of ability to close the draft means that more attention needs to be given to not over firing the stove.
Initial conclusion on ACC: this is OK as is, but more time and burning experience under various conditions will allow for a more considered opinion. The Manual with the stove at page 12 gives this advice, which I think is good for the Expedition II as well as any wood stove:
“Since there are no user controls to adjust the burn rate, the easiest method is to learn how many logs you need at a time for the amount of heat desired. In addition to the amount of wood and the size of the logs, take the time to experiment with split and unsplit logs as split logs will burn faster than unsplit logs.”
The automatic blower control does not seem to be operating properly on my Expedition II. It is not turning on the blower reliably as the stove heats up. When it does operate it has so far shut the blower off as the stove cools down. The blower control, if it works, would be a benefit but for me is not a significant issue. The blower also can be operated manually with five speed settings. Operating the blower increases heat output but also cools the stove. Care also will be needed to operate the blower so as not to over-cool the stove to result in an efficient burn. I will be contacting the dealer regarding the apparent problem with the blower control.
I have more to report on the Expedition II, but I want to gain more burn experience first. Let me know if you are interested.
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