Quadra fire needs feeding every three hours!

[Stillson lives]

I have a quadra fire wood stove in my basement where my salesman said it would heat my entire home (I did say salesman right?)
It does do a great job but when it gets cold here I have to feed it every 3 hours! I want to remove the air tubes, baffle boards and ceramic blanket to increase my firebox size to get more burn time. Can anyone tell me if this would work and is it a good idea? Help!

 

[begreen]

Removing those items would be a shortcut to producing less heat and eating a lot more wood. It would also void the warranty.

Are the basement walls and sill insulated? What model is the stove? How large an area is it trying to heat including the basement?

 

[BrotherBart]

To quote Julia Roberts. "Mistake. Big mistake.".

 

[Stillson lives]

Removing those items would be a shortcut to producing less heat and eating a lot more wood. It would also void the warranty.

Are the basement walls and sill insulated? What model is the stove? How large an area is it trying to heat including the basement?

Sorry, rookie mistake! The basement is insulated and finished. The total sq. footage it would heat is approx. 2500 sq. ft. The model is a quadra fire 5700 model no. 57st-acc. I really like the stove but I need more burn time. Thanks for help and speedy response!

 

[begreen]

That's the largest they make. 2500 sq ft is a lot of sq ftg to heat and heating from the basement is often very inefficient. The stove is an area heater. It needs to be where the heat is needed.

The burn times are unusually short which may indicate another issue. Do you have a thermometer on the stove. If yes, what temps are you running it at? What temps are you seeing in the basement vs upstairs on the main floor?

 

[bholler]

how are you running it also how long before you shut it back what type of wood how much wood ect?

 

[Stillson lives]

That's the largest they make. 2500 sq ft is a lot of sq ftg to heat and heating from the basement is often very inefficient. The stove is an area heater. It needs to be where the heat is needed.

The burn times are unusually short which may indicate another issue. Do you have a thermometer on the stove. If yes, what temps are you running it at? What temps are you seeing in the basement vs upstairs on the main floor?

The basement usually is about 15 to 20 degrees hotter than the upstairs (90 downstairs vs. 75 upstairs) with an outside temp of 15 to 20 degrees. My flue thermometer reads between 700 and 800 degrees. The inside of the stove looks like Dante's inferno. My father in law wants to give me his old smoke dragon because he says I need a bigger firebox.

 

[bholler]

Well you need to shut t back 700 to 800 is way to hot you will burn up the stove that way. Especially if the upstairs is 75 shut is back you will get longer burns and use less wood.

 

[begreen]

Agreed, It sounds like the fire is getting too much air. Where are you setting the air control at once the fire is going pretty well? Have you measured the stove top temp?

 

[Stillson lives]

how are you running it also how long before you shut it back what type of wood how much wood ect?

Being a rookie with a wood stove I use two of the three vents. The top vent is less than halfway open, the bottom a quarter of the way open. There is a third vent on the bottom on a 10 minuter timer which I use every time I fill it. It self closes and the other two take over. I use cord wood through a local distributor and says its "hardwood" that's the best info on the wood I can offer. The logs are about 20 inches long and 5 inches round

 

[bholler]

If you are shutting it back and still getting those temps you might need the door adjusted or new gasket.

 

[Stillson lives]

Agreed, It sounds like the fire is getting too much air. Where are you setting the air control at once the fire is going pretty well? Have you measured the stove top temp?

I thought if I back it down too much I would lose the heat upstairs. The vents (there are three) top is halfway, bottom is almost half to quarter and I open the third which is on a ten minute timer everytime I fill it.

 

[HotCoals]

You're asking too much out of that stove being in the location that it is. Can it do it..sure. You're just going to use a lot of wood. Will you damage anything..maybe.

 

[bholler]

make sure the start up air on the timer is closing all the way then close back the others till your pipe temp is around 300 you are sending tons of heat up the chimney so you are loosing allot of the available heat from the wood you load. Close it down some and you will spread out the release of that heat and keep more of it in the house.

 

[Stillson lives]

make sure the start up air on the timer is closing all the way then close back the others till your pipe temp is around 300 you are sending tons of heat up the chimney so you are loosing allot of the available heat from the wood you load. Close it down some and you will spread out the release of that heat and keep more of it in the house.

Thanks! That does make a lot of sense and I'll give it a try! Would an outdoor air kit help?

 

[bholler]

Yes hot coals running the stove that hard will definatly burn it out. And he is getting the house to 75 he can definatly stand to shut it back some. I think from the sound of it he should be able to heat the house most of the time with the stove might not quite do it when it gets really cold.

 

[Stillson lives]

T

Yes hot coals running the stove that hard will definatly burn it out. And he is getting the house to 75 he can definatly stand to shut it back some. I think from the sound of it he should be able to heat the house most of the time with the stove might not quite do it when it gets really cold.

thanks!!

 

[bholler]

I am looking for the owners manual I havnt see a 5700 yet what are the other 2 controls for? I havnt been able to find anything about a third control just the normal startup and primarly controlls

 

[begreen]

I thought if I back it down too much I would lose the heat upstairs. The vents (there are three) top is halfway, bottom is almost half to quarter and I open the third which is on a ten minute timer everytime I fill it.

This stove will not run at all like dad's smoke dragon. As you back down the air the stove top will get hotter and the flue temps will go down. That's because it is burning more of the flue gases in the stove. Right now it sounds like you are sending too much heat up the flue.

Also, try this trick. Put a small table fan on the floor at the top of the basement stairs, pointing down into the basement. Run it on low speed. This will speed up convection to upstairs.

 

[Stillson lives]

I am looking for the owners manual I havnt see a 5700 yet what are the other 2 controls for? I havnt been able to find anything about a third control just the normal startup and primarly controlls

It has a top vent located to the right of the door. It has a double use air control on the bottom corner of the door. The first is called the secondary vent. If you push the lever back and forward again it opens a third vent that's on a timer which gradually backs down the third vent over a period of ten minutes. I can send you the owners manual if you like. Just let me know how! Thanks for all the info!!

 

[Stillson lives]

This stove will not run at all like dad's smoke dragon. As you back down the air the stove top will get hotter and the flue temps will go down. That's because it is burning more of the flue gases in the stove. Right now it sounds like you are sending too much heat up the flue.

Also, try this trick. Put a small table fan on the floor at the top of the basement stairs, pointing down into the basement. Run it on low speed. This will speed up convection to upstairs.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the advice. Thank you!

 

[bholler]

so there are only 2 levers? If so that is like all the other quads I have seen the control n the bottom should be fully closed after startup and the other one is how you control the fire. Normally it is about half way but that will vary allot depending on wood chimney height and size and outside temp.

 

[Stillson lives]

so there are only 2 levers? If so that is like all the other quads I have seen the control n the bottom should be fully closed after startup and the other one is how you control the fire. Normally it is about half way but that will vary allot depending on wood chimney height and size and outside temp.

Yes only the two controls and I guess I've been heating the outdoors! I will adjust the settings per your info and thanks again, you've been great

 

[Grisu]

Being a rookie with a wood stove I use two of the three vents. The top vent is less than halfway open, the bottom a quarter of the way open. There is a third vent on the bottom on a 10 minuter timer which I use every time I fill it. It self closes and the other two take over. I use cord wood through a local distributor and says its "hardwood" that's the best info on the wood I can offer. The logs are about 20 inches long and 5 inches round

Since no one else has mentioned it yet, please be aware that your stove requires seasoned wood with a moisture content of less than 20%. If you had just bought it, it is most likely still green; only few firewood sellers have the time and space to properly season wood and that usually comes with a higher price tag. I would suggest buying the wood for the next two winters as soon as possible. Stack it in single rows with lots of son and wind exposure. I prefer to cover the top but opinions differ about that. That way you will have at least semi-seasoned wood next winter and properly seasoned firewood the winter after (unless it is a lot of oak which needs up to 3 years to season). Since you had run your stove and flue really hot you are probably fine in terms of creosote. However, if you start reducing the primary air now please keep an eye on your flue that it does not accumulate a lot of creosote.

 

[bholler]

I agree with you grisu but with the problems he is having it does not sound like wet wood at all.