I have been using my Quadrafire 7100 for awhile now. I noticed the other day when I started a new fire that the blowers didn't seem to kick on.It was plenty hot and I had to manually turn them on.Even after an hour when I turned the manual off the blowers would not stay on. I stated a fire today and same thing? What do you guys think? Probably the disk under the fire box?
Quadrafire 7100 blower issues
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Mr_D
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The temperature snap switch probably runs full AC voltage of 120V through it and remains off till it gets hot.
Mine engaged at 140F which is too low but yours could be much higher.
You should be able to measure the volts going into and out of the snap switch to see if it's closing properly. When it's on it should have power on both wires.
Can you send a photo of what the switch looks like?
Trouble is, it will be hot when you need to measure it. On mine (made by RSF ...different brand) the snap switch is held onto the bottom of the firebox by a pair of strong magnets so it's easy to pull and test it. I found out if it's not sitting flush against the firebox it won't heat up enough and close the circuit.
I have an adjustable thermostat for that function anyway so I can set the temps to exact values such as on at 350F and engage blower full speed at 600F or higher to regulate the firebox temps a bit. That pushes more heat into the house at high temps rather than having it go up the chimney. It also shuts the blower off at 350F or lower so the fire lasts longer as it burns down since the fan isn't pulling the heat off the remaining coals.
Anyway, the simplest troubleshooting is up to you and depends if you're familiar with house wiring. You could shut off the main breaker to the fireplace and bypass the temperature switch with a wire as a test, then turn it back on. Or rig up a test light that would go on to show it closed. Maybe add a length of wire onto the output of the switch that gives you a couple feet of wire to work with so you can connect a meter later when you run the stove and not get burned. Just don't leave the wire exposed since it will have power on it when the switch engages. The idea is to rig up a safe test ahead of time since it may be too hot to work on when it's running.
Anyone with solid wiring or electronics knowledge can help figure out a test to see why it's not coming on.
Or ...just replace the snap switch, they're cheap enough. Problem may be solved on the first try.
Mine engaged at 140F which is too low but yours could be much higher.
You should be able to measure the volts going into and out of the snap switch to see if it's closing properly. When it's on it should have power on both wires.
Can you send a photo of what the switch looks like?
Trouble is, it will be hot when you need to measure it. On mine (made by RSF ...different brand) the snap switch is held onto the bottom of the firebox by a pair of strong magnets so it's easy to pull and test it. I found out if it's not sitting flush against the firebox it won't heat up enough and close the circuit.
I have an adjustable thermostat for that function anyway so I can set the temps to exact values such as on at 350F and engage blower full speed at 600F or higher to regulate the firebox temps a bit. That pushes more heat into the house at high temps rather than having it go up the chimney. It also shuts the blower off at 350F or lower so the fire lasts longer as it burns down since the fan isn't pulling the heat off the remaining coals.
Anyway, the simplest troubleshooting is up to you and depends if you're familiar with house wiring. You could shut off the main breaker to the fireplace and bypass the temperature switch with a wire as a test, then turn it back on. Or rig up a test light that would go on to show it closed. Maybe add a length of wire onto the output of the switch that gives you a couple feet of wire to work with so you can connect a meter later when you run the stove and not get burned. Just don't leave the wire exposed since it will have power on it when the switch engages. The idea is to rig up a safe test ahead of time since it may be too hot to work on when it's running.
Anyone with solid wiring or electronics knowledge can help figure out a test to see why it's not coming on.
Or ...just replace the snap switch, they're cheap enough. Problem may be solved on the first try.
Village Idiot
Burning Hunk
I had my snap disc replaced under warranty. It was very intermittent. Especially on a reload when the fireplace was mostly hot but not enough to activate the snap disc.
Once the tech got the bricks out and the access door open, we figured out the problem. There is a small metal bracket tack welded to the bottom of the access door that was just holding the disc in place. We both figured that once the fireplace got up to temperature, the bracket would expand just enough to open a small air gap between the disc and the plate. This would make it harder for the disc to get the the proper activation temperature. We tested our theory with a propane torch and did see a gap open.
The fix was easy. We removed the disc from the bracket and bent the bracket a little closer to the plate. After snapping the disc back in, we tested it again with the torch. No gap and it activated as desired.
Two years later, and I have not had an issue since. When I rake my coals, I do make sure to clear any ash from the area above the snap disc location and place hot coals there. This also seems to ensure that the disc gets back up to temperature as quickly as possible.
Once the tech got the bricks out and the access door open, we figured out the problem. There is a small metal bracket tack welded to the bottom of the access door that was just holding the disc in place. We both figured that once the fireplace got up to temperature, the bracket would expand just enough to open a small air gap between the disc and the plate. This would make it harder for the disc to get the the proper activation temperature. We tested our theory with a propane torch and did see a gap open.
The fix was easy. We removed the disc from the bracket and bent the bracket a little closer to the plate. After snapping the disc back in, we tested it again with the torch. No gap and it activated as desired.
Two years later, and I have not had an issue since. When I rake my coals, I do make sure to clear any ash from the area above the snap disc location and place hot coals there. This also seems to ensure that the disc gets back up to temperature as quickly as possible.
Team, brand new to the site. After reading this thread I was wondering if I should be able to turn off the automatic blower once it comes on. Mine comes on just fine but I can't reduce the blower speed nor turn it off if I don't want it on.
Village Idiot
Burning Hunk
If your override switch and fan speed rheostat are wired per the instructions in the install manual, you should be able to control the feed of the blower and turn it off. I turn the blower speed knob counterclockwise until it clicks which turns the blower off. The override switch will turn the fan on and off (unless the speed knob is in the off position as described in the previous sentence.
If this is not how your switches are working, you need to check the wiring for your setup.
If this is not how your switches are working, you need to check the wiring for your setup.
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