QuadraFire 7100 coming this week (12/15)... seek advice(s)

[Zevi_B]

Greetings!

Assuming everything goes as planned, some big boys are coming to my house this week carrying a big box with a much-anticipated QF 7100 fireplace!

I've spent some time reading this forum and this website, but I was really surprised to find that no reviews exist for the QF 7100. You can find reviews for almost every fireplace made on earth (and outside), but none for the 7100! Although it is too late to change my decision, it would still be nice to read reviews: to know what to expect, what the strong and weak points are, what to be especially careful about, etc.

Another thing: the installers will put in only the fireplace. I will have to contract someone to do the finishing. Some questions that I have about that:
(1) Where I bought the fireplace, I was told that I can still use it even without the finishing installed; is that correct?
(2) In addition to the pictures gallery of this site, where can I go "shopping" for ideas?
(3) Any advise regarding how and who to find that will do the finish work?
(4) [This is a far-fetch request...] Anyone from SE Michigan area with specific recommendations?

Looking forward for a weekend of zombiing-out in front of the fire...

Thank in advance,
Zevi.

 

[velvetfoot]

I found a nice thread here: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/firepl/msg1209522524987.html

 

[Zevi_B]

velvetfoot, thanks!

Yes, I'm familiar with the GardenWeb forum in general and that thread inparticular. Actually, I posted some questions there too. However, some of my specific questions were not answered there, so I came here.
They are supposed to come install today, so hopefully tonight we'll burn some wood!

Cheers,
Zevi.

 

[scfa99]

I fired my 7100 up about a month ago. Still haven't finished mine in yet, still deciding on what kind of stone we are going to do. Also wanted to make sure there were no problems before it was sealed in. I haven't posted to the ratings site since i want to use it for the season and then add my thoughts.

In general i am happy overall but there are a few things i'm not pleased with:

1) Ash removal is not easy, the lip only holds in a small amount and it starts to pour over after a day or two. I remove some each day but it builds up alot faster than I thought. I am new to 24/7 burning so I gather this is just part of the deal.

2) Over night burn, Quad claims 16 hours. yeah right! I pack it to the gills at 11pm and have some hot coals at 6am. Again maybe my expectations were too high but I expected more after reading 16 hour burn time. I don't damp it down all, about a 1/4 of the way from the left.

3) My electrician followed the specs of the wiring. I leave the switch off and the fan kicks on after a certain temp. Was working properly but now it kicks on randomly. It could be 600 degree surface temp and it doesn't kick on. Going to have to call the dealer about this. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

4) I rec'd you get a surface therm, i've had it up to 700 degrees, luckily i had the therm and backed it down. I keep it in the 400-600 range. I am still trying different things to push the heat into other parts of the house. The great room has hit 82 degrees which is too hot, so still experimenting on moving the air.

Also note the splits i'm using this year are very thin because i wasn't sure if i was getting the 7100 or keeping the original zero clearance. I've also been burning mostly black walnut and it seems to be really dry and burns quickly. next years wood pile (already in progress) will have much larger splits to sustain burntime.

Let me know if you find anything for ideas for stone. I've been searching and haven't found anything that good. Also make sure you follow all the clearances.

Overall i am pleased with the unit. Asthetics definately factored into our decision. Let me know if you have any other questions.

SCFA

 

[Zevi_B]

SCFA,

Thank you very much for the informative reply!

From what I read so far, your experience is quite consistent with other users.

Ash removal is not easy

In a separate thread people were talking about 5 gallons/week ash, which is under 1 gallon a day. I agree that the unit should be able to hold 1-2 days of ash with no problem. You can also read about the 7100 in the forum that velvetfoot is referring to above (This one in GardenWeb.com). More specifically, a post there by "maltay08" complains about how messy that fireplace is. A picture of his/her fireplace is provided there.

Still haven't finished mine in yet, still deciding on what kind of stone we are going to do.

I'm really glad to hear about this fireplace fully functioning prior to finishing. Being just like you (undecisicve about the finish), I wanted to quickly fire it up without waiting to the finish work. Again, your other point of wanted to make sure there were no problems before it was sealed in is right on the money, and it is also an advise given in the othe forum I mentioned.

Over night burn, Quad claims 16 hours

Anyone I talked to, straightened me up on this expectation: I was told that with dampened fire that burns slowly overnight, the most that I can expect after 10-12 hours are coals that will be enough to ignite a new load. Yeah, I don't know where this "16 hours" came from.

About the fan controller: you are not alone with odd behaviour of this part. See if what people descrice in the GardenWeb forum match your excperience.

Let me know if you find anything for ideas for stone.

This is what I did so far, and i will do more after the unit is in place:
(1) Look at the picture gallery on this site.
(2) Look at some images shown as part of the above-mentioned GardenWeb forum.
(3) Look at pictures on Corning's Cultures Stone site ((broken link removed to http://www.culturedstone.com/photos/fireplaces.asp))
(4) Visit the nearest dealer of Corning's Cultures Stone (use their "Dealer Search" feature), see, touch, and borrow samples to examine at home.
(5) Visit your local Barnes and Nobles or Borders, grab some coffee, and look at some books. A partial list is provided Here.

Overall i am pleased with the unit.

For me, that's the most important part. I am glad you're happy with it, and I can't wait to get mine installed!

Enjoy the heat,
Zevi.

 

[heatxchanger]

Hello guys with a Quad 7100,

I have some questions for you that I am curious about.

How much did the 7100 cost (excluding and installation and chimney system)?

Why did you chose the 7100 over the Fireplace Extrodinair model 44?


Thanks!

 

[hewlettjm]

Hey guys,
I had a 7100 installed about a month ago. My thoughts are;

-clean out is OK.. no big deal and not overly messy
-Agree with previous posters on 16hr burn being BS..... fill it and damp it and you're coals 9-10 hours later will be hot enought to reignite fresh load.
-Cutting down the air (damping) results in the glass being coated with soot. Get a good soot cleaning agent to clean the glass if your going to damp it down (it is the only thing that works... windex takes forever). When opeing the doors, crack them and wait 5-10 seconds for the draft to change before opening to preclude minior smoke escaping the unit.
-I covered the entire front and sides with durock and Owings Corning Castle rock (Chardonnay colored) cultured stone with 18' hearth stone and a 7" mantel shelf made of the same hearth stones cut down with a diamond blade in a circular saw. Toughest part was applying the metal lath and mortar scratch coat. I probably had the scratch coat mix a little to dry (tough putting on). Ensure you scratch the surface well with a notched trowel after a few minutes of setting. Let dry 24-48 hours before applying stone. I back buttered the stone instead of putting mortar directly on the scratch coat. Be careful with layout and cut stones (used a MK 7" wet tile saw and worked great); try to cut only thinner stones and abutt to fatter stones so the cut edges are not noticable. I cut the curve for the top of the 7100 using a 4" grinder with masonry wheel using a cardboard template of the curve that I made. I used a 1/8"x 1" x @36" strip of wood to rest the cut curved stones on over the arched front plate to give them support while the mortar set. You will need to treat the wood with something so the mortart doesn't stick to it (I didn't and it was tough getting it out after the mortar set!).
-Overall all, I am extremely happy with the stove (cost me $6400 installed). Burned the first night it was installed without the finish framing and stone. My wife and I can't wait to get home everynight and eat dinner in front of it... we absoultely love it..... let me know if you're interested in seeing the finished product and I will post a jpeg.... good luck.

 

[scfa99]

Huey,

Thanks for the post. Can you post a pic or send to my address. I am in the final process of picking stone and needs ideas.

Also for your outside air intakes did they do p trap? I noticed my installers didn't and the manual says that they should.

 

[Zevi_B]

Huey -- A definite YES for posting images of the finihsed fireplace!

heatxch -- among various reasons that emerges after reading many posts, I chose the qf7100 over the extraordinaire because of price and the fact that I didn't want to have a catalytic converter.

The price: I don't have the paperwork in front of me, but it comes to about low $3k for the unit, another about $1.5k installation and chimney, and another TBD for the finishing cost.

And now, for the big BUMMER:
After waiting for over three weeks for the fireplace to arrive and the installation appointment -- they showed up last week. All excited we got ready ... but then ... we found out that the header height of the opening in the wall was too low! Argh
House is 2x6 framing, so the fireplace protrudes an additional 1-1/2 inches into the living room. That by itself is no big deal, but the chimney needs an offset, which "consumes" height and it gets too close to combustibles...

The good news, they cover the cost of the contractor who came and moved the header;
The bad news, the soonest they can install now is Jan 4th... So much for holidays by the fire. Sooooooo dissapointed... <pout> :red:

I'm pissed, but with no choice.

Wish YOU all a warm, crackling, burning holiday!

Cheers,
Zevi.

 

[diana hewlett]

Here's the photo... I will put another on the next post. Let me know if you have questions on anything... I would have loved to have found this site before I started the job

Huey

 

[diana hewlett]

here ya go...

 

[DavidV]

That's a damn nice looking hearth.

 

[Zevi_B]

Huey,

Damn, that's a nice install! I loved the classic touch of the brandy goblet... Waterford?

Congrats on the fine job! Now, if they could only hurry and get mine already... :long:

Zevi.

 

[airbus]

huey1 that is a nice look. Like another poster, wish that I could have read a site like this 2 years ago. This my second season and I do not find the ash a problem, it seems that I can go a week and only fill the ash bucket, but sometimes I just shovel a couple of scoops of what I call clinkers. Dirty wood - stays outside with the bugs in the woodshed built with green 2x4s and Hardibacker lap siding. 8ft x 12ft x 8ft filled took us through last winter (04-05). Very seldom use gas force air furnace.

Back of the 7100 still not enclosed. Front done with 1/2" Hardibacker. Why not Durock or other. Some underlayment have little white beads of something, Durock has the web. Hardi may be a paper mix but is well coated with cementatous mix and was assured by Hardi support that it would not burn. But then I may have a phobia. Covered the wood backside with sheetmetal from the Heat-a-later (Oxymoron) and then another heatsheld/baffle. See what I mean about phobia. I only have wood on the insert wall and steel framing on the surround back (still does not have the 1/2" Hardi hung. Tiled the front with the red terra cota from Loews. Feel lucky that I met a man working another store's tile dept - not only did he give us a design that we liked but he let me help him lay the floor in front and the face. I purposely did not add mantel - again the phobia.

Huey1 do you (is that like in helicopter-another interest) have any problem with heat on the mantel of hearth?

Chimney is Simpson Dura-Vent's DURATECH line. Did not like the S300 from Hon or the other choice DuraPlus. S300, well , you decide. DuraPlus because it only had 1/2" of insulation and an air chamber which I thought would add to any creosote problem. As is I have to get up on the one story flat roof and take the last 4foot section and the cap down to clean. The screen in the cap glazes over and then smoke spills into the room. Burnt Cherry last year. Lots of creosote. Maple this year - should not be as much. Glass - hot fire burns off - last year cleaned with glass scraper/razor blade - this year who cares - just a little white ash.

Maybe QF has fixed their "AutoCombustion" Clock but the Illinois Rep FINALLY GOT OUT last spring after it got warm outside and replaced the clock as well as the fans in the back. Last winter I would slip a putty knife through the grill and move the clock arm to the left. Probably should not have armed to begin with.

Lastly, I cannot control the flame. Must be because the gasket needs replaced. The other day I was at the fireplace store to buy the rope gasket and we called to find out what size - did not know - "do you have the part #", - 15 min. later on hold - hung up.

Do I like the QF - yes

Why QF7100 - Fire Brick, No Catalytic device, and Pipe hot air. If anybody is interested in why the back panel is off let me know. Hot Water anyone?

Dan

 

[hewlettjm]

Dan,
The heat at the center of the mantel is significant (it melted a fake garland my wife satrung across it...) off/at the edge. The heat even an inch back on the mantel is much less due. Sounds like you're much more safety concsious then I..... I framed the back of my stove with conventional lumber and sheetrock paying attention to the manufactirers sut back rules.... As for the name "Huey".... it is my callsign... I fly SuperCobra gunships in the USMC and have been living with that millstone tied around my neck for 22 years!!

 

[hardwood715]

Nice looking hearth HUEY, and GOD BLESS YOU for your flying them COBRAS was a 12B40 for 11 years Combat Engineer, and you guys were and still are a sight for sore eys! As Capt Miller said Angels Over our Shoulders! Merry Xmas all, Steve

 

[airbus]

Huey

Only got 730 hrs of heuy time - my departed best man (had a thousand at his funeral but no one told me - blessing in disguise because in VN I learned that I cannot even endure memorial services for someone I barley knew let alone an old friend) I diverge. Anyway Bob told me that in order to hire on with Petro Helo's I should Parker Pin some time to get 1000 hrs.

The QF 7100 does get hot. I tiled and then bolted the face on top of the tile. The tile gets hot just up a good six inches. I am thinking that maybe I should place a stove rope gasket between to close the gap behind the face. As far as not much air comming out I too am surprised that there is not more with those 4 blowers.

Dan

 

[airbus]

I hope this is not a double send.

Huey

Only got 730 hrs of heuy time - my departed best man (had a thousand at his funeral but no one told me - blessing in disguise because in VN I learned that I cannot even endure memorial services for someone I barley knew let alone an old friend) I diverge. Anyway Bob told me that in order to hire on with Petro Helo’s I should Parker Pin some time to get 1000 hrs.

The QF 7100 does get hot. I tiled and then bolted the face on top of the tile. The tile gets hot just up a good six inches. I am thinking that maybe I should place a stove rope gasket between to close the gap behind the face. As far as not much air comming out I too am surprised that there is not more with those 4 blowers.

Dan