Quadrafire 7100 Loading Advice

[wright100]

Hi everyone, I was hoping to get some advice on my Quadrafire 7100. The insert is not especially deep, but is fairly wide. I think the manufacturer specifies 22 in as the max log length, but this is only going to be achieved by placing the logs in the insert length wise (my wood is too long to fit front to back). My understanding is that the air enters the fireplace between the doors just above the fire bricks. What I'm trying to figure out is how best to place logs such that it doesn't block the air coming in the center of the fireplace. I can understand how you would do it going front to back as you could just create a air channel between the logs. Placing lengthwise I haven't figured it out yet except to try and build up embers in the front of the fireplace and then put new logs on top of that. This next time my plan is to place logs diagonally from the front middle of the fireplace to the back corners, one going each way. (my logs are about 16'' max for front to back I think is around 14''). I would then stack logs on top of them. Has anyone ever done it this way and will it work or will the bottom logs be to far apart to be effective.

While i'm here talking about the 7100 does anyone have any suggestions for keeping the glass cleaner? The first few times I ran it, it got to the point that I could not see what was going on inside. I cleaned it and this last time it was a little better. Is keeping the fireplace hot the only thing I can do to alleviate this? The first times I ran it I tended to cut air flow down very low, which is what I was used to doing growing up. We would get it going and then pretty much cut all air and it would burn pretty hot, though i'm wondering now if there was just more leakage through the door than I am getting. Last time I purposefully gave more air when adding wood and never cut air all the way and this seemed to help keep it hotter and subsequently keep the glass a little cleaner. I'm guessing that part of my problem is my wood is not as dry as I would like. The provider said it was aged a year, but from what I can tell there is still quite a bit of moisture so I'm guessing it is old, but was not properly stacked for that time period. Unfortunately my options on this front are limited as I am reliant on a wood supplier. I do not live somewhere where I have my own supply of wood. My plan this year is to order wood at the end of winter and stack it all spring, summer, and fall to try and have it dryer for next winter. If anyone has any advice on keeping glass clean I would gladly take it as well. Thanks!

 

[jetsam]

You definitely have wet wood. You can't buy it dry. Even if the guy was honest about your load having been CSSd for a year, a year is 1/3 of the time oak needs to dry in the Northeast, and that is if it is topcovered.

If you have no choice other than buying wood, try to buy pine or fir. They are good after 1 year. Lower BTU content than hardwood, but great for new burners as they dry very quickly.

When you get some hardwood laid in, cover it and forget about it for a couple years! It'll be ready for you in 2022/2023.

Glass-wise, burn dry wood, burn hotter, keep the wood further back from the glass.

Your plan to cross cross your load will create a lot of air space. Normally undesirable, but if you want a short hot fire and are struggling with wet wood, it may not hurt.

Be sure you are inspecting and sweeping your flue often. If you turned your glass black in one burn, you probably coated your flue too.

 

[tadmaz]

I've determined that loading E/W really isn't all that bad as long as you have dry wood. Some folks use E/W purposely in the shoulder season for lower/slower burns. N/S is ideal for loading ease and performance, and for next season nearly all of my wood will be able to be N/S. 14" front to back isn't that much, I would plan to stick with E/W loading.

 

[wright100]

Thanks for the advice. The stove is about 17" to the front lip. About 15" in the middle where the air entrance sticks out.

Unfortunately I don't have space for cords and cords of wood to store on a rotational drying basis. My plan was to get the fireplace cleaned each fall. Based on my location I run the fireplace once or twice a week ( the high is 60+) this weekend. The glass was staying very clean last time except for the end when it got near the glass. My assumption was more heat near the glass would help it stay clean. From your comment I'm assuming the opposite is true. The time when I had it go black was the first time I had ever used the fireplace. The fire was not burnt that hot as recommended and was not a very long burn.

 

[spudman99]

Dirty glass is a by product on many stoves of burning low and slow. A colder firebox does not fully burn the carbon products emitted by the smoldering parts of the wood, and collects on the door surface due to air wash and static electricity. This is just about a normal thing for the Blaze King burners, who basically accept a black door in exchange for 12 hour plus burns. Yes, burning hotter will help to keep the glass clean or even get it completely clean, but you cannot avoid it.

Numerous threads in this forum about cleaning the glass prior to ignition. Many use a wet newspaper dipped in ash in the firebox to wipe off any accumulated ash and stuff. If you are an occasional burner seeking ambience, clean the glass prior to your start, burn it hot and expect to have to clean it again next week when you burn again.

Don't short change yourself in terms of wood storage. Two wood pallets stacked 5' high in double rows is a cord of wood. You need an area of 4' x 8'. If you are not burning full time, you may only need 2 cords which is 4 pallets. Even a townhouse lot could find room for that amount of storage. That would give you at least a year for the 2nd stack to dry and you simply replace 1 cord each year for the following year to burn.

 

[edyit]

Unfortunately I don't have space for cords and cords of wood to store on a rotational drying basis.

You should think about looking into something like this then.

(broken link removed)

can get them by the pallet, cheaper in bulk, take up less space, and dry

 

[wright100]

You should think about looking into something like this then.

(broken link removed)

can get them by the pallet, cheaper in bulk, take up less space, and dry

Isn't burning large amounts of stuff like this not recommended due to potential overfiring? Id have to store them in my garage probably which is a downside.

I'll have to look into more storage. It's not as much a general lack of space. It's wife approved space...

 

[David.Ervin]

I've got a heat n' glo Northstar, basically the 7100's slightly smaller cousin. Firebox is laid out the same with the doghouse of air vents in the front center, and it'll take 22" logs laid out E/W.

When you get a good ash bed, the air comes up through that and it's no problem. Before that, however, it's better to leave an inch or more gap between the very front of the stove and the logs so air can get through there. Putting a split on the bottom diagonally also helps make some space for air to get in there.

The airwash system to keep the glass clean is... not great. I'll get two streaks of soot, one on each window, from some rivets on the inside of the stove blocking the air no matter how dry the wood or how hot I let it burn. I just run it to make the temperature comfortable and periodically wipe off the windows with a damp paper towel dipped in ashes.

 

[Village Idiot]

The most critical factor is having well seasoned wood. Loading direction will impact the length of burn. E/W = longer burn, N/S = faster burn. Another thing to consider is how tall is your chimney? Mine is ~32' and even damped all the way down I think I have too much draft some times.

This is my 9th season using my 7100 to exclusively heat my house and I have settled on the loading plan of "fit as much in as possible and still be able to close the doors." Since I scrounge my wood for free, I am not blessed to have uniform length splits. It is whatever the person cut it to. I have come to enjoy the challenge of playing 3D Tetris. My typical loads are a combination of E/W and N/S like in the attached picture. A load like this will burn about 10-12 hours. Enough coals will be left for another full reload. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I love my Quad.