Quadrafire explorer

[bhd21478]

I was interested in buying a quad explorer with enamel finish.What are the opinions of the experts on this product?Its going to be for a new house in zone six.House is gonna be around 2500 sq ft.

 

[Grisu]

The Explorer 2 was released last year, the Explorer 3 just a few months ago. Thus, very little to no firsthand experiences yet.

For a new home in a mild climate a catalytic stove may be more convenient. You can regulate the heat output better so you don't heat yourself out of the house and you will get longer burn times then. The BlazeKing Ashford 30 is a cast iron cat stove available with an enamel finish. Consider also adding an outside air kit if the house is rather airtight.

 

[bhd21478]

I'm just not sure on cat stove. how often does the combuster need replaced? I don't question the burn times but wasn't sure on replacement parts.

 

[Grisu]

BK has found that many of their catalysts were still functional after 10 years of service. Important is to not burn anything other than untreated firewood and to check the door gaskets frequently as a leaky gasket is apparently a major cause of cat failure.

I would do some research about BK stoves in the forum and call their customer service. There are quite a few members here who bought a secondary burn stove first but then upgraded to a BK stove and could not be happier.

 

[bhd21478]

I appreciate all the blaze king feedback but I'm not that interested in bk stuff.the closest bk dealer is around 3.5 hrs away so that's a problem.We have an awesome feed and seed place that sells the most stoves in Missouri.They are big quadrafire and Harmon dealers.They sell hundreds of quadrafire stoves a year and have great feedback.I just wanted additional feedback on quad stuff,thanks

 

[stovelark]

Hi BHd- Don't have much feedback yet on the explorers- just haven't sold that many of them. The other cast Quadrafire stoves have always been well received- espec the Isle Royale (The large topload/frontload Quad predecessor to the explorer. The Explorer 2 is a front load only, is kinda pricey too, we don't have the explorer 3 yet. I do think you'd be happy with it, no reason to suspect you wouldn't. Quadrafires burn beautifully, have always been impressed with the Isle Royale. Good luck.

 

[bhd21478]

Hi BHd- Don't have much feedback yet on the explorers- just haven't sold that many of them. The other cast Quadrafire stoves have always been well received- espec the Isle Royale (The large topload/frontload Quad predecessor to the explorer. The Explorer 2 is a front load only, is kinda pricey too, we don't have the explorer 3 yet. I do think you'd be happy with it, no reason to suspect you wouldn't. Quadrafires burn beautifully, have always been impressed with the Isle Royale. Good luck.

Thanks for the positive feedback.I have a price of 2200 for the quad explorer two. I thought that was a good price and I love that rolling active flame.

 

[stovelark]

Hi BHD- I think we have it at 2249 in the store. Not a bad stove, just hard to sell against Jotul- that's our primary cast stove and the F500 at 2299 (MSRP 2539) with a side load, bigger firebox, usually wins out. We are much bigger with Quadrafire steel stoves and pellet stoves as far as Quad is concerned. I do think you'll be happy with that one.

 

[Grisu]

I am sorry if I was too pushy with my replies about the BK stoves. It is certainly your decision which stove you will purchase. Nevertheless, be aware that the BlazeKing dealer search is not that reliable. If the distance to the closest BK dealer is the main reason for you to not consider their stoves I would give them a call and see if there is not a closer one.

As for the Explorers, stovelark already gave you a good response. You will only get some potential firsthand reviews about the 2 as the 3 came out after the last winter. Here is a thread from an Explorer 2 owner: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-quadrafire-explorer-ii-fired-up.133574/
When you click on the username you can start a conversation. That will send an email to the member which he/she will hopefully respond to.

 

[Grisu]

Not a bad stove, just hard to sell against Jotul- that's our primary cast stove and the F500 at 2299 (MSRP 2539) with a side load, bigger firebox, usually wins out.

Does the F500 really have a bigger firebox than the Explorer 2? I thought the F500 had about 2.3 cu ft while the Explorer 2 is listed at 2.4 cu ft. Did you ever measure their actual firebox sizes?

 

[stovelark]

Grisu- No I haven't actually measured the Oslo's firebox- nor have I ever measured a PE's firebox. The Oslo is listed to be 2.54 cf, the Ex-2 2.4- I think I'll take Jotul's word on it. I have personally had an Oslo, used it for many years, it is a superlative heater and if I ever go back to a cast stove, that would be the one.

 

[Grisu]

Thanks a lot for the clarification. My info must have been wrong then or I did remember it incorrectly. Always good to learn something new.

 

[stovelark]

Grisu- no problem. I actually like and admire your input to the forum. Funny though, on Jotul's USA website, couldn't find the cuft ratings on the tech documentation pages..... anyway googled an older brochure and they had the listings. Take care.

 

[Grisu]

Stovelark, thanks a lot again. I really appreciate that feedback from a real pro.

Yeah, I never saw some "official" numbers from Jotul. I think it was here that I read about the 2.3 cu ft. I am glad that got corrected. Have a good night.

 

[JA600L]

I have a Quadra-fire 4300 ACT. It is an awesome stove. I've always wondered how well the ACC system works. I bought the Ideal Steel hybrid and having a cat in there really does change the characteristics of the burn. I like the Quad so much I'm making room for it on the upstairs hearth.

 

[begreen]

IIRC Jotul, like many other manufacturers is generous with their capacity measurements. Some seem to measure the entire firebox including the above the baffle area.

I don't think the cast iron Quad series can be compared directly with the Jotul cast iron stoves except for the Isle Royale. The Explorer series are steel stoves at heart with a cast iron jacket, similar to the Cumberland Gap and Yosemite, but without the side door. They are closer to the Jotul F45-F55 series, but in a different form factor with somewhat shallower and wider fireboxes. The Isle Royale is a true cast iron stove.

Personally I think the IR will be missed. It is a time proven design and likely a more radiant heater than the Explorer III. This is not to put down the Explorer III. It may turn out to be a very nice stove, just a different animal from the easy breathing heating beast that the IR is.

 

[Jeffm1]

Just got done converting my propane fireplace to a Quadra-fire explorer II. Can't wait for first fire. I built the hearth and did the stone work myself. Looks gorgeous sitting there in July . Will have to update this as weather cools....

 

[chance04]

That looks really nice, great job on the stone work

 

[bhildreth]

Just got done converting my propane fireplace to a Quadra-fire explorer II. Can't wait for first fire. I built the hearth and did the stone work myself. Looks gorgeous sitting there in July . Will have to update this as weather cools....

View attachment 159971

Looks great! I installed my explorer II last summer and got a full winters burn out of it. I was pleased with the performance for the type of wood I used. I used mostly oak that was seasoned for one year and I stopped using that around Dec. and switched over to eco-bricks. The wood was still just too wet and I was tired of fighting it. Lessons learned I guess. Good luck and let me know how it rolls!

 

[bhd21478]

Nice install.Did ya do the rear vent install?If so how good is your draft?Do ya have any other pics of the back of your stove or chimney setup.We are going to be building a new house and the wife doesn't want to see the stack coming from the top.I Was thinking of building a stone hearth and having rear vent setup going up an interior chase.

 

[bhildreth]

Nice install.Did ya do the rear vent install?If so how good is your draft?Do ya have any other pics of the back of your stove or chimney setup.We are going to be building a new house and the wife doesn't want to see the stack coming from the top.I Was thinking of building a stone hearth and having rear vent setup going up an interior chase.

The draft is good. I did not do the rear vent install and I am going up and out vs. going straight out the back. I actually prefer the look of the stove pipe coming up from the stove. Here is a pick of my install. The stove that is shown in my avatar is from the showroom where I purchased the stove. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-quadrafire-explorer-ii-fired-up.133574/

 

[bhd21478]

Nice install.Do ya have any protection for the walls next to and behind the stove?I really like the look of the explorer.How well is it performing with burn time.I live close to one of the largest quad dealers in the country.I have looked at the quad two and three.I was quoted 2371 for the quad three which I think is a great price.I would install something similar to you but my wife hates the look of the stack going up and out.We are going to make some sort of masonry fireplace and then use the fake stone stuff above that to conceal the class a pipe.thanks for sharing.ps the 2371 price is for black was 2571 for enamel coating

 

[bhildreth]

That sounds like a good deal. I was able to take advantage of the quad dealer state fair and saved an additional $750. So I was able to get the enamel. I don't have any heat protection since I am exceeding the recommended clearances by at least 4 inches on all sides. I decided on the pipe going up and out so I could get as much draft as possible.

 

[Jeffm1]

Just got done converting my propane fireplace to a Quadra-fire explorer II. Can't wait for first fire. I built the hearth and did the stone work myself. Looks gorgeous sitting there in July . Will have to update this as weather cools....

View attachment 159971

Update: so the we are a full year later. Burned one full season. Went through almost 4 cords of wood, maybe 3 1/2. About 1/3 ponderosa pine, 1/3 pinion and the last 1/3 a mishmash of juniper, quaking aspen, russian olive, oak, birch, Doug fir, and a little of I don't even know what. It heated our 2200 square foot house just fine. We were toasty all winter long. The explorer III would definitely be too big for our house. At times we would even have to open a window because it was so warm. But in the back of the house where our bedrooms are it was absolutely perfect sleeping temperature for us to our liking. About 70-72° when it was 15° outside. Just got the chimney swept last week and they said there was only about 1/2" of light, gray, fluffy soot. They said that was just what you want to see and sweeping it once a year was all I needed. I am 100% happy with our explorer II.

 

[begreen]

Good to hear that it's heating well Jeff. That's a good looking stove. How often were you reloading in cold weather?

PS: Could you add your stove make/model to your signature line? Thx.