HI Guys,
Here a small review on the Isle Royale. It is the largest castiron stove Quadrafire makes, and the unique point is that it is top loading. The only stove built that way.
I bought it in April 2006 to replace a Jotul Castine. The wife wanted top loading, so the only option we had was the IR. It has been a really good stove. Startup takes a while (because it is so big and has firebricks). Once you hit 200 on the thermometer on the top, it goes off and keeps going until you ease up on the air.
I have been running it continuously since November. I feed it cherry, locust, some aspen. It takes 22" logs and the opening is huge, so it cuts down on splitting and cutting tremendously. 3 huge splits and it lasts forever.
The burncycle is interesting. I start with some leftover red coals, open the 2 front doors, rake the coals and get rid of the ash, rake the coals forward over the grates, add the wood (oriented left to right) and start stacking from the back until you get to the doors. Then close the doors. Open the air valve fully, wait 10 minutes until the fire really goes, lower it to 1/3 to 1/2 open and let it coast. Most flames are yellow, after you lower the air, they almost disappear. You sometimes have lazy flames, sometimes a lot of blue flames. I don't see the blue flames from the secondary burn tubes as much as with the Castine. Then the fire slows and flames disappear, so I open the air a little bit. The air is sometimes hard to regulate because the air might make the fire fill the entire firebox. So I lower the aire again. It is probably caused by my strong draft.
I run mine hot (600-800) because the house is so large and the insulation good but not great. It heats all 2500 ft (70 downstairs minus the far bedroom) and 65 upstairs in the far bedroom. That is on a 15 degree day. If the weather is 20 or higher, I lower the air and let it run at 500. The fire lasts a lot longer that way.
I need to empty the ash tray every day (early AM when the fire has died down). I have about one ash pail a week in ash. The door also works as a great blast furnace if you have little coals left; I clean the stove, move the coals over the grates, add the splits and open the door. The blast of air makes the coals light up and the entire stove is in flames in 30 seconds. Then I put the ash tray back and close the door. The fire dies down but it is really ignited. Easy and fast way to restart the stove in the AM. You cannot forget to close the door (which is how overfiring occurs), because it makes a deep air vibration sound. Unmistakeable and you would be an idiot not to close the door within seconds of hearing that.
One of the issues is that when I load it up for the overnight burn (load it, let it char, clamp the air down), the fire really dies. The heat output seems to be small (I don't know for sure because I am in bed) and does not really keep up with the heat loss at night and thus the house might cool down 5 degrees. If I keep the air open a bit more, I don't get the overnight burn (no coals left in the AM).
All it all, I like the stove. Easy to clean. Looks good. Excellent clearances. Great heat output at regular operation temps.
Thanks
Carpniels
Here a small review on the Isle Royale. It is the largest castiron stove Quadrafire makes, and the unique point is that it is top loading. The only stove built that way.
I bought it in April 2006 to replace a Jotul Castine. The wife wanted top loading, so the only option we had was the IR. It has been a really good stove. Startup takes a while (because it is so big and has firebricks). Once you hit 200 on the thermometer on the top, it goes off and keeps going until you ease up on the air.
I have been running it continuously since November. I feed it cherry, locust, some aspen. It takes 22" logs and the opening is huge, so it cuts down on splitting and cutting tremendously. 3 huge splits and it lasts forever.
The burncycle is interesting. I start with some leftover red coals, open the 2 front doors, rake the coals and get rid of the ash, rake the coals forward over the grates, add the wood (oriented left to right) and start stacking from the back until you get to the doors. Then close the doors. Open the air valve fully, wait 10 minutes until the fire really goes, lower it to 1/3 to 1/2 open and let it coast. Most flames are yellow, after you lower the air, they almost disappear. You sometimes have lazy flames, sometimes a lot of blue flames. I don't see the blue flames from the secondary burn tubes as much as with the Castine. Then the fire slows and flames disappear, so I open the air a little bit. The air is sometimes hard to regulate because the air might make the fire fill the entire firebox. So I lower the aire again. It is probably caused by my strong draft.
I run mine hot (600-800) because the house is so large and the insulation good but not great. It heats all 2500 ft (70 downstairs minus the far bedroom) and 65 upstairs in the far bedroom. That is on a 15 degree day. If the weather is 20 or higher, I lower the air and let it run at 500. The fire lasts a lot longer that way.
I need to empty the ash tray every day (early AM when the fire has died down). I have about one ash pail a week in ash. The door also works as a great blast furnace if you have little coals left; I clean the stove, move the coals over the grates, add the splits and open the door. The blast of air makes the coals light up and the entire stove is in flames in 30 seconds. Then I put the ash tray back and close the door. The fire dies down but it is really ignited. Easy and fast way to restart the stove in the AM. You cannot forget to close the door (which is how overfiring occurs), because it makes a deep air vibration sound. Unmistakeable and you would be an idiot not to close the door within seconds of hearing that.
One of the issues is that when I load it up for the overnight burn (load it, let it char, clamp the air down), the fire really dies. The heat output seems to be small (I don't know for sure because I am in bed) and does not really keep up with the heat loss at night and thus the house might cool down 5 degrees. If I keep the air open a bit more, I don't get the overnight burn (no coals left in the AM).
All it all, I like the stove. Easy to clean. Looks good. Excellent clearances. Great heat output at regular operation temps.
Thanks
Carpniels