questions for Quadrafire 7100 owners

[ymurf]

I have burnt a few fires in my new to me Quadrafire 7100..In the manual I downloaded on line from there web site it says to open outside air by turning the knob counter clockwise? When I was hooking this fireplace up it looks to me like the outside air opens by turning clockwise. Am I looking at it wrong? Which way opens the outside air?
Also my blower doesnt kick on for a long time and when it does it only blows for a minute then kicks off. Then kicks off and on every couple minutes. Is this a bad snap disk or should I open the trap door and make sure its pressed against the bottom of the plate good?
Last question is My fire will start but after awhile it will smolder down quite a bit. I can crack open the door and it picks right up and starts burning good till I close doors again. Could something be stopped up from sitting, There were mice living in it when I bought it from the guy I work with, or think its just my wood.Its about 20% with a moisture meter.

 

[Village Idiot]

I have burnt a few fires in my new to me Quadrafire 7100..In the manual I downloaded on line from there web site it says to open outside air by turning the knob counter clockwise? When I was hooking this fireplace up it looks to me like the outside air opens by turning clockwise. Am I looking at it wrong? Which way opens the outside air?

On my stove the knob is rotated clockwise. Mine is essentially an elongated triangle and I have told my wife that she can know where the air comes from by where it is pointing. Towards the stove (counter clockwise) the air is from the house and away from the stove (clockwise) the air is from outside.

Also my blower doesnt kick on for a long time and when it does it only blows for a minute then kicks off. Then kicks off and on every couple minutes. Is this a bad snap disk or should I open the trap door and make sure its pressed against the bottom of the plate good?

My first snap disk gave me fits as well. The vendor came to do a warranty swap of the snap disk and we discovered after testing that it was fine. The real problem was that the disk was not making full contact with the mounting plate. That little air gap was slowing things down. We then formed (a.k.a bent because I was taught that when you are fixing things for money you form them. Bending is for hacks. ) the clip so there was a much smaller gap. Once we put the snap disk back in, it was really tight. I haven't had an issue since. I also wouldn't be surprised if as things heated up, the metal of the clip expanded a bit and increased the gap between the disk and the plate.

Make a note of where the snap disk is in relation to the floor of the stove. I always make sure to scrape all ash away from it and the surrounding area when lighting a fire when the blower is off. Ash is a great insulator and I don't want to slow the process down.

Last question is My fire will start but after awhile it will smolder down quite a bit. I can crack open the door and it picks right up and starts burning good till I close doors again. Could something be stopped up from sitting, There were mice living in it when I bought it from the guy I work with, or think its just my wood.Its about 20% with a moisture meter.

If there were mice, I would definitely be suspicious that they may have nested in the air passages. I have also heard of stories where rodents will get into a car and fill the air ducts with food (nuts or even dog food).

If the moisture level of your wood might be questionable, try to track down some known good wood and run a test with it. As much as it pains me to say, the kiln dried bundles sold at the grocery store will definitely burn well. I just gag at the thought of paying those prices.

Good luck with your troubleshooting. I am on my second season with my 7100 and love it. My monthly gas bill (heat, hot water, cooking, and clothes dryer) is $30 year round. My neighbors are spending $200-$250 in the winter.

 

[ymurf]

Thats what I was thinking when I looked in the 6" hole where the outside air hooks up.When I turn the little round knob clockwise it looks to me like it opens the flap. But the manual says to turn counter clockwise to open outside air.It looks wrong to me.

 

[ymurf]

I just read manual online again and it says turning counter clockwise? Can someone else confirm this is wrong? Looks backwards to me.

 

[ymurf]

Also how do you get into the air passage to check for mouse nest? Any way in there?

 

[ymurf]

I took the brick and trap door off and bent the little snap disk holder to where the snap disk is tight against the plate..Seems to have fixed it.It came on after about half an hour and still blowing good.Thats one problem solved.

 

[Village Idiot]

I just took a look at the manual. The instructions on page 14 are wrong. Step one should say to turn it clockwise. On page 12, Figure 2.4 shows a picture of the Outside Air Control Handle in the closed position.

Jump down to page 40 in the Installation section and you will see the correct instructions on the left column stating to turn clockwise to the "OPEN" position. Page 41, Figure 7.5 shows the location of the knob and a graphic of the sticker that is included with the fireplace to go over the hole for the control rod for the OAK. It also shows the proper positioning for the knob.

I cannot help you with examining the internal air passages for mouse nests. My fireplace is closed in. Since you have not yet finished around yours, I would get a flashlight and see if there is anything to see. Maybe a coat hanger would be of use for probing around. Just be careful that you don't get to aggressive and damage anything.

Do you know anyone with an endoscope? (Take a look at Home Depot for "inspection cameras".) I have wanted an excuse to get one of these for a while. If it were me I would be saying "But honey, I want to make sure it is safe. This is the best way to be certain so that we can sleep well at night. Think of the kids." (Then think of all the cool places you can look into later on. Yep, I've just convinced myself that I need one to keep my family safe. Gonna have to figure out to convince the rib. Wish me luck.)

 

[ymurf]

I just took a look at the manual. The instructions on page 14 are wrong. Step one should say to turn it clockwise. On page 12, Figure 2.4 shows a picture of the Outside Air Control Handle in the closed position.

Jump down to page 40 in the Installation section and you will see the correct instructions on the left column stating to turn clockwise to the "OPEN" position. Page 41, Figure 7.5 shows the location of the knob and a graphic of the sticker that is included with the fireplace to go over the hole for the control rod for the OAK. It also shows the proper positioning for the knob.

I cannot help you with examining the internal air passages for mouse nests. My fireplace is closed in. Since you have not yet finished around yours, I would get a flashlight and see if there is anything to see. Maybe a coat hanger would be of use for probing around. Just be careful that you don't get to aggressive and damage anything.

Do you know anyone with an endoscope? (Take a look at Home Depot for "inspection cameras".) I have wanted an excuse to get one of these for a while. If it were me I would be saying "But honey, I want to make sure it is safe. This is the best way to be certain so that we can sleep well at night. Think of the kids." (Then think of all the cool places you can look into later on. Yep, I've just convinced myself that I need one to keep my family safe. Gonna have to figure out to convince the rib. Wish me luck.)

One of those would be cool to have.

 

[topknot]

On my stove the knob is rotated clockwise. Mine is essentially an elongated triangle and I have told my wife that she can know where the air comes from by where it is pointing. Towards the stove (counter clockwise) the air is from the house and away from the stove (clockwise) the air is from outside.

My first snap disk gave me fits as well. The vendor came to do a warranty swap of the snap disk and we discovered after testing that it was fine. The real problem was that the disk was not making full contact with the mounting plate. That little air gap was slowing things down. We then formed (a.k.a bent because I was taught that when you are fixing things for money you form them. Bending is for hacks. ) the clip so there was a much smaller gap. Once we put the snap disk back in, it was really tight. I haven't had an issue since. I also wouldn't be surprised if as things heated up, the metal of the clip expanded a bit and increased the gap between the disk and the plate.

Make a note of where the snap disk is in relation to the floor of the stove. I always make sure to scrape all ash away from it and the surrounding area when lighting a fire when the blower is off. Ash is a great insulator and I don't want to slow the process down..

Thank you sir, I believe you just helped me with my auto fan problem.