will a quadrafire be too big?

[eloise]

I have a small house, approx. 1600 Sq feet. I like the look of the quadrafire 7100. Will it over heat the house? I live in a cold windy location and have a fair amount of windows.
I was going to ge the RSF Opel, but don't like the grates high above the firebox.
thank you,
Joan

 

[begreen]

Did the dimensions change or get added to? The house was last posted as 1200 sq ft and the advice was that it might overwhelm the house. FWIW, word is that these units are on long term backorder now.

 

[woodjack]

Maybe the heat expanded the house. That's a good sign the stove is working.

 

[eloise]

The house is being expanded to include one large bedroom and a smaller bedroom.
Yes, i did read that the quadrafire is on back order for awhile. Some alternatives are the Kozy heat and the Heatilator. So, back to the originaol question, will one of these stoves, which are rated for higher square feet of heating be too much for my house?
I like the quadrafire for these reasons, it is not catalytic, it takes large logs and longer length wood, and it can be vented. The looks are an added bonus.
Thank you,
Joan

 

[yukiginger]

Joan, we don't know what cold and windy means. Age of house, known amount of insulation and age/condition of windows also would help. Having a big firebox doesn't mean that it needs to be packed full, either. In other words, building smaller fires with less fuel gets the unit putting out heat, and with a clean burn, but not heating to its full capacity, which is what you might want much of the time.

MarkG

 

[Jags]

Main heat source or supplemental? 24/7 or nights and weekends? Thats a pretty big stove. If it was your sole source of heat and you lived in Michigan, then go for it. If it is for supplemental heat and you live in Virgina, then your gonna be in your skives.

More info please.

 

[begreen]

Ah, that explains the increase, thx. You are in upstate NY, correct? The Kozy Heat 231 might work. It's a 3 cu ft firebox, so it will take some management when burning in the shoulder seasons. That should be relatively easy to do with half fills and shorter burns. But when it gets really cold, it will keep you toasty warm. Nice looking unit.

Another stove to look at is the Fireplace Xtraordinair FPX36. This is a high-efficiency EPA approved ZC fireplace that is has a 3.7 cu ft firebox and looks great.
(broken link removed to http://www.fireplacex.com/productuide/detail.aspx?id=97)

 

[Henz]

you sound like my situiation. go with the big stove

 

[eloise]

Thank you for your fast responses. First of all, location is in New York just below Dutchess County. House sits on top of a hill wihout any blockage from wind for about a mile. Not sure of the height of hill, but it is a good steep walk or climb of about five hundred or more stairs. There is a lake in the valley and the north and westerly winds have little resistance until they hit my house. It usually snows here when it rains elsewhere.

There will be mostly windows on the bedrooom addition. Because of cost constraints, the new bedroom addition will be on piers. The living room and dining room have walls of windows which are about eight years old. The house is almost seventy years old, clapboard and stone. I believe there are spots of insulation on walls, but heavy insulation in attic and basement. It is a one story house, but the bedroom addition will be almost three stories form ground because of lay of land. As it is now, half the house it already one story above ground.
The fireplace will be main heat source afternoons and nights daily and all weekend. I plan on using the venting system and heat the entire house.
Does this help?
I am not concerned about a back log of quadrifires.
As for Fireplace Extraordinare, I agree, it is beautiful. I wanted to stay away from cataytic converter.
Are there other concerns I should be looking into before decision other than being blown away by the heat?
Thank you.

 

[scfa99]

Eloise,

What are the dimensions of the room the fireplace is going in? My family room with the 7100 is 15' x 25' and my home is 2700 sqft and it heats the entire house and the family gets pretty warm. i'd be worried it will roast you out of the house.

 

[eloise]

The room is 20 by 20 with an additional dining room off to the side which is 13 by 15.
Yes, that is my concernbeing too warm/
J

 

[begreen]

I went back and reread the original January post and agree with SCFA, this is overkill, especially with a tuned instrument in the room. I return to the recommendation for a freestanding stove, properly sized for the home and room.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/13145/

 

[eloise]

Your letter prompted me to look back over the notes from last year and I saw that my situation has changed slightly because of the new bedroom addition and the continued price increases of fuel oil. These factors have lead me in the direction of a ventable, wood-heat source.
Here are some reasons I was interested in the quadrafire. Maybe by voicing them in this new situation, some of you with experience and knowledge of w-b-h-sources can help me with best choice.
#1>Quad. has big firebox- do not have to split all the 9 or 10 inch logs. Do not have to cut wood down from the 22" it is now. It is easier to use logs than to hire someone to split them all.
#2>Would like ability to vent if the bedroom addition is too cold and does not get adequate wood heat source from living room.
#3> A ZC takes up less room inside the house and would fit into plan of living room. The woodstove would extend into the room and the stove pipe would be the visual center of room instead of the fireplace look of ZC.

The salesperson at the fireplace store said i could burn the quadrafire at a low setting without balckening the glass if the stove proved too powerful for the house. I have read the fireplace extraordinaire's glass balckens unless the fire is high enough to wash off the black from the glass. So therefore was leaning away from FX.
Looks like I have a lot to sort out still. Didn't realize my house was so tiny and this choice would get so complicated.
Joan eloise.

 

[scfa99]

Eloise,

I think the Quad fits most of your criteria however I'm afraid it just overkill. #2 how long would the runs be to for the runs to the other rooms? anything over 20 feet is not worth it. i disagree with your dealer, if I dampen mine down to about half way my glass gets black nothing that I hot burn wont solve but if I dampen further it will be a thick crust of black soot that doesn't burn off easily. running the unit this way will build up creosote much faster.

 

[eloise]

Thank you for telling me of your experience with quad and slow burns. The blackened glass is one of two reasons I was staying clear of the fireplace Extraordinaire. What is it about slow burns that causes creosote build up? I used to dampen down my old stove for overnight burns. Is that something to avoid now? Is it that it is necessary to get a hot burn every day for a certain period of time to burn off the creosote? Trying to understand the mechanics of wood burning.
My worry is that I will be spending a lot of money and be getting the wrong tool to do the job. My feeling on stovces verses fireplaces is that , even though the initail outlay is more , you get your money bakc on resale. But I wnat something to do the job for me while I am living in the house.
joan eloise

 

[agz124]

For what its worth, I heat my 1950's 1600sq ft. home with a Quad 4300. We have sort of a cape cod but the first floor is an open floor plan with a vaulted ceiling above the stove. I live in s.e. pa. and I heat the whole house with it. The bedrooms on the 2nd floor do not get warm but the first floor is toasty which suggests I have enough btu but not enough circulation. I also considered the 7100 until I found the 4300 for sale in the paper at good price.

 

[begreen]

After many months of considering this thread I am back to my original recommendation for a freestanding stove as the best solution. It really seems like the option that will solve all issues. Why the resistance? What is most important - looks or comfort?

 

[Trail_Time]

Why not go with the FPX36? Capacity is listed at 1200-2500 sf. Maximum log size is listed at 24" And it's the fireplace look you desire. If you have good seasoned wood to burn, I would not worry about the cat.

 

[eloise]

Hi ,
Thanks, that was my origijnal intention, but the cat got me scared. Another concern I have is the chimney pipe. I'd have to look at brochure again, byt it might me cold air and not insulated, therefore more condensation on outside wall. I read in this forum that people had difficulties with drafts coming in during winter when fireplace was not lit. The RSF had insulated chimney and only one cold air intake, which lessened those problems. But thank you> I will keep researching.

 

[eloise]

To Moderator,
In september you asked why I do not go with wood stove. As you wrote, one reason is looks, but the second reason it will limit the space in the living room. If I put in a fireplace, I can build it onto the outside of the house. As far as I can figure, the stove would take up a depth of four feet> for clearance behind stove, depth of stove and clearance in front. Plus another four feet in length for stove and clearance. The fireplace would take up the twenty inches for hearth depth and a width of four feet.
I have will play with floor plan some momre and see if there is a solution.
Thank you.

 

[begreen]

Wherever the fireplace or stove is placed, it will demand some floor space. But with some creative thinking, often a freestanding stove can be placed in a corner and look quite intentional. We reconfigured our livingroom to do just that and it worked out great. The new arrangement reversed the seating layout, but we like it better now.

Another option for a freestanding stove is to build an alcove for it. Essentially this is similar to building for a builtin ZC fireplace, but it is open and designed to accommodate a freestanding stove.

 

[eloise]

Thanks Be Green. I'll look into corners. but that will call for removing windows since each corner has windows. I am getting pretty confused with this decision. Wood stove, fireplace, air cooled verses insulated. Cat or not cat.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

The house is being expanded to include one large bedroom and a smaller bedroom.
Yes, i did read that the quadrafire is on back order for awhile. Some alternatives are the Kozy heat and the Heatilator. So, back to the originaol question, will one of these stoves, which are rated for higher square feet of heating be too much for my house?
I like the quadrafire for these reasons, it is not catalytic, it takes large logs and longer length wood, and it can be vented. The looks are an added bonus.
Thank you,
Joan

Dear Joan, if you run a big stove hard in a small area it will be too much. You can, however, build small fires in big stoves.


I hope this helps.

 

[begreen]

Thanks Be Green. I'll look into corners. but that will call for removing windows since each corner has windows. I am getting pretty confused with this decision. Wood stove, fireplace, air cooled verses insulated. Cat or not cat.

If you can post some shots of possible locations it would be easier to help out. Some stoves have pretty tight clearances and run cool in the back. They can be placed in a window corner without concern.