# Quadrafire 5100i Insert Review:  Install and Burn



## fatcaaat (Feb 13, 2012)

I have found so much useful information on this site that I feel compelled to provide some information that may help someone out there looking to purchase a fireplace insert.  What I'm going to do is tell you about the install of my Quad 5100i and how I feel about it compared to what I replaced  Buck 28000

Install:  Masonry chimney, center of house, 27' tall.  

Purchase:  I worked with a local dealer since that seems to be the only place to buy a Quadrafire.  I had purchased a Castille Pellet stove in 2006 from the same people and was less than happy with the service but loved the product.  No other dealers were close and as a repeat customer I got a good deal and had a 300 dollar coupon on top of that...so price wise it was great.  I also purchased the liner kit from Chimney Liner depot and materials to fab a blockoff plate from Home Depot.  

Arrival Liner:  The liner system came in two big boxes.  30' of liner and insulation and all that jazz.  Packed well.  Contents all there.  No big deal..but if you don't have a garage or double doors to your house, it won't fit through.  I have both so no worries there.

Arrival Stove:  This angered me a bit in that the stove arrived and was sitting in the warehouse for a week and the company never called me to say it was in.  This is what I remember about the last time I purchased from this outfit.  I drove to the warehouse to pick it up and it fit on my trailer with literally 1 inch to spare widthwise.  Great forklift driver!  It was packed very well and secure on a pallet with 2x4 framing on top with heavy cardboard.  Everything was packed nicely.

Install Liner:  The first thing I did was install the appliance connector.  I smeared some furnace cement around the liner end and the mating connector and assembled it.  This had a stainless clamp to secure the liner to the connector.  Then I smeared furnace cement around the outside to seal it all up.  I also then took my heat gun and cured it.  Then I took the appliance connector and connected that to the furnace connector on the unit.  This connector connects with 4 bolts..so I used 4 stainless bolts instead of self tapping screws.  Same deal...furnace cement inside and out and then cured with heat gun.  That was during the week.  After I was happy that the cement was cured, I took the whole thing outside and unrolled it and assembled the insulation portion.  This took about 2 hours to do start to finish.  I was very UNSATISFIED with this as I did not have enough tape, steel mesh, or locking wire.  Fortunately I had spare tape and that posed not to be an issue, but I was about 10' short on the steel mesh and locking wire.  Everything else went together and slid down the chimney without any problem.

Install/Fab block off plate:  I went to home depot and purchased a 36" piece of steel, cut it to fit and then welded on some additional pieces for the angles to mate evenly in the box.  I then took my 4' angle grinder and cut out the damper in the middle so the liner could go through.  After that I drilled and tapped into the corners of the damper and lined up the blockoff plate to fit...and bolted it right in.  After I pulled the liner through, I sealed the whole thing all the way around with high temp silicon and stuffed the center with extra insulation.  There is absolutely no air going out through the chimney.

Install the Insert:  This was quite simple actually.  Loaded it on a hand truck from the trailer, right into the house and right into the fireplace.  Two people and no struggle.  Slide into place on 2x4's and that was that.  Connected the liner and made sure all the bricks and baffles were correct.  Went back on the roof and finished the connection for the cap.  Done deal.

First burn:  I took it up to about 500 on the first burn, about a 4 hour trip.  Man this thing stinks...I remember the pellet stove doing the same thing.  After I was satisfied that there were no leaks and everything functioned as it should, I put the surround on and fired it up really well.  Took to about 750.  Seems to like 700 best.   

Overnight:  I burn nearly all maple or oak...I'm fortunate to have a good supply on my property and people around here constantly give it away...So I pick it up and stack it for a year and then its usually ready for me.  My wood quality is very good.  I loaded this sucker up with about 10 splits at 10pm and watched it till about 12 to make sure it wouldn't overfire...it was really close...so I'll dial that back.  but I had a full bed of coals at 7am and just tossed 3 splits on in the morning and it fired right up.  

Continual:  I feed it about 4 splits every 3-4 hours when I'm at home to watch it with the air intake at 50% open.  When I'm going out, I'll double it and close the air intake.  

How I feel vs the Buck 28000 it replaced:  For safety sake, I am way more comfortable since I had a slammer install. For a wood usage, I'm using considerably less wood.  For heat output, I'm not convinced I'm making more heat.  For smoke and creosote, I am burning clean where my smoke dragon was pretty nasty.  

Overall impressions/changes:  I wanted the biggest insert I could purchase and fit in my existing fireplace...this was it.  Fit and finish are superior.  This is a quality machine.  If I have to change one thing, which I will do, is I'm going to take the surround off and drill a pattern into it at the top and sides where it is closest to the unit.  I think a lot of heat is trapped back there and drilling this out will allow that to radiate out.  I burned it without the surround and it definitely produced more heat, so this makes good sense to me.


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## MofoG23 (Feb 13, 2012)

Great review!

Can I ask where you are taking your temp readings?


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## fatcaaat (Feb 13, 2012)

So I am taking temps at two places..First on either side of the window above the opening...The second is underneath the top plate.  Under the top plate its going to be hotter...I have hit 850 on the top under that plate which is too hot, but I'm tying to keep that at 700-750 or so which translates to a 500 on the front above the window.


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## MofoG23 (Feb 13, 2012)

Thanks.  I've been measuring temps from the front on my 4100i (top center of door - below blower output) and try to keep them around 500-600 (as recommended by my dealer), but that translates to a stove top (under the plate if you remove it) of 800-900...which I think is too hot...

for me to keep the stove top below 750-800, I would have to have it around 450 max on the front...I do not get good secondary burn unless the front is around 500-550.

I was just curious if the 5100i was the same and it sounds like it is...


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## fatcaaat (Feb 14, 2012)

So I don't need those super high temperatures to get the secondary burn.  But the 4100 does sound like the 5100 in terms of temperatures.  I get good secondary burns as I load as soon as the flame stage is over...I rake the coals and load enough to cover the floor with a little space between.  This seems to be working great during the day.  I burn oak and maple...but do have some very well seasoned pine Im going to try since its here...as well as some poplar.  Not my primary wood, but its here so I'll burn it.  

My dealer couldn't help me much more than to purchase the stove, so its all trial and error for me so far.  

As a matter of fact, I have a good secondary burn going right now with face temps of about 450.  I think its safe to get the front plate to about 500 which translates to about 700-800 which is fine for this unit provided you keep the fan cranked.


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## weatherguy (Feb 14, 2012)

Glad you like it, I almost bought one when I was stove shopping, I was looking for a big insert and I liked the ACC, I think the firebox is bigger than my princess.


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## fatcaaat (Mar 2, 2012)

Well, after burning for a while, it turns out that it was never burning correctly.  The door latch was buggered up from the factory when they assembled it, resulting in a cross threaded latch.  That said, and I never noticed it, that there was quite a large air gap on the door.  Today I took the handle off, welded some material back on, and rethreaded it with a new nut and adjusted it to make it nice and tight.

It's a completely different stove now.  Who knew just how much making it air tight would impact things.  First off, I"m using SIGNIFICANTLY less wood to produce the same amt of heat.  My flames are nearly always purple except for the first 45 min of the burn cycle.    I am basically relearning the stove now...harder to get it going...but it makes sense now.  I was wondering why I was not getting long burns...now I know... 

I went from getting 2 hrs on 6 splits or so to about 5hrs with the same low setting and same heat output.  

So...do that dollar bill test...it can make a world of difference!


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## begreen (Mar 2, 2012)

That sounds a whole lot better. Thanks for the update.


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## pen (Mar 2, 2012)

Glad to hear the updated results!

Did you drill out the surround? 

pen


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## fatcaaat (Mar 2, 2012)

The surround has not yet been completed...I'll be doing it on Saturday and will post pictures.  I'm essentially going to cut some channels in the surround and then use some patterned steel to cover over it to make it look like a grill.  If I can find the material, I want it to look like the grill on a Giulietti accordion (look ebay).  If not, I'll settle for something else.


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## iod0816 (Mar 2, 2012)

MofoG23 said:
			
		

> Thanks.  I've been measuring temps from the front on my 4100i (top center of door - below blower output) and try to keep them around 500-600 (as recommended by my dealer), but that translates to a stove top (under the plate if you remove it) of 800-900...which I think is too hot...
> 
> for me to keep the stove top below 750-800, I would have to have it around 450 max on the front...I do not get good secondary burn unless the front is around 500-550.
> 
> I was just curious if the 5100i was the same and it sounds like it is...



How did you determine that the stove top gets 800-900? I find the only way this unit puts out good heat is if you get stove face (same location as you with my Rutland) to ~600 with the fan... That's with secondaries going and damper almost 80%-90% out with hickory, black birch and maple mix I've been using all winter ... Even still the Rutlands are typically off with their readings anyhow so it could be over or under.


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## iod0816 (Mar 2, 2012)

And also, fatcaat, where the blower blows are out (once you remove the top plate, see if after some cold nigths and good burns you see any "bowing" on the top plate if you wouldn't mind. Myself and some other 4100i owners have noticed some flex there... we had a thread on this a while back but curious to see if the 5100i does it too...


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## fatcaaat (Mar 2, 2012)

iod0816 said:
			
		

> And also, fatcaat, where the blower blows are out (once you remove the top plate, see if after some cold nigths and good burns you see any "bowing" on the top plate if you wouldn't mind. Myself and some other 4100i owners have noticed some flex there... we had a thread on this a while back but curious to see if the 5100i does it too...



I have gotten the top part under the plate to 1000 degrees for a very short period once...never glowed, but still scary.  I have no trouble getting my machine hot enough to cook me out...I fire it up using super duper dry poplar and lay in super dry punky oak to get things cooking.  Once that's done, I put in nice red/white oak and maple and/or beech.  That's all I have to burn.  

I have not noticed any flex anywhere on the unit yet...I am obsessive so I check everything constantly until I am comfortable with something new...I'm not yet comfortable yet and its been almost a month already.  

As for temps, I usually cruise with the front face about 450 which translates to 650 under the plate with the fan on high.  Secondaries are like torches everywhere and for the most part my flames are blue.  I achieve this, once the firebox is hot, with the draft setting in the lowest position.  (I don't say closed because it does not allow you to completely close the draft on this unit).  If I put it on high longer than the initial 30 minutes of the burn it cooks me out of the room...and the room is 30x20 with 25' cathedral ceilings.  

For me the most important thing is getting things up to temperature first.  I burn the crap out of it until the box is very hot...and then I shut the air completely down...that seems to be the only approach that's worked for me so far.


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## Keith Briggs (Apr 7, 2012)

I got my 5100i 4 months ago, installed it last month. Had to modify the zero clearance heatilator by lowering the floor, cutting and lowering the ceramic walls. I saved by using normal 1.5" bricks under the lowered stove floor instead of fire bricks. I modified the insert by cutting a 3" hole on the left side about 1/2 way back because I have an outside air duct and then put fiberglass in the two front air intake ducts to block the air from entering from the room. My IR thermometer is still in a box somewhere so don't have temp stats but have 3 quad stoves at our two short term rentals for 6 years. This insert - my first - is burning similar to them.  This setup is leaving a few more coals as it dies down.  I'll investiate the draw when it warms up outside.  We're at 8200 outside of Denver so will do night fires for another month.  The propane has not been on since I installed.


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## LYHTSPD (Nov 15, 2012)

fatcaaat, thanks for this review. I also installed a 5100i ACC last November. I am still learning how this insert burns, but I did install an OAK this past week. I always had to open our basement window (I have a basement install with a 25' insulated liner install) to get the fire going, and once it was burning, it never got over 400 degrees on the front of the door. I have a feeling it was not getting enough air to burn hot enough.

Please keep us up to date on how your insert is doing, and how you have found the best way to use it. Thanks!


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## corey21 (Nov 15, 2012)

Glad it is working out for you.


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## Keith Briggs (Nov 15, 2012)

Update on my 5100i (initial post above)  - I think my setup is working perfectly.  I actually cut two 3" holes (one on each side about 18" from the front of the unit) to allow outside air to come in from a duct.  From a cold start, I need to leave the door ajar a few minutes then its off to the races.  With a full load of wood running wild, glass temp is consistently at 850 and is keeping our 3000 upstairs (20' ceilings) warm (68 - 72 degrees)  so far down to 9 degrees ambient.  It never overheats and I have coals after 10 hours of burning.  Design-wise, biggest improvement would be where they put the thermo switch. Doesn't come on quick enough and shuts off too soon (same issue really).  I have a couple extra so may tweak the setup adding one in a better location.   For now, it runs 24/7 so not an issue.

LYHTSPD, I don't think you have enough draw in your chimney.  You're liner is installed and its behaving that way?


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## LYHTSPD (Nov 16, 2012)

Keith:  Yes, my liner is installed already.  I don't know if I have a draft problem.  I had the secondary burn tubes out yesterday (just putting everything back together from the OAK install) and I could feel a lot of air being pulled up the chimney even without a fire in there.  In fact, I have always been able to feel a large amount of air being pulled up the chimney.  This lead me to believe that it was being starved for air.  Also, when I left the window cracked about an inch or so the fire would burn a lot better.


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## MofoG23 (Nov 23, 2012)

iod0816 said:


> How did you determine that the stove top gets 800-900? I find the only way this unit puts out good heat is if you get stove face (same location as you with my Rutland) to ~600 with the fan... That's with secondaries going and damper almost 80%-90% out with hickory, black birch and maple mix I've been using all winter ... Even still the Rutlands are typically off with their readings anyhow so it could be over or under.


 
I was removing the cast iron top plate which will give you access to the fire box stove top. I finally got someone at Quadrafire to tell me 800-850 is ok directly on the firebox (that is the hottest part of the entire stove). They said to keep the temperature on the face (above the door) between 500-600...


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## LYHTSPD (Nov 26, 2012)

MofoG23 said:


> I was removing the cast iron top plate which will give you access to the fire box stove top. I finally got someone at Quadrafire to tell me 800-850 is ok directly on the firebox (that is the hottest part of the entire stove). They said to keep the temperature on the face (above the door) between 500-600...


 
Wow, mine get no where near that hot.  I think that may be a part of my problem.  The temps above the door get about 425 tops.  I still don't know if I am getting enough air, or enough draft.  When I had the secondary tubes off, it seemed to draft just fine.  Now that everything is back in place, it does not want to keep a good burn going unless I have the insert door open.  After it gets a good burn going, I then can close the door but it never seems to get hot enough.  I have an OAK installed now, and 24ft SS liner with the insulation blanket.  What am I doing wrong?

I did notice that when I was putting everything back together, the fire blanket that sits on top of the hard baffles (on top of the secondary tubes) was a little longer than needed and was actually folded back about 2-3 inches on the front side of the hard baffles.  Could this be reducing the air flow up to the liner?  Did anyone else need to trim their blanket because it was too long?


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## MofoG23 (Nov 26, 2012)

I let my cruise (or aim for) around 500-525 as my sweet spot (measured on the face on top of the door - below the blower vent). Usually spikes up to 600+, then settles down. The only time I crack my door is when I'm starting a new fire with a clean firebox. When I reload, I never have to leave the door open...just crack the air valve (not the startup) and it takes off within minutes. Keep in mind the wood I burn has had 2+ years of seasoning time.

How is your wood supply?


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## LYHTSPD (Nov 27, 2012)

That is the same place I usually take the temps on my unit Mofo.  The wood is in question.  I had to buy wood again this year since I just started to season my own wood this year.  I need to split a piece and check it's moisture, but it seems very dry.  It does not sizzle and expel water out the end of the logs like they do when they are wet.  I will let you know what I find out.


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## LYHTSPD (Nov 28, 2012)

Mofo, could you take a video of your insert burning at those temps?  I would like to see what the secondaries are supposed to look like when burning properly.


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## MofoG23 (Nov 28, 2012)

LYHTSPD said:


> Mofo, could you take a video of your insert burning at those temps? I would like to see what the secondaries are supposed to look like when burning properly.


 

Sure - I'll see if I can get some video tonight.


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## MofoG23 (Dec 1, 2012)

MofoG23 said:


> Sure - I'll see if I can get some video tonight.


 

Sorry for the late reply...finally got the video posted.  Ignore the first temp reading as I took it off the Rutland thermometer by accident.  I'm burning 1-2 year old maple/oak mix.  Pulled all air out around 450 degree's...as you can see, it was really climbing during the secondary burn...peaked around 625, then finally settled down for the night.

Hope this helps!


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## LYHTSPD (Dec 3, 2012)

Wow, that is cool looking.  Mine does get the secondaries burning sometimes, but never like that.  I am starting to think that my wood is probably a big factor is the lackluster performance.  The wood that I am burning now is supposed to be seasoned, but I took a moisture reading on it and it was 15% on the outside and nearly 30% on a freshly split face.  I don't hear or see any moisture burning off of the wood, but I guess it is there.  I guess it is time to find another source of wood for this year.  Next year I should be able to start burning my own seasoned wood.


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## jross47 (Dec 29, 2012)

Interesting Thread.  I have installed 3 5100i's (one was ACC). I currently burn a 4100i  that maintains 450-500 on front just above door. I get good 2ndary burns using 1 year old wood and 6months old ash.  As far as 5100 is concerned I have noted problems with a lack of combustion air, And have created my own outside air kit using 3inch drier vent and sheet metal.  Quadrafire now sells one however for around 150.00 (not worth it).  Good luck and remember:  "Nothing  burns like a Quad"

JR


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## LYHTSPD (Dec 29, 2012)

jross47 said:


> Interesting Thread. I have installed 3 5100i's (one was ACC). I currently burn a 4100i that maintains 450-500 on front just above door. I get good 2ndary burns using 1 year old wood and 6months old ash. As far as 5100 is concerned I have noted problems with a lack of combustion air, And have created my own outside air kit using 3inch drier vent and sheet metal. Quadrafire now sells one however for around 150.00 (not worth it). Good luck and remember: "Nothing burns like a Quad"
> 
> JR


 
JR, thanks for reminding me about this thread.  I picked up a load of seasoned wood from my father and have been mixing it in with the wet stuff I got ripped off with.  The insert now maintains 400+ temps at the same place, on the front just above the door.  I also ended up piecing my own OAK kit together out of a 4" dryer vent, a length of hard pipe and a length of metal flex for less than $20.  Quadra fire is crazy to charge what they do for their kit.

So overall, dry wood and the OAK has helped TREMENDOUSLY with my 5100!  Thanks for all you people's help and guidance.  This is a great place!


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## fatcaaat (Jan 24, 2013)

Wow...I"m back after almost a year and wanted to provide some reports on me burning.  I am still having a lot of success with my Quad and burning lots of wood this winter to keep very toasty.  This past year I did a lot of air sealing in the home and I noticed I'm getting a tremendous draft from teh basement...that's where the air is being drawn from.  So my next update after this year's burn season will be to install and OAK on this guy. 

With the air sealing of the house and blowing in 21 inches of insulation on both attic banks, I'm able to maintain a temperature in the house about 76 degrees (with it being about 15 outside) on one half of the house and the heat never kicking on.  ON the other side of the hosue I maintain 73 degrees, but the heat does occasionally kick on.  I need to figure out a way to get my heat into that part. 

I have not experienced any issues with the unit so far....i'm also starting to burn it hotter...normally I keep the face of the unit above the window about 400-450....now I'm cranking it up around 500-550 and even up to 600.  Not an issue to get it there. 

My burns...for me, the way I burn is this...during the day, I keep adding a few splits every two hours and it builds up a nice coal bed.  My last load before bed goes in around 10-11pm.  I place it on a deep bed of coals and pack it in nice and tight.  I put the damper on low and that's that for the night.  I wake up the next morning with a nice bed of coals still in there and still have a unit that's 300 degrees on the face.  It is at this point I actually push the button all the way in so the back inlets are fully open.  I rake the coals level and let it burn this way for about 30 min while I attend to other things.  By that time they are crazy hot again and I toss on a large split or two and leave it that way...damper closed, but the button all the way in....this is how I burn down the coal bed.  Over the course of the day I try to burn down the coal bed, but around 5pm I start building it up again for the overnight. 

Mind you I work from home most days, so it is easy for me to do this. 

I am having a lot of success burning maple, oak, and some locust this year.  I got a great deal on 3 cords of "uglies" so that's what lead me to do what I'm doing...a couple of pieces every few hours burning on medium all day.  I get lots of secondary burn when I fully load the unit, but not as much with a less packed firebox. 

The blower is on all the time...not automatic set...I have it set to manual, on , high whenever it is burning wood. 

Not much more to say about it other than I love it.  I'm going to  be installing another stove in my other fireplace in another part of the house for next winter...I don't need another large insert...thinking of just a small free standing stove to pop in the huge fireplace as i only will need it to knock the chill out of that side....build a fire around 5pm in there and load it for overnight...maintain it during the day with a long slow low burn...that's the plan anyway.


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## HaTaX (Jan 24, 2013)

Glad you came back and gave an update, this insert was on the list of ones I was looking at.  Mainly because I like the fact that it does stick out onto the hearth quite a bit and offers a nice view of the fire from all angles.  How clean do those side glass pieces stay?  Probably not as long as the main viewing glass, but I'm curious if they're somewhat clean or just black panes after a few burns.

How is the blower noise when running full tilt?  What's the longest you've left it sitting and come back to a decent amount of coals?  Sorry for the 100 questions, but you're the perfect candidate to have their brain picked.


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## fatcaaat (Mar 13, 2013)

The sides are pretty dirty and get dirty quickly.  I just don't clean em anymore.  I'd rather have the windows replaced with plates.  10 hrs is the longest I can go with a fully packed stove and still have decent coals later.  The blower noise is less than my house fans...but it is subjective.  I find it ok...others may think its loud.  Think medium size microwave.


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## jophysx (Jul 12, 2013)

Can the 5100i be loaded N/S?


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## LYHTSPD (Jul 12, 2013)

That is the way it shows you how to load it in the user manual.  It is much deeper than it is wide.


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## rideau (Jul 12, 2013)

Having that side glass, even if it IS dirty, likely means you are getting a lot more heat more quickly into the room out of the front and exposed glass side of the stove than you would with plate on the sides, judging from the different in heat transfer between the large PH glass window and small Fireview glass window of my experience.....


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## Farmer B (Jan 4, 2014)

Recently had a 5100i installed. So far I am very happy with it. I am still learning how to use the stove and have had some difficulties getting a full night burn. I don't think I have stuffed the firebox enough, however even with a pretty full load there is only a bed of coals after about 4-5 hours. I have turned down the air all the way. Can anyone give me an idea of how they load, what size splits and or how much they load into their stove to get ten hours? I also got my wood delivery late in the season so I am dealing with some excess moisture in the wood. Cold start-ups have been challenging. I hope to have some better seasoned wood for next winter. My only complaint with the unit is that the side windows get completely fogged over soon after starting the fire. I had picked this unit due to the large visibility factor.

We recently had a new boiler installed. The old boiler was knocked down at 8:00 in the morning (40 degrees outside). I had the 5100i fired up by 8:00 and when I got home at 3:00 the house was a comfortable 70 degrees. That was with my wife only adding a log at a time.

I also have an issue with the built-in's we installed next to the insert. They get extremely hot even when the stove is not cranking. I think I am going to have to create a stove board "protector" on each side to prevent them from being damaged. As a test I put a large cookie sheet an inch away from the built-in raised about an inch off the hearth. The built-in seemed to stay dramatically cooler. Any ideas would be appreciated.


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## Keith Briggs (Jan 5, 2014)

Farmer B said:


> Recently had a 5100i installed. So far I am very happy with it. I am still learning how to use the stove and have had some difficulties getting a full night burn. I don't think I have stuffed the firebox enough, however even with a pretty full load there is only a bed of coals after about 4-5 hours. I have turned down the air all the way. Can anyone give me an idea of how they load, what size splits and or how much they load into their stove to get ten hours? I also got my wood delivery late in the season so I am dealing with some excess moisture in the wood. Cold start-ups have been challenging. I hope to have some better seasoned wood for next winter. My only complaint with the unit is that the side windows get completely fogged over soon after starting the fire. I had picked this unit due to the large visibility factor.
> 
> We recently had a new boiler installed. The old boiler was knocked down at 8:00 in the morning (40 degrees outside). I had the 5100i fired up by 8:00 and when I got home at 3:00 the house was a comfortable 70 degrees. That was with my wife only adding a log at a time.
> 
> I also have an issue with the built-in's we installed next to the insert. They get extremely hot even when the stove is not cranking. I think I am going to have to create a stove board "protector" on each side to prevent them from being damaged. As a test I put a large cookie sheet an inch away from the built-in raised about an inch off the hearth. The built-in seemed to stay dramatically cooler. Any ideas would be appreciated.



/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Should get 6 hours of burn with hardwoods.  Not much more.
I get 4 hours with hard softwoods (lodgepole & doug fir).
Larger the wood, longer and slower the burn.  Can put in 22" pieces too.
I burn on high only to minimize sweeping.  
Side windows are a design flaw.  Always look bad, hard to clean ash out and hard to clean those windows.  Looks great in the pictures though.
I never burn green.  I'd buy more seasoned stuff and let the green stuff dry out.  Keep it outside and  in the wind.  Inside virtually stops the dehydration process.
I don't understand your built-in situation.  Some pictures would help.
/\/\/\\/\/\/\/


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## Farmer B (Jan 5, 2014)

Keith Briggs said:


> /\/\/\/\/\/\/
> Should get 6 hours of burn with hardwoods.  Not much more.
> I get 4 hours with hard softwoods (lodgepole & doug fir).
> Larger the wood, longer and slower the burn.  Can put in 22" pieces too.
> ...



I keep reading about people burning for 10 hours so I wasn't sure why I only get about 5 hours. As I mentioned we are also very disappointed with the side window issue. If we knew that we would have gone with our second choice (Hearthstone Clydsdale). The wood I have isn't "green" but it isn't fully seasoned. Part of the issue was since I knew it needed a little more time I covered my wood rack with a tarp that ran to the ground. That didn't let any moisture get out. We have also ranged frequently between above and below freezing so I built up even more condensation under the tarp. All a learning process. I am pulling up the tarp to get some better air flow around the stack.

I have attached a picture of our set-up. We still have some finish work to do. The mantle still needs to be installed and we will be refacing the brick with cultured stone. The lower portion (cabinet area) of the built-ins gets very hot so my plan was to build a temporary "deflector" out of stove board that we would put up when we are burning. Thanks for any guidance.


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## Keith Briggs (Jan 6, 2014)

Farmer B said:


> I keep reading about people burning for 10 hours so I wasn't sure why I only get about 5 hours. As I mentioned we are also very disappointed with the side window issue. If we knew that we would have gone with our second choice (Hearthstone Clydsdale). The wood I have isn't "green" but it isn't fully seasoned. Part of the issue was since I knew it needed a little more time I covered my wood rack with a tarp that ran to the ground. That didn't let any moisture get out. We have also ranged frequently between above and below freezing so I built up even more condensation under the tarp. All a learning process. I am pulling up the tarp to get some better air flow around the stack.
> 
> I have attached a picture of our set-up. We still have some finish work to do. The mantle still needs to be installed and we will be refacing the brick with cultured stone. The lower portion (cabinet area) of the built-ins gets very hot so my plan was to build a temporary "deflector" out of stove board that we would put up when we are burning. Thanks for any guidance.



Oh, I see what you mean.  Its zero out right now in Evergreen, CO and the stove has the 20' great room / kitchen / dining (1500 sq ft) is at 64 but on the decline since the stove is full of coals.  The bottom of the mantel is 20" above the top of the stove.  My little Kintrex IR thermometer regularly reads 140 - 165 degrees under there but I never worry about it since its drywall except for the vertical oak front which drops quickly to 95 degrees a couple inches up.  I assume your cabinets start getting warm at the 2nd or 3rd shelf from the bottom.  I'd be curious what your temps are on the back side of those warmer spots.  You may need to put a faux brick stone on the stove side of the outside cabinet wall if you're not comfortable with the temps you're getting.  You can see the ash buildup on the side windows.  You have to dig it out with the welding gloves (when cooler) to clear it.  I never clean those windows. 

Can you cut your wood in 1/2?  Easy if you have a larger chop box.  Remember that wood is like compressed straws.  Most of the H2O comes out the ends.  That will speed the drying time.  I'd look for a hungry wood seller and get more fuel that's ready to go.


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## Farmer B (Jan 7, 2014)

Keith Briggs said:


> Oh, I see what you mean.  Its zero out right now in Evergreen, CO and the stove has the 20' great room / kitchen / dining (1500 sq ft) is at 64 but on the decline since the stove is full of coals.  The bottom of the mantel is 20" above the top of the stove.  My little Kintrex IR thermometer regularly reads 140 - 165 degrees under there but I never worry about it since its drywall except for the vertical oak front which drops quickly to 95 degrees a couple inches up.  I assume your cabinets start getting warm at the 2nd or 3rd shelf from the bottom.  I'd be curious what your temps are on the back side of those warmer spots.  You may need to put a faux brick stone on the stove side of the outside cabinet wall if you're not comfortable with the temps you're getting.  You can see the ash buildup on the side windows.  You have to dig it out with the welding gloves (when cooler) to clear it.  I never clean those windows.
> 
> Can you cut your wood in 1/2?  Easy if you have a larger chop box.  Remember that wood is like compressed straws.  Most of the H2O comes out the ends.  That will speed the drying time.  I'd look for a hungry wood seller and get more fuel that's ready to go.
> 
> View attachment 123054




Stove has been working great. Even with some bone chilling temperatures the home is staying nice and warm. The boiler hardly ever goes on. Just have to keep working on extending the burn time at night. I think I have to split some wood down a little smaller to fill the empty spaces between the biiger pieces.

After a lot of rain and 50 degrees on Sunday we are now at 5 degrees on Monday. I uncovered the stacks last night after the rain stopped. Unfortunately I am seeing a lot of mold. I was going to work on splitting the wood this weekend (just got a new Friskers splitting ax) although rain is predicted for the weekend. I will try splitting some in half and cutting the other in half and compare drying results. I would get some more wood, however the few reputable suppliers I know of are all out of wood. I have some maple and oak from a friend who just had some trees taken down that I am going to start splitting once the temerature becomes a little more reasonable. Should be good for next year.

As for my heat problem on the built-ins I think I am going to try putting two stove boards next to the built-in bases where the heat is the worst. I am going to make a stand to hold them so they can be removed when the stove is not in use.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12400194&KPID=11814226&pla=pla_11814226

Thanks for your feedback.


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## LYHTSPD (Jan 8, 2014)

This is our second full season with the 5100i and I am loving it.  Ours is a basement install (ranch style house with an external chimney) heating an 1800 sqft finished basement and 1800 sqft main floor.  If we run it wide open all day we can keep the upstairs bedrooms at around 68-70 degrees, and the basement about 76 degrees.  We usually run it about half open on the main air control and it keeps the bedrooms at about 65-67 degrees, which is great for sleeping.  It has gotten down to the negative single digits here the last few nights and it has been the favorite place to gather around.

I agree with the comments about the side windows.  They are beautiful with clean, but a pain to keep that way.  I have through about just putting a thick steel plate to cover the side window area from the rest of the heat box just to keep out the ash that is hard to clean out.

By the way, if anyone wants the nickel trim kit for the insert, let me know through a PM.  Somehow they sent me two nickel kits, and I am getting tired of kicking it around the garage.


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## fatcaaat (Jan 19, 2015)

I've come back to report again on my Quad 5100I.  This year, I did go ahead and install an outside air kit.  I drilled a 4" hole through the bottom of the firebox to the side and dropped a metal duct through there.  I also purchased a metal port from home depot and drilled/modified it to adapt to the stove for the outside air.  Then I added 4" aluminum dryer to connect the two.  At that point, I just found a way out of the basement and done.  The stove burns much better at this point as it is using nice cool dense air, and is no longer pulling the air in from the basement or through the gaps in my doors and windows.  

Overall the home is warmer and less drafty.  Still burns great.  I haven't had any issues with the stove.

Before this heating season I cleaned the whole thing top to bottom and swept the chimney.  I was impressed at just how clean the chimney was.  I only got maybe a pint total of sweepings from the chimney.


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## ewang (Sep 28, 2015)

LYHTSPD said:


> This is our second full season with the 5100i and I am loving it.  Ours is a basement install (ranch style house with an external chimney) heating an 1800 sqft finished basement and 1800 sqft main floor.  If we run it wide open all day we can keep the upstairs bedrooms at around 68-70 degrees, and the basement about 76 degrees.  We usually run it about half open on the main air control and it keeps the bedrooms at about 65-67 degrees, which is great for sleeping.  It has gotten down to the negative single digits here the last few nights and it has been the favorite place to gather around.
> 
> I agree with the comments about the side windows.  They are beautiful with clean, but a pain to keep that way.  I have through about just putting a thick steel plate to cover the side window area from the rest of the heat box just to keep out the ash that is hard to clean out.
> 
> By the way, if anyone wants the nickel trim kit for the insert, let me know through a PM.  Somehow they sent me two nickel kits, and I am getting tired of kicking it around the garage.



Can you take a picture of how your nickel handle attaches to the door?  I am trying to install mine and I can't seem to figure it out.
Thanks!


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## LYHTSPD (Oct 15, 2015)

ewang:  Sorry about the late response.  The email notification got stuck in my junk folder.

I will try to take a picture tonight, but you basically have to screw the coiled handle onto the door rod.  It is not very easy to do, but once you get it started, it goes a little easier.


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## ewang (Oct 15, 2015)

Thanks for the reply

You're saying the spring handle goes onto the same handle that the wood-handle screws onto?


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## CrufflerJJ (Oct 15, 2015)

You need a different handle for the spring version.  The metal shaft to which the spring attaches does NOT have a threaded end (as is the case with the regular handle).

I'm not sure if the handle part number is the same for your stove, but for my 2700i, the regular handle (Door Handle, (Rectangular Door)") is p/n SRV7044-188.  For a nickel plated spring handle (door handle for arched door), you'd need parts 430-1131 ("door handle only"), plus 250-8330 (nickel spring handle).  

I got this info from my QuadraFire 2700i Owners Manual.  You should be able to download the manual for your insert to verify part numbers.

Good luck!


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## ewang (Oct 15, 2015)

Thank you! I haven't found any mention of the formed handle in the 5100i ACC manual.


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## CrufflerJJ (Oct 16, 2015)

ewang said:


> Thank you! I haven't found any mention of the formed handle in the 5100i ACC manual.



That's odd.  I checked the downloadable 5100i manual, and also saw that just the "fiber" handle was listed, not the spring handle.  You'll probably have to contact your local dealer or QuadraFire themselves.


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## ewang (Oct 30, 2015)

Below is Quadra-Fire's response....  apparently they no longer upgrade the door handle with the nickel.
"Since we went to the fiber handle last fall, you no longer can upgrade the handle to the Satin Nickel. The newest price list says the handle upgrade is only available on the Millennium Series. "

So naturally I'm upset....  I wonder if I can use the handle from the 2700i on the 5100i.


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## CrufflerJJ (Oct 30, 2015)

ewang said:


> Below is Quadra-Fire's response....  apparently they no longer upgrade the door handle with the nickel.
> "Since we went to the fiber handle last fall, you no longer can upgrade the handle to the Satin Nickel. The newest price list says the handle upgrade is only available on the Millennium Series. "
> 
> So naturally I'm upset....  I wonder if I can use the handle from the 2700i on the 5100i.



Probably a question you'd need to ask QuadraFire.


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