# Quadrafire Voyager



## Ericr (Oct 10, 2011)

I just put in a Quadrafire Voyager.  I had heard really good things about it and it was definitely aesthetically pleasing.  The insert has been installed for 3 weeks now and we have been running it pretty regularly for the last week and a half.  I must say that I am a little (or a lot) disappointed in the performance.  

The literature on the stove is conflicting.  On the Quadrafire website it states the stove should have 12 hour burn times and 46,341 BTU.  I can tell you I am getting no way near 12 hours of burn time, maybe....maybe...6 hours of burn from 3-4 logs 16 inches long and 4-6 inches in diameter.  The wood is seasoned pine but only 1 year of seasoning so not extremely dry wood.  Very disappointing considering my in-laws have a Blaze King (princess) with a catalytic system and they get really good heat with a consistent burn time of 14-16 hours.  I was told the new reburn systems used by the Voyager was going to be so much better than the old catalytic system and I bought into the sales pitch.  I am really wishing I had gone with a catalytic system that I know is proven.

The owners manual gives much different stats than the website as well.  No where in the manual is there ever a BTU rating for the Voyager at 46,341.  The maximum rating in the owners manual is 29,000.  That's a FAR CRY different than 48,341!  I consider that false advertising and I plan to report this.

Has anyone else had the same issues?  I am running the insert on the lowest settings possible and still only getting 6 hours burn time (with the air control on the top all the way down and the air control on the bottom pulled all the way up and out).  Does anyone know if Quadrafire will let you return a product if you are not happy?


----------



## BrowningBAR (Oct 10, 2011)

ERob said:
			
		

> I just put in a Quadrafire Voyager.  I had heard really good things about it and it was definitely aesthetically pleasing.  The insert has been installed for 3 weeks now and we have been running it pretty regularly for the last week and a half.  I must say that I am a little (or a lot) disappointed in the performance.
> 
> The literature on the stove is conflicting.  On the Quadrafire website it states the stove should have 12 hour burn times and 46,341 BTU.  I can tell you I am getting no way near 12 hours of burn time, maybe....maybe...6 hours of burn from 3-4 logs 16 inches long and 4-6 inches in diameter.  The wood is seasoned pine but only 1 year of seasoning so not extremely dry wood.  Very disappointing considering my in-laws have a Blaze King (princess) with a catalytic system and they get really good heat with a consistent burn time of 14-16 hours.  I was told the new reburn systems used by the Voyager was going to be so much better than the old catalytic system and I bought into the sales pitch.  I am really wishing I had gone with a catalytic system that I know is proven.
> 
> ...




I'm sorry to hear you are unhappy with the stove. But, with a 1.83 cu. ft. firebox, a 6 hour burn time can be expected and is actually quite good from Pine.

In regards to the BTU output, if you read more you will see that the 46,341 BTUs is the Maximum heat output that the stove is capable of if you are constantly feeding the stove wood. The 29k output is real world use. Technically not false advertising.

The sales pitch on the other hand was just that. You should not rely on the individual selling you a product to be truthful.


----------



## ddddddden (Oct 10, 2011)

Yeeah. . .I don't think Quad has a satisfaction guarantee.  Best you will probably be able to do would be to get the dealer to take it back for a larger stove (Princess is ~ 50% larger than Voyager.)  Hardwood will give you longer burns, if available in your area.  Wish you had come here first. . .we catmongers would have tried to steer you toward a cat stove, if long burn time is your priority. . .but even other cat stoves don't get BK burn times.  They have secret advanced alien technology.  If you want a piece of that, you have to get a BK.


----------



## mhrischuk (Oct 10, 2011)

My Hearthstone Clydesdale is non cat. I have been doing some overnight burning on the cooler nights just to keep the chill out of the house without having the heater fire up. So far I'm happy to report that I can load it up before bed with seasoned oak and the thermostatically controlled fan is still running at 6 am with enough coals to restart a fire. I'm probably getting 8+ hrs. It's not a huge insert but the soapstone might give it an advantage.
Mine is a 60,000 BTU unit. I'm impressed with the amount of heat this thing throws out the top with the fan on high.

I almost pulled the trigger on a Voyager during a summer sale. It was a $800 off sale off the floor model. It is a great looking stove. You should see what happens with good seasoned oak or other higher BTU fuel. I'm sure you'll get longer burn times. You also might need a little bit of time to learn how to get longer burn times. Every stove is different as is every install. It's not always the stoves fault.


----------



## Jags (Oct 10, 2011)

3-4 splits of pine in a <2 cuft firebox.  So 20 pounds of wood (I am being generous here) running 6 hrs of burn time.  That sounds about right to me.  Now if your comparing real life to marketing???  Yeah, there will be some discrepancy.

Fact is, your burning a fairly small stove.


----------



## Ericr (Oct 21, 2011)

I never could get the Voyager to burn like it was advertised.  I was able to return it and I am now trying the Quadrafire 3100 ACC.  Hopefully it will work better.  We shall see......


----------



## ddddddden (Oct 21, 2011)

It's encouraging that your dealer is trying to make you happy.  Looks like the 3100 is ~ 10% larger than the Voyageur.  Is that the largest your fireplace will accomodate?  What is the size of the space you are trying to heat?  Is pine the only wood available in your area?


----------



## Ericr (Oct 21, 2011)

I could probably go with a slightly larger stove but the 3100 was pretty snug in height.  Pine is it here where I live.   The installer swears by the 3100.  Says he has installed thousands and it is the best stove he has ever worked with, but then again he works pretty much exclusively for the Quadrafire supplier.  It has been burning now for 6 hrs on about 5 medium logs.  Pretty good bed of coals finally.  I'm sure it will get better as the ash builds up more. If I can get 8-10 hrs of heat on a single loading I will be happy.  I will update as I evaluate more...


----------



## ddddddden (Oct 21, 2011)

A good layer of ash will help, but if you get an 8-hr burn in October, you won't get that in January, when you are asking the stove to pump the BTU's.  You might be able to get a larger insert with the same height.  I burn a 2-cu-ft stove, but, if I were limited to pine, I would want something closer to 3 cu ft.  If a larger insert wouldn't fit, I'd put a stove out in front of the fireplace.


----------



## Stax (Oct 21, 2011)

Mh...save that oak for January.


----------



## Ericr (Oct 30, 2011)

About two weeks with the 3100 and seems to be working great!  So much more heat and almost twice as long on the burn times.  Quadrafire has some serious engineering yet to do to make the Voyager better.  The Voyager may look pretty and was nice and skinny but the beauty was only "skin deep"! So the 3100 sticks out a few more inches and has a few more curves but she keeps me a lot warmer on those cold nights (no hidden meanings there my dear wife if you are reading this).


----------



## BrowningBAR (Oct 30, 2011)

ERob said:
			
		

> About two weeks with the 3100 and seems to be working great!  So much more heat and almost twice as long on the burn times.  Quadrafire has some serious engineering yet to do to make the Voyager better.  The Voyager may look pretty and was nice and skinny but the beauty was only "skin deep"! So the 3100 sticks out a few more inches and has a few more curves but she keeps me a lot warmer on those cold nights (no hidden meanings there my dear wife if you are reading this).




The Voyager works exactly as it should. It is a small stove designed for a small area. The error was in the marketing and a poor salesman. Firebox size is king when it comes to figuring out heat productions.


----------



## BKInsert (Oct 30, 2011)

We had the 3100i insert for 10 years, we loved that stove, worked great!  I am sure you would like yours as well.  I never had to do any maintenance, even had the original rope when I sold it recently, looked like new.

Enjoy!


----------



## profitone (Nov 11, 2011)

I bought the voyageur last year- used it for a month- and traded it in for a 5100i-- havent looked back-- that voyageur just didnt throw heat...I dont care if it does what its supposed to-- It was worthless to me...


----------



## BKInsert (Nov 11, 2011)

profitone said:
			
		

> I bought the voyageur last year- used it for a month- and traded it in for a 5100i-- havent looked back-- that voyageur just didnt throw heat...I dont care if it does what its supposed to-- It was worthless to me...



The 5100i is a beast!  Has a huge fire box.


----------



## toqua (Nov 14, 2011)

You will like the 3100 I got one about 5 years ago and really like ,and I get good 8 hour burns in the cold part of winter. Mine is a stove not an insert.  Tom


----------

