# Quadra Fire... Why the bad Rep?



## JA600L (Jan 7, 2014)

I've seen a lot of bad reviews on Quadra fire stoves like mine.. I am just wondering why they are not favored? Mine seems to work good but I've never used another one so I can't compare it. Different places I've read about them online have had pretty rough reviews. I don't see the name tossed around much on here either. Maybe I'm missing out on a much better stove. Just checking. thanks!


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## Prof (Jan 7, 2014)

I have a cumberland gap. This is my first EPA stove, so my previous experience was with an old smoke dragon. The cumberland gap heats well and I use around 4 cords of wood to heat my house--I heat exclusively with wood. Prior to this I burned 6+ cords. That being said, the cumberland gap is far from bullet-proof. The baffle is fragile and so are the fire bricks, especially the ones with the start-up air tubes coming through them. I think my next stove is going to be a Pacific Energy Summit--they seem much more durable.


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## Makers Mark (Jan 7, 2014)

I dunno, mine is working just like said it would. Acc works well, got a 13 hr burn last wk. Some people like Fords, some like Chevys. 75 in house tonite. Gas heat hasn't came on since install. No complaints here.


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## begreen (Jan 7, 2014)

Quad makes some very good products. The ACC control seems to confuse some folks on some models. Their cast iron line are very nice stoves and good performers.


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## molly1414 (Jan 8, 2014)

Well I can't tell you why there are so many bad reviews.  I guess they speak for themselves.  If a stove has a lot of bad reviews then i think it means people don't like the product and it does not work the way they want it to.   The majority of used stoves for sale in my area are either older non EPA stoves or quadra fire stoves only a few years old.   Bought a house with a Quadrafire  and really wanted to like it but ended up disliking it so much I spent a lot of money to replace it.    I dont think i would have ever bought the stove myself due to it being a convection stove, having heat shields on all sides,having two air controls instead of one and having a tiny fire box.  The fact that it ate wood like crazy , did not produce any heat and could not close the air controls enough nor modify the rear air intakes just made it impossible to work with.


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## ArsenalDon (Jan 8, 2014)

Love my Quad!


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## Ash (Jan 8, 2014)

Not another stove out there that I'd trade my quad for.


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## JA600L (Jan 8, 2014)

Ok so what makes my 4300 a convection stove? I'm just curious what the main difference is?


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## Makers Mark (Jan 8, 2014)

Mine kept house 75 with it 4 outside. That is cold for Ga. 22" split E/W 14" N/S pretty good size firebox on mine.


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## BrotherBart (Jan 8, 2014)

I would let my sister marry somebody that owned a Quadra-Fire stove.


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## Makers Mark (Jan 8, 2014)

Lol


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## Ashful (Jan 8, 2014)

BrotherBart said:


> I would let my sister marry somebody that owned a Quadra-Fire stove.



As opposed to...



BrotherBart said:


> Cats stoves are fine. But I wouldn't want my sister to marry anybody that owns one. :coolgrin:


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## Jags (Jan 8, 2014)

I like my quad. Not a bad word to speak.
Plus it puts me into contention for BroB's sister.


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## BrotherBart (Jan 8, 2014)

Baby sister just turned sixty.


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## northwinds (Jan 8, 2014)

I'm already married, but I have two Quads.  No complaint--with stoves or wife.


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## embers aplenty (Jan 8, 2014)

My little Quad Yosemite was my first epa stove. I got it new for near half the suggested retail. My house is small, so it does me well. When it gets down in the single digits, it requires a fair amount of attention with only a 1.5 cu. ft. firebox but, here in East Tennessee that usually only happens a handful of times a year so I normally get good burn times and plenty of heat. My fireplace and hearth is low,small and short, so rear vent stove shopping was a bit more limited. The Yosemite fit to a tee.

All the Quad cast iron stoves like the Yosemite, Cumberland Gap and the Isle Royale have manual air controls which is probably more inviting for some folks then the timed acc style. I never use my startup air control. With good seasoned wood, just leaving the door cracked a few minutes does the trick and I don't mean the ash door.

I cleaned out my chimmney liner the other day and got probably 2 coffee cups full of white powderish stuff which I thought was really good for 1 1/2 years burning. The black specs is from tapping on the top cap after putting it back on. I did get about another handful of the white powder off the top of the insulation blanket. Would I buy it again? Sure I would. Love my big NC 30 in the drafty garage but the Quad Yosemite makes me warm and comy in my easy chair.


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## richg (Jan 9, 2014)

Having been chastised for "whining" about my 2010 Quad 4300 ACC Step Top , here are issues I have:

-The heat shields rattle when the blower is on. Given that this is a "jacketed convection stove", operating it without the $290.00 blower is not an option. Upon removal of the heat shields, I found that a support brace had been inadequately welded and was the cause of rattling on that side of the stove (it rattles on both sides). I globbed Red RTV on both sides of the brace and it has calmed down on that side. the other side still rattles.
-The $290.00 blower squeals, chirps and itself rattles at any speed. The bearings are supposedly sealed so I can't figure out how to stop that. Oh, you should hear what it's doing at this very moment.
-I have double wall stove pipe and double wall insulated chimney pipe, along with an outside air kit. The stove is very difficult to control, although I understand this is systemic to many EPA tube stoves. I used magnetic tape to block off some of the primary and secondary air inlets which has helped some. The secondary inlet had no control/damper on it at all.
-The insides of the heat shields are rusting and I'll have to sand them and hit them with high temperature paint.
-Ash removal system: Quad specifies that the stove has to be cold before you can remove the ashes into the pan...uh, it's cold as bleep outside and the stove is being used around the clock. I picked up an Ash Dragon and it works very well.

Given the caulking, blocking off the air intakes and the need to sand and paint, if I wanted a stove that needed work, I would have bought a used one and saved some money. As for the blower, forget it, I'm not buying another. This stove will go on the market before the next heating season.


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## Jags (Jan 9, 2014)

From my recollection - it does appear that the 4300 has had its fair share of issues posted.  Maybe it is Quads red headed step child?
I don't ever recall an actual complaint on the Isle Royale, but that could be my selective memory.


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## begreen (Jan 9, 2014)

I have never heard a complaint against the Isle Royale. Perhaps this is due to its European (Dovre) heritage?


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## Paul L (Jan 9, 2014)

I'm still looking for anyone to say a good word about the Voyageur.   It seems that anyone that installs one bitches about it ... burning issues ... and then disappears from the forum.   Another candidate for Quad's "red headed step child".

I like my Voyageur Grand well enough but I am amazed that the ACC operation documentation for both the V and the V Grand are so poor.   Also amazed that the company is so unresponsive to inquiries regarding this issue.  After sending them an email on this subject and getting no response, I sent them another 4 days ago that said if they didn't fix their totally inaccurate "instructional" ACC video on their website within 60 days, I will post one on youtube and it won't be kind.   Stupid company in that regard.


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## Jags (Jan 9, 2014)

Paul L said:


> I am amazed that the ACC operation documentation for both the V and the V Grand are so poor.



You wouldn't be the first person to scratch their head over some questionable documentation.


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## northwinds (Jan 9, 2014)

A lot of the stove companies rely on dealers to answer questions.  Another reason why Woodstock (no dealers) is so popular for its good customer service.


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## MofoG23 (Jan 9, 2014)

No complaints here with my Quad.... I'd recommend it!


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## Todd (Jan 9, 2014)

Didn't quad have an issue with cheap Chinese steel awhile back? I've never been a fan of their steel stoves, I'd opt for a Blaze King, PE or Lopi first.


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## MofoG23 (Jan 9, 2014)

Todd said:


> I've never been a fan of their steel stoves, I'd opt for a Blaze King, PE or Lopi first.



Based on?  What model Quad did you own to make that comment?


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## BrotherBart (Jan 9, 2014)

A few years ago they were having problems with secondary air manifolds cracking. Haven't heard anything about it happening for a good while so it looks like they got it taken care of.


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## Todd (Jan 9, 2014)

MofoG23 said:


> Based on?  What model Quad did you own to make that comment?


Never owned one just looked at them and like the PE and Lopi looks and baffle systems better than the Quad.


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## Jags (Jan 9, 2014)

Todd - there was a short stretch of the plate steel stoves developing cracks.  Dunno if this is the steel issue you speak of.  I believe that has been remedied.

Whoops - Bro beat me to it.


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## begreen (Jan 9, 2014)

Jags said:


> Todd - there was a short stretch of the plate steel stoves developing cracks.  Dunno if this is the steel issue you speak of.  I believe that has been remedied.
> 
> Whoops - Bro beat me to it.



I think that was only in the big boy (5700) at the manifold's rear weld point. They fixed this. FWIW, Lopi appears to have had a similar issue with a few Liberties according to reports here. PE had cracks show up on some Summit A inserts. Quad has used some Chinese components in some of their pellet stoves, not sure about in their wood stoves. FWIW again, so has Travis. Point being, stuff happens. Companies learn from this and correct and move on.


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## Jags (Jan 9, 2014)

Yeah - that was it.  Thanks for the reminder.


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## richg (Jan 9, 2014)

Does anyone have any ideas about my "Deliverance" BK-ACC blower? I unplugged it, just to see what a silent stove is like, and named the stove "Rattle and Hum" which is actually a disservice to U2. $2200.00 for the stove, $290.00 for the blower, and I might get $800.00 for it. "Nothing burns (customers) like a Quad".


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## northwinds (Jan 9, 2014)

richg said:


> Does anyone have any ideas about my "Deliverance" BK-ACC blower? I unplugged it, just to see what a silent stove is like, and named the stove "Rattle and Hum" which is actually a disservice to U2. $2200.00 for the stove, $290.00 for the blower, and I might get $800.00 for it. "Nothing burns (customers) like a Quad".



Tell us how you really feel.     I've never liked blowers on stoves.  My small Quad insert has a quiet fan, but that unit doesn't get used very much.  Have you had your dealer
look at it?  My stove came with a lifetime warranty.  I know that warranty has changed in recent years.


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## Paul L (Jan 9, 2014)

northwinds said:


> A lot of the stove companies rely on dealers to answer questions.  Another reason why Woodstock (no dealers) is so popular for its good customer service.



When I talked to my dealer about the faulty ACC documentation his exact words were "write them about it ... maybe they'll listen to YOU"


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## northwinds (Jan 9, 2014)

Paul L said:


> When I talked to my dealer about the faulty ACC documentation his exact words were "write them about it ... maybe they'll listen to YOU"



That's just a massive fail.  Maybe someone from Quad will read about this on the forum and do something about it.


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## Village Idiot (Jan 9, 2014)

I absolutely love my Quad 7100. With a full load of good oak, I regularly get 10+ hour burn times where real heat is produced. There are plenty of coals for a relight after 12 hours for any kind of wood. I almost never use the ACC. Once I figured out how to use it effectively, I decided it was easier to keep the doors cracked until the fire was fully engaged. Plus I think doing it that way gives me a little longer burn time since I am better controlling when the air gets damped down.

It keeps my 4,000+ sq. ft. house plenty warm. It is a newly built house and I have never run the furnace. Sometimes I wonder if the gas company is wondering why my bills are so low.


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## northwinds (Jan 9, 2014)

Village Idiot said:


> Sometimes I wonder if the gas company is wondering why my bills are so low.



I've had my gas meter replaced twice.  Each time, I point the guy to my massive wood stacks.  He just smiles and replaces it anyway.


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## Makers Mark (Jan 9, 2014)

Propane man came the other day, raised lid on tank, looked, let it back down got in truck and left. That was a good feeling to see him going back down the hill and it as been cold for Ga. Just a hunk of burning love


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## Makers Mark (Jan 9, 2014)

I know I'm sounding like a broken record praising quads, but IMHO it's EPA stoves in general. They are so different than older stoves. I have been burning wood for 33 yrs.   With the fisher papa bear I have literally cut wood and carried it to house and burned it. I had to have vents wide open to do so but it burned and warmed house. Nothing like being young and stupid. I researched stoves for 6 months and narrowed down to 3 which I thought were all close. There is a learning curve to these stoves. No vents to put wood in front of and get burning. Can't close it up. Glad I have a endless supply of heart pine stumps. I learn something new every day about this insert. Have learned a lot and enjoyed this forum. If it was easy everybody would have one.


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## begreen (Jan 9, 2014)

Dry wood is superior for heat output and cleaner burning, even in an old Fisher.


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## Woodchuck1378 (Jan 10, 2014)

JA600L said:


> I've seen a lot of bad reviews on Quadra fire stoves like mine.. I am just wondering why they are not favored? Mine seems to work good but I've never used another one so I can't compare it. Different places I've read about them online have had pretty rough reviews. I don't see the name tossed around much on here either. Maybe I'm missing out on a much better stove. Just checking. thanks!



I sir, had many of those same questions. I am new to the whole non cat burning scene, and have done a ton of research before deciding on the PE T6. I have no idea why the Quad's had been getting a bad reputation, but when $1000's are at stake, I go by the overall construction of the stoves. The PE's are built like a tank and have a very good reputation for reliability. Living in upstate,NY, where the weather can change at the blink of an eye, I wanted to know that if I am not home, my wife would have no issues firing up the stove.


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## Ash (Jan 11, 2014)

Woodchuck1378 said:


> I sir, had many of those same questions. I am new to the whole non cat burning scene, and have done a ton of research before deciding on the PE T6. I have no idea why the Quad's had been getting a bad reputation, but when $1000's are at stake, I go by the overall construction of the stoves. The PE's are built like a tank and have a very good reputation for reliability. Living in upstate,NY, where the weather can change at the blink of an eye, I wanted to know that if I am not home, my wife would have no issues firing up the stove.


Living in "upstate" MN where we have  minus 30 degree nights and daytime highs of negative teens or single digits and to imply that leaving my pregnant wife and 16 month old daughter at home with a Quad for a couple days is some how inferior is, well.....lame


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## BrowningBAR (Jan 11, 2014)

Woodchuck1378 said:


> I go by the overall construction of the stoves. The PE's are built like a tank and have a very good reputation for reliability.


Yeah, Pacific Energy never had any issue with cracked fireboxes...


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## BrowningBAR (Jan 11, 2014)

richg said:


> Having been chastised for "whining" about my 2010 Quad 4300 ACC Step Top


Hey, remember that time you started another thread about your complaints on your stove and I, and a bunch of other posters, asked a bunch of questions on how you were operating your stove in an attempt to straighten out your problems that you chose to ignore and never responded?

That was a great thread. You should start another one and ignore everyone again.


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## richg (Jan 11, 2014)

BrowningBAR said:


> Hey, remember that time you started another thread about your complaints on your stove and I, and a bunch of other posters, asked a bunch of questions on how you were operating your stove in an attempt to straighten out your problems that you chose to ignore and never responded?
> 
> That was a great thread. You should start another one and ignore everyone again.



Sorry sweetie, 

I went away on a business trip for a few days and the thread was locked when I came back. But while we're on the subject, please tell me how I need to clarify my operation of the heat shields and blower. Perhaps I should adjust the smokeshifter, muffler bearings and fusion coupling


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## MofoG23 (Jan 11, 2014)

Woodchuck1378 said:


> I wanted to know that if I am not home, my wife would have no issues firing up the stove.



I was on a business trip most of this week...during the deep freeze.  My wife had NO issues running the stove...and never has any other time she had to tend to it.  What exactly are you insinuating with your statement above?

Appears to me the majority of quad *owners* are more than pleased with their units.


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## Makers Mark (Jan 11, 2014)

I agree with mofo. We like em. Is there some sort of rocket science I need to know to run my quad? Wife has ran ours.


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## JA600L (Jan 11, 2014)

This is what I was trying to understand.  I think the quadra fire is fairly simple to operate and puts out decent heat.  I just saw so many bad reviews that I wanted to make sure I'm not missing something.  In my opinion any Epa stove makes good heat, the seasoned wood is the primary factor.


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## Woodchuck1378 (Jan 11, 2014)

Ash said:


> Living in "upstate" MN where we have  minus 30 degree nights and daytime highs of negative teens or single digits and to imply that leaving my pregnant wife and 16 month old daughter at home with a Quad for a couple days is some how inferior is, well.....lame



Well allow me to first apologize for any misinterpretation. I was under the impression that was a forum that wanted opinions and contributions from its readers. I am a soldier that deploys for 6 to 7 months at a time, and when I am gone my wife is my first concern. I wanted something that I knew was built solid and that had no known issues. Running a stove is not rocket science in any way, again misinterpretation. But when certain manufacturers have less than par reputations, doesn't make a whole lot of sense that I am going to come to the conclusion to put that stove in my home .If, I offended anyone with my last post, I apologize. When I made the comment about my wife, its because she is the most important person in my life, and when I am gone, I want her to have as little stress as possible besides working and running the general household besides. Best Wishes


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## MofoG23 (Jan 11, 2014)

Woodchuck - thank you for your service! 

I think what everyone needs to understand is that too often people give comments about a specific product they have little to no experience with (do not own).  Typically this is what ruffles feathers, especially when those opinions seem to contradict feedback from those that own the product - especially within a forum where someone is asking why there is a negative perception about a manufacture.  This is not limited to wood burning devices...just insert any product on any given forum.  

Glad you enjoy your unit and more importantly, feel safe with your decision while your gone.


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## BrotherBart (Jan 11, 2014)

Let's stick to our own experiences here folks. Not perceptions of something we have never owned or operated.


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## Woodchuck1378 (Jan 11, 2014)

MofoG23 said:


> Woodchuck - thank you for your service!
> 
> I think what everyone needs to understand is that too often people give comments about a specific product they have little to no experience with (do not own).  Typically this is what ruffles feathers, especially when those opinions seem to contradict feedback from those that own the product - especially within a forum where someone is asking why there is a negative perception about a manufacture.  This is not limited to wood burning devices...just insert any product on any given forum.
> 
> Glad you enjoy your unit and more importantly, feel safe with your decision while your gone.



Thank you very much. That is exactly why I posted in the very first response, "I have no idea why Quad's were getting a bad reputation." I will say, the negative feedback did effect my purchasing of a new stove. I am hoping whatever issues they were having have been cleared up, and that you get many years and enjoyment out of your stove. Have a great day.


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## northwinds (Jan 11, 2014)

I've already had many of years of enjoyment out of my Quads.  The thread title is not consistent with my experience.  I wouldn't trade my Isle Royale for any other stove on the market.  Many of the complaints on this forum for  stove manufacturers come from people who haven't owned their stove very long, have installation issues, or poor wood.  I've been reading this forum for a long time, and Quad generally has a good rep, and the Isle Royale has an excellent rep.


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## BrowningBAR (Jan 11, 2014)

richg said:


> Sorry sweetie,
> 
> I went away on a business trip for a few days and the thread was locked when I came back.


Right. Sure you did. So, you just felt the need to complain, AGAIN, about the product and not listen to any one.



> But while we're on the subject, please tell me how I need to clarify my operation of the heat shields and blower. Perhaps I should adjust the smokeshifter, muffler bearings and fusion coupling


Sure, cupcake, but lets talk about your original claimed problems and not these new ones:


> It eats a lot of wood, doesn't put out much heat, makes a ton of ash and unburnt coals


That's operator error. Not the stove. Again, people asked how you operated the stove, you ignored it.



> the primary air would not close all the way


Just like every other EPA stove on the market. Not a Quad issue.



> that one and the runaway fire was tamed a bit.


followed by:


> What was really strange was after taking the heat shields off, the stove was able to hit 600 degrees on the stovetop with no issue


So, which is it; runaway fire or not being able to get the stove top temps up. It's one or the other. Not both.


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## cjw8 (Dec 23, 2015)

I hate to revive an old thread but needed a year to evaluate my Voyageur. There is defiantly a learning curve with this stove and the documentation sux.  Thanks to this forum and my dealer who did make a return trip to show me the tricks.  Mine is undersized for my home but it is what would fit in my existing fireplace, or so I thought at the time.  I now know there are larger stoves that would fit.  I have no problem restarting from coals after 7-8 hours and the fan is still on.  The fan is louder than I'd like but it is just fan noise, no rattling noise as some have reported.  We love the large viewing window but it does require cleaning often.  I clean mine about once a week with Rutland's which is amazing stuff and the only product I'd recommend.  I am away sometimes and my wife has been able to run this stove after I taught her how.


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## Jags (Dec 23, 2015)

Yeah - a 1.8 cuft firebox in a 3300 sqft home is probably not a good match up if whole house heating was intended.


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## cmarc (Dec 23, 2015)

I'll pipe in as well.  I just had a Voyageur Grand installed over Thanksgiving.  With the warm weather I've only burned it a handful of times, but here's my impression.

Looks wise, it's about a good looking an insert as I've ever seen.  Although I did have some flaking paint on the on the front of the insert after the first burn but it was minor and nothing that a can of high temp black paint couldn't fix.

Performance wise, while I'm still learning to use it, the info I found on this forum has been really helpful.  I did learn a valuable less regarding seasoned wood.  I had some wood left over (seasoned 1.5 years) for my first few burns.  Startup, and heat output were very good.  I have a 2500 sq ft two-story home built in the mid 90's with a 30ft chimney, outside temp was 35F, room temp was 75F, all rooms downstairs were 68F+, and all rooms upstairs were 68F+ (Note: I ran the fan in the room with the insert and ran the circulating fans only on my HVAC systems).  The head had not run most of the night.  When I ran out of my wood, I ordered a new load of "seasoned" wood that turned out to be fairly wet (a moisture meter is on my Christmas list  ), but as I would reload the wood would sizzle and hiss.  I had to supplement with smaller splits to keep the fire going and the heat output was terrible.  So the lesson I learned is that fuel quality is key to good performance.

A few pointers / notes to Voyageur owners (not in that poorly written document package provided with the insert):
- ACC (automatic combustion control) - To start the ACC push all the way in, pull all the way out, and if the room is quiet you can hear the timer clicking.  Note: The nob does NOT automatically pull back in as the time ticks down.

- Rattle when running the fan - Mine rattled like crazy.  Mine ended up being the pull out metal safety cards that are underneath the two blowers.  To access the cards, open the door to access the fan control.  Remove the upper bolts holding the frame around the blowers in place.  Remove the frame by pulling straight out.  Below each blower you will see a metal handle.  Pull the handle and you will notice these are thin sheets of metal with warning instructions on them.  One of mine was bent in several places such that it would not lay flat in the bay, thus causing the rattle.  I straightened the sheet out and reinserted it properly and viola I'm now rattle free!

- Loud Fan Noise - yes it is fairly loud at high speeds, but I don't find it intolerable.  One thing that comes to mind is because this is a flush mount you do need to run the fan at higher speeds to compensate for the reduced radiant heat when compared to inserts that extend onto the hearth.

- Dirty Glass - My experience, seasoned wood no issues with dirty glass (maybe a bit around the edges as the fire burned down), unseasoned wood = low temp and dirty burn = dirty glass.

Overall I love the insert.  It's everything I was looking for.  My priorities were #1 capture some of heat being lost up the chimney with my old drafty fireplace, #2 maintain a good view of the fire, #3 supplement my central heating a bit when possible.


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## Kaper Evets (Nov 27, 2016)

Hello all. I'm not sure if it's bad etiquette reviving old threads (honestly I am not sure) but I'm going to anyway.

I personally have a high valley 2500 insert, which came with the house. I had never had stoves before, so I thank everyone on here for the VITAL education. It's about 20 years old, and I can only assume that the cats are original. The prior owners left me with a "slam install" that the home inspection never mentioned, but after having a new liner installed, I absolutely love this thing.

Which leads me to the voyager grand. 

My in laws, after seeing our stove, purchased a v grand, and being relied on heavily for technical advise on many fronts, I had to learn how to run this thing.

So far I'm sad to say I'm not impressed, if only for the dirty glass. Now, as a disclaimer, I continually scold my f.i.l. for burning less than seasoned wood. So for future readers, this is a known factor that if I can see corrected, I will post any improvement in glass filth, aka the "butt print". I also can't help but think those iron stakes in front help cool the air, hurting the hot air wash of the glass.

Though my biggest complaint is the glass filth (which I'm hoping is the few month seasoned wood), I'm also concerned with burn times. I think 6 hours is his average burn time, and he has told me that it is deceiving at low burn since the coals get burried in all the ash.

I know it is apples and oranges with cat vs tubes. And also the v grand is being ran but not one but two amateurs. AND the v grand is being fed what I would consider unseasoned wood. AAANNNDDD this is only their second year burning in it. But.....

I feel that the learning curve is quite step with this one, especially since there are no thermometers on it. I'm not even sure where I would shoot this one for a revealing temp. *thoughts?

So to be fair, I am still working on getting him to rotate his wood pile. But is there any advice on what Temps we should see, and where are you shooting those Temps at? I also think that they might be cutting the air too early and not getting to a proper temp in the first place.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk


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## firefighterjake (Nov 27, 2016)

Kaper Evets said:


> Hello all. I'm not sure if it's bad etiquette reviving old threads (honestly I am not sure) but I'm going to anyway.
> . . .



Meh, this one is only a year or so old. Just read a thread about butchering pigs/hogs that was five or so years old . . . and the worse part of that zombie thread is now I can only think about making bacon for breakfast.


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## webby3650 (Nov 27, 2016)

Kaper Evets said:


> Hello all. I'm not sure if it's bad etiquette reviving old threads (honestly I am not sure) but I'm going to anyway.
> 
> I personally have a high valley 2500 insert, which came with the house. I had never had stoves before, so I thank everyone on here for the VITAL education. It's about 20 years old, and I can only assume that the cats are original. The prior owners left me with a "slam install" that the home inspection never mentioned, but after having a new liner installed, I absolutely love this thing.
> 
> ...


The problems you are having are due to the wood quality. Dirty glass will happen every time with wet wood. The stove is designed to work with seasoned wood.


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## JA600L (Nov 27, 2016)

The less than seasoned wood is causing less secondary combustion and requiring more primary air. As a result the wood is being consumed faster than it would if the off gassing of well seasoned wood were happening. A large amount of the heat produced is going right up the chimney.


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## Kaper Evets (Nov 28, 2016)

I'm 99% sure most if not all of these problems are directly due to the wood quality. If I could get him to rotate his wood pile yearly then I would be a solid 100%. When the stove runs hot it does seem to wash itself for the most part. It still has a butt print but considering the hurdles it's going through, I guess it's not so bad.

Would I be out of line to say that it's definately not as forgiving as a cat stove? I do season my wood, but I have burned wetter wood in it without as much fuss as his stove gives.

Also, I don't seem to need to shovel mine nearly as often as his. But again, inefficient burning = more ash. (Hey look ma! I learned something)


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## Ashful (Nov 30, 2016)

Quad = huge dealer network, with a big marketing budget, vs. many other stove companies.  The result of this seems to be dealers pushing a lot of these stoves toward more casual burners.  I suspect this demographic may be more likely to have poor quality (eg. bought and delivered this fall) firewood, which may be the source of most problems.


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## cjw8 (Nov 30, 2016)

I own the stove in my signature.  The first year of ownership it had a bad rep with me.  Now I am fine with it.  Unlike any stove I have ever owned, the learning curve with these stoves is much steeper.  That is why I joined this forum!  I never thought I need a wood stove forum.  The quad documentation could be better as well.  Their videos are nice but they do not match the stove that I have and that added to the confusion.  Photo is of a nice blueish flame.


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## TheMountain (Dec 3, 2016)

I have owned a voyageur grand for about 3 years now and I'm very happy with it. As many have already said, the most important variable is the quality of your wood. Almost all my headaches in the first year were due to wet wood that I had been told was well seasoned.  When burning good wood, I get very little soot on the glass until the end when I let the coals die down or sometimes if I let the heat drop too much and put a big log on the coals. Usually just a wipe with newspaper at the next startup will give me crystal clear glass again. 

I've learned that I have to leave the door cracked for startup longer than I would normally expect. 
I don't think the ACC makes a huge impact unless I'm burning really hot. 

My house is an old cape cod which makes it difficult to spread the heat evenly between the rooms. Therefore I don't burn quite as hot or load with as much wood as I could to prevent overheating my living room. With my burning style I don't see the 10 hour burn time that some claim. Usually 3 hours is my average.


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## Benchwrench (Dec 5, 2016)

Did plenty of research before purchasing both this current 5100i and one of their free standing stoves back in 1991.
I compared it with the Lopi and some other name brand that I can't recall.
I will admit the newer version of Quad's current secondary combustion system (ACC) isn't rated as high in BTU's as this older ACT version.
I would lean to believe that the majority of (ANY) complaints may have to do with install issues, rattles and blower noise, operator error, heating expectations, and the like, as I feel Quad makes one of the best high end stoves on the market and have done so in the past. They surely charge for it!


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## Jeffm1 (Feb 4, 2017)

JA600L said:


> I've seen a lot of bad reviews on Quadra fire stoves like mine.. I am just wondering why they are not favored? Mine seems to work good but I've never used another one so I can't compare it. Different places I've read about them online have had pretty rough reviews. I don't see the name tossed around much on here either. Maybe I'm missing out on a much better stove. Just checking. thanks!


I have a quad and love mine. No complaints. No idea what anyone is talking about...


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## dfelicia (Feb 4, 2017)

Paul L said:


> I'm still looking for anyone to say a good word about the Voyageur.   It seems that anyone that installs one bitches about it ... burning issues ... and then disappears from the forum.   Another candidate for Quad's "red headed step child".
> 
> I like my Voyageur Grand well enough but I am amazed that the ACC operation documentation for both the V and the V Grand are so poor.   Also amazed that the company is so unresponsive to inquiries regarding this issue.  After sending them an email on this subject and getting no response, I sent them another 4 days ago that said if they didn't fix their totally inaccurate "instructional" ACC video on their website within 60 days, I will post one on youtube and it won't be kind.   Stupid company in that regard.



I've had my Voyageur Grand for about 3 months. 1/2 cord burned so far (we only burn for ambience in our big room). I think it's fantastic. ACC is dead simple, and the manual explains it well. What do people say badly about it? Push it in and pull it out to start the timer when you light or add wood. That's it. Maybe they're burning wet wood...

Plus, the thing is gorgeous.


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## Jeffm1 (Feb 4, 2017)

Benchwrench said:


> ..,
> I will admit the newer version of Quad's current secondary combustion system (ACC) isn't rated as high in BTU's as this older ACT version...



I don't understand what you were talking about.  The ACC is s dampener system that is part of the whole stove. It's doesn't burn. It's not a species of wood with btus...?


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## JA600L (Feb 4, 2017)

Jeffm1 said:


> I have a quad and love mine. No complaints. No idea what anyone is talking about...



This is a pretty old thread.  Things have changed a bit since I started this back in 2014.


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## bholler (Feb 4, 2017)

JA600L said:


> This is a pretty old thread. Things have changed a bit since I started this back in 2014.


Yes but it was pretty innacurate back then to.  Quad has always been a pretty good manufacturer.  Yes they had some issues with cracked manifolds but so have many other tube stove manufacturers.  They made repair kits that work well and the newer stoves seem to have addressed the issue.


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## JA600L (Feb 4, 2017)

bholler said:


> Yes but it was pretty innacurate back then to.  Quad has always been a pretty good manufacturer.  Yes they had some issues with cracked manifolds but so have many other tube stove manufacturers.  They made repair kits that work well and the newer stoves seem to have addressed the issue.



I don't think I was saying that the stove itself was bad,  it was more that nobody was talking about them and the stuff I had seen written was negative.  

My 4300 did have cracks in the back. I welded a plate over top of the cracks with drilled holes. I welded any other cracks.  I was pretty certain the previous owner overfired it because the deck was also bowed down.  I stuck a bottle jack in there and straightened that out too. It still runs great today.


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## Nic (Nov 4, 2018)

cmarc said:


> I'll pipe in as well.  I just had a Voyageur Grand installed over Thanksgiving.  With the warm weather I've only burned it a handful of times, but here's my impression.
> 
> Looks wise, it's about a good looking an insert as I've ever seen.  Although I did have some flaking paint on the on the front of the insert after the first burn but it was minor and nothing that a can of high temp black paint couldn't fix.
> 
> ...


Great post. Thank you. Looking to have a g. voyager installed. Do you notice any humming from the fan that seems louder or if you have the tv on you don’t hear it?


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## ratsrepus (Nov 4, 2018)

BrotherBart said:


> I would let my sister marry somebody that owned a Quadra-Fire stove.



Send me a picture of your sister


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## BrotherBart (Nov 4, 2018)




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## Rockey (Nov 4, 2018)

ratsrepus said:


> Send me a picture of your sister



Take his avatar and add a heavy beard, oh and a beautiful mullet. She's out of your league dude.


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## Jeffm1 (Nov 6, 2018)

Benchwrench said:


> Did plenty of research before purchasing both this current 5100i and one of their free standing stoves back in 1991.
> I compared it with the Lopi and some other name brand that I can't recall.
> I will admit the newer version of Quad's current secondary combustion system (ACC) isn't rated as high in BTU's as this older ACT version.
> I would lean to believe that the majority of (ANY) complaints may have to do with install issues, rattles and blower noise, operator error, heating expectations, and the like, as I feel Quad makes one of the best high end stoves on the market and have done so in the past. They surely charge for it!


There is a reason for charging as much as they do. You mentioned their stoves are on the high end. That is the reason why. Quality ain’t cheap. My explorer 2 has the porcelain finish and it’s constructed by cast iron jacketing a welded steel box ...The best of both worlds—Extremely durable.


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## Ashful (Nov 6, 2018)

Jeffm1 said:


> There is a reason for charging as much as they do. You mentioned their stoves are on the high end. That is the reason why. Quality ain’t cheap. My explorer 2 has the porcelain finish and it’s constructed by cast iron jacketing a welded steel box ...The best of both worlds—Extremely durable.



This may be true.  But quality construction and materials don’t guarantee good performance.  Two conflicting examples:

1. My old Jøtul Firelight 12’s may have been some of the highest quality stoves ever built, with beautiful castings and enamels, and fitment likely better than almost any other stove on the market, but they did not perform nearly as well as my current stoves.  

2. The BK King may be the best heater on the market, or at least at the top of many peoples list, but it’s likely of lower apparent material quality than your Quad.


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## webfish (Nov 6, 2018)

LOVE my Quad!

Looks good , Heats good!


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## bholler (Nov 6, 2018)

Ashful said:


> This may be true.  But quality construction and materials don’t guarantee good performance.  Two conflicting examples:
> 
> 1. My old Jøtul Firelight 12’s may have been some of the highest quality stoves ever built, with beautiful castings and enamels, and fitment likely better than almost any other stove on the market, but they did not perform nearly as well as my current stoves.
> 
> 2. The BK King may be the best heater on the market, or at least at the top of many peoples list, but it’s likely of lower apparent material quality than your Quad.


Ok the jotul cat stoves were not good designs plain and simple.  So quality of materials doesnt matter.  The bk king is a great stove for some people but doesnt fit with others needs.  And it certainly has nothing to do with quadrafires reputation.


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## Dug8498 (Nov 6, 2018)

webfish said:


> LOVE my Quad!
> 
> Looks good , Heats good!
> 
> View attachment 232525


Webfish, nice looking stove. How long have you been using the explorer? Do the auto components work as advertised? The explorer stoves are really cool in theory, but I haven't been able to find a whole lot of info on how they actually perform. I'd love to hear your experience.


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## webfish (Nov 6, 2018)

Dug8498 said:


> Webfish, nice looking stove. How long have you been using the explorer? Do the auto components work as advertised? The explorer stoves are really cool in theory, but I haven't been able to find a whole lot of info on how they actually perform. I'd love to hear your experience.



Third Year. Auto air works great. Open up at start it auto closes. Then I drop the main air to wherever I feel like for the long burn. Wife likes it 76-78 degrees  in the  house now . 1800 square feet and it heats it no problem. Both my wife and kids can run the stove  since the autoair is just a rod you pull out and leave it , it then retracts on its own. Simple and EPA compliant at 2.0 g/hr


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## Dug8498 (Nov 6, 2018)

webfish said:


> Third Year. Auto air works great. Open up at start it auto closes. Then I drop the main air to wherever I feel like for the long burn. Wife likes it 76-78 degrees  in the  house now . 1800 square feet and it heats it no problem. Both my wife and kids can run the stove  since the autoair is just a rod you pull out and leave it , it then retracts on its own. Simple and EPA compliant at 2.0 g/hr


Much appreciated, thanks for the info. One last thing- what kind of burn times do you average from a full load?


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## webfish (Nov 6, 2018)

I have never done a full load where it is packed. It is a big firebox. 1800 sq feet it would heat us right out. I usually do 3/4 load and easy get 8- 9 hours depending on what wood I use. Where enough coals for restart by just laying splits on it.  That still keeps it above 70 degrees in the main room with bedrooms a little lower.


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## Dug8498 (Nov 6, 2018)

webfish said:


> I have never done a full load where it is packed. It is a big firebox. 1800 sq feet it would heat us right out. I usually do 3/4 load and easy get 8- 9 hours depending on what wood I use. Where enough coals for restart by just laying splits on it.  That still keeps it above 70 degrees in the main room with bedrooms a little lower.


Thanks!


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## Ashful (Nov 7, 2018)

bholler said:


> Ok the jotul cat stoves were not good designs plain and simple.  So quality of materials doesnt matter.  The bk king is a great stove for some people but doesnt fit with others needs.  And it certainly has nothing to do with quadrafires reputation.



Of course they don’t, they were just two examples to prove a point, that quality materials don’t guarantee good design.  Quadrafire earned their own bad rep, hence the OP, Jotul had nothing to do with that.


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## bholler (Nov 7, 2018)

Ashful said:


> Of course they don’t, they were just two examples to prove a point, that quality materials don’t guarantee good design.  Quadrafire earned their own bad rep, hence the OP, Jotul had nothing to do with that.


But quad doesnt have a bad rep.  Yes they had some issues but they didnt ignore them they provided a fix.


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## begreen (Nov 7, 2018)

Ashful said:


> Quadrafire earned their own bad rep


Baloney. There are 11 pages of Quad reviews here and the overwhelming majority are very positive. The negatives are mostly about the first generation of the Mt. Vernon and Castile pellet stoves which definitely had issues which Quad addressed. Their wood stoves in general have excellent reviews. The Quadrafire insert I owned was a good running and well made product. If the T6 ever needs replacing the Quad Explorer III will be on the short list of options. 

With any reviews there are going to be people that don't like the product because they bought the wrong product for the job. That doesn't mean that in any way it's a bad product. Quad sells a ton of stoves. The more you sell the greater the possibility of someone buying a stove that is too small, not radiant enough, etc..


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