Quad E2 new mother board low heat???

[LGTWhit]

I am a new Quad E2 owner as of October and stove worked great in my opinion besides the intermittent thermostat issue... With the old board, I was getting 315-330 degrees surface temp from air exit. I've tried different air/fuel settings from -4 to +2 and am only reaching 240. Anyone else having these same issue with the new board. I want my old board back

 

[BrotherBart]

I would be telling the dealer and Quad that I want a stove that heats like what they sold me. That doesn't redecorate the room.

 

[heat seeker]

Is the airflow the same, or higher? Higher airflow would reduce the temperature, but the heat would be the same.

 

[Lake Girl]

Try a search in the box upper right for some reading on the Mount Vernon E2 ... boards were switched out to prevent explosion!
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/is-there-any-new-news-on-the-mt-vernon-e2-problems.141333/ in one of the threads there are two others...

Edit:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/quadrafire-mt-vernon-e2-drama-and-broken-glass.140506/

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/exploded-e2-need-some-advice-on-replacement.140191/#post-1884956

 

[Lake Girl]

I'm with BrotherBart, ask for money back or a stove that delivers the BTUs as advertised.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah don't keep advertising it as the highest output and most efficient pellet puppy out there.

 

[Lake Girl]

52,460 BTU is the advertised - wonder what the output is now with the new board?

 

[LGTWhit]

I know what the recall is all about... I was inquiring with other E2 owners if they have noticed a significant decrease in heat like I have. It's not such a big deal now, but what about next winter when it gets into the negatives?? Decisions to make for sure!

 

[Lake Girl]

I would suspect that the programming on the new boards changed the air/fuel ratios as we have seen comments on auger jamming/not dropping pellets and then dropping a larger fuel load prior to the board change. They likely have increase combustion air meaning more heat lost to the exhaust or slowed auger feed resulting in less pellets so less BTUs. No official statements or reports from independent agencies so left to surmise...

 

[LGTWhit]

Yes, that all makes sense! Definitely dropping less fuel and flame not as high. I could heat my 2500 sq ft house in negative temps on level 3, so now I may have to crank it up to 5 which could cause more stress on parts etc. over time. Time to make a phone call...

 

[woodmakesheat]

If 5 is now what 3 used to be heat-wise, would the stress levels be higher?

 

[LGTWhit]

Well 5 is max heat output so not sure if it's more stressful. I have no clue what this new board is doing to the system, but I would assume since I've lost 30% surface heat according to my infrared thermometer, that I would have to max out stove to get closer to previous temps on setting 3.

 

[stovelark]

Ok everybody, lets take a stab at this. We have started changing out the E2 Motherboards including the one in the store. We have a MV AE sitting right next to the E2, their flames are very similar now and heat output seems the same. Quadrafire has said the new boards will not significantly change the heat output, supposedly around 10 percent. If that is indeed the case, shouldn't affect many people. Fuel quality is still the biggest variable in the equation. Have had real good results with LaCretes, SprucePointe and Lignetics this year myself, although I do run Enviros at home. The E2 flame characteristics looks to be more in line with the AE, a little less fuller flame with the new board. Heat output is still awesome, at least at the store. Haven't had much feedback on the ones we've changed, and with milder weather, I'd expect we probably won't have much for a while. Hope this keeps the Quad faith.

 

[stovelark]

Sorry LGT, didn't see your observation and question. The updated board has an air to fuel being fed rate change. More air being mixed in with less fuel, for yes a bit less BTU output perhaps, but its feeding a little less fuel too, so you're not losing the BTUs, its just eating a little slower. This supposedly will result in a little cleaner burn, and give overall better operability to the units. No answer yet to the inquiring of is Quad going to reduce the input BTU/hr rating.. I hope this doesn't shake anyone's confidence in this stove, it is a fine heater. edit: This stove is a fine heater, but I can't discount the fact that these explosions should not be happening- hopefully this upgrade will cure it from happening, but I sure can understand the doubts, hopefully no one else gets hurt.

 

[BrotherBart]

Thanks for the update info stovelark.

 

[john193]

Considering the stove didn't work right with the original board, you could make the argument that now the stove works as advertised, because it isn't clogging itself shut or sending glass shards into your living room (so far).

 

[LGTWhit]

Yes John, valid point for sure!

Well, it's been a few nights with the new board and I have to admit, although still not hitting same surface temps out of stove, it is working beautifully!! It's been in the 20's the past few nights and on power setting 3 out of 5, has no problem hitting target temp. Woke up this am and my upstairs bedroom was at 72. Also, I notice the stove appears to to run much cleaner with a more consistent flame with less noise. My frown is slowly turning upside down. More to come...

 

[rdubs20]

LGT hows the e2 been treating you with the new board?

 

[LGTWhit]

Well, it looks nice as a conversation piece! True test will be in January/Feb. next year...

 

[stovelark]

Clean her properly (Chimney, interior air flow pathways, all motors), lay her up for the summer months, maybe touch up the interior so no rust can live, maybe put in a box of arm and hammer for humidity control and she'll be ready to go this fall. (I'd unplug it too, in case any dirty electrical spikes come through..)

 

[rdubs20]

how often do you have to manually dump the burn pot on it? Also, do you have to shut the stove off to do this?

 

[stovelark]

Really depends on how its running (heat level, pellet quality, how clean internally the stove is.) Generally speaking, not a bad idea to check it to be clear (the airholes in the burnpot) everyday. It has been found if you have missed ignitions, thats usually the cure, keep the burnpot clear. If you were running continuous on a manual mode setting, then probably every 2 days would be ok. Running on thermostat, the burnpot needs to be clean, or you will miss ignitions.

 

[begreen]

Every day? That doesn't sound like progress. I used to check the CB1200 burn pot once a week. As long as I was burning good pellets that was more than enough.

 

[smwilliamson]

I am a new Quad E2 owner as of October and stove worked great in my opinion besides the intermittent thermostat issue... With the old board, I was getting 315-330 degrees surface temp from air exit. I've tried different air/fuel settings from -4 to +2 and am only reaching 240. Anyone else having these same issue with the new board. I want my old board back

Same pellet stock? Same runtime duration? Same blower speed? Same measuring equipment? Same house pressure? Did you average your first readings to rule out a false positive? I imagine there are some pre-sets from the old Tstat to the new tstat that have changed but doubt any of it would effect total output performance.

 

[LGTWhit]

I've taken many readings comparing the heat output before and after the board recall. Also made sure it wasn't a fuel difference as I was burning different ones to see what worked best. With the new board, the E2 burns significantly cooler than the original one no doubt about it. I am surprised no one else on here has posted about this. We will see how this thing works in the middle of winter as the new board was only replaced at the end of last winter...