Quadra Fire 3100i doesn't heat the whole house

[showrguy]

Since nobody else said this yet..... YOUR WOOD IS TOO WET

 

[deborita3]

Holy Toledo- The 3100I ACT had two air controls, the startup on the right lower, the main control in the center. Air controls on quads are like accelerators, pushing them in gives more gas. The startup is left open (pushed in) until the stove gets going, then its pulled out (closed) and your burn rate is adjusted with the center control. Adjust it for your comfort and burn temp. I don't like the big rutland thermometers, I find them unreliable. That quad is an easy to use, extremely reliable burner, it will heat the heck out of 1200 sqft with good dry wood. If you're having trouble, its prob the wood. I do think the 3100I had a top plate to read the temp?? The blower is only manually controlled with that stove, no snapdisc to turn it on and off. A nice, reliable heater- if used with seasoned wood.

I think it is the wood since I had it going all day today and the rooms down the hall weren't very warm. The thermostat in the hallway registered 65 degrees all day. Not good. In the dining room and living room it was about 76.

 

[ChuckTSI]

I have had problems lighting as well as the initial burn, but am now able to do it consistently.

- throw 3 medium sized logs on the bottom, jam crumpled newspaper between
- Place 2 or 3 small split across (like a log cabin). Crumpled newspaper between.
- Then I throw a pile of kindling on top and light it with torch or those compressed blocks of wood (burn for 5 mins)
- Open the draft, open the primary air and then keep the door open just a bit.

Once flue temps are around 400-500.. I close down the draft.
The fire will slow a bit.. but then it will come back. Once it looks like the entire box is filled with flame (almost violent looking).. I close the door.
I watch the fire for the next 5 mins. If it's still roaring. I set the primary air to 1/2 or lower.

Once you have a really hot bed of coals, you can throw new wood on, leave door slightly open for a minute or two, then close it ensuring your primary air is at least set to 1/2 way for the first 5 minutes.

My wood is 17% or lower, but still hear sizzling and have some hard starts occasionally
Hopefully you get a routine down that works for you.

If you have ceiling fans.. use them. Or any other fan. they barely use any hyrdo (my ceiling fan uses 10watts on low speed. that's about 1$ a month.)

I also bought one of those fans that sit on the stove and despite it not moving much air (that you can feel).. I have had my kitchen increase by 3 degrees in temp (farthest from the stove. 20 feet/separate room). If I want more heat, I just use a pedestal fan.

 

[deborita3]

Since nobody else said this yet..... YOUR WOOD IS TOO WET

Your right LOL

 

[deborita3]

I have had problems lighting as well as the initial burn, but am now able to do it consistently.

- throw 3 medium sized logs on the bottom, jam crumpled newspaper between
- Place 2 or 3 small split across (like a log cabin). Crumpled newspaper between.
- Then I throw a pile of kindling on top and light it with torch or those compressed blocks of wood (burn for 5 mins)
- Open the draft, open the primary air and then keep the door open just a bit.

Once flue temps are around 400-500.. I close down the draft.
The fire will slow a bit.. but then it will come back. Once it looks like the entire box is filled (almost violent looking).. I close the door.
I watch the fire for the next 5 mins. If it's still roaring. I set the primary air to 1/2 or lower.

Once you have a really hot bed of coals, you can throw new wood on, leave door slightly open for a minute or two, then close it ensuring your primary air is at least set to 1/2 way for the first 5 minutes.

My wood is 17% or lower, but still hear sizzling and have some hard starts occasionally
Hopefully you get a routine down that works for you.

If you have ceiling fans.. use them. Or any other fan. they barely use any hyrdo (my ceiling fan uses 10watts on low speed. that's about 1$ a month.)

Thanks. I will try that. How many hours do those logs last before you need to reload? My main problem is some of the wood is not dry enough.

 

[begreen]

I think it is the wood since I had it going all day today and the rooms down the hall weren't very warm. The thermostat in the hallway registered 65 degrees all day. Not good. In the dining room and living room it was about 76.

Is this a colonial with rooms around a central hallway? If so it may take some assistance to move the heat better around to the other rooms.

 

[VirginiaIron]

Keep as much rain off your wood pile as you can, and provide as much air flow as you can get.
A shed is best, but I use tarps that I TRY not to extend more than one foot down the side.
I'm sure some on here have different methods of drying and are willing to share their experiences.

 

[ChuckTSI]

Thanks. I will try that. How many hours do those logs last before you need to reload? My main problem is some of the wood is not dry enough.

Depends. First fire last me about an hour as I am trying to build coals. After that I usually will get about 3-4 hours on some medium sized logs (3-4). If you need longer, try tossing the coals to one side. Place your biggest/heaviest wet piece on the opposite side and place your medium drier stuff on the coals moving towards the wet log. I can go to bed and wake up 7 hours later with coals still going. The fire on the right, will dry out the log on the left, and by the time it makes it way over, then the log will burn. It's like adding a timer to your fire

As for getting heat to rooms, you have no choice but to use fans with wood stoves. (or create pass through for heat to move) Heat barely makes it to my master bedroom on second level. So I assist with electric heat in that room and it's set on timer to heat before we go to bed and just before we wake up. (so far it only costs about 20 cents a day to do that). We also have heated mattress pads. very little cost to running those also. (about 10 cents / night)

I live in a gappy old 160 year old stone home, so it's a challenge to heat. Especially at -40F. (yes.. that is a minus sign before that).
Last year (in -30 to -40) in the room the stove was in, would only heat to 57F degrees. all other rooms sat around 50F. I spent all this year sealing gaps and making sure no drafts. Caulking windows, changing door seals, adding foam sealant to larger gaps. Adding Fans. Getting insulated roman blinds, etc etc.

I have also added a fresh air intake and so far, it has drastically changed the way the house heat behaves. A wood stove can exchange all the air in a 2000 sqft house in 15 mins. There were huge cold drafts in the house before it.

It will take time to learn what works and how to to move air. Just try different fan placements to start. even the tiniest fan to get air moving in the direction you want the heat helps. Wood stoves aren't like furnaces and baseboard heat. (nice even heat everywhere). Trying to run a stove like that costs you more in wood and might not be cheaper than propane furnaces or other sources of heat.

I ran through 6 cords (18 face cords) of wood last heating season.

 

[Rickb]

Try to place a small fan on the floor in the colder area and blow towards the warmer areas. I know it sounds backwards but colder air is denser and easier to move. The warm air will then move towards the cooler area. You can test how well its working by taping a small piece of toilet paper to the ceiling in the hall leading into your cool areas. You will see it not moving then torn on the small fan on the floor and you will see it start moving as the warm air comes in fill the lower pressure.

 

[deborita3]

Depends. First fire last me about an hour as I am trying to build coals. After that I usually will get about 3-4 hours on some medium sized logs (3-4). If you need longer, try tossing the coals to one side. Place your biggest/heaviest wet piece on the opposite side and place your medium drier stuff on the coals moving towards the wet log. I can go to bed and wake up 7 hours later with coals still going. The fire on the right, will dry out the log on the left, and by the time it makes it way over, then the log will burn. It's like adding a timer to your fire

As for getting heat to rooms, you have no choice but to use fans with wood stoves. (or create pass through for heat to move) Heat barely makes it to my master bedroom on second level. So I assist with electric heat in that room and it's set on timer to heat before we go to bed and just before we wake up. (so far it only costs about 20 cents a day to do that). We also have heated mattress pads. very little cost to running those also. (about 10 cents / night)

I live in a gappy old 160 year old stone home, so it's a challenge to heat. Especially at -40F. (yes.. that is a minus sign before that).
Last year (in -30 to -40) in the room the stove was in, would only heat to 57F degrees. all other rooms sat around 50F. I spent all this year sealing gaps and making sure no drafts. Caulking windows, changing door seals, adding foam sealant to larger gaps. Adding Fans. Getting insulated roman blinds, etc etc.

I have also added a fresh air intake and so far, it has drastically changed the way the house heat behaves. A wood stove can exchange all the air in a 2000 sqft house in 15 mins. There were huge cold drafts in the house before it.

It will take time to learn what works and how to to move air. Just try different fan placements to start. even the tiniest fan to get air moving in the direction you want the heat helps. Wood stoves aren't like furnaces and baseboard heat. (nice even heat everywhere). Trying to run a stove like that costs you more in wood and might not be cheaper than propane furnaces or other sources of heat.

I ran through 6 cords (18 face cords) of wood last heating season.

Thank you for all of the advice and info. If I have to use 6 cords of wood it would probably be cheaper to use my furnace.

 

[deborita3]

Is this a colonial with rooms around a central hallway? If so it may take some assistance to move the heat better around to the other rooms.

It's a ranch with bedrooms and bath down the hall

 

[weatherguy]

Thank you for all of the advice and info. If I have to use 6 cords of wood it would probably be cheaper to use my furnace.

You wont in your climate, hes in the frozen north.

 

[begreen]

It's a ranch with bedrooms and bath down the hall

The issue you report is very common with ranch houses. We hear the same complaint many times a year. The solution is to pull cooler air from the bedrooms or at least from the hallway and push it into the stove room. This can be done simply with a table or box fan at the far end of the hallway, placed on the floor, pointing toward the woodstove room. Run it on low speed. The fan will blow the cooler air down low, toward the woodstove. The denser cool air will be replaced with lighter warm air from the stove room. Running this way you should notice at least a 5F increase in the hallway temp after about 30 minutes running.

A more sophisticated and permanent way of doing this would be to cut a 6x10 intake grille in the floor of the 2 far bedrooms and run an insulated duct from them into a Y and then a quiet inline 150 cfm fan with the output duct going to the stove room. This can be controlled by a air conditioning thermostat in the stove room so that it makes contact when the stove room temps exceed a certain temp, say 74º. for best operation the bedroom doors should be left ajar or the bottom cut up a little (or a grille on the door, etc.) to allow airflow from the room with the doors closed.

 

[deborita3]

Try to place a small fan on the floor in the colder area and blow towards the warmer areas. I know it sounds backwards but colder air is denser and easier to move. The warm air will then move towards the cooler area. You can test how w
ell its working by taping a small piece of toilet paper to the ceiling in the hall leading into your cool areas. You will see it not moving then torn on the small fan on the floor and you will see it start moving as the warm air comes in fill the lower pressure.

Put the fan in the hallway. Will see how it works. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Dix]

I was wondering how long to keep the blower on. The chimney guy told me not to put it higher then medium. When I turn it off not much heat comes out but really don't want to be running it too long and use alot of electricity.

Electricty is minimum.... it's a fan. Use it.

 

[Dix]

I know now for next year to buy the wood ahead of time. I thought the wood I bought was ready to go. Is wood from pallets good to use for kindling? I always see posts for free pallets?

Snatch them up.

 

[deborita3]

Put the fan in the hallway. Will see how it works. Thanks for the suggestion!

So after putting the fan in the hallway it did warm the hallway and rooms a little bit. That was a good idea. The living room and dining room stayed at 78 degrees all day which is good for me and my husband. Fire started up much better today. We are starting to get the hang of it and appreciate all the help from everyone on this site. It has helped us tremendously. Thank you all!

 

[Dix]

So after putting the fan in the hallway it did warm the hallway and rooms a little bit. That was a good idea. The living room and dining room stayed at 78 degrees all day which is good for me and my husband. Fire started up much better today. We are starting to get the hang of it and appreciate all the help from everyone on this site. It has helped us tremendously. Thank you all!

You'll get the hang of it, Deb

Nice to see another Sistah here

 

[deborita3]

You'll get the hang of it, Deb

Nice to see another Sistah here

Thank you! I'm trying Lol

 

[deborita3]

So everyone here knows alot more about firewood than I do. How much wood does this look like. A 1/2 cord, 1 cord?

 

[begreen]

Hard to tell. Maybe 1/3d cord? (called a face cord or rick in some locations)

 

[deborita3]

Hard to tell. Maybe 1/3d cord?

It was delivered yesterday. I asked for 1 cord and this is what I got. I did t think it was a cord since I have looked on YouTube to learn about cords of wood and how to keep the wood dry etc. but just wanted to make sure before I contact the guy who delivered. it.

 

[DaveInPhilly]

Hey deborita3, I have that same stove and I have a scan of the manual, I am not sure how to upload it, but if you PM me your email address I'll send it to you.

Just to confirm, both knobs all the way IN for start up. Then, after the fire gets going you pull the start up air nob all the way OUT and control temp with the center knob, in for more air, out for less air.

I measure my temp on the stove top and keep it between 500-600. No idea if that's ideal, but it keeps my house warm and my stove and chimney are both in good health.

Also - pictures can be deceiving, but that looks like a lot less than a cord to me.

 

[begreen]

It was delivered yesterday. I asked for 1 cord and this is what I got. I did t think it was a cord since I have looked on YouTube to learn about cords of wood and how to keep the wood dry etc. but just wanted to make sure before I contact the guy who delivered. it.

I suspect it's a face cord. What was the price?

 

[deborita3]

Hey deborita3, I have that same stove and I have a scan of the manual, I am not sure how to upload it, but if you PM me your email address I'll send it to you.

Just to confirm, both knobs all the way IN for start up. Then, after the fire gets going you pull the start up air nob all the way OUT and control temp with the center knob, in for more air, out for less air.

I measure my temp on the stove top and keep it between 500-600. No idea if that's ideal, but it keeps my house warm and my stove and chimney are both in good health.

Also - pictures can be deceiving, but that looks like a lot less than a cord to me.

My husband is going to stack it when he gets home. I know a cord is 4x4x8 so I'll see what it comes to.

Thanks for the manual!! I will PM my email address.