Quadrafire Pioneer ll Burn time

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73PowerStroke

New Member
Jan 19, 2024
3
Maryland
I had a pioneer II installed & love the heat it puts out. Not real happy with the burn time, supposed to get up to 10 hrs but am lucky using good size chunks of seasoned red oak to get more than 5 with a decent bed of coals & at 6 - 7 is going out or out. Anyone have suggestions or ideas, I'm not new to wood stoves but am new to these new epa catalyst style stoves. Maybe there is something not functioning properly within the stove? Going to write manufacture as well. Have 1 heat zone kit ordered to install which would direct heat in the room behind the unit & would love to put in 2 but layout of attic just won't work I feel.
 
AFAIK, the Pioneer II is not a catalytic fireplace. It's a somewhat shallow E/W loader. 6-8 hr burn times are pretty typical with this sized firebox. To extend burn time burn thick pieces of wood and close down the air sooner than later.
 
Thanks for the reply begreen. I am a newbie to these forums & have to excuse me for I am not sure what AFAIK means & I do stand corrected. I called it a catalyst style stove because it does reburn some of the smoke. To be precise it has secondary tubes within the firebox which is supposed to be more efficient that the catalytic style stoves.
The SPEC's on this stove states up to 10 hr burn time. I would understand if it was coming up short an hour or maybe 2 of that but barely getting 1/2 the specified burn time to me is unacceptable. One of my main reasons I purchased this stove was based on that info.
I do burn large thick chunks of wood & close the air all the way down when I bank it at night. Maybe the air supply is set to open in the closed position? Maybe there is a manufacture issue. This is why I'm researching & asking if anyone has experienced same issues or have ideas what else I can do to increase my burn time.
Had questions on the Heat Zone Kits as well. I have one going to be installed next week & if anyone has any pro's or con's on it the info would be greatly appreciated
 
Secondary combustion tube stoves and fireplaces also return the smoke, but without any catalyst. It's not necessarily more efficient, just a different method. Burn time is a marketing term. It has no real definition. For some it means the period of meaningful heat, but marketers often take it as meaning until the last ember dies out. All of us get shorter burn times when it's very cold outside, the stove is pushed harder, and draft is strong. A BK 40 stove can eke out 40 hr burn times if very little heat is required, but will drop down to 10 hrs if pushed hard.

Sorry, my typing fingers get tired with the many responses. AFAIK = as far as I know.