Quadrafire 4300 opinions?

[MS460WOODCHUCK]

Mine is...It's a piece of junk. I purchased a 4300 to replace my US stove company Magnolia this past summer and wish that I never would have. Good thing is I have a barely used Magnolia set up in my shop and will be switching it out for the 4300 in the house this summer.

 

[bucksnbears]

elaborate?

 

[greenskeeper]

My 4300i works great. Never put the fancy cover plate/surround since the fireplace acts as a heat sink enough. I can burn 4-5 cords of wood and the amount of ash wouldn't fill a small wheelbarrow. Burns clean and efficient without the catalytic BS. No complaints here.

 

[zogger]

Two completely different observations on the same product...hmm...

 

[greenskeeper]

Two completely different observations on the same product...hmm...

How a stove is installed goes a long way towards performance.

 

[jwilly]

I have one and it definitely works best with DRY wood. I cut our wood consumption by 25%.

 

[CrufflerJJ]

Our QuadraFire 2700i has done a great job of keeping our house warm this winter. Wish we could fit in a larger QuadraFire, but unfortunately they wouldn't fit.

 

[Cerran]

I have a 3100i I've had for more than 10 years. If I had to buy again I would likely go with something catalytic for the burn times but it's been a very good stove. Everyone is right, you have to have very good seasoned wood for it to work right and the way you load the stove makes a difference.

 

[esshup]

5100i insert here and happy with it. Agreed, seasoned wood is the key, I'd say minimum 25% more heat with 2 year seasoned oak vs. 1 year seasoned oak. Also, air coming in has to be choked back about 25% from wide open with 2 year seasoned wood or the chimney temp gets too hot. No gauge, but glowing red is too hot in my book.

Some observations, but I suspect its the same with other stoves.

Can't throw wood in, that will crack the fire bricks. It has to be placed in the firebox, then shoved in place with a poker or tongs.

It burns better when putting wood in sideways vs. long ways. (air comes into the stove from the top front)

Coals piling up are an issue, no grate, wood is laid on floor (firebrick).

A free standing wood stove (I think) puts off more heat than an insert. BUT, in my house there is no room for a free standing stove.

If air is choked down, it will burn more than 12 hr. If air is wide open, a load will last 4-8 hrs depending on what type of hardwood.

 

[CrufflerJJ]

I have a 3100i I've had for more than 10 years. If I had to buy again I would likely go with something catalytic for the burn times but it's been a very good stove. Everyone is right, you have to have very good seasoned wood for it to work right and the way you load the stove makes a difference.

I didn't want to hassle with replacing the catalytic converter every few years. The 2700i works OK, but the actual burn time is a bit short due to its small firebox. If we load it up at bedtime, there are coals to restart the fire 6-7 hours later, but the temperature has dropped to 200F or below.