Hi Jerry,
We are still thrilled with our Quadrafire, I think we've had it about 4 years now and use it almost daily in the winter. This was a new install, we did not have a fireplace before this so I can't really respond to the old fireplace smell issue. The door seals very tightly when it's closed. This heats incredibly well, and the external fan does a good job of distributing the heat beyond just the front of the fireplace. It's a great unit.

Thanks, I have experience with an old fashioned insert that was just set in the fireplace, not really airtight. It did a great job heating too, but after about 15 years and perhaps 15 cords that arrangement so contaminated the inside of the (masonry) fireplace that the smell became a problem. I've done much to stop the smell, including installation of an outside, top of the chimney, "lock-top" damper. I also scrubbed the fire box of the fireplace, looks almost new, but I could not easily clean up on or above the smoke shelf. I removed the old insert, and "junked" it. As we still have some odor problems my chimney service/dealer suggested putting in a Quadrifire (says the 3100-I) is big enough for my house size, about 2000 sf, two story. The installation will use the now standard airtight arrangement of a 6" stainless steel chimney installed inside my 12"x12" tile lined chimney, and the space around will be filled with an insulator/sealer that will be brought all the way down to the smoke shelf, thereby covering all the possible odor areas of the existing chimney, they say that will (not should) stop all odor problems. As you note, kim, the unit is airtight, I did note the very wide effective looking seal /gasket on the door.

Our fireplace will take the larger unit, but it is not recommended. Then too, there's not desire on my part to over-buy/pay, the 3100-I will run close to $5K with installation and the rotary-cleaning of the existing chimney before installing the ss pipe.

Your good experience, and thanks for letting me know your use has been frequent. Some people use their fireplace only two or three times a year and thus have no real experience with the service. I also understand the SS chimney is very easy to clean, thus cost less if hired done, and likely something a DYI can do.

I think your making a good choice with the quad.Todays inserts are more efficient and burn cleaner that the older ones.We had a Harman wood insert put into our home a few weeks ago and just love it.After your fireplace is cleaned up and sealed from top to bottom that smell should go away.It will be much easier to clean with the full steel liner installed!The dealer that installed mine cleans the steel liner and stove for around $160 a year.

Thanks stanleyjohn,

I think the dealer said cleaning would be $175 per year. Indeed, our main objective is to get rid of the old fire smell that gets very objectionable during warm humid weather. My old insert, used for 20 years, didn't have the modern airtight stainless chimney arrangement, and I think all those years of use put much creosote in the chimney and smoke chamber, still it did a great job heating. The Quadrafire is rated at 78%, I'd say the old unit was doing well if it was 50% efficient, and it also didn't have much control of the burn rate, it was airtight, but not to the chimney. Quadrafire, based in the NW USA, does certify dealers for installation, and has confirmed to me via email that the dealer I've got a quote from is such. He will be here on May 1, to do a "roto-cleaning" to remove much of the creosote - I have not yet signed the deal for the insert. This may reduce the smell, but I'm thinking with the price of energy, the price of these high efficiency wood burning heating devices will surely go up faster than inflation. Besides, seems to be a perfect way to spend our Federal Stimulation "income tax refund". It will be on US labor and even Quadrafire is assembled in the USA, not sure where the parts come from (China?). Of course the refund of $1200 is a little less than a third of the total cost...still an nice help...even if I don't believe the program was the right thing for the government to do, we'll see, maybe...

One final interesting point is the insulation of the chimney liner, seems it is National Fire Protection Code (may not be required, just recommended) but all the arguments sound good to me, especially as my chimney is part of an external fireplace brick wall, has three flues. This is the worse design possible as it makes the chimney hard to heat, thus more prone to formation of creosote. The smaller liner with the insulation should allow the insert to extract more heat, that's the claim, while still maintaining a "proper" chimney temperature to reduce formation of creosote.

I will look at some other suppliers, another dealer in the area carries and has on display: Regency/Hamption, Jotul and Lopi. None of these advertise a higher efficiency, but are close to the same and offer some additional designs/styles as well as price competition. I do trust the Quadrafire dealer, I have used cleaning service and some minor chimney work from him over the past 10 years, but I'm sure I'm paying full price, so I have to shop around, will likely also get another quote from another Quadrafire dealer that is about the same distance from my house, in the opposite direction.

stanleyjohn,

Great looking fireplace/insert. I like the simpicity and lines. The gold trim looks good too with the tools to match. Does the glass on the front stay clean enough to see the fire very long? My old unit would be completely blacked out within 5 or 6 hours of burning time.

Thanks for the economics. My stove comes in at 2055 including the large surround (34"x50" in black, not gold trim). The fan is extra at 264. NJ sales tax is 162.33 on the above. I also have to pay shipping of 100. Some of my other numbers look a little high. 31 foot 6" SS Line is a whopping 850, sounds high, and installation labor 625, may not be too bad as it is a two+ story stack. I also have 450 for insulation, I don't see that on your list.

kimerly, hope you're still reading along, thanks for the input on your Quadrafire experience. What model do you have? Do you recall if your installation included "insulation"? As I discussed, it sounds like a good thing to do for my type of fireplace, not so much so for an interior wall fireplace, except that the insulation may be required in that case to protect wood structure.

You can get the liner with insulation!i think thats what your talking about!i didnt get that.I have only burned twice! Did get some darkening of the glass but wasn't real bad.Many get some staining on the glass but that can be minimized in time by learning the best way to burn wood in this stove.Best of luck!Post a pic or two when you get your stove put in.There is a real good forum for wood stoves!its called hearth.com
Check it out.

Thanks for the hearth forum.

How much do you want to spend? I just bought the enviro kodiak with a 2.5cu.ft firebox and it just cooks

All black with blower included $1600. nice warming shelf on top. 5/16 steel on top makes me feel more comfortable.1/4 inch steel on the sides makes me feel even more comfortable. You can see it on hearth.com--titled the bear is burning with pics.

In my opinion,awesome quality for the money spent. Yes, you can get the gold trimmed door and the gold trimmed surround for a few hundred more.

In my humble opinion--if you are going to burn wood ,then get something that is built like a tank, lots of steel on top and the sides. My 2 cents worth.

Model 3100-I -Late post-
Well let me start by saying it is a very great heat producing unit. The Window doesn't go black; the new air flow design will clean the windows as it burns so glass cleaning is minimal... As far as air tight...HaHa Don't be fooled they are not. I don't think any are air tight. You need inside air for combustion thus making it not airtight.... Air can back draft down your pipe and back into the room. Making it smell/smoke...
This is seen from running a dryer/bathroom fan/kitchen stove vent/furnace anything making negative pressure in your home. Only an outside air intake pipe and sealing off the bottom of this unit from the inside can make it airtight.
So looking at it as air tight...
Air from outside comes in a vent-helps burn the fire and goes back out the chimney....
Air from your room is sucked by 2 fans around/though the unit- heating up then back into your room...

I've had my 3100i for 2-3 weeks, and its not what I expected. It doesn't kick out as much heat and takes more attention and wood than I expected. I have somewhat of an irritated throat, possibly from breathing smoke when I light it or add wood. I paid $3600, including installation (insert $1600, "DR black"...whatever that is...$268, fan $275, gold trim $189, side screen $81, stainless 6 x25 flex kit $595, and installation $500.) The salesman told me to use hardwood, so I use maple and oak, but I may try some white pine, all of which I hav out back in the woods. I use 1000 gallons of heating oil/year @ $2.50 to $3.50/gal, so if I can cut that in half, it will still take 2-3 years to break even. Not sure if its worth all the effort, and it doesn't have the charm or coziness of my fireplace.

Stay away from Quadafire! The CB1200i is an utter waste of money and time. It is better to use the money to pay the oil bill for the next two years. It does not perform any better than the lowest model manual Englander.

Be careful of this unit, "Air Control SUCKS" you cannot have a small fire when mild temps and you cannot regulate the air control on larger fires when cold. You have to have a good bed of coals to keep the fire going or the door open "and get smoke" and once the fire is hot you cannot cut the air off to damper it down the air control. Is all about the amount of wood you put on the fire, so if you put one to many log on the fire open window to cool down. is your only air control

Quadra-Fire 3100-I is a reputable model known for efficiency and quality. It's designed to provide airtight combustion, which is key in preventing smoke spillage and reducing creosote buildup. This feature should significantly help with your odor issue. The model's stainless steel chimney liner and insulation will further seal off old odors and improve heating efficiency.

Yes, hardened creosote can smell, especially when it absorbs moisture. The proposed rotary cleaning to remove creosote is a good step. Ensure that the installation is done professionally to guarantee the unit's effectiveness and safety.

I have been around wood stoves all my life. This is my 4th fire in my new Quadra fire insert. I have yet to get it to burn thru the night. Good hot fire, 4-5 pieces of dry hardwood, ice cold 8 hrs later. Just don't see how to regulate the burn rate without any air intake that I can control. Every morning I have to start all over with kindling. With my old stove I could shut down the air intake and it would still have a hot bed of coals in the morning. Any tips on getting this to burn at a slower rate ??? This burns super hot, way too fast, using up wood at a crazy rate...I do not think the air control is working correctly. What am I doing wrong ??

• I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS UNIT!!! The Quadra Fire is hard to regulate, the owner manual even tell you to only put as much wood in as you want heat, meaning you cannot load up for the night and damper it down to burn all night. and you cannot have small fires, the air damper system sucks.
  Air Control SUCKS, I have the installer back out and they cannot fix the problem, I believe it is the new EPA standards that is the problem but Please research before purchasing this unit because YOU WILL NOT BE SATIFIED!