Starting our new life

[ultrarunner]

We have a 100,000 BTU/Hr insert (about same rating as yours) and it indeed belts out the heat. But I don't think you can beat the exposed surface area of a good freestanding stove for overall efficiency. The other thing is that you get much better control from a stove with various flow and damper settings. Some inserts provide flow control, but it's generally more limited. I felt like I got better control, especially for overnight burns, from a traditional stove.

Hard to beat an open stove with lots of exposed surface area for silent operation...

 

[cat fever]

It is for sure the sound of the motor. A low hum or whine is the best way to describe it. You can hear it anywhere in the house. The rushing air can't be heard anywhere but in the same room as the fireplace.

 

[BoylermanCT]

Lynn, have you tinkered with the motors at all? My Vermont Castings insert has its fan in a tube at the bottom of the fireplace. It made some noise when I first plugged it in. I took a piece of wood about 1/16" thick and wedged it underneath the tube, and the fan has been virtually silent ever since. All I heard is wind noise / fan blade noise.

My father-in-law has a Vermont Casting Sequoia zero clearance fireplace, and his fan was noisy too. He ended up replacing it with two 5" computer style fans. They are very quiet and move a lot of air.

Its disappointing that when you pay that much for something it does not work as it should. Glad it heats your house nicely.

 

[ultrarunner]

It is for sure the sound of the motor. A low hum or whine is the best way to describe it. You can hear it anywhere in the house. The rushing air can't be heard anywhere but in the same room as the fireplace.

That would get old quick... especially if you had friends over... the noise of the fan is what they would remember...

Have you tried any online searches looking for remedies from those with similar problems?

I do agree at this price point objectionable noise should be in the picture... maybe additional contact with engineering at the factory?

I am confident you will find a solution... air movement/control/noise is a science of it's own

 

[tjkubota93]

Our lopi had one of the motors burnt up on the blower when we moved in. I replaced them both with some fan motors I tracked down that matched. It is quieter than when we moved in, it's still annoying. I turned the blower on while my 5 year old was watching cartoons, he asked me "why you do turn that loud thing on all the time?"

I ordered these after reading someone's comment about computer fan type thing. If they blow enough and are quiet I will make a plenum for them with my metal break (brake?).

 

[cat fever]

I have not done anything on my own yet. It's brand new and installed by the selling dealer. I figure between the dealer and Quadra Fire they should have first crack at fixing the problem.

The service tech guy did unplug one at a time just to make sure it wasn't one of them causing the noise, but they sounded the same.

Ultra runner, you hit the nail on the head about friends remembering the noise. That's just how it is in life.

Good news is, most of the time I don't need/want the fans on. On those sub-zero days is when I would want to use them. If we are leaving for a few hours I turn the fans on while we're gone when it's real cold then back off when we get home. I'm making it work for us. Not to beat a dead horse but like I said, for that much money it should be quite.

 

[ultrarunner]

Agreed...

 

[goeduck]

Wood fireplaces add complexity, although I have seen videos of more complex systems, the Quadrafire 7100 is not just an insert and a lot more complex than a freestanding typical wood stove. It would seem with the ducting options the fans would/could be remote somewhere.

Quadra Fire 71�� FP - YouTube

Quadra-Fire 71�� EPA Wood Fireplace - YouTube

I did not understand what a remote zone heater is, unless that is just the ducting to remote spots in the house.

 

[hawkeye08]

My propane stove has a noisy fan, I turned it up as much as I could stand (it will heat without it, but not the whole house), but it is noisy.. I looked at a replacement thinking it had served its useful life, but replacement was $300.. I will study it some in warmer temps (when I can have the stove apart for a few weeks) and perhaps find a replacement that is not as expensive. The noise you mention might be a mounting issue (might have to add some rubber pads to isolate it) or a speed control problem..

 

[ultrarunner]

Seems Panasonic has nearly silent 150 cfm or variable speed bath fans...

What is the typical cfm for wood stove fans?

Washington State manufactured Xtrordinair advertises super quiet fan up to 400 cfm... and I believe Lopi and Xtrordinair are part of Travis Industries

There are inline options advertised as being very quiet... but some have temp limitations.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FPFVZTZ?aaxitk=d6Onq3hDYjZoJqjcYmgQHQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FPFVZTZ?aaxitk=d6Onq3hDYjZoJqjcYmgQHQ#customerReviews