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Quadra-Fire Castile

Review: Quadra-Fire Castile

Reviewed January 07, 2009 by BajaPhil

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Quadra-Fire Castile - A good review for a change
I seem to be in the minority with my great experience with the Castile. We installed in November when it was 18 degrees outside with 50 knot winds and the Castile has kept my oil furnace off since then. We live on the Pacific coast in the far Northwest and we do not get really cold weather to often due to the influence of the ocean – therefore our old Victorian houses are not as tight nor as well insulated as those in the Northeast. Even so at our more usual just-above-freezing temperatures the stove has no problem maintaining 75 degrees when the girlfriend needs it to do her sewing. At these temperatures we use about .8 bags a day – much less when we are in the 40’s. We usually keep the 1400 sq. ft. house at 60 at night and 68 during the day. We used one brand of pellets that caused a fire-pot cleaning every bag due to clinker build-up but then switched to Atlas pellets and now we clean the firepot about every three bags. The stove does make some non-objectionable noise but I don’t know if it is greater than other stoves. I have heard this complaint about other stoves more often. It may be we have become used to it. Niggling complaints: After cleaning (and therefore unplugging) we have to start the stove manually with two or three pushes of the reset button. It mentions this in the instructions, but it seems to me that some engineering should be done to take care of this. Secondly, the sheet-metal workmanship and design that holds the back wall stones is poor – making it somewhat difficult to remove and re-install the stones. It took some experimentation to figure out how to do it quickly, but in my opinion this should be taken care of by a re-design. Thirdly, the pellet chamber does hold 40 pounds of pellets – just barely. If and when I buy another stove it will have at least a 50 pound capacity so that full bag of pellets can be added without the stove running completely out. Over-all I am tickled with the stove that heats our house at just over half the cost of using oil – and this at the most recent reduced oil price. When we moved here I sold my Corvette and bought a Prius – Thinking about it, the Castile is very Prius-like.

more homeowner reviews of this stove

Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Anthony on December 20, 2011

Bought the Castile recently for our family room situated on the ground floor of a split level home. Floor is ceramic tile on concrete slab – very cold! Heat would always rise to 2nd and...

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Quadra-Fire Castile Rattling Beast
Reviewed and rated by george frank on November 25, 2011

Have had this for three seasons. Use regularly. Understand firepot cleaning, maintenance, etc., etc. The BIG problem with this unit is the decorative side plates, the...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by luis on November 25, 2011

i got my castille insert in 2005 i keep it at midium most of the time it heat my living area comf0rtable , it does make noise but with some adjusment on the covers i get it to stop, i found out...

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Quadra-Fire Castile insert
Reviewed and rated by Jay Y on November 23, 2011

I installed this stove in 2010. It has performed
Very well. It heats approx 1200 sq ft of space in western NY with no problems. We do clean the firebox and fire pot once every day. This...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by efros on October 23, 2011

Had this stove for 3 years now. Bought the optional insert logs, these lasted 1 season before they disintegrated, this suited me as I thought they looked silly anyway. The thermocouple guard I...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Captain Castille on September 27, 2011

Super stove 3 years running…no noise, no problems whatsoever…love it.!!!
Heats 1500 ft. no problem.
Clean pot daily, clean tray weekly
Clean entire stove in...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Halfwitt on August 09, 2011

We changed from a wood stove to a Castile free standing stove four or five years ago. It has been great. I think many of the negative reviews are new to pellet stoves. Yes – you need to...

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Quadra-Fire Castile: Diligence required
Reviewed and rated by Bob on March 13, 2011

Learned the hard way to remove the two back wall pieces weekly to clean out behind the wall; the rear blower bearings were shot from fighting thru the ash build-up. My bad. The replacement blower...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Fairly satisfied - there are better stoves out there on February 22, 2011

I have had this stove for 5 heating seasons and have had no physical components fail. It can be noisy because of the loose top, I have just made sure it is seated properly and it is just fine. ...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by G Kooris on February 19, 2011

We’ve had a wonderful experience for the past three years. Had a vacuum switch go, but easy replacement. The stove heats wonderfully. I clean it in the morning, runs all day and all...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Dave on feb 5, 2011 on February 05, 2011

Haven’t had many problems with my quadra fire. Now the vacuum switch is bad.Hoping it solves the high flame problem.Cleaned it,feed adjustment all the way down,and replaced door seal.

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by mark on December 28, 2010
the sales person told us this stove has the least amount of problems, however after reading all the reviews i think i will check out the harman models.
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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Jay in Northern Utah on December 26, 2010

I have the Castile stove, The mahogany color, We purchased the stove in 2006 and it has ran perfect, 40lbs of pellets last 24 hrs at the middle setting, the heat feels great. Yes, I clean it...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by PJ on December 24, 2010

Overall I was disappointed at first. I have to admit the the materials used to construct the insert could be more robust. This would create less noise. The exhaust blower must be somewhat out of...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by cold feet on December 13, 2010

I have owned the castile insert for 3 years use it for secondary heat ,had to replace the thermostate and need to turn it off when watching TV. VERY

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Pellotie on October 05, 2010

I have heated my ranch house with this stove for the past 4 seasons; with another season upon us I have just cleaned it and tested it out. I have had no parts fail and use about 2.5 tons of...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by deano32 on March 12, 2010

I must be one of the lucky ones!! We’ve had our freestanding castile for four winters. The control box just had to be replaced. Other than that, the stove has performed well.I burn pellets...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by ozone159 on February 25, 2010

I have been using the Castile for two years now. As for the roaring noise others have mentioned, i find that does not happen when set on the medium setting, which is where i have mine set most of...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by dareese167@aol.com on February 22, 2010

Put ours in August 2005 so this is our 5th winter here in Delaware. We use it as our only heat in a half round porch with windows on what would be 3 sides. Approx 600 sq feet only roof...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Phil on January 31, 2010

As many others have stated it’s rattle trap. I have the insert model now and had the freestanding before this one, freestanding was perfect but this is almost unbearable. It works well...

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Quadra-Fire Castile Rattle Trap
Reviewed and rated by gfsdave on January 30, 2010

For $2200 before installation, I expect complete package. Only one of two stoves that would fit in our fireplace, so not much choice. Everything about this stove is great

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Dee on January 06, 2010

We have used ours for 3 winters and have replaced the computer card the first year, 2 igniters and a therm o coupler the second and this year (2010) a fan is making a horrible whining noise. You...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by outofthegroove on December 22, 2009

I guess we are one of the lucky one’s. Our stove works great with little problems. This year however the batch of pellets we got are awful. Lots of ash and clinkers- I think the pellets...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Good Times on December 08, 2009

I purchased this unit in 2006. I agree it will heat my living room and kitchen but thats about it. Lots of different noises come out of this unit. None of them are appealing to listen to. I will...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Emily on December 03, 2009

This does NOT heat 1500 square feet. It barely heats our living room, which is pretty disappointing. The cleaning and maintenance doesn’t bother me, and it’s...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by john on October 11, 2009

I agree that there are to many whiners out there. When I bought my stove 3 years ago thats one of the things the dealer told me is you have to shut it down once a day and clean it. I here all you...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Barb on September 08, 2009

I have to agree with “Too Many Whiners” from Feb 2009. I bought my stove in 2005. I have had 4 winters with my stove and have loved having it. I have heated my first floor and...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Rick on August 26, 2009

Bought last year and from day one rattling and vibration has been terrible. 1st tech. said combustion blower was bad, you can feel the vibration when you touch it, after weeks of waiting for the...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Daryl on July 14, 2009

We bought the castile wood pellet insert last year and after using for a year I’m very disapointed. My two biggest comlpaints are the rattling (noise!) and the inability to run on high for...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Kevin on July 10, 2009

Worked well for the past 4 winters and is very economical. I tried cheaper pellets and they gave a lot of ash and dust. I clwan mine every morning and the only downside is the noise, sometimes we...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Jim on April 03, 2009

I have had mine for 5 years. it has worked great for a secondary heat source. Minnesota winters get cold. We had to have the blower replaced once. Tried many different kinds of pellets and have...

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Quadra-Fire Castile - Highly positve review
Reviewed and rated by NorthernMEGuy on March 07, 2009

Having had our Castile insert for an entire winter now, I have a whole new, positive perspective. True, it did overfeed pellets one time, causing an intense fire. BUT...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by steve g on February 22, 2009

Having had two other pellet stoves before.This time I was looking for a more upscale look in an insert.The castile fits that perfectly. In over- all quality and ease of use,I have to award that...

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Too Many Whiners
Reviewed and rated by RobS on February 04, 2009

I am confident that most of the horrible reviews for this stove would have been the same had the authors bought ANY OTHER pellet stove. ...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by JCKS on February 03, 2009

I feel like I have just been to therapy. I thought my Castile stove was the only noisy one in the world. Especially, when I would go to the homes of several friends who have other brands of...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Mary on January 29, 2009

I bought 2 Quadra-Fire Castiles. One works well heating a kitchen and dining room in an ell of the house. The other is in the family room of the main house and gives nothing but trouble. I am...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Dave on January 24, 2009

Note – this is an update to my Jan 10 rating…
For those that have the insert verstion of the Castile, you should be aware that the hopper capacity is indeed a bit more than a 40...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by stacy on January 23, 2009

we have had our stove for approx. 2 years 2 weeks ago we had a fire because the pellets during th nigth backed up through the drop shute and them burned up the auger system and into the hopper...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Tim on January 23, 2009

Great looking stove… needs to be filled twice a day…classic style…it struggles to heat 1500 feet when it is cold out…a bit noise…it helps keep cost of running...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by bdaxxii on January 17, 2009

Great looking stove….requires daily maint…...hopper may need filled twice a day…...firepot may need cleaned twice a day…....asthetic beauty….classic...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Baron on January 16, 2009

I too am very disappointed in my Castile stove. I have a lot of ash build up. When it falls below temperature it does not start up itself. I thought I had bought the stove from a reliable...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Dave on January 10, 2009

I have the insert version of the Castile and this is my second year in use. After reading other’s comments on this stove, I share some of the same thoughts. I have been disappointed with...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by TOM on January 09, 2009

I have had this stove for 5 years. had to replace the main control board this past october now it runs great. My old control board would feed to many pellets, so I would have to clean it twice a...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by mr bean on December 29, 2008

very, very nosey can not operate at night – fire pot cleaning lever is imposable to operate! Burns thru pellets fast – Rattle trap — Poor dealer support – I will never buy...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by miskanee on December 26, 2008

Several years ago I was looking to up-date my old pellet stove. I bought the Quadra-Fire CASTILE, WHAT A MISTAKE....

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Tanj on December 17, 2008

I’ve had nothing but problems with this pellett stove. It shuts down for no reason, (company had me replace thermostat) still shuts down. Have to clean EVERY day,...

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Quadra-Fire Castile Insert
Reviewed and rated by NorthernMaineGuy on December 13, 2008

Chip – Had your experience with a bad batch of pellets. Got my supplier to swap pellets out… and it was a different stove after that!
Generally love the stove. In northern...

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Quadra-Fire Castile
Reviewed and rated by Chip9234 on December 10, 2008

We have to clean it every day or it won’t restart. (Lots of ash & soot) It has a very large clinker everytime we clean it. Ad said clean about once a week. Not true!!

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