Lopi Fire Dragon installed in shop.

I had been planning to installing a wood stove in my garage/workshop since last year, but kept putting it off, and knowing me, probably would have kept putting it off until I one day found myself freezing my backside off on some project out there, so when my neighbor offered to sell me his wood stove and some Excel insulated "Factory Built" chimney pipe I decided this was the initiative I needed to get busy with this project. I bought the works for $100. I priced the Excel Chimney pieces at the Home Hardware stove and if bought new would be worth $944, so I figured on that alone it was probably worth it although I didn't need all the chimney pieces. The chimney is in great shape, still shiny inside.
The stove is in good shape as well, though it is not a EPA approved stove, it's an old Lopi insert. Not really what I wanted, but it will do for now until something better comes along.

I am planning to use it as a freestanding stove near the middle of my shop. I am building a raised hearth platform out of blocks and will be forming a cement slab on the top for the stove to sit on. I was told WETT requires a minimum 18" raised base for the stove to sit on in a shop or garage. The install location has plenty of clearance all around with just over 4 feet at the minimum side and rear.

What I would like to know is if there is someone out there who knows anything about this stove and wouldn't mind sharing their knowledge. Any info would be helpful, like what sort of quality is this stove? do they work Ok? (I know it's not efficient as an EPA stove), any issues at all?
How about the idea of using an insert as a free standing like that? any issues with that?

Thanks in advance.


Here's some pics

Thanks for the encouragement N of 60, she’s a heavy sucker that’s for sure.

I still would like to hear from someone who has a used this Lopi insert or a similar one, I am curious if it would be worth installing a damper, or do these stoves work fine without them?

Thanks for the reply Captain, I can see how these stoves would produce a lot of creosote if they were installed the way they were intended to be, "without a direct flue connector pipe" so the smoke just billows out the top hole and into the fireplace and up the chimney (hopefully). The label even warns that you should remove the insert and clean behind it frequently because heavy creosote may (will) occur.

I got the hearth base formed up now, just gota pick up some steel rebar to reinforce it and I'll mix up some cement. Once that is done I'll just need 6 strong men to help me lift the stove up on the hearth and I can hook up the double walled flue pipe and I'll be ready to fire her up. :cheese:

Well, I got the base poured after I came home from work last night, and when I came in I saw a few more responses to this thread which I'll try and reply too.

The stove doesn't have a built in damper, but the previous owner had a homemade one installed in one of the insulated pipe pieces which he had going right from the stove to the top on the chimney. He had no single wall or double wall pipe in the house, probably no ceiling collar or proper flashing and no chimney cap,,, in fact he informed me that a chimney cap was a bad Idea because it would likely just blow off the wind, he pointed to another neighbor's chimney as proof because it was missing the top of the cap also.
Not surprisingly his house insurance company told him he had to remove his wood stove from his mobile home or they would not cover him.

Below is a picture of the homemade damper how it use to sit on the stove, not the best picture, but there it is. If I do install a damper it won't be in that insulated pipe.

The rod you see inside the stove is just a wood poker/raker and the control handles on the front of the stove control the intake vents. One on the top right and to in the middle on the bottom. Also a couple pictures with the vents closed and open.

Here is a picture of the base after the forms were stripped.
I even made a few bonus paving stones with the extra concrete.

My Hearth pad is ready for the stove, just need some strong men (or women) to give me a lift.

Well I couldn't wait for the strong men, I set up the stove for as easy a lift as possible with dolly and 2x4s and gave my wife and kids as complete an instruction as possible, did a trial lift and set back down to see if it would be possible (it was), got them to stretch their backs and flex their muscles, then pump up like Arnold Schwarzenegger and went for it! ....
(No problem

Took a few minutes to hook up the flue pipe, last minute shifting and leveling and I already had some kindling ready to go. Fire started up fast and the spruce spits burned hot, it had a good feeling, like an old truck starting with the first turn of the key after sitting for several years. It immediately had a steady draft even though it was very windy and gusty outside. As soon as the metal got hot the stove surface started to smoke from the fresh paint ,I had just put on, started to cure. The smoke was coming off the surface pretty good, so I kept the garage doors and window open for the worst of it, but had to shut the garage doors because the wind outside was so bad at the time it was blowing all kinds of leaves, and dust, and debris all over into the garage.
I let that first little fire burn hot and die right away, tried another one just before supper, put some bigger splits in and burn them up till it they were coaling and turned down the intake. Went out and checked it just moments ago. It is a short walk out my back door to the garage/shop is and it was cool and still a bit windy outside, I was just in my T shirt and could feel it. As soon as I walked into the garage door I was hit by a blast of heat, the dry spruce I put in there was all burned up, but there was plenty of residual heat left in the room. One thing is for sure this stove has no problem heating up the place.
I know the last couple replies mentioned cutting away the insert shielding off the stove for extra heat, and I thought about that too, but it would have been a big job (for me) and I'm sure now I'm not gona need any extra heat from this thing
Anyway, I'm tickled pink! I finally got wood heat in my shop, now all I need is a beer fridge and a cot and my wife to bring me out hot meals and I'm set. I made her happy too, because along with the motivation to complete this job I also found a good excuse to finally tile the hearth pad of the wood stove in the house which previously just sat as a cement slab, another project on the to do list I can also check off.

Pictures below







and the inside tile job

Well I've started 3 fires in this stove so far and tried various intake damper settings, with roaring fires and coals, and come to the conclusion it doesn't need a flue damper, as I seem to have plenty of control of the draft just by adjusting the bottom intake vents.
I do wonder what's the purpose of the upper intake vents? Possibly they are suppose to provide some sort of glass air wash, because opening and closing them doesn't seem to effect the fire much.
It's gona be interesting burning this stove and my modern Regency EPA stove side by side, see which one gives me longer burn times? and see if I really get that much more creosote build up in the old stoves chimney?
It seems like it really goes through the wood though, but I'm just burning some really dry, light spruce in it right now. I'm sure if I burned that in the house in my EPA stove it would burn up quick too, but I'm NOT gona try that until it cools down a bit more, heck! I don't need any extr heat in the house, our air conditioner is still kicking in during the day.

Hey BB, thanks for the response. I'll be trying that sometime and watching for any secondary burn flames, I was kind of wondering if that might be possible, but the small metal baffle in this thing is way at the back of the fire box. Did your Sierra have a baffle that extended further forward?
The other interesting thing about this stove is it has two layers of fire brick. It makes for a bit smaller firebox, but that's probably ok since it's a little over sized for my garage/shop anyway.

Hey Stacker, thanks for the reply on this thread, I was sure it was dead .
By the way, welcome to the forum.
I would very much appreciate a scanned copy of that manual . I’ll send you a PM with my email address. Thanks
It had been suggested earlier in this thread that there might be a sliding damper on the stack outlet, but it either must be invisible or it has been removed, because I can’t find any signs of it.
The extra firebrick was added by the previous owner, and I wish mine had that extended steel plate (baffle) that you are talking about, I’m sure it would make this unit more efficient. That short baffle just allows all the flames to go right up the stack.
Sound like you did a nice modification to your old Lopi, mine could use something like that.

ddemmith said:

Curious to see what you think vs. your newer stove

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply Ddemmith, I can tell you right now there is a big difference between the non EPA stoves and these old beasts. My new stove is a Regency F2400, my first EPA rated stove. Just by the way the flames burn inside the unit tells you there is something better about these stoves. I have only had a fire in the old Lopi a few times, but there is no way you can get the kind of rolling flames that completely fill the fire box, that you can in the modern stove. The fire and flames in the new stove looks like you are pumping natural gas in from the secondary air intake vents. In the old stoves you can get a nice roaring fire, yes, but it's just not the same, it's basically just a campfire in a steel box. However, it still throws out plenty of heat, and that's all I need.
You would definitely be pleased with replacing one of your old stoves with a modern one. Only problem is you'll probably want to replace the other one too. LOL

As a conclusion to this thread I have uploaded a video to YouTube of the stove in action.
I have been very happy with this stove and it has already kept me warm for many projects, and likely will keep me warm for many more.
:cheese: