I have a brand new lopi agp pellet insert. Installed in August and since November we have burned about 2 tons of pellets. We run the stove on pilot mode using the Tstat setting on the stove linked to a wall mounted thermostat. The stove has been shutting down recently without reaching the programmed temperature. On pilot mode it is suppose to run continuously and lower the output when the thermostat is not calling for heat. We can't figure out why it is shutting down. We clean it regularly so ash buildup isn't a problem. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
Lopi agp pellet insert shutting down
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I have a lopi agp insert that was installed Sept. 2014. I haven't used the Tstat setting just run it on manual.
But it too is shutting down after running for 24 to 36 hour period of time. When stove was sales pitched to me,
The dealer said it runs on all grades of pellets and that the ash pan wouldn't require cleaning for a week.
Well these were out and out misrepresentations. The ash pan needs to be cleaned daily. The stove shuts down
At least once a week. Now keep in mind that the selling point for these stoves are AGP, all grade pellet. Well
The dealers response to these issues are, you aren't using the right pellets. I have been burning Dry Creek. They are a fairly good quality pellet. At no time during the sales pitch did they state that the stove needs to burn any specific pellet type.. First time dealer came out to troubleshoot they had me pay for a full cleaning after using stove for four months.
They said it probably was dirty and this was causing shut down. I had them clean it and it did not remedy the shutting down. Then the dealer said it was the pellet type that was causing it to shut down. He came out and gave me a bag of
Pellets he uses in his lopi agp. He even admitted his stove which is same stove shuts down from time to time.
I called Travis Industries directly and talked to an Eric in tech support and he was spewing the same explanation.
It must be the pellets I am using. But I reminded him that they market this stove as an all grade pellet stove.
Total misrepresentation. I really believe that this stove is a four thousand dollar piece of crap.
If in fact this stoves problem is that it's design renders it so finicky that it shuts down because it can't run on all grades of pellets then I won't be satisfied until they take the stove back with a full refund.
But it too is shutting down after running for 24 to 36 hour period of time. When stove was sales pitched to me,
The dealer said it runs on all grades of pellets and that the ash pan wouldn't require cleaning for a week.
Well these were out and out misrepresentations. The ash pan needs to be cleaned daily. The stove shuts down
At least once a week. Now keep in mind that the selling point for these stoves are AGP, all grade pellet. Well
The dealers response to these issues are, you aren't using the right pellets. I have been burning Dry Creek. They are a fairly good quality pellet. At no time during the sales pitch did they state that the stove needs to burn any specific pellet type.. First time dealer came out to troubleshoot they had me pay for a full cleaning after using stove for four months.
They said it probably was dirty and this was causing shut down. I had them clean it and it did not remedy the shutting down. Then the dealer said it was the pellet type that was causing it to shut down. He came out and gave me a bag of
Pellets he uses in his lopi agp. He even admitted his stove which is same stove shuts down from time to time.
I called Travis Industries directly and talked to an Eric in tech support and he was spewing the same explanation.
It must be the pellets I am using. But I reminded him that they market this stove as an all grade pellet stove.
Total misrepresentation. I really believe that this stove is a four thousand dollar piece of crap.
If in fact this stoves problem is that it's design renders it so finicky that it shuts down because it can't run on all grades of pellets then I won't be satisfied until they take the stove back with a full refund.
SESZOO
Member
Been running my Lopi straight since I installed in Nov /14, with no problem ,Have been burning Energex ,with a bunch of Dry Creeks earlier on mostly .with a few bags of other types thrown in to try to find the best heat. Been giving a good cleaning every 4 days which is more than I thought when I bought it ,and seems to burn more than what we thought but it has been way below 0 for awhile and we've been warm . Had some pellets That seemed to have sucked up some moisture and didn't run too good a few weeks back other than that have been satisfied . As far as the dealer ,Mine has been really good ,but there's a Good Harmon dealer just up the road from them too ,so they have to be . Hope you get the problems straightened out .
Do you agree that the stove is marketed as being able to burn all grades of pellets? and to explain why my stove is shutting down as a pellet type issue is pretty lame?
SESZOO
Member
Yes it's supposed to run all grades ,I haven't been through a lot of them ,It was sold too me too with the opinion that it would run any pellet you could put in it ,I just haven't used that many different ones besides the energex and dry creeks and they have burned fine . The few others that I did try were Currans from up near us ,Not as much heat and some Penningtons from walmart they seemed to be wet and didn't burn worth a sh--.. As for shutting down we've been running ours just on the stove controls non stop since Nov .Our dealer would have had this fixed by now , I would at least think they would anyway just from my limited dealings and the word of mouth from others in the area
What's even more inf
What is even more infuriating is that when I call Travis that is their first line of defense, the pellet quality!
What are the "poor" pellets actually causing the stove to do? What are they saying when they are blaming the pellets? I have the same AGP insert. As of yet it has run fine. However, I usually do not let my stove run more the 24 straight hours before shutting down, I notice the ash when it falls off the platform usually forms a mound in front and to the side of the platform that the igniter is on. Not much falls on the other side. After about 24 hours the ash is usually piled up close to the level of the platform Sometimes I just open the door while running and just sweep the ash to the side, but usually I shut down and clean the burn pot/ash pan. The ash pan isn't close to being full just a nice mound around the platform. Then the stove is back up and running in under an hour.
I can see where if the ash mound builds up the ash will not fall of the platform any more. That would cause the burn platform to clog up. I would assume the stove can probably sense the platform is clogged somehow and probably shuts down. I think they need to tell people at some point to brush the ash away from the pan near the platform to the sides. I am wondering if this is the issue you are seeing.
I can see where if the ash mound builds up the ash will not fall of the platform any more. That would cause the burn platform to clog up. I would assume the stove can probably sense the platform is clogged somehow and probably shuts down. I think they need to tell people at some point to brush the ash away from the pan near the platform to the sides. I am wondering if this is the issue you are seeing.
Try letting it run for two days without shutting down.
Stove is worthless if it has to be shut down daily. I too must open door to push ash down. Honestly we shouldn't have to be doing this. I am not happy that I have to do this. I had an austraflam integra prior to this stove and I could burn that sucker for three days before having to turn off and vacuum burn pot. What dealer is saying about the pellets are they don't burn clean and somehow that causes stove to shut down. So the issue of pellets piling up and causing an issue is lame too. Poor design I think.
I also open door to push ash away and I am not happy about that. poor design. So that removes ash build up as an issue. I have only been burning dry creek and earlier in the season Wood Pellet Co.
The stove should be able to run for two days without having to shut off and clean.
The stove should be able to run for two days without having to shut off and clean.
Thanks for the replies. We have been burning the pellets we purchased directly from the dealer. Initially we wanted to run the stove on manual but had issues with that. After multiple service calls with the dealer we were told by the technician to run it on the pilot mode continuously. We realized at this point the sales pitch did not match reality. We too have to clean the tray more often than expected after sales pitch. We also regularly open the door and sweep away the pile. We have many friends with other brands of stoves that don't have the issues we do. I am disappointed in the service response but now they are stating they need to clean the flue. As it is brand new I will have them come out. To date the dealer hasn't raised the pellet quality issue but we did buy three tons from them so that would be there issue. I appreciate the replies. I only wish this was an easier process, the stove has been nice but a bit more work than expected.
I concur with above mentioned AGP Dialog. Have 2013 Free Standing Model and it can be a"Dirty Little Beast"! Spend much time keeping it clean and running ( my Wife and I would be frozen solid by now if I didn't ) it does burn all grades of Pellets, all with different results. I found some Fir Pellets, a rarity in Ct. And the Stove loved them. Hot Fire, fine white Ash and a Price per Bag I'm ashamed to admit to paying ( Only bought them to get us through second to last Polar Vortex! ) Good Luck to all Lopi owners, Patience is a Virtue if you haven't already figured that out...
Mysticenchantment
Member
I have the freestanding model, but I doubt that makes any difference. So far I've only used Lignetics and 3/4 of a bag of Dry Creek. I turn mine off once a week and then I pull the gunk off the platform and push the ash in the pan to the sides. I only have to empty the pan every other week. I burned about 40 bags of Lignetics, and with little left I picked up 10 bags of Dry Creek at a place local to my office.
The Lignetics are fine, not a lot of junk stays on the platform for long, and the ash is fluffy so it mostly blows out.
The Dry Creek this year are horrible. I left it running overnight and in the morning there was a glob of ashes that resembled a tongue hanging off the platform. I scooped out what was left of the Dry Creek and have been running a 50/50 mix of Lignetics and Dry Creek.
Yes, it is marketed as being able to run all grades of pellets, and it does, perhaps some not as well as others though. Whatever the dealer told you about running for days is nothing more than huffing. The only factual information you can rely on is what is printed directly in media distributed by the manufacturer. The stores will tell you whatever you need to hear to get you to buy it. After the sale it becomes a he said/she said issue which you will most certainly be on the losing end of. Remember, sales staff at the car dealer will tell you that the car you're looking at will get fantastic gas mileage, when in fact the window sticker indicates a mixed average of 23 mpg. because they want you to buy it, or at least buy something.
Now, I'm not sure why your units would be shutting down. Sure, if the pellets are marginal at best you will have to clean it more often as some pellets generate far more ash and miscellaneous garbage than others, but it should still run unless one of the safety features were to shut it down.
Perhaps the pellets are more ashy than usual and blocking too much of the platform? I have noticed that if I run it on lower settings for a long time the platform will have more "leftovers" (for lack of a better word) than it will have at higher settings. I've found that if I set the control to 1/2 +/- a couple lines on the panel, it will stay mostly clean. The store I bought mine from runs their display model on high for the 10 hours a day the store is open, and then on low overnight to maintain some heat in the store.
I would absolutely be firm, demanding even, with the store that installed it to examine it completely and either fix it or come to some compromise that is mutually satisfactory.
As far as having to maintain it more than you thought, its an unfortunate situation, but be thankful you don't have an Englander that requires far more maintenance than either of the other two stoves I've ran.
Also remember, the correct air flow will help keep the platform clean as well.
The Lignetics are fine, not a lot of junk stays on the platform for long, and the ash is fluffy so it mostly blows out.
The Dry Creek this year are horrible. I left it running overnight and in the morning there was a glob of ashes that resembled a tongue hanging off the platform. I scooped out what was left of the Dry Creek and have been running a 50/50 mix of Lignetics and Dry Creek.
Yes, it is marketed as being able to run all grades of pellets, and it does, perhaps some not as well as others though. Whatever the dealer told you about running for days is nothing more than huffing. The only factual information you can rely on is what is printed directly in media distributed by the manufacturer. The stores will tell you whatever you need to hear to get you to buy it. After the sale it becomes a he said/she said issue which you will most certainly be on the losing end of. Remember, sales staff at the car dealer will tell you that the car you're looking at will get fantastic gas mileage, when in fact the window sticker indicates a mixed average of 23 mpg. because they want you to buy it, or at least buy something.
Now, I'm not sure why your units would be shutting down. Sure, if the pellets are marginal at best you will have to clean it more often as some pellets generate far more ash and miscellaneous garbage than others, but it should still run unless one of the safety features were to shut it down.
Perhaps the pellets are more ashy than usual and blocking too much of the platform? I have noticed that if I run it on lower settings for a long time the platform will have more "leftovers" (for lack of a better word) than it will have at higher settings. I've found that if I set the control to 1/2 +/- a couple lines on the panel, it will stay mostly clean. The store I bought mine from runs their display model on high for the 10 hours a day the store is open, and then on low overnight to maintain some heat in the store.
I would absolutely be firm, demanding even, with the store that installed it to examine it completely and either fix it or come to some compromise that is mutually satisfactory.
As far as having to maintain it more than you thought, its an unfortunate situation, but be thankful you don't have an Englander that requires far more maintenance than either of the other two stoves I've ran.
Also remember, the correct air flow will help keep the platform clean as well.
Thanks for all replies. I have contacted my states attorney generals office regarding Travis and my dealer. My complaint is that they both misrepresent what the machine is supposed to be able to do and there is ample marketing videos and product pamphlets that I can provide to make my case. It is not a sales pitch that can't be proven. They publicly make these claims. It absolute total BS to blame stoves operation on pellets. This is not my first stove ever. I had an Austroflam Integra prior to this stove and it was a beast. Pellet type should only make a difference in heat output
Flame quality etc etc. it should not be an explanation as to why the stove shuts down prematurely.
I found it amusing that both the dealer and Travis want to give me 20 bags of a pellet that the dealer uses in his AGP and here's the amusing part, the dealer has admitted his stove has shut down from time to time prematurely!
Last I spoke to the dealer he said Travis doesn't know why this is happening and their engineers are trying to figure out.
I really don't want to rely on that happening anytime soon. I have no faith or trust in either party's competence or trustworthiness.
And regarding dealers telling us to open the stove to knock ash buildup down, I don't know about the rest of you owners but I feel it's unsafe, I got burned a few times and I'm tired of the smoky smell emitted every time it has to be done.
Flame quality etc etc. it should not be an explanation as to why the stove shuts down prematurely.
I found it amusing that both the dealer and Travis want to give me 20 bags of a pellet that the dealer uses in his AGP and here's the amusing part, the dealer has admitted his stove has shut down from time to time prematurely!
Last I spoke to the dealer he said Travis doesn't know why this is happening and their engineers are trying to figure out.
I really don't want to rely on that happening anytime soon. I have no faith or trust in either party's competence or trustworthiness.
And regarding dealers telling us to open the stove to knock ash buildup down, I don't know about the rest of you owners but I feel it's unsafe, I got burned a few times and I'm tired of the smoky smell emitted every time it has to be done.
Mysticenchantment
Member
Um. Every single wood burning appliance will need you to open the door from time to time to perform some modicum of maintenance and this cannot be avoided. Yes, you can get burned and yes there will be some smoke odor. If you feel it is unsafe then perhaps you should stick with running your furnace so you wont have to maintain it, get burned, or smell smoke.
sorry to disagree. I had an Austroflam integra prior to AGP and never had to open door to knock down ash.
As matter of fact it could run for 3 to 4 days before shutting down to clean.
CLASS ACTION SUIT? After reading all Posts it would appear all AGP owners are experiencing the same problems. If Travis Industries
Inc. has Techs working to correct these Design shortcomings they should also be issuing a Recall as some of the Measures Owners are taking to bypass total Shutdown in order to clear Pellet Pies off Burn Pot and spread Ashes evenly in Ash Pan are inherently dangerous and obviously unsafe. They will need to correct these problems or discontinue Production of AGP! If and when they come up with a fix as with Car Manufacturers they should make needed repairs to all AGP owners FREE OF CHARGE ALL CONCLUSIVE! I could go on, but NUFF SAID...
Inc. has Techs working to correct these Design shortcomings they should also be issuing a Recall as some of the Measures Owners are taking to bypass total Shutdown in order to clear Pellet Pies off Burn Pot and spread Ashes evenly in Ash Pan are inherently dangerous and obviously unsafe. They will need to correct these problems or discontinue Production of AGP! If and when they come up with a fix as with Car Manufacturers they should make needed repairs to all AGP owners FREE OF CHARGE ALL CONCLUSIVE! I could go on, but NUFF SAID...
Ctwilly49 I agree with you completely. I think there is a serious design flaw with the stoves ability to push ash off the burn area. I think Travis knows this and is trying to stonewall owners by blaming pellet integrity. But this is a dumb strategy to employ if your main marketing talking point is the stove burns all grades.
They made me pay for a cleaning too. Ran brush up liner etc etc. stove still shuts off. I think I can guess where you purchased I suspect it's where I did too. I have called Rob, the owners son who I have been dealing with and now he is ignoring my calls. I am filing complaint with states attorney general.
Mysticenchantment
Member
The Harman owner's manual instructs owners to dial the stove down, open the door, use the provided tool to scrape the pot and pull ashes over the edge, all while it is running. Sure, as I stated before, there is certainly a risk for burn and there will be smoke intrusion, but if you are careful the risk of burns is minimal, and as I also stated before, if you don't want smoke intrusion then don't have a wood burning appliance.
As far as running your previous stove for days without shutting down to clean, I point out again I shut mine down once a week for a quick cleaning, that would be approximately 7 days, or every Saturday morning (approximately 2 to 3 days longer than your Austroflamm), and the only time I had to level ash in the pan prior to my weekly routine is when I burned straight Dry Creek overnight (as stated above).
Also, if both of your units were installed by the same dealer and you are experiencing the same issues, I suspect the problem would be deficient installs.
As far as a class action, do your best. As we all know the end result of all MDL is a gift card for $5.00.
Mysticenchantment
Member
No. I'm not having problems with a random shut down unless I let it run out of pellets. Not all AGP owners are experiencing the same problems.
Just a note. I have not had any issues with the insert shutting down. Like I said before I usually don't run more then 24 straight hours, but I am going on 48 hours straight after this thread was started with no issue. I just wanted to do a quick test. I did open the door briefly to even out the ash in the pan but that was it. I did not touch the platform, just evened out the mound of ash around the platform in the ash pan. So far no problems. The stove is burning hot and clean so far.
Well my manual does not instruct me to knock down the ash. And I'm not advocating a class action.
I am acting on my own. You sound like a real ash.
Mysticenchantment
Member
No, I'm not an "ash", however I am very realistic. I try not to be abrasive and mean no offense to anyone (however I sometimes fail with the abrasive aspect). It was Willy that is advocating a class action. You intend to complain to your state's Attorney General, as you should since your dealer seemingly is making no effort whatsoever to help you. In your earlier post your dealer advised you that they are waiting for engineers at Travis to figure it out. Chances are your dealer has made no communication with Travis and is trying to pacify you until you go away. As it is you and Willy have spent several thousand dollars each for something that works intermittently. I would be terribly annoyed as well.
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