Lopi Pioneer Bay Thermostat

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deep wood

New Member
Jul 20, 2008
30
AK
I'm installing a Lopi Pioneer Bay insert and would like the option of operating the insert on auto mode with a thermostat. Must I purchase the Lopi Thermostat (part # et. el...) or may I use a standard "off the shelf" thermostat?
 
deep wood said:
I'm installing a Lopi Pioneer Bay insert and would like the option of operating the insert on auto mode with a thermostat. Must I purchase the Lopi Thermostat (part # et. el...) or may I use a standard "off the shelf" thermostat?

No, any standard thermostat, manual or programmable will work. You can even get remote ones from Sky Tech that work too.

Here's a nice touch screen programmable one from Lux....$61 from Amazon.com:

www.amazon.com/Lux-Products-TX9000TS-Programmable-Thermostat/dp/B000I7MANA/ref=dp_cp_ob_hi_title_0
 
Here's my 2 cts
I have a Lopi pioneer bay with the sky tech battery operated remote.
Cheap design but it does what it supposed to do, however if you would set the temp at 68, it will have to cool down to 66 to start it and it shuts off at 70, and the stove blows just air to cool down the stove and often I see the temperature is 71
That's a pretty big gap if you are sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Now I bought a thermostat Honeywell at Costco and thought that would make it nice and comfortable steady temperature, and yes that is true.
However the pellet stove turns on at 68 and off at 69 then turns the stove off but again the stove has to keep running its fan to remove the heat... usually takes 20 mins, but after 10 mins the temperature is down to 68 again and it starts all over again... I think that this is putting too much stress on the pellet stove's starter element... I might be wrong but its almost better to leave the pellet stove running at a low setting.
 
Griny said:
Here's my 2 cts
I have a Lopi pioneer bay with the sky tech battery operated remote.
Cheap design but it does what it supposed to do, however if you would set the temp at 68, it will have to cool down to 66 to start it and it shuts off at 70, and the stove blows just air to cool down the stove and often I see the temperature is 71
That's a pretty big gap if you are sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Now I bought a thermostat Honeywell at Costco and thought that would make it nice and comfortable steady temperature, and yes that is true.
However the pellet stove turns on at 68 and off at 69 then turns the stove off but again the stove has to keep running its fan to remove the heat... usually takes 20 mins, but after 10 mins the temperature is down to 68 again and it starts all over again... I think that this is putting too much stress on the pellet stove's starter element... I might be wrong but its almost better to leave the pellet stove running at a low setting.
Doesn't the SkyTech have a swing adjustment?

You don't have the thermostat close to, and in front of the stove, do you? It needs to be out of the line of the air blowing from the stove, and at least 15' from it. I had an Astoria, and mounted the stat in the kitchen, around the corner from the stove.....that solved the on-off too often problem, along with the swing setting of 2 degrees.

If you can't relocate the stat, try lowering the heat setting on the stove a little like you mentioned, along with a slower fan setting.

As for the ignitor, my Astoria was an '05 model running on a programmable stat, and was still using the original ignitor when I sold it this fall. I even have a new replacement I bought "just in case" but never needed...it's available in the "for sale" forum on this site.
 
Go to Home Depot, pull out $25 for a Ritetemp 6022 programmable thermostat with the swing adjustment (anticipator) and you'll have all the thermostat you need. Don't spend more than that!!!
 
Most people on this site have liked the Skytech. I have a Lopi Yankee and got Travis's Wireless Remote with it. In a word the Travis Remote "SUCKS"!. After fighting with it for almost a year including having it replaced once, I finally broke down and purchased the Skytech 3301P. The difference is night and day. The Travis would sometimes turn the stove on but not turn it off, so in the middle of the night I would wake up with the house over heated. Other times it would not turn the stove on, wake up the house was freezing. Very unreliable. Seems the Travis would send the On/Off signal once and for some reason sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. New batteries, move the receiver or transmitter, no help. The Skytech, works everytime. On is On, Off is Off. As for the swing, the Skytech has an adjustment for the Swing temperature, change it if you wish. My concern with lowering the swing temperature is too much restarting may kill the ignitor sooner. I leave it at the default of +- 2deg. Works fine for me.

BTW-If a wired Thermostat is Ok with you, my Yankee came with a wired Thermostat, make sure before you buy anything, that the Lopi you're getting does not come with the wired remote for free.
 
I wouldn't use the t-stat from Lopi (Travis) it's a pretty cheap unit that does work, but I didn't find it to be accurate at all.
 
macman said:
You don't have the thermostat close to, and in front of the stove, do you? It needs to be out of the line of the air blowing from the stove, and at least 15' from it. I had an Astoria, and mounted the stat in the kitchen, around the corner from the stove.....that solved the on-off too often problem, along with the swing setting of 2 degrees.

Right now the remote is sitting about 5 feet away from the stove at switch height about 4 feet high.
I think if I put the thermostat in the hallway or at least 15' away from the stove the living room will be rather toasty, but I'll try it to make sure.
 
JRB said:
Most people on this site have liked the Skytech. I have a Lopi Yankee and got Travis's Wireless Remote with it. In a word the Travis Remote "SUCKS"!. After fighting with it for almost a year including having it replaced once.
Well no worries because they don't sell the Travis remote anymore, at least they don't show them as an accessory for the Lopi Pioneer Bay anymore
 
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