A few problems with a new Lopi insert

[schlemmer]

Hi. I've got a new Lopi Declaration that I've got a few issues with and was wondering if anybody had some advice about how serious they are or what the causes/fixes might be. In order of irritation factor:

1.) The blower induces a rattle somewhere in the stove and over a pretty wide range of speeds. This took a few weeks to develop and has, I think, gotten increasingly louder. I don't think it's in the grill or facing as I've put my hands on these items to dampen any vibration and it has no effect. I noted when I installed the stove that the motors were mounted on plastic grommets. Perhaps the casing of one of the motors is rubbing against the frame where a grommet isn't separating them completely. The blower is loud enough without the rattling to accompany it.

2.) The air adjustment rod is really hard to pull out all the way. It's OK from fully open (i.e, pushed all the way in) to about 3/4 out but to stop it down all the way (i.e., for the slowest burn) I've really got to pull on it. Likewise, when I got to push it back in, I usually have to pound it with my palm to get it to go. I doubt my wife has the strength to operate it over it's entire length.

3.) From the first time I fired it up there's been a whistling sound, presumably coming from air getting by the doors/gasket. It only happens when the stove is cold.

Nothing that renders the unit unfit for service but taken together I'm afraid they speak to the fit and finish, and when one considers that it cost well over $3,000, the value of the stove.

Thanks,

Jim

 

[Shane]

Have the dealer look at and repair the blower, that's what the warranty is all about. Also there was an issue with the first run of stoves, the damper yoke legs were 1/4" too long you can cut them off or have your dealer order you a new one. Again parts & labor covered under warranty. The whistling happens in many stoves not just the Lopi. It is usually just the result of draw. You can check your door gaskets if you wish to be sure, simply stick a dollar bill in the door and close it. Try to pull the dollar bill out if there is no resistance then the gaskets need replaced.

 

[Robbie]

Do you have an in line pipe damper, if so, it could be it whistling, mine whistles where the damper knob is located in pipe.

Does your glass get extra black in one certain place ? If so, this could be where your whistle is in the door gasket.

My blower rattles at certain speeds, it mounts to the back bottom of my stove, though different from yours. It is the metal blower frame vibrating against the stove and since my motor is controlled by a rheostat , I just avoid those areas that cause a rattle.

Other wise, my motor is really strong and does a great job.


Is it still under warranty ? If so, you should have your dealer come and take a look at your damper and motors (you have two), it might just need cleaning like mine did. Mine was full of brick dust and I cleaned mine and it made it much easier to slide.

I looked at your parts in PDF and it looks like your damper assembly is pretty simple, should be easy to fix.

(broken link removed to http://www.lopistoves.com/manual.asp?sku=109&title=../../product_images/Title_Declaration&image=103081#)


Robbie

 

[colforbin923]

Hi. I've got a new Lopi Declaration that I've got a few issues with and was wondering if anybody had some advice about how serious they are or what the causes/fixes might be. In order of irritation factor:

1.) The blower induces a rattle somewhere in the stove and over a pretty wide range of speeds. This took a few weeks to develop and has, I think, gotten increasingly louder. I don't think it's in the grill or facing as I've put my hands on these items to dampen any vibration and it has no effect. I noted when I installed the stove that the motors were mounted on plastic grommets. Perhaps the casing of one of the motors is rubbing against the frame where a grommet isn't separating them completely. The blower is loud enough without the rattling to accompany it.

2.) The air adjustment rod is really hard to pull out all the way. It's OK from fully open (i.e, pushed all the way in) to about 3/4 out but to stop it down all the way (i.e., for the slowest burn) I've really got to pull on it. Likewise, when I got to push it back in, I usually have to pound it with my palm to get it to go. I doubt my wife has the strength to operate it over it's entire length.

3.) From the first time I fired it up there's been a whistling sound, presumably coming from air getting by the doors/gasket. It only happens when the stove is cold.

Nothing that renders the unit unfit for service but taken together I'm afraid they speak to the fit and finish, and when one considers that it cost well over $3,000, the value of the stove.

Thanks,

Jim

I have a Lopi Yankee Bay insert and ran into the same blower vibration problems as you, after the first two weeks or so the convection blower (on the right side) makes a horrible vibration noise, not all the time I'm guessing when the metal on the stove expands and contracts it causes it but I'm not 100% sure. I've tried loosening and tightening the mounting brackets but that did not seem to work either. For now I live with it, it does not happen all the time. Any expert tips would help me also. There is also a quarter inch gap where this blower meets the back of the stove, I tried putting some felt in these gaps to stabalize the fan and vibrations, it helps but does not cure it.

 

[Shane]

Burn Out, The 1/4" gap is supposed to be there. They used to mount the blower directly to the convection housing (we're talking FS here since the large insert didn't exist at this point) and the vibration problem was worse. They started mounting on those rubber gromets and that was supposed to be the fix. Though I do have a couple that still vibrate. Honestly though it's always popped up in the FS not the insert in my experience. I have been unable to locate it since the second you touch the stove it immediatley ceases and won't come back for hours/days. I did fix one by swapping out the blower cage seemed to wobble when I direct powered the blower. I sent it in for warranty and haven't got it back yet so it probably was the fan. Might be worth checking on yours. It's also strange too since the problem seems to show up randomly in a very small number of stoves. The vast majority work fine with no customer complaints. Also know that when I'm talking about a mix of both Avalon Astoria & Lopi Yankee Pellet stoves.

 

[GVA]

Ah Ha.... so wood stoves make noises too? Us pellet people will remember this date :lol:

 

[stoveguy2esw]

hey , they do , i have one of our pellet units running right now, if i were to flip the blower on on my older wood unit the airflow noise from it is just as loud if not a little louder than the pellet unit , harmonics of air rushing through a header and pipes i guess , never a problem when you have a 14 yr old daughter who loves music lol

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah but the only time the feed mechanism on my wood stove makes noise is when my stomach growls.

 

[Jay Shank]

2.) The air adjustment rod is really hard to pull out all the way. It's OK from fully open (i.e, pushed all the way in) to about 3/4 out but to stop it down all the way (i.e., for the slowest burn) I've really got to pull on it. Likewise, when I got to push it back in, I usually have to pound it with my palm to get it to go. I doubt my wife has the strength to operate it over it's entire length.]

I have the Lopi liberty i have the same issue with the damper rod.Thought it just might because my stove is older(used). I found that if i pull all the way out in one
quick motion is sides out ok. Than i just give a tap back in to adust.

How are your burn times? I found that loading the fromt to back was the only way to a long burn(can really stuff it full).loaded it at 10:30 lastnite when the temp hits 600(stove top)I shut it down. Got up at 8:00am still at 300 str the coals temp came back to almost 400 for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. with the air full.

good luck,
jay

 

[begreen]

When the secondaries of the F400 really get going it makes a nice inner rumble. Not loud, but it lets you know it's getting down to some serious wood digestion.

 

[budman]

Hi. I've got a new Lopi Declaration that I've got a few issues with and was wondering if anybody had some advice about how serious they are or what the causes/fixes might be. In order of irritation factor:

1.) The blower induces a rattle somewhere in the stove and over a pretty wide range of speeds. This took a few weeks to develop and has, I think, gotten increasingly louder. I don't think it's in the grill or facing as I've put my hands on these items to dampen any vibration and it has no effect. I noted when I installed the stove that the motors were mounted on plastic grommets. Perhaps the casing of one of the motors is rubbing against the frame where a grommet isn't separating them completely. The blower is loud enough without the rattling to accompany it.

2.) The air adjustment rod is really hard to pull out all the way. It's OK from fully open (i.e, pushed all the way in) to about 3/4 out but to stop it down all the way (i.e., for the slowest burn) I've really got to pull on it. Likewise, when I got to push it back in, I usually have to pound it with my palm to get it to go. I doubt my wife has the strength to operate it over it's entire length.

3.) From the first time I fired it up there's been a whistling sound, presumably coming from air getting by the doors/gasket. It only happens when the stove is cold.

Nothing that renders the unit unfit for service but taken together I'm afraid they speak to the fit and finish, and when one considers that it cost well over $3,000, the value of the stove.

Thanks,

Jim

Hey Jim i have the same insert and never had any blower noise sounds like bent squril cage on blower moter (have replaced ) never had problem with air intake rod but had problem with by pass rod when i pulled it out and let stove get up to temp had real hard time to push back in .This disipeard after the first year.

 

[schlemmer]

I looked at your parts in PDF and it looks like your damper assembly is pretty simple, should be easy to fix.

http://www.lopistoves.com/manual.asp?sku=109&title=../../product_images/Title_Declarationℑ=103081#


Robbie

Thanks for the reply, Robbie. The rod that's giving me trouble is the air control not the damper. Now that I look at the manual, there's no mention of the air control in the exploded diagrams. I guess it's considered an integral part of the stove body.

I suspect it's rubbing against the grill.

-jim

 

[schlemmer]

I have the Lopi liberty i have the same issue with the damper rod.Thought it just might because my stove is older(used). I found that if i pull all the way out in one
quick motion is sides out ok. Than i just give a tap back in to adust.

How are your burn times? I found that loading the fromt to back was the only way to a long burn(can really stuff it full).loaded it at 10:30 lastnite when the temp hits 600(stove top)I shut it down. Got up at 8:00am still at 300 str the coals temp came back to almost 400 for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. with the air full.

good luck,
jay

Hi Jay.

Not really sure what to think of my burn times. I've never *really* stuffed the firebox over night; usually only a couple of big logs and the air stopped down to about 3/4 closed (if I pull it all the way out, it'll choke of the fire in all but the most roaring conditions). Even so, I will typically still have plenty of embers in the morning and the fan thermostat will still be closed (i.e., fan running). So it's still warm but to get it going again I pretty much need kindling, etc. My thought is that if I had it really going and stuffed the firebox full it would be going still in the morning so I'd only have to throw another log on. Don't have a stove mount thermometer so I can't say anything about actual temperatures.

WRT the blower vibration noise: I finally pulled the grill off and had a look. I moved the blowers around a bit and the noise went away. It was, however, replaced by a new noise that sounds much more like a bearing than a mount vibrating. Also, after a day the vibration was back. It's really a disappointment that they couldn't engineer a better mounting system. I mean, why not something more like motor mounts? Those grommets clearly don't do the job. Perhaps I'll try a dollop of silicone to hold them in place a little better. The one advantage of their mounting system is that it's very easy to replace a motor.

Thanks all for responding.

-jim

 

[budman]

JIM i don't know if your intrested but i found a spot on the declaration today to mount a
thermometer. Take off your front grill and on top of the door opening on the left & right
opening you can get a rutland on there and see it throug the the grill.

 

[riguy]

I have the Declaration as well. I've had no problems at all with mine. It sounds as if you definetly need to contact your dealer. That's intersting about the thermometer. I always feel like I'm flying blind without it. I'll try to buy one this weekend. Thanks for the tip!

 

[riguy]

Any of those who did put in the thermometer...what kind of temps are you seeing? I'm been having a rough time with my stove, not sure if something's wrong or what but it just does not seem to heat up very well. My thermometer usually hovers b/n 200 and 250 degrees. Keep in mind it's on the front of the stoove, where Budman suggested. Anyone else with a Declaration seeing similair results?

 

[budman]

Any of those who did put in the thermometer...what kind of temps are you seeing? I'm been having a rough time with my stove, not sure if something's wrong or what but it just does not seem to heat up very well. My thermometer usually hovers b/n 200 and 250 degrees. Keep in mind it's on the front of the stoove, where Budman suggested. Anyone else with a Declaration seeing similair results?

Riguy With out blower on 600-700 with blower on 400 450 are you burning 24/7 or just weekends?
You should get a good coal bed going first than see what happens.

 

[riguy]

WHoa! That's much warmer than what I'm getting. No, I burn 24/7. Good coals, etc. It just never gets very hot. It's always been this way. Could it be my wood, ya think? Or did I get a bum stove?

 

[budman]

WHoa! That's much warmer than what I'm getting. No, I burn 24/7. Good coals, etc. It just never gets very hot. It's always been this way. Could it be my wood, ya think? Or did I get a bum stove?

I really don't think you have a bum stove, I am burning over one year old black locust witch burns
very hot and long with great coals. Sounds like you have some wet or unseasoned wood.
I have a 1800 sq foot house and heat it all about 68-72 degree's. I love this stove.

 

[Robbie]

Wonder what ever happened on this ?


Robbie

 

[riguy]

Hmm, I agree with the wood, that's been my concern as well. I'd say it's 12-18 month oak, by and large, and I did have a mositure issue that I resolved earlier in the season but I think the damage was done. I guess we'll see next year. I'm already out of wood, or will be next week. I severly misjudged what this stove takes. I started the year with 3 cords in October, thinking it's be tight but OK. I guess I was used to my old VC Aspen, which took much less. LOL Oh well. Well, Budman, I hope your right cause my stove has not budged the thermostat in the house since I got home 3 hours ago. Granted, it's 10 degress...

 

[Kilted]

Hi there an new member here. I have spent the two days reading this forum, lots of useful and interesting infromation here. I do not have the Lopi Declaration, I have the twin Avalon Perfect-Fit.

For the noises, I do not have the them. Sticking controls the bypass sticks if I leave it extened (open) to long after starting a fire. I do not have a thermometer, I'll have to get one now that I know where to put it.

Current wood pile: Modesto Ash last summer, well seasoned oak and almond. The stove is in a 1950's CA tract house with a really suckie fireplace. I had an old Tremont insert for 15 years and last Feb (2/06) I replaced it with my first EPA wood stove.

riguy,

I agree its the wood. I assume you have checked the chiminey etc? With out a thermometer I can not tell you what temps I'm running but I can tell you that with a modest amount of ash I use to start with the stove throws enough heat you want to move. With a 2" bed of coals and two pieces of oak or almond in the stove and the damper set (3/4 closed) it's too hot to stand in front of the stove.

One addition I made was to add a bypass switch for the thermoswitch. This way I can turn on the fan right away, I set the fan to a medium speed and then come back later to set the fan on high and switch back to thermoswitch. I also operate the stove on a timer shutting the fans down about 330am. I do not usually attempt an overnight burn, just not cold enough in CA the house is usually 62+ in the morning.

The house and woodstove blowers are on a house ups system, a 5kw inverter with 24kwh battery bank, and 5.2kw of solar electric panels, grid tied also.


-- Brandy

 

[Robbie]

Hmmmmm, last visit for schlemmer (original poster) was Dec. 06, wonder whatever happened ?

I probably won't sleep well until I know.......threads like this really bother me if I don't find out what happened. :roll:

Could someone tell me a story so I'll sleep better tonight ?

Oh, I actually emailed him, no response as of yet..............


Robbie

 

[JayY]

Here is my experience so far with the Fireplace X elite 33 (same stove as the lopi declaration ). I had a rattle in with the fans initially that sounded like the fan rubbing against the housing. I called the dealer and he said that often goes away in a week or 2. He also said he would order new fans just in case. The rattle did go away and I have not heard it in about 2 months. They are under warranty for 2 years.

I don't have any problem with the air control. It looks pretty simple. I am curious to know what could be bound up or warped?

As for temperatures, I am seing at least 400 on the face of the stove where Budman suggested. This is with the fan running and at least 3 splits on a large coal bed. My thermometer is not made for wood stoves and is only accurate to 400. I really need to buy an appropriate thermometer. I am currently burning a mix of maple, oak, and beech that is almost seasoned. It could use another month in the sun but its all I have.