Do Online Lopi Dealers Exist? -- Looking for a Blower

[Hedge]

I'm trying to find an online Lopi dealer for a blower for our Lopi Answer wood stove, as it seems that most comments in this forum regarding blowers' effectiveness in adding heating capacity are favorable. Unfortunately, I can't seem to track down any online dealers. I'm 2 hours from the nearest sizable city, so I'd prefer to purchase via mail order. Does anybody know of a good dealer for Lopi stoves that would be willing to conduct business over the phone or internet?

 

[BrotherBart]

Travis Industries now absolutely forbids sales outside of a dealer's service area. That would be all Lopi and Avalon stoves. Give Travis a call and rip their ear about it.

 

[fossil]

So far as I understand it, Travis Industries (parent company of the Lopi brand, among others) has a policy that forbids their dealers from selling outside their assigned local region, which pretty much precludes online sales. There are members of this forum involved in the industry who can answer more definitively than I, but that's the last I heard of it. If you need a part for a Lopi stove, you've got to deal with a local dealer. Rick

 

[fossil]

Jeez, I gotta learn to stop bein' so wordy. Rick

 

[BrotherBart]

Jeez, I gotta learn to stop bein' so wordy. Rick

It's an officer thing. Ya can't help it. Non-coms just throw it out there. :lol:

 

[Hedge]

I was afraid it might be due to some sort of clause like that. If they ever get the Lopi website running again, I might be able to find the nearest dealer.

Thank you for the quick and definitive response.

 

[drdoct]

I recently called around Atlanta to find someone who had a gasket and blower and all the Lopi guys are losers here. This way of doing business is beyond stupid. Especially because none of their 'dealers' even carry any inventory. They don't know the recent prices. Everyone says they'll have to call and see. I guess I'll rig something for a blower or find one used some time. I absolutely hate doing business with people who run their businesses this way. I'm sure there are lots of unhappy people who HAVE to deal with their local loser store now. It wont keep them in business any longer or give Travis any more business and in the end will deter people from their appliances. I would have called them to let them know, but it's hard to find a number for them. :-(

 

[Dave_1]

Hedge / Drdoct,

Try these links;

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/productIndex.shtml?operator=retrieveProdLevel1Index&prodLevelList=Motor|Motors,&prod_level_selected=Motor

http://www.electricmotorwarehouse.com/fireplace.htm

http://www.mcmaster.com/

Good luck with it.

 

[gpcollen1]

I bought mine locally for about $280 recently. My old unit was 10 yrs old and I figured just replacing the one bad motor was not the way to go - plus, I needed a new snap disk too. and it comes with the unit.

As for not just being able to easily procure replacement motors or parts for this thing easily or just sourcing a unit on line or something - well, it sucks really.

 

[drizler]

No one makes their own electric motors so they got it somewhere. Have you tried to cross reference the motor's model # through grainger? You might want to give them a call. There is another online outfit that sells motors online though the name slips my mind at the moment. Also try shooting the number off your motor or from the manual around the net on google and see where it lands. Its hard sometimes as these manufacturers move heaven and earth to keep it a secret yet its often doable. They may just love extortion but they are mostly lazy and don't bother to remove the numbers from the items they get out-sourced from off the shelf sources. If you can find this fabled $50 direct replacement make sure to buy 2 so you have a spare. You can always Ebay the extra one when you sell your stove. Of course it all comes down to how bad you need one and how quickly, better get hopping....................