Lopi Berkshire - pilot and main burner turning off

[dustent]

I've been lurking and searching this forum while troubleshooting an issue with a natural gas Lopi Berkshire stove. Hoping someone can help me, I've exhausted all ideas at this point.

Symptom: pilot lights and main burner lights as it should, but shortly after lighting, both pilot and main burner will click off - almost like a safety switch was triggered.

Steps thus far:
- Thermopile replaced
- Thermocoupler replaced
- Pilot cleaned
- Verified no debris in exhaust vent pipe
- Exhaust regulator set to position 6 (wide open) per instructions
- I've removed the thermostat from the equation, doesn't make a difference

If I leave the glass front off the stove it doesn't shut off, which makes me think there is a high temp switch that is activating and turning the gas valve off. I don't see anything like that in the manual or in the wiring within the stove.

Any ideas?

TIA!

 

[DAKSY]

You say that the EXHAUST vent pipe is clear. What about the INTAKE?
If it runs with the glass off, & shuts down with the glass on, sounds like it
isn't getting combustion air.

 

[dustent]

You say that the EXHAUST vent pipe is clear. What about the INTAKE?
If it runs with the glass off, & shuts down with the glass on, sounds like it
isn't getting combustion air.

Thanks for the reply, I just checked the vents, nothing blocking or obstructing the air flow. When I put the glass door on, it doesn't look like the flame is impacted. The flame is very nice until the valve/solenoid turns off.

Perhaps it's a bad gas valve unit?

 

[DAKSY]

Does the flame "lift" off & appear to "float" above the burner, just before it goes out?
If so, I would still look at the venting. If the sections have become separated or were
not assembled correctly, the exhaust can be drawn in the intake & the flame will
extinguish due to reduced oxygen in the combustion air...

 

[dustent]

Does the flame "lift" off & appear to "float" above the burner, just before it goes out?
If so, I would still look at the venting. If the sections have become separated or were
not assembled correctly, the exhaust can be drawn in the intake & the flame will
extinguish due to reduced oxygen in the combustion air...

It doesn't, the flame looks great. I can hear the valve "click" off, something is letting the valve to shut off both main burner and pilot. I'm able to relight the pilot immediately after the valve shuts off. I'm beginning to think it's the valve assembly itself.

 

[sticks]

You may try closing the restrictor 1 or 2 notches. Since it is working with the glass off I doubt it is a part. The other option is to get a pilot sheild from the dealer.

 

[DAKSY]

You may try closing the restrictor 1 or 2 notches. Since it is working with the glass off I doubt it is a part. The other option is to get a pilot sheild from the dealer.

That's a GOOD point. The incoming air may be creating turbulence around the pilot & causing the pilot to lose contact with the t-couple.
This action will shut everything down. It happens more often in situations where the chimney is exceedingly high, say 25-30 feet.

 

[dustent]

Update: So I sat in front of the heater, watching the pilot light until it finally clicked off. The pilot light IS going out and that's what shutting the stove off. Great news, I know it's the pilot light! Now I just need to figure out how to get that to stop. Basically, the main burn starts up and it looks like it "steals" the flame from the pilot light, the pilot light will "ghost" back and forth a couple times and then eventually go out. I've adjusted the venting and pilot light in various positions but it's not staying lit. Perhaps the air/gas mix is incorrect at the main burner?

 

[DAKSY]

It's not the AtF mixture. Is there a screw on the gas valve labelled "PILOT?"
If so, you should be able to turn the pilot flame higher, but you need to have a
multimeter so you don't set it too high, or you will damage the thermopile.
Set the meter to mV DC & take your readings on the TP & TH-TP (or TP-TH) terminals on the valve.
Try to set the pilot to 550mV, but anywhere between 450 - 550mV will work...

 

[dustent]

It's not the AtF mixture. Is there a screw on the gas valve labelled "PILOT?"
If so, you should be able to turn the pilot flame higher, but you need to have a
multimeter so you don't set it too high, or you will damage the thermopile.
Set the meter to mV DC & take your readings on the TP & TH-TP (or TP-TH) terminals on the valve.
Try to set the pilot to 550mV, but anywhere between 450 - 550mV will work...

I'm only getting 192mV, so my pilots not hot enough/strong enough which is why it's going out. I cleaned the pilot assembly, it's clear.

This stove was converted from LP to NG once up a time. The valve was changed, does the pilot get changed too? Maybe it's still the LP pilot assembly?

 

[DAKSY]

If it was still set up with the LP pilot orifice, the flame would "candle."
It would flow out of the pilot hood & turn up after about 1/4" (more or less),
& would have a VERY yellow tip.
Look for a screw on the face of the valve labelled "PILOT."
It may be a slotted brass screw or it may have a chrome-plated steel slotted screw that
has to be removed before you can make an adjustment.
If you have doubts, call for a service tech. If you are going to attempt this, take a pic of the
valve & post it so we can see what you're dealing with...t.

 

[brithedark]

If it was still set up with the LP pilot orifice, the flame would "candle."
It would flow out of the pilot hood & turn up after about 1/4" (more or less),
& would have a VERY yellow tip.
Look for a screw on the face of the valve labelled "PILOT."
It may be a slotted brass screw or it may have a chrome-plated steel slotted screw that
has to be removed before you can make an adjustment.
If you have doubts, call for a service tech. If you are going to attempt this, take a pic of the
valve & post it so we can see what you're dealing with...t.

Has the issue ever been resolved? I have a lopi Berkshire and have the same issue. 1k in service calls and no one can figure it out. Went shopping this weekend for a new stove. Gonna run me 4K. Can’t afford it. I really don’t want to junk the Berkshire. Travis ind has been useless to deal with. Local installer not much better. I cannot keep the damn stove lit. I’ve taken videos, put up windshields, etc. did the OP EVER figure it out?

 

[PipPop]

I am experiencing the exact....the exact same situation as the originator of this thread....8/10 times I turn the stove on. I have adjusted the pilot screw a full turn each direction and do not notice anything different with the pilot flame. I can see the pilot light lose's its flame and then followed by the click of the system shutting down everything.

The other 2/10 times I start it it runs without issue but instead of being completely quiet it has a gas/air movement sound (kinda like sucking). The pilot light does not lose its flame in this scenario....and the stove flame looks good and normal as always....just the drawing sound that is very audible.

When I turn off the switch and turn it back on it could be either of the two above scenarios. Is there another thread I should be reading? Help is greatly appreciated!

 

[jsiets]

I am experiencing the exact....the exact same situation as the originator of this thread....8/10 times I turn the stove on. I have adjusted the pilot screw a full turn each direction and do not notice anything different with the pilot flame. I can see the pilot light lose's its flame and then followed by the click of the system shutting down everything.

The other 2/10 times I start it it runs without issue but instead of being completely quiet it has a gas/air movement sound (kinda like sucking). The pilot light does not lose its flame in this scenario....and the stove flame looks good and normal as always....just the drawing sound that is very audible.

When I turn off the switch and turn it back on it could be either of the two above scenarios. Is there another thread I should be reading? Help is greatly appreciated!

How old is your stove should be a tag on the back left top corner with a date stamp and model/ serial number, and have you verified the venting is free and clear? Are you on propane or natural gas?

 

[PipPop]

How old is your stove should be a tag on the back left top corner with a date stamp and model/ serial number, and have you verified the venting is free and clear? Are you on propane or natural gas?

I am on propane. I have not verified the venting is free and clear.....I guess I need to search for a thread how to do that. The intermittment air drawing sound does make we wonder about the venting too. Stove is 2004

 

[DAKSY]

Find out who your DV pipe manufacturer is & search for assembly/disassembly
instructions if you plan to troubleshoot...
As for the pilot, you may have an obstruction in the pilot tube. It's got an I.D. of about .030" .
If, during normal operation, that pilot tube gets blocked, everything shuts down.
The audible click is the sound of the electromagnets closing & shutting off the gas flow.
I would try to clear the pilot tube AND the pilot orifice with compressed air, but I don't
know if you trust your abilities to attempt that.
It requires some disassembly, & a WHOLE lot of bad language.

 

[PipPop]

So I called in a repair tech......the seal around the bottom of the burner pan had come apart (he was not sure if that was the original seal or an attempt to reseal by someone in the past). The seal was reddish silicone like material. A sizeable section of the seal had gone crusty and fell out and there was sufficient space for the flame to come out and burn under the pan. It was in the same area as the pilot light so it did damage to the pilot light. The safety shutdown system worked is the good news.....replacing a new pan is the bad news.

 

[hating lopi]

Has the issue ever been resolved? I have a lopi Berkshire and have the same issue. 1k in service calls and no one can figure it out. Went shopping this weekend for a new stove. Gonna run me 4K. Can’t afford it. I really don’t want to junk the Berkshire. Travis ind has been useless to deal with. Local installer not much better. I cannot keep the damn stove lit. I’ve taken videos, put up windshields, etc. did the OP EVER figure it out?

I have the exact same problem REALLY FRUSTRATING. These stoves are expensive Travis Industries IS usless. My local techs are, too. I have tried EVERYTHING everyone has suggested and IT IS STILL SHUTTING OFF. Does anyone have another thing to try???

 

[Fingerlakes Fireplace]

Don't bash Lopi, they make good stoves. It's the equivalent of cursing a Mercedes, for having a flat tire. (they didn't make the tire, and lopi didn't make your venting system)
it sounds like all the obvious things have been tried, so my educated guess would be that the inner vent pipe of the direct vent system is leaking into the return air pipe.
I would have someone come and take the vent apart, and reinstall the whole vent.

 

[hating lopi]

Don't bash Lopi, they make good stoves. It's the equivalent of cursing a Mercedes, for having a flat tire. (they didn't make the tire, and lopi didn't make your venting system)
it sounds like all the obvious things have been tried, so my educated guess would be that the inner vent pipe of the direct vent system is leaking into the return air pipe.
I would have someone come and take the vent apart, and reinstall the whole vent.

I had that done and it didn't work either!

 

[Fingerlakes Fireplace]

What is your vent scenerio?
Do you have a pilot shield installed?
How many Mv is your thermocouple producing?