Lopi Cape Cod

[Einstein557]

Good Evening-This is my first post so I hope I do it correctly.I have the option of buying a Demo model Cape Cod.The story I have is that was never burned in the new owner's home because of some modifications he was going to have to do to the existing chimney.I am familiar with Lopi products as I have a Leyden now that I have had for a couple years.This Cape Cod has the brown enamel finish,blower and green start feature(which I would probably never use).The question I have is about reliablity of the stove.I know webby3650 had a huge problem with his cracking and he mentioned in a post that they weren't designed to last for a very long time.I am interested in maybe webby3650 explaining the reason or reasons why they won't last and anyone else who has had good or bad experience with reliability.I have also looked at Quadra Fire Explorer III as it is top loading like my current stove but am concerned about the secondary burn tubes the way they pivot back to put more wood in..It also seems you couldn't get a full load of wood in the way it pivots back.Thanks in advance for any opinions.

 

[webby3650]

There were a few reasons for the cracks mine had. First off the design.. the bosses for the bolts were too close to the edge of the Castings. This may or may not have been addressed, because according to Lopi, there was never any issue.
Second, cheap iron from china. This has been resolved, now the Castings are done in Europe. Ironically, Lopi would never admit the Castings were from china, until they landed a deal in Europe..

I'd verify the build date of the stove for a certainty, if it's an early model I'd pass!

Other duribitly issues: the catalyst has no protection from flames, in the front or the rear, this has proven to fatal to cats in the past. The rear side of the cat is constantly being licked with flames when the bypass is open. The baffle is made from thin Stainless and warps routinely during use. The andiron brackets also warp and bend, to both of these issues Lopi offered no solution.

As you may see, I now have a quad Isle Royale. The top load feature works well, the tubes are no problem at all, but it can be difficult to stuff the thing full from the top. I use the top load feature up until its really cold, then I just load through the front doors. I've really enjoyed this stove.

 

[webby3650]

I took a big gamble by buying a stove that's new to the market and I expected a few bumps along the way. Lopi offered me no help at all. That's where where my problem lays. When problems arise with a new product, the manufacturer needs to approach the issues head on, and they dropped the ball big time. I work for a Lopi dealer and couldn't even get help, so unless your dealer just eats the stove when an issue arises, you're on your own with Lopi...

 

[Einstein557]

Thanks so much for the quick info.The Cape Cod is 750 miles away but it has everything I wanted on the stove,but if its not going to last not worth getting a pretty piece of cast iron just to look at.I am assuming the Quad Isle Royale is being replaced by the Explorer III???It appears the specs are almost the same.My main reason for wanting the Lopi was because it was so efficient so I thought I would use a little less wood.Since you have burned both is there much difference in amount of wood burnt between your Quad and the Lopi?

 

[webby3650]

I can't tell any difference in wood consumption. Another thing I didn't like was the firebox shape of the Cape Cod.
It's 24" wide, but only 10 or 12" deep. Combine that with an arched opening, you simply cannot fill the firebox. Realistically it's more of a 2.5 cubic foot stove.

 

[Einstein557]

Well its been a few months but I finally broke down and drove to PA to buy the Cape Cod.I know webby3650 had lots of trouble with his,and I deserve any trouble I have with the stove after being warned,but I got it at less than half of the orginal price would have been and I checked it thoughly for cracks around the back behind the firebricks.I have already built a small fire in it and it burned fine except for startup.I fiqured with it being around 70 and very humid on startup thats why it smoked a little into the house until the firebox got warm..Then it seemed to do fine.I have about 17 1/2 feet of chimney from the floor where the stove is sitting to the top of the chimney cap.It is straight through the roof with no bends.Is this enough for a good draft on the Cape Cod when it gets colder as I cannot find much information about chimney height for this model.Thanks.

 

[webby3650]

That should be plenty of chimney height.

 

[webby3650]

That's a real pretty stove. Why were they selling it? I can't remember.

 

[Einstein557]

An individual had bought it and had a fireplace he was going to use as the chimney for the Cape Cod but apparently it was gonna cost him a ton and have to get permits to make his chimney work with the new stove.I suspect maybe the chimney was so old it may have been cracked on the inside.Anyway he bought the store's Demo unit and never built a fire in it because he didn't have a chimney.So now I hope I won't have the same troubles u did with yours.Right now nothing is warped but I will keep a close eye.

 

[webby3650]

I hope you have good luck with it. They didn't all have issues evidently.

 

[Nipper5]

Hi sorry for hijacking your post, i too have just bought a ex display Cape Cod. Im from Australia and was just wondering if someone has any advice with regards to burn time. Ive tried to work out how to start a new thread but cant seem to work it out. My problem seems to be establishing a coal bed for long over night burns. I seem to get a great coal bed then start loading it up for the night before heading off to bed and then wake up about 7hrs later with the large logs still whole and just burnt on the outside. Most Australian wood heaters dont have an ash pan and a friend of mine thinks thats where the problems lies. He thinks all the hot ash and coals are going into the ashpan and effectively killing the fire. Ive got a 10mm steel plate that ive thought about installing but id rather ask opinions first.This is my first wood stove so any help would be greatly appreciated. Like i said earlier sorry to hijack the post. Thanks

 

[begreen]

Don't modify the stove. It's not the ashpan that's the cause of the problem. If the fire is getting enough air and the draft is good then the most likely cause is that the wood is not fully seasoned and it's damp in the core. Try splitting a batch in half and let it sit indoors for a few days before burning. See if that work better. When you split it in half, press the freshly exposed wood up against your cheek. Does it feel kind of cool and damp? If so, that is another sign it hasn't fully seasoned.

 

[Nipper5]

Don't modify the stove. It's not the ashpan that's the cause of the problem. If the fire is getting enough air and the draft is good then the most likely cause is that the wood is not fully seasoned and it's damp in the core. Try splitting a batch in half and let it sit indoors for a few days before burning. See if that work better. When you split it in half, press the freshly exposed wood up against your cheek. Does it feel kind of cool and damp? If so, that is another sign it hasn't fully seasoned.

Yeah ok, iam still learning on how to have the stove setup (with regards to air intake and all). Id say the wood isnt the best, though a friend of mine hasnt had any issues burning it. (Different stive tho) maybe im not getting the stove hot enough aswell. Thanks alot for your advice.

 

[begreen]

Hang in there. It's a very common problem for new wood burners. Poorly seasoned wood will require more air to burn well. That said, there is a possibility it is ok. You'll know better once you split it in half. Wood quality is hard to tell over the internet. Some wood species need more air because the wood is so dense. Do you know what type of wood you are burning? FWIW, good hardwood usually takes a couple years after it has been split and stacked to fully dry.

 

[Nipper5]

Yes its called Red Gum (common in Western Australia), when i split it in half it burns quite well, though the problem is when i try to burn a whole log.
The weather hasnt been the best here of late, so the wood is probably not as dry as it could be. Ill try get the stove up to a temperature tonight and then have a play around with the air intake and damper and go from there.

 

[Einstein557]

Good Afternoon Nipper 5.I have only built a small fire in mine as it is still summer here in TN but I burnt a Leyden for 3 years prior and have been told the Cape Cod will be much easier to burn.The only 2 things I can think of is draft(chimney height plus any bends that would reduce outside draw on the fire),and the moisture content in the wood.I am pretty anal about not burning anything above 20%,but most of my wood is closer to 12%.I live in an area that is abundant with red and white oak and I split it in the spring,cover it up but let it "breathe" in the summer and it is usually pretty close to where it needs to be at winter.I have a digital moisture meter that will tell me how well the wood has dried.I am not familiar with the red gum,but if it is dense hardwood you will have to let it season for a while before it will burn efficiently in a newer stove.When it gets burning season i will be glad to keep you up to date an how mine is doing and hopefully you will figure out the problem with yours and enjoy the fire.

 

[Einstein557]

Good Morning...It has been a few months but i have finally burnt my stove enough to give an accurate analysis of what seems to work well for me.I have a Rutland thermometer on the stove pipe flange and let the new fire get to between 500 and 600 degrees before I close the damper.At that point you can turn primary air down to desired level and temp will hold steady or go up a little over burn cycle.Stove will have "Ghost" flames more than real flames on low setting.On reload I do the same thing except I let the new wood catch and get good flames before I shut primary air down.I normally get between 8 to 12 hours burn time between refills...8 Hours there are sometimes pieces of splits left..12 hours have to rake coals,but still plenty left to rebuild fire.Chimney is 21 ft from floor of house and straight through ceiling with no bends.I am keeping fingers crossed about cracking,but so far all is good.By accident (stupidity on my part) I got it up to 750 on thermometer for about 10 minutes and was waiting to hear something crack as it cooled down.WhewHope this helps Nipper 5 a little and maybe he has figured his out by now.Everyone have a Merry Christmas