Lopi Freedom Questions

[jophysx]

I am looking at a used Lopi Freedom insert on craigslist. It's 10 years old, but the dimensions and controls look the same as the new models. I am planning to install it in the finished daylight basement. I already have a Hampton HI-300 on the 1st floor which I am very happy with, but when it runs the furnace shuts down and the downstairs gets cold. Most of the time that's fine, but when we want to use both areas it would be nice to have the option of firing up a wood burner. Few questions . . .

1. Has the Lopi Freedom design changed much over the years? (Can I use the specs in the modern brochure to guide my decision about whether it will fit in my hearth? Is this 10yr old model EPA certified?)
2. How does the Lopi Freedom like to be loaded? N-S or E-W? It looks like the firebox is tapered toward the back. It says it can take 24" logs in the front, but 18" in the back. I prefer to load N-S, but not sure how that would work with a tapered firebox.
3. Specs say 2.9 cubic foot firebox, and 12hr burn times. If the box can be loaded efficiently, I believe 10-12 hrs is possible, based on the 10hr burn times I get with my 2.4 cubic foot Hamption HI-300.

Thanks in advance for any help.
-Jim

 

[webby3650]

This freedom will be almost the very same as a new one. The only difference will be the door shell and the blower control, these have both been reworked.

It's gonna be very hard to load n/s with the freedom. It's really an e/w burner.

 

[jophysx]

E-W is fine, I guess. I've gotten accustomed to loading N-S in my HI-300, and now when I occasionally load E-W I am always concerned about a log rolling forward into the glass hard enough to crack it. But I can adjust.

 

[Hickorynut]

I have a lopi freedom stove where I get about three hours of hot heat and if I cut it back where I can get maybe 4 hours of heat, then the glass gets black. Others report on here a lot better results than I get so hopefully you will do much better than me. Yes, it is an east west burner. Good luck....

 

[jophysx]

That's pretty disappointing for a 2.9 cubic foot firebox. I wonder what's going on with your install? Does the irregularly shaped firebox make it difficult to stuff really full? Because if you can stuff it full of wood, then you've got a lot of BTU's per load. Must be losing a lot of heat that's going somewhere other than your house.
-Jim

 

[webby3650]

I easily got overnight burns with mine. It made incredible heat for 3-4 hours and then decent heat for 3-5 hours more. It's a very respectable heater.

 

[jophysx]

That's more in line with what I would expect. Thanks.

 

[trguitar]

You're not going to get 12 hours of heat from the stove. I don't know how they claim that in the literature (unless it was 50 degrees out.) It will certainly not give you 12 hours when it's in the 30s or below. It will give you good heat for 6-8 hours depending on outside temps. You'll definitely be able to get overnight burns. I've restarted after as long as 18 hours, but there was no heat coming out of it; just some small coals buried in the ash. It heats our house comfortably down to the single digits.

I do mostly pack it N-S. I use 16" splits in the middle, and then shorter ones on the sides where it tapers. It is a little annoying, though. This is my first stove, and it's adequate, but I would not get another one.

 

[jophysx]

As long as it puts out decent heat for 8+ hours, and can easily be restarted from coals after 12+ hours, it's acceptable to me. Sounds like that's possible.
Thanks.