Lopi Leydan Help

[Mossy517]

Good afternoon all,

This is my first post here, I currently have a VC Encore that I believe was made in 86' it has seen better days. I have the chance to get a totally rebuilt Lopi Leydan that is enamal red in color for $1,000.

I know nothing about this company and or about the stove. I was hoping for some insight on the stove; the encore serves us well, but we are hoping for a better burn time.

Any imput is appreciated!

 

[Bluerubi]

I was going to get a Leydan, but after reading all the reviews here and seeing how complicated the guts were I decided the Jotul Oslo was a safer bet at more money.

 

[Sprinter]

nota a good idea man

+1 The Leyden and a few other stoves are a "downdraft" design. Very finnicky and troublsome. Take a look at this article before buying it. https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/downdraft-stove-operation/

Replacing the old stove with a new, EPA-style high efficiency one is a good idea, though. If you can tell us a little about your house, climate and needs, maybe we can steer you to a good solution.

And welcome to the forum.

 

[Mossy517]

Thank you.

My house is a split level home at about 1,800 sqft. We heat primarly with the wood stove as I was brought up heating soley with wood. The home is stick built with 2x4 exterior wall, with little insulation value. Our home is located in South central PA where average temps in Jan are low 18 and high 35.

I am also looking at a Jotul F50 Rangeley that I can pick that is a floor model that has never had a fire kindled in it for $1,995. This seams to be a decent deal from the other pricing I have been getting for this stove.

My main concern is burn time, we spend a good amount of time away from home with our work hours and whatnot. I am hoping for no less than 10 hours of a med-low burn.

Hope this helps

 

[Sprinter]

If you are off the Leyden route, then I may suggest starting a new thread with a title asking for help selecting a new stove. You'll get tons of replies and some very good advice. Regarding the F50, that's probably a good size for you if the house is leaky, and Jotul is a well respected brand.

 

[begreen]

How old is the Leyden? 5-6 yrs? If so, would a stove that needs a rebuild after that short a time still be attractive?

 

[Mossy517]

It is being rebuilt due to the chimney getting struck by lightening. The dealer replaced everything top to bottom to be safe. Rebuilding the stove to sell it even though it was unharmed

 

[webby3650]

It is being rebuilt due to the chimney getting struck by lightening. The dealer replaced everything top to bottom to be safe. Rebuilding the stove to sell it even though it was unharmed

I bet there is more to that story. I don't know anybody that rebuilds a stove for no reason. I have rebuilt 2 so far, trying to find out why it won't burn or why it overfires randomly. These stoves use the same combustion system as the VC non-cat Everburn. If you not yet convinced to run from it, research the VC Everburn. They are all plagued with problems.

 

[Mossy517]

I am starting to lean hard away from the downdraft system after doing some extensive reading, I do not want to have to babysit a new stove. I may start a new thread on the thoughts of the Lopi Rangeley

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I am starting to lean hard away from the downdraft system after doing some extensive reading, I do not want to have to babysit a new stove. I may start a new thread on the thoughts of the Lopi Rangeley

Welcome to the forum Mossy.

One other little hint I'd like to offer but it is not on the stove. You stated that you grew up heating with wood. That is great! Or is it? The reason for questioning this is that too many have grown up in homes that knew little or nothing about drying wood before it was burned. I state that after having burned for 50+ years myself but it is true. Even as a child I saw neighbors who cut wood in the fall and burned it that winter.

To a certain extent, they got away with it back then but you won't get away with it today. The reason is that the newer stoves require dry wood and if one insists on burning less than dry wood, he is asking for problems. Of course, the worst is they can't get much heat and the chimney plugs with creosote. So please do yourself a big favor and get some dry wood. If you are buying, do not expect it to be dry no matter what they say. In the meantime, look into The Wood Shed for more help on wood cutting, stacking, drying, etc. There is much knowledge there; make good use of it and we will all welcome you with open arms. So you may want to consider the fuel before the fuel burner. Also know that wood doesn't dry much except for the ends until it is split and stacked out in the wind.

 

[Mossy517]

Welcome to the forum Mossy.

One other little hint I'd like to offer but it is not on the stove. You stated that you grew up heating with wood. That is great! Or is it? The reason for questioning this is that too many have grown up in homes that knew little or nothing about drying wood before it was burned. I state that after having burned for 50+ years myself but it is true. Even as a child I saw neighbors who cut wood in the fall and burned it that winter.

To a certain extent, they got away with it back then but you won't get away with it today. The reason is that the newer stoves require dry wood and if one insists on burning less than dry wood, he is asking for problems. Of course, the worst is they can't get much heat and the chimney plugs with creosote. So please do yourself a big favor and get some dry wood. If you are buying, do not expect it to be dry no matter what they say. In the meantime, look into The Wood Shed for more help on wood cutting, stacking, drying, etc. There is much knowledge there; make good use of it and we will all welcome you with open arms. So you may want to consider the fuel before the fuel burner. Also know that wood doesn't dry much except for the ends until it is split and stacked out in the wind.

Thank you for the welcome.

Also, thank you for your concern of the proper fuel. We generally have the wood split and stacked for at least one year before we burn. My father, a friend and I work together to gather wood. We generally have oak, locust, maple and cherry to burn.

We have never had to purchase wood as of yet, but I will remember your advice if that time comes.

Thanks again!

 

[webby3650]

I could make you a smoking deal on a Lopi Cape Cod.

 

[Bluerubi]

I could make you a smoking deal on a Lopi Cape Cod.

Why are you getting rid of the Cape Cod? It was one of the stoves I considered before getting the Oslo, so I'm curious why it's being replaced.

 

[begreen]

webby has a brand new toy, a BK Ashford.

 

[webby3650]

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Thank you for the welcome.

Also, thank you for your concern of the proper fuel. We generally have the wood split and stacked for at least one year before we burn. My father, a friend and I work together to gather wood. We generally have oak, locust, maple and cherry to burn.

We have never had to purchase wood as of yet, but I will remember your advice if that time comes.

Thanks again!

You are welcome Mossy.

Just one more word. Locust generally needs 2 years of drying while oak needs 3. Cherry and maple should be fine with a year. Good luck.

 

[TradEddie]

Thank you for the welcome.
We generally have the wood split and stacked for at least one year before we burn. My father, a friend and I work together to gather wood. We generally have oak, locust, maple and cherry to burn.

I'm amazed that post lasted 10 hours without a response. We cannot say it often enough here, oak split and stacked only one year is nowhere near ready to burn well in an EPA stove. No matter what stove you choose, trying to burn oak split less that two years will leave you frustrated and disappointed, wait three years and you'll wonder why you didn't upgrade the stove sooner. It's a pain to have to stack and wait but the benefits of a modern stove are well worth the extra wait. Start with that cherry or maple, but leave that oak at least two full years.

TE

 

[Sprinter]

It's all just guesswork unless you get yourself a moisture meter, around $20, and measure the face of a fresh split. The ideal MC is 20%. Up to 25 is workable, but over that you risk creosote problems and poor performance. It's too important not to do it that way. All new stoves depend on proper moisture content.

 

[Mossy517]

Thanks for the information fellas! Any suggestions of which moisture meter to pick up? I am pulling the trigger on the Rangeley on saturday. I am hoping to get the best performance I can so I am taking all of this in. Keep it coming!

 

[Sprinter]

Thanks for the information fellas! Any suggestions of which moisture meter to pick up? I am pulling the trigger on the Rangeley on saturday. I am hoping to get the best performance I can so I am taking all of this in. Keep it coming!

All the pin-type meters work about the same. This is what I have and it's been good: http://www.amazon.com/DUSIEC-Handheld-Digital-Moisture-Content/dp/B004KWAQAI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381418155&sr=8-2&keywords=moisture meter
Others here use General brand, others get from Harbor Freight. Whatever is convenient.

FWIW, I think you'll be very happy with the Jotul. It's a well respected brand and the F50 seems about right for you.