Lopi NG to LP... They say it cant be done

[Norcalstew]

I just bought a beautiful barely used Lopi Spirit free standing stove on craigslist for $150. I knew it was for natural gas and like every appliance I've ever bought, I would easily convert it to Lp. I emailed Lopi to get the conversion kit or at least the part# so I could purchase one elsewhere. I gave the model# and serial# and told them my issue. The service tech from Lopi responded with a big fat NO! My model was sold as NG only and a conversion kit was not included with it. He said the unit could not be converted Period!

My question is,... Is this just his liability answer and because the unit was sold as NG only they will not assist in me altering the unit from stock? I'm somewhat familiar with NG to LP conversions as it is mostly in the orifice sizes and maybe a regulator change. Can it be that different from other stoves? Most use the same gas valves anyway. I would even buy a new gas valve if it made it LP. It is such a clean stove and the price I paid makes it hard to abandon. I need advice. Thanks

 

[DAKSY]

The owner's manual does not list a fuel conversion kit in the options, but if you go to your local hearth shop/Lopi dealer & tell him what you have & what you want to do, he should be able to tell you if it's possible. Many older units were sold as NG or LP burners, with no conversions available. This may be one of them.

 

[Norcalstew]

I've looked at older models and newer models and the gas valves/controls are the same. Robertshaw gas valves. The burner itself is similar to a most high output propane burners I've seen. Think of the outdoor cooker or turkey fryer burner. The orifice is lit and blows into a tube/channel then emits where you see the flame come out. This stove is the same principle. The plate where the flame comes out is perforated so the flame can disperse in the fire box. The holes in the plate should not affect the burning of the fuel, whatever the type. Also, why would there be plates that work with both fuels and the conversion kit is just the orifice and the regulator diaphragm?

So... I know nobody want to convert this thing because the label from Lopi says NG only. I understand the liability issues with gas. I talked to a HVAC friend and he said its all in the orifice size and the pressure (reg) that determines NG or LP. Any gas valve can work with either. Every kit I've seen has a different diaphragm for the reg. and an orifice for the burner/pilot. I can only speculate that Lopi made units only to be sold in regions with NG and saved by not including a conversion kit. I'm just going to buy a conversion kit for a different serial# stove and hook it up to a portable tank and see if it works. What's another $50.

 

[Tech Guru]

I'm very familiar with another manufacturer that had several of its Direct Vent models as only convertible from LP to NG, and not the other way around. This was due to safety features (increased Pressure relief systems, often) that were not applied to the NG units but were to the LP bodies. If something this is the issue, that the firebox may not up to snuff for the violence of a potential LP delayed ignition, you be well advised to avoid converting this unit.