Need help identifying a cracked part in a 2001 Lopi Liberty stove

[MaybeErnie]

I was hoping someone here could help me identify the part that has 2 vertical cracks in the attached image. I think it may be part of the "bypass" system, but I'm not sure. Also, I really need to know whether this is a bad (possibly dangerous?) flaw and if so, how I should go about fixing it. Maybe patch it with stove cement? In the image, the upper firebricks and retaining bars have been removed to see everything better.

Thanks for your help!

 

[bholler]

I was hoping someone here could help me identify the part that has 2 vertical cracks in the attached image. I think it may be part of the "bypass" system, but I'm not sure. Also, I really need to know whether this is a bad (possibly dangerous?) flaw and if so, how I should go about fixing it. Maybe patch it with stove cement? In the image, the upper firebricks and retaining bars have been removed to see everything better.

Thanks for your help!

No not dangerous now. But it will get worse an eventually could be. Hammer it flat and bolt bent stainless plate over it. Just a warning drilling and tapping that metal really sucks

 

[MaybeErnie]

No not dangerous now. But it will get worse an eventually could be. Hammer it flat and bolt bent stainless plate over it. Just a warning drilling and tapping that metal really sucks

OK. That sounds like a fun job.

But I’m still wondering what that part is. It seems like air is supposed to flow through it so if I hammer it flat, won’t that cause some kind of problem?

 

[begreen]

It looks like the secondary air manifold. It's a box tube system that branches out to the left and right to supply air to the secondary tubes. Hammer flat the curled metal just a bit so that the stainless patch can lay flat against the face of this area. Some flat, 1/8" ceramic gasket material could be cut to sit between the stainless patch and the manifold.

 

[bholler]

OK. That sounds like a fun job.

But I’m still wondering what that part is. It seems like air is supposed to flow through it so if I hammer it flat, won’t that cause some kind of problem?

Begreen explained it well. How old is the stove? Are you the original owner? It might be worth checking about warranty