New Hybrid -- Lopi Answer 2022

[VintageGal]

Researching the EPA database for efficiencies.

Noticed the "New" newly certified lopi answer, hybrid with both secondary tubes and catalytic combustor.

I called Travis Industries and spoke to a pleasant gentleman who said that it will take a year before it's on the sales floor.

Woodstove Database | Burnwise | US EPA

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I’m probably alone on this, but I wouldn’t bother looking at efficiencies on stoves. Any that are EPA certified are efficient enough. Operator skill and stove ease of operation will trump those numbers easily. Read the reviews of a stove here, get your wood put up and drying, then buy an easy to run stove. The operator skill comes in time, but too much frustration at the beginning will ruin the experience. A 1% increase of efficiency will probably equal about 5 loads a winter.

 

[VintageGal]

I

I’m probably alone on this, but I wouldn’t bother looking at efficiencies on stoves. Any that are EPA certified are efficient enough. Operator skill and stove ease of operation will trump those numbers easily. Read the reviews of a stove here, get your wood put up and drying, then buy an easy to run stove. The operator skill comes in time, but too much frustration at the beginning will ruin the experience. A 1% increase of efficiency will probably equal about 5 loads a winter.

Dealership installed a nex-gen lopi answer for me, 5 weeks ago. It's been cold here still at night, low 40's (cold for me). The fire show is nice and all, very cool looking secondaries. But dang that little lopi eats twice as much wood as my last stove!

And I wake up to a cold house because you need to stoke it every 4 hours. I have so much shoulder season, should have had a cat!

No dealerships in my service area selling 'em.

 

[begreen]

I

Dealership installed a nex-gen lopi answer for me, 5 weeks ago. It's been cold here still at night, low 40's (cold for me). The fire show is nice and all, very cool looking secondaries. But dang that little lopi eats twice as much wood as my last stove!

And I wake up to a cold house because you need to stoke it every 4 hours. I have so much shoulder season, should have had a cat!

No dealerships in my service area selling 'em.

It's a small firebox. 4-6 hrs sounds about right. It sounds like a larger stove would have been more appropriate.

 

[VintageGal]

Limited options with limited space. I probably get more from the stove if I could shut it down at night! I found the nickel-size hole (dog house) that's pulling all the heated air from my room up into the chimney all night long. That in itself is causing condensation in my stack. I think I need to install a damper in the stove pipe.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

A larger stove will eat more wood.

 

[EbS-P]

I

Dealership installed a nex-gen lopi answer for me, 5 weeks ago. It's been cold here still at night, low 40's (cold for me). The fire show is nice and all, very cool looking secondaries. But dang that little lopi eats twice as much wood as my last stove!

And I wake up to a cold house because you need to stoke it every 4 hours. I have so much shoulder season, should have had a cat!

No dealerships in my service area selling 'em.

Maybe another big dog. They can keep you warmer than a cat.

 

[begreen]

But dang that little lopi eats twice as much wood as my last stove!

How quickly are you turning down the air on the fire and by how much?

 

[VintageGal]

I wait until the stove gets up to Temp at 500-600 degrees, and then close the air by half.

*I have not stuffed that firebox yet because it hasn't been cold enough and I'm afraid it's going to run away on me. Three or four oak splits and I have a decent amount of heat. It just doesn't last very long. The stove itself is able to hold on and retain some 100° temperatures for a long long time. It's just not usable heat.

 

[begreen]

The stovetop temp is a lagging indicator. Flue temp is better. The stovetop can take a while to get up to temperature while inside the firebox is already past the 1000º mark. Try closing down the air sooner. Turn down the air until the fire starts to get lazy, then wait about 5 minutes, and close the air down further until the fire gets lazy and secondary combustion gets stronger. Repeat and try a lower final setting of say 1/4 open. I think you will find that you are burning less wood and sending a lot less heat up the flue.

 

[VintageGal]

Maybe another big dog. They can keep you warmer than a cat.

I would but my hound would get jealous lol

 

[VintageGal]

The stovetop temp is a lagging indicator. Flue temps are better. The stovetop can take a while to get up to temperature while inside the firebox is already past the 1000º mark. Try closing down the air sooner. Turn down the air until the fire starts to get lazy, then wait about 5 minutes, and close the air down further until the fire gets lazy and secondary combustion gets stronger. Repeat and try a lower final setting of say 1/4 open. I think you will find that you are burning less wood and sending a lot less heat up the flue.

Stove installer is coming today to measure for the other fireplace. I can talk to him about a flue temp probe. I'd also like to put a damper on the stove pipe above the stove. I know I'm losing 50% of my heat during the startup fire. I definitely will try shutting it down a little sooner. I calculate that the first load of wood is entirely wasted up the stack. That first load seems to warm up the little lopi and the hot reload really puts out the heat at that point.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I’ve found pre EPA stoves to act that way, new stoves not as much. I generally start turning my stove down based on the secondaries. When the flames start licking the baffle, I start cutting down the air. When the secondaries start I’ll cut it down again. Top down fires really help to heat the top of the firebox fast. I’ve also found that adding some firebrick to the bottom of the firebox lifts the fuel to the top, and helps create a better, hotter fire.

 

[EbS-P]

Stove installer is coming today to measure for the other fireplace. I can talk to him about a flue temp probe. I'd also like to put a damper on the stove pipe above the stove. I know I'm losing 50% of my heat during the startup fire. I definitely will try shutting it down a little sooner. I calculate that the first load of wood is entirely wasted up the stack. That first load seems to warm up the little lopi and the hot reload really puts out the heat at that point.

I used to think that with mine. But it turned out my wood was’t super dry so I couldn’t pack it really full and had to leave lots of air space to get a good fire going. So the not very full first load would start and burn slow and it would just get the stove warmed up. I’m better now at lighting the first load. Two short pieces go in first front to back to let air under the next Three splits . Then kindling all the way up to the baffle. Light with a single piece of fat wood, close door and check back every 5-7 minutes untill my air is set where I want it. But I do agree you get way more heat when loading a nice bed of coals.

 

[VintageGal]

I used to think that with mine. But it turned out my wood was’t super dry so I couldn’t pack it really full and had to leave lots of air space to get a good fire going. So the not very full first load would start and burn slow and it would just get the stove warmed up. I’m better now at lighting the first load. Two short pieces go in first front to back to let air under the next Three splits . Then kindling all the way up to the baffle. Light with a single piece of fat wood, close door and check back every 5-7 minutes untill my air is set where I want it. But I do agree you get way more heat when loading a nice bed of coals.

Thank you. I have not tried the top down light, but I'm willing! Now I need my oak to season 3 years instead of just 2! 🙃

 

[begreen]

Stove installer is coming today to measure for the other fireplace. I can talk to him about a flue temp probe. I'd also like to put a damper on the stove pipe above the stove. I know I'm losing 50% of my heat during the startup fire. I definitely will try shutting it down a little sooner. I calculate that the first load of wood is entirely wasted up the stack. That first load seems to warm up the little lopi and the hot reload really puts out the heat at that point.

It doesn't need to be this way. A good flue thermometer can cut down losses a lot. It does mean changing the way one burns sometimes, but the results are worth it. I basically ignore the stovetop temps now and only go by flue temps.

 

[VintageGal]

It doesn't need to be this way. A good flue thermometer can cut down losses a lot. It does mean changing the way one burns sometimes, but the results are worth it. I basically ignore the stovetop temps now and only go by flue temps.

I do what I can to help myself but installing a flu temp probe is beyond my skill set. I talked to the installer yesterday and he didn't have any recommendations. They are coming back in another week or two to install my classic bay insert in the other fireplace. I will talk to him then about the probe. I think the dealership is getting pretty burnt out on the amount of questions I'm asking them. But I think when we spend thousands of (in my case) irreplaceable dollar bills, we deserve to have our questions addressed. Thanks again 🙏

 

[EbS-P]

I do what I can to help myself but installing a flu temp probe is beyond my skill set. I talked to the installer yesterday and he didn't have any recommendations. They are coming back in another week or two to install my classic bay insert in the other fireplace. I will talk to him then about the probe. I think the dealership is getting pretty burnt out on the amount of questions I'm asking them. But I think when we spend thousands of (in my case) irreplaceable dollar bills, we deserve to have our questions addressed. Thanks again 🙏

An electric drill with a kinda sharp bit that close the the right size is all you need. I ran for 3 years just by stove top temps. I see now how much sooner you can turn down the air and stop sending the heat up the flue. You can get by just fine without one. I like to have my air at it’s final setting when the stove top hits 400. I know I could do sooner if the stove was cold but I don’t really care that much.

 

[VintageGal]

An electric drill with a kinda sharp bit that close the the right size is all you need. I ran for 3 years just by stove top temps. I see now how much sooner you can turn down the air and stop sending the heat up the flue. You can get by just fine without one. I like to have my air at it’s final setting when the stove top hits 400. I know I could do sooner if the stove was cold but I don’t really care that much.

Thanks! I will work on that! The Lopi is a convective stove, much to my dismay because I was very much used to a more radiant wood stove. But it does hold the heat at 200° through the night even when it's not usable heat LOL

I slide the round stove thermometer under the convective steel plate to get a better reading. I wait until I'm reading 400° and then shut it down by half. Sometimes this works and I have a rolling flame and sometimes it wants more air for higher temps. With my stove, I'm getting the secondary dancing flames at 200°, but that doesn't mean it's ready to be shut down. It's quite a nice show 😁

 

[EbS-P]

Thanks! I will work on that! The Lopi is a convective stove, much to my dismay because I was very much used to a more radiant wood stove. But it does hold the heat at 200° through the night even when it's not usable heat LOL

I slide the round stove thermometer under the convective steel plate to get a better reading. I wait until I'm reading 400° and then shut it down by half. Sometimes this works and I have a rolling flame and sometimes it wants more air for higher temps. With my stove, I'm getting the secondary dancing flames at 200°, but that doesn't mean it's ready to be shut down. It's quite a nice show 😁

I have one of these IR thermometers for each stove. I check it it all over if I’m bored. It’s good to check the temp of the pizza stone too.

Kizen LaserPro LP220 Infrared Thermometer Non-Contact Digital Laser Temperature Gun with LCD Display -58℉～896℉(-50℃～480℃) Adjustable Emissivity (NOT for Humans) Amazon product ASIN B082MDH8V1
And I have an Auber at200 thermometer alarm. For each stove too. I’m a busy dad with 5 kids 11 to 7 weeks old. So it’s nice to have the alarm to tell me I forgot to turn the air down. It’s pricey but I really like them. https://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=292

I don’t think either are necessary but nice to have. I don’t have to get up Off the sofa to check the temp of the stove With the AT200

 

[VintageGal]

I have one of these IR thermometers for each stove. I check it it all over if I’m bored. It’s good to check the temp of the pizza stone too.

Kizen LaserPro LP220 Infrared Thermometer Non-Contact Digital Laser Temperature Gun with LCD Display -58℉～896℉(-50℃～480℃) Adjustable Emissivity (NOT for Humans) Amazon product ASIN B082MDH8V1
And I have an Auber at200 thermometer alarm. For each stove too. I’m a busy dad with 5 kids 11 to 7 weeks old. So it’s nice to have the alarm to tell me I forgot to turn the air down. It’s pricey but I really like them. https://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=292

Oh wow, a busy Papa! You have it all dialed in! I will buy one of these gadgets and this winter you can teach me. If you have an 11-year-old, he or she is almost ready to stack wood and carry water 🔥

 

[begreen]

I do what I can to help myself but installing a flu temp probe is beyond my skill set. I talked to the installer yesterday and he didn't have any recommendations. They are coming back in another week or two to install my classic bay insert in the other fireplace. I will talk to him then about the probe. I think the dealership is getting pretty burnt out on the amount of questions I'm asking them. But I think when we spend thousands of (in my case) irreplaceable dollar bills, we deserve to have our questions addressed. Thanks again 🙏

You can order a flue probe online from Condar. They should be able to install it for you as long as they can follow the directions.

Condar stovepipe probe thermometers

stovepipe probe thermometers

www.condar.com

 

[VintageGal]

You can order a flue probe online from Condar. They should be able to install it for you as long as they can follow the directions.

Condar stovepipe probe thermometers

stovepipe probe thermometers

www.condar.com

Thank you!