Wiring for Lopi Declaration

[petehouk]

Hi everybody. My wife and I have been lurking on the forum for a few weeks while we tried to figure out which stove to buy. Thanks to all who have made this forum such a good resource!

We finally decided on a Lopi Declaration. It's going to be installed later this week and I am trying to figure out how best to manage the electrical cord. I have a few electrical outlets nearby, but I would prefer not to use them. For one thing, I don't want the cord to be draped across the hearth. For another, those outlets are on the same circuit that I plug my stereo into and I would prefer not to share that circuit with a fan.

I have been considering getting the direct wire kit that Lopi sells. Installation instructions here:

http://www.avalonfirestyles.com/TravisDocs/17601371.pdf

But I don't have a really good way to get the conduit in that kit out of the fireplace to a junction box. The instructions have a note that says that the junction box should be outside of the fire place. If I put a hole in the fireplace then the junction box would probably have to be outside on my chimney, visible from my front yard.

One interesting feature that I do have is a natural gas line (abandoned) that goes from the fireplace to my basement. I pushed a fish tape into it and and I very easily got the tape from the fireplace to the basement. So I think I can run a new circuit from the basement under my slab to the inside of the fireplace. But I don't think that will satisfy the Lopi instructions since I would then need a junction box inside the fireplace.

I attached a sketch of my situation. I'm no draftsman and I always got poor marks for penmanship, but hopefully you can understand it.

What do you guys suggest?

 

[petehouk]

Here's the sketch...looks like it didn't get attached the first time.

 

[maverick06]

I have the fireplace extrodinaire 33 (fpx 33) its the same as the lopi declaration, jsut a different face (same manufacturer). I paid for mine to be installed. I dont know exactly how it is wired. The fireplace is installed and there was a hole drilled through the bottom of the fireplace.... maybe the ash chute (goes to the basement).... anyways, there is a piece of flex conduit comming out from the cinderblock at the top of the wall in the basement underneath the fireplace. I ran it into a junction box, and ran a plug out of it. I also installed a outlet right next to it. This way I can plug the fireplace into the outlet..... or into my generator if needed...

So, I dont know if there is a junction box inside the fireplace area.... dont think so....

You might also want to think about disabling the thermostat in the fireplace. Mine took forever to heat up enough to turn the blower on. It took about 2 hours, it needed to be *fully* engulfed before it turned the blower on. I pulled the faceplate off, and cut the wires to the thermostat (little round thing on the bottom right) then wire tied them together. This way I can turn the blower on whenever I want.

Hope that helps

Rick

 

[petehouk]

I am considering fishing romex through the gas line, then splicing it to the Lopi wiring kit, then pushing the splice a few inches down into the gas line. Obviously that's a violation of electrical code since the splice would not be in a junction box. But I don't think it would be dangerous. If something went wrong with the splice and it sparked, there wouldn't really be anything in that pipe to ignite. But it would be difficult to work on if that splice failed.

Any thoughts?

 

[pdxdave]

I am considering fishing romex through the gas line, then splicing it to the Lopi wiring kit, then pushing the splice a few inches down into the gas line. Obviously that's a violation of electrical code since the splice would not be in a junction box. But I don't think it would be dangerous. If something went wrong with the splice and it sparked, there wouldn't really be anything in that pipe to ignite. But it would be difficult to work on if that splice failed.

Any thoughts?

Sounds like a decent plan. If the splice failed, of course youd shut off the circuit before touching it (if it hasnt already tripped on its own). Might be tough fitting spliced wires inside the conduit though.
So its been awhile since this post, what did you end up doing ? FYI Im having a declaration installed later this week and have to figure out the same thing.

 

[petehouk]

Well...sorry to say...the cord is draped across the hearth to an outlet. But I have grand plans to do a tidier wiring job in the spring. And, I think that I am going to try the flush panel installation described on page 12 of the installation manual

http://www.lopistoves.com/TravisDocs/100-01157.pdf

If you haven't started your installation yet, you should take a close look at the flush panel option. It would look a little neater.