# Warning for Lopi AGP Pellet stove's



## LOPI AGP

Hi everyone.  I just signed up to this forum.  I have been reading it for the past few days and wanted to give my opinion on my LOPI AGP stove.

First I have to say that I have been burning wood for over 10 years.  I have a LOPI Answer stove that is used as an insert.  The build quality is great and all I have every had to replace are crack bricks and the door gasket.  That being said.  The LOPI AGP stove is just as beautiful as my ANSWER.  I love the look of the bay door and the ash lip/tray.  The AVALON is the same exact stove with out the fancy door and ash lip/tray.  Even though the LOPI was a few dollars more, the look did it for me.  It is extremely similar in look to my wood burning stove.

So due to a car accident at work I had to have my neck fused and no longer can split wood.  With the way prices are now for home heating I went out to the store I brought my ANSWER and had them install the AGP.

The unit is beautiful and in a few hours I had great heat coming out of the unit.  The hopper holds almost 80 LBS.  They advertise that it holds 80 LBS but its just not true.  I would say its more along the lines of 65-70 LBS.

So two hours later after the installer left, I started to get cold.  I went down stairs to where I had the unit installed and saw that the unit had gone out.  I went to the instruction manual and went through the shut down start up process.  The hopper was full, the unit internal fan was running just no fire.

I called the company I brought it from.  The owner walked me through all of the same things that I had did.  He asked me to remove all the pellets.  Not fun.  Had me the hopper door switch and do the start processes.  I did.  The feeder motor wasn't working.  He told me that he would order the part and have it delivered and repaired.  I asked him for a new unit.  He stated that LOPI doesn't do that and that they would have a repair man at my house on Thursday.  This happen on a Monday.

In my head I thought of a returning the stove, stop payment on the check.  

I wrote an email to the company who makes the stove, Travis industries.  Got a response the next morning saying that the owner of the location that sold me the stove had been in contact with him and that they will fix the problem.  Not happy.

Thursday comes and early in the morning the repair man comes.  True to what was being said, the feeding motor/auger was seized.  The repairman said a few things that really made me mad. He showed me the new feeder/auger motor.  It was double the size.  This is the statement that made me mad.  He said, "This is the motor that is NOW IN PRODUCTION IN THE NEW STOVES BEING MADE."  He also stated that the snap disk on these units are defective and he also replaced that.  He left and the stove was running beautifully.

When he left I felt like crap. I wrote an email to Travis industries again stating that I was not happy and that I wanted a new "NOW" stove explaining that I just brought the stove and didn't want old stock especially since the knew there was a problem.  I left my phone number.

I got a call a few hours later.  They explained to me that they have stop production of the AGP stove due to those motors starting to fail.  Also explained to me that as soon as they noticed the problem they fired to company that made the motors.  He said that they will continue making the stoves and are waiting for the motors to come in.  They have a "Hand full of them" for repair and that they had fedex next day for my repair.  He informed me that I was the first one that had the motor die in two hours.  He said that it was happening in weeks and months or not at all.

He asked me what would make me happy.  I informed him that I wanted double the warranty on the moving parts.  They come with a two year.  He agreed and sent me an email stating so. So at this point I am happy.  

As of today my stove has been running for four days straight and it is working great.  I have a split level ranch house.  Total of 4 levels.  I had the stove installed in my family room.  An area of about 30 feet by 20 feet.  It keeps that level at 78.  I had them install the external thermostat option and it is set to 80. The main level is at about 72.  The bedroom level is at 68-70.

I have loved my LOPI ANSWER.  I really believe the company is a great company. I just wanted to warn everyone who has or is buying one to call and make sure they get the upgraded motor.  I am telling you, I saw them both.  The new motor is double the size.  Good luck and I look forward to being a member on this fourm.

Robert


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## LOPI AGP

Oh and also.  What are the best pellets to use?  I brought a ton of NEW ENGLAND wood pellets.  They are doing well but in the show room a big selling point was the low ash.  They told me that they haven't even cleaned it in a week.  When they pulled it out the ash pan it was a very light dusting.  I have cleaned it out already in 4 days.  It wasn't full but around 1/4 full.  Not the little ash they had in the show room.  Thanks for the advice.


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## Don2222

Hi 

Got any pics of the old motor or the new motor you can post here?


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## LOPI AGP

I should have taken it. Now is to late. Sorry.


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## imacman

LOPI AGP said:


> Oh and also. What are the best pellets to use? I brought a ton of NEW ENGLAND wood pellets. They are doing well but in the show room a big selling point was the low ash. They told me that they haven't even cleaned it in a week. When they pulled it out the ash pan it was a very light dusting. I have cleaned it out already in 4 days. It wasn't full but around 1/4 full. Not the little ash they had in the show room. Thanks for the advice.


Hello fellow Orange Cty pellet burner.

I'm pretty sure I know where you bought the stove, and will remain mum about them. I have my doubts that their stove "mysteriously" has less ash (using the same pellets in the exact same stove). Somehow that sounds suspiciously like a "sales pitch" for NEWP pellets, which have been below average for the last 2-3 years.

I don't know what they charged you for the NEWP's, but you'd be much better off with some Greene Team or Somersets from Lowes, or Stove Chow available at HD (at least the stores near me in Newburgh had them....not sure where you are). Do NOT buy the Green Supreme....they are the same NEWP pellets in a different bag.

I used to have an Astoria, and LOVED it. IMO, Travis is a stand-up company and they did the best they could for you. The dealer MUST have known about the defective/undersized auger motors, based on the statement they made while replacing it. They should have replaced it during the install, IMO.


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## 73Charger

I just bought a Lopi AGP a few weeks ago and have had a similar problem.  I've had the disk at the bottom of the hopper get stuck 3 times, however, one of the heat shields inside the stove was not seated properly, so it's possible that the hopper was getting too hot causing an issue with the pellets.  Since I re-adjusted the shield the stove has been running fine.  I've got one of the newer high torque motors on order through my installer and it should be replaced soon.


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## LOPI AGP

You know 73 Charger, I think one of the inside heat shields wasn't installed properly also.  The top one wasn't seated in the locking slots.  It seemed under it instead.  I went to the show room and double checked and I was correct.  I also corrected that.  I love the unit now that it is running properly.  Also the place I got it here in orange county NY are very nice people.  The only complaint was the whole, "Breaking in two hours" thing.  A unit that cost as much as the LOPI should work well out of the box.  Now with all the upgrades and the warranty doubled I am very happy.


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## imacman

LOPI AGP said:


> ....The only complaint was the whole, "Breaking in two hours" thing. A unit that cost as much as the LOPI should work well out of the box. ....


It has nothing to do with the stove "working better" after the 2 hrs.  That is simply to burn off any manufacturing oils/coatings.  The stove should (if properly installed and all parts are good & in proper locations) burn the same as after 2 hrs.


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## LOPI AGP

Imac I think you misread my post.  My stove broke in two hours after install.  I know the burn off process.  Every wood stove I owned had the same process.  It was just that fact that the auger motor died in two hours that drove me nuts.


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## imacman

LOPI AGP said:


> Imac I think you misread my post. My stove broke in two hours after install. I know the burn off process. Every wood stove I owned had the same process. It was just that fact that the auger motor died in two hours that drove me nuts.


OK, gotcha.


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## 73Charger

I have the new high torque motor coming in the next few weeks, I'll let you know how it goes.


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## LOPI AGP

73Charger, The only complaint I have about the motor is that it is a bit noisy.  The stove has been running the way is should, perfectly.  With the weather we are having here in upstate NY.  It's in the 40's and the unit is keeping my whole house at 72 with the thermostat at 76 down stairs.  I have a split level ranch and the stove is on the bottom, family room.  I burned a bag yesterday all day.  Just loaded the hopper right now at 700 AM with a bag and it filled it up.  Loving life.  It cost me about $3.50 to heat my house for a day.  Good luck with the new motor.

Robert.

PS if you can. take pics of the two motors to show the difference.  I didn't and people were asking.  All kidding aside you will see, the electric motor part is double the size.


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## Boondoggie

This is why warranties exist. It sounds like you were taken care of as best I could imagine, only thing better would have been if your dealer had the motor in stock...


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## LOPI AGP

I love the dealers that I got my stove from.  I got the LOPI ANSWER wood stove from them 10 years ago.  I get treated very well every time I go in there.  I have referred at least 4 work buddies to them.  I have no complaints.


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## smwilliamson

LOPI AGP said:


> You know 73 Charger, I think one of the inside heat shields wasn't installed properly also. The top one wasn't seated in the locking slots. It seemed under it instead. I went to the show room and double checked and I was correct. I also corrected that. I love the unit now that it is running properly. Also the place I got it here in orange county NY are very nice people. The only complaint was the whole, "Braking in two hours" thing. A unit that cost as much as the LOPI should work well out of the box. Now with all the upgrades and the warranty doubled I am very happy.


That Warranty, though now "good" for double the years still must be executed from the same dealer.


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## LOPI AGP

Yes. Lopi's/Travis Scott Abele, who was a gentleman, did it. The location did note the account and I got an email as a back up. Mr. Abele stated that they are the kind of company that if my name came across his desk, even if it was 5 years from now, that he would cover it under warranty after dealing with what I just dealt with. I told him that I could appreciate that but due to my job, I would like it in writing. So he sent it to me in an email. Very nice people, but understand that we pay a price for that. This stove was $5400 installed. One would not expect a stove of that caliber to give up in two hours. So I was treated very well and have no complaints and I am very happy.


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## Bartman

I just stumbled on this post after firing up a friend's new Lopi AGP insert and had the same problem.
 They installed the unit themselves but had me come over to install the wireless thermostat. After loading the hopper with pellets, (no way this holds 40lbs), starting the stove, in no time it dropped it's pellets and lit. With a really nice fire, I was impressed. While the fire burned for about 10min. the fire died down and burned out. No more pellet feed. Tried restarting the stove, no feed. This stove was manufactured in 10/2013. Called the dealer and they never heard of the problem and want to blame it on the install. Don't really know if this unit is different from the model you folks are referring to, but it's eerily similar.


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## LOPI AGP

Bartman did they send a new feeder motor?  Also my lopi agp must be different because the hopper holds almost 80 lbs. I would say 70 to be on the safe side.


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## eagle101

Just had a APG pellet stove installed 31 Jan.2014. I hit the start button and it starts feeding the pellets, nice flame but it only runs for approx. 20 minutes and it stops feeding the pellets. The exhaust fan continues then shuts down. I called the service tech. said to unplug it for 15 minutes and try it again and still the same problem. The Tech. will be coming out next week to see what's the problem.


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## LOPI AGP

That is the snap disk. It is very problematic. They replaced it when they did the motor. Those are the two thing that go wrong with lopi agp. You can change it but if they are coming out to fix it let them.  Easy fix when out of warranty. Take left side off. Right in the inside. You can also look to see if the snap disk is connected. Take apart the inside stainless steel and there is a small flap cover on the back right to the right of the fire pot. That round little thing is the snap disk. Then open the right side when you are looking at it.  Left side if your standing behind the unit. There is a panel and take that off. You will see the disk and see if they plugged it in.


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## LOPI AGP

Also you have to clean it about every 10-20 bags.


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## eagle101

LOPI AGP said:


> That is the snap disk. It is very problematic. They replaced it when they did the motor. Those are the two thing that go wrong with lopi agp. You can change it but if they are coming out to fix it let them.  Easy fix when out of warranty. Take left side off. Right in the inside. You can also look to see if the snap disk is connected. Take apart the inside stainless steel and there is a small flap cover on the back right to the right of the fire pot. That round little thing is the snap disk. Then open the right side when you are looking at it.  Left side if your standing behind the unit. There is a panel and take that off. You will see the disk and see if they plugged it in.


It sure was, defective snap disk, the Tech. replaced it and up and running, first time I've heard the heat blower kick in, nice heat. Thanks for the info.


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## Danny9909

LOPI AGP said:


> Oh and also.  What are the best pellets to use?  I brought a ton of NEW ENGLAND wood pellets.  They are doing well but in the show room a big selling point was the low ash.  They told me that they haven't even cleaned it in a week.  When they pulled it out the ash pan it was a very light dusting.  I have cleaned it out already in 4 days.  It wasn't full but around 1/4 full.  Not the little ash they had in the show room.  Thanks for the advice.


I burn barefoot in my Lopi and very happy with the results.


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## McCaffrey

updating Bartmans thread (It was our Lopi AGP insert he was assisting with).  The dealer sent a technician out to our house within 3 days (believing it was something we did wrong during installation...).  It was an auger screw that became loose during shipping, absolutely nothing to do with us!  The technician knew right away what it could be, pulled out the unit, tightened everything...and it worked perfectly.  He also extended the hopper for us, now we can fit appx 50 lbs of pellets.


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## Lake Girl

As Paul Harvey used to say ... here's the rest of the story


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## MikeM

Hello All,  been a lurker here since acquiring my Avalon AGP in Fall 2012.  I too had significant lower feed problems with the unit when first installed,  but Travis and the dealer got it sorted out and over the last two seasons it has performed very well.  Yesterday however the unit failed after a pellet top off; of course this happens on the first really cold single  day of the season .  Turns out that the output shaft from the lower feed motor was sheared clean off,  telltale black grease  outside the gearbox  seam is also evident.   I will circle back here to report the warranty resolution for the part.   Thanks


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## Lake Girl

Sorry to hear that but welcome to the forum!  Hopefully your warranty experience is better that the norm I usually experience ... to bad, warranty just expired  Kubota was the only manufacturer that I have encountered that came good on warranty due to moisture in the instrument panel.  

Let us know...


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## MikeM

Lake Girl said:


> Sorry to hear that but welcome to the forum!  Hopefully your warranty experience is better that the norm I usually experience ... to bad, warranty just expired  Kubota was the only manufacturer that I have encountered that came good on warranty due to moisture in the instrument panel.
> Let us know...





Lake Girl said:


> Sorry to hear that but welcome to the forum!  Hopefully your warranty experience is better that the norm I usually experience ... to bad, warranty just expired  Kubota was the only manufacturer that I have encountered that came good on warranty due to moisture in the instrument panel.
> Let us know...


Stove is up and running,  no warranty coverage,   $148, hi torque motor from dealer (shipped from distributor USPS took 3 days).  Electric motor  is about 1/3 thicker but the gearbox and most importantly the output shaft is the same 3/8".  Time will tell.  Here is a photo of the split shaft:


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## Lake Girl

Glad to hear you are up and running again!


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## phil from barrington

My AGP has been banging and clunking ever since I had it installed in August '15.  I called my dealer and they said the new upgraded motor was installed before I bought it.  Have any of you that have had it changed out still experience all the banging and clanging?  Also, for any of you that have posted here and asked about pellets.....Try Olympus brand if you can find them, or any other brand that is 100% Douglas Fir.  It's the best material to burn in a pellet stove, period.  You'll pay a bit more but those are the best I've come across in the 10 years I've been burning pellets.


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## stovelark

Hi Phil-  just started burning a pellet called Percell at the store, a douglas fir pellet a distributor here in CT sells for 310 a ton delivered, an excellent burning softwood pellet.  I usually burn Spruce Pointe or La Crete softwoods, but this percell is really a nice hot burning pellet too.  Take care.


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## phil from barrington

Does anyone post here anymore?  The saga continues with my AGP insert making all kinds of banging and clanging noise.  I've had the dealer over here a couple of times and we think we know what it is, but not what's causing it.  With the left side panel removed you can see the metering motor turn  the rotary disc.  When the rotary disc gets filled with pellets it seems like the unit has trouble cutting the pellets to size.  You know this by observing the motor as it turns.  You can actually see the motor hesitate/bind/torque a bit and then release quickly when cutting the pellets, causing the the bang and clang. Sometimes it's loud and sometimes not.  This motor is connected to the shaft of the rotary disc and is held in place by a set screw only.  Seems like a design problem to me, the motor just hanging there with no stiffening to keep the motor from twisting on the shaft when cutting.  Has anyone out there had anything close the problems I describe?  (The dealer replaced the metering motor last week but the banging continues).


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## SESZOO

Third year with our lopi , using it  as our main heat  here in northern  NY  ,with no problems at all  mostly have burned Energex  through it  but am changeing this year as   they don't seem to burn as hot ,,  Only complaint  I have  is that they are dirty stoves  and you have to keep up with the cleaning  ,every 4 days here  ,no excuses  , and a once a month deep clean   along with  a summer  top to bottom  end of season ... Other than that have been pleased with it ,..Like to hear some other up to date reports..


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## Lake Girl

Can't find exploded parts diagram for the stove so a shot in the dark as it is not a stove I'm familiar with ....  Are there bearings that need to be replaced as they do wear over time and fit will become sloppy or is there a way to sharpen the "cutter".

PS  Best I could find was a pic of the cutter here:  http://www.raleighfireplace.com/AGP.pdf
Looks like the blade can be removed by two screws...


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## phil from barrington

Lake Girl said:


> Can't find exploded parts diagram for the stove so a shot in the dark as it is not a stove I'm familiar with ....  Are there bearings that need to be replaced as they do wear over time and fit will become sloppy or is there a way to sharpen the "cutter".
> 
> PS  Best I could find was a pic of the cutter here:  http://www.raleighfireplace.com/AGP.pdf
> Looks like the blade can be removed by two screws...




I don't believe it's a bearing issue.  The dealer has been here and replaced the metering motor ( it drives the cutter and pushes the pellets to the auger) and the same noise occurs when the blade cuts the pellets.  The motor is mounted to the rotary disc shaft and has no support except for a set screw securing it to the shaft.   When pellets fill the rotary disc the blade is supposed to trim them down.  My problem is this:  The pellets seem to be binding up in the cutter/rotary disc causing the motor to torque/twist on the shaft.  When the cutter finally cuts through the pellets the motor snaps back into place causing this noise.  The pellets I use are 100% Douglas Fir, Olympus brand.  I've seen absolutely no negative reviews on these pellets so I assume they're not the cause.  If you were to look at this stove you'd see a sheet metal housing around where the motor is mounted.  There was enough room to jam a bolt between it and the motor to try to keep the motor from twisting/torquing, but that didn't work either, and they shouldn't have to 'jury rig' it to make it work.  The blade was already replaced a few weeks ago.  So, after long-winded saga I was wondering if anyone else experienced this issue and what they did to fix it.  I've e-mailed Travis Industries and explained my issue in detail but I haven't received a response.  Sorry if I' ve repeated myself,  I didn't realize I was getting long winded...again.    Other than this issue the stove works fine.


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## Lake Girl

Unfortunately, you're the first I've heard with this issue.  Hope Travis Industries has some ideas for remedy...


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## phil from barrington

Thank you Lake Girl, for at least responding.  Their silence is deafening.    Even if I use pellets that MIGHT cause the noise, they've advertised this stove as having the ability to use ALL GRADES of PELLETS, thus the moniker of AGP.  If that is truly the case then I'd say they've fallen a bit short.  This thing makes so much noise on a regular basis that I just cannot believe I have 3.6 tons of pellets that have metal and/or stones in them.  Oh, last years' batch too.  I'm getting close to demanding a new stove.  Hoping someone from Travis monitors these websites.  I've seen them in here before.


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## 73Charger

Not sure if it's the same issue, but I have a freestanding AGP stove, and they had to replace the snap-disk (under warranty) during the first year.  The stove would be unable to cut through the pellets at times, sounds like a similar issue to yours.


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## Advisor

LOPI AGP said:


> Hi everyone.  I just signed up to this forum.  I have been reading it for the past few days and wanted to give my opinion on my LOPI AGP stove.
> 
> First I have to say that I have been burning wood for over 10 years.  I have a LOPI Answer stove that is used as an insert.  The build quality is great and all I have every had to replace are crack bricks and the door gasket.  That being said.  The LOPI AGP stove is just as beautiful as my ANSWER.  I love the look of the bay door and the ash lip/tray.  The AVALON is the same exact stove with out the fancy door and ash lip/tray.  Even though the LOPI was a few dollars more, the look did it for me.  It is extremely similar in look to my wood burning stove.
> 
> So due to a car accident at work I had to have my neck fused and no longer can split wood.  With the way prices are now for home heating I went out to the store I brought my ANSWER and had them install the AGP.
> 
> The unit is beautiful and in a few hours I had great heat coming out of the unit.  The hopper holds almost 80 LBS.  They advertise that it holds 80 LBS but its just not true.  I would say its more along the lines of 65-70 LBS.
> 
> So two hours later after the installer left, I started to get cold.  I went down stairs to where I had the unit installed and saw that the unit had gone out.  I went to the instruction manual and went through the shut down start up process.  The hopper was full, the unit internal fan was running just no fire.
> 
> I called the company I brought it from.  The owner walked me through all of the same things that I had did.  He asked me to remove all the pellets.  Not fun.  Had me the hopper door switch and do the start processes.  I did.  The feeder motor wasn't working.  He told me that he would order the part and have it delivered and repaired.  I asked him for a new unit.  He stated that LOPI doesn't do that and that they would have a repair man at my house on Thursday.  This happen on a Monday.
> 
> In my head I thought of a returning the stove, stop payment on the check.
> 
> I wrote an email to the company who makes the stove, Travis industries.  Got a response the next morning saying that the owner of the location that sold me the stove had been in contact with him and that they will fix the problem.  Not happy.
> 
> Thursday comes and early in the morning the repair man comes.  True to what was being said, the feeding motor/auger was seized.  The repairman said a few things that really made me mad. He showed me the new feeder/auger motor.  It was double the size.  This is the statement that made me mad.  He said, "This is the motor that is NOW IN PRODUCTION IN THE NEW STOVES BEING MADE."  He also stated that the snap disk on these units are defective and he also replaced that.  He left and the stove was running beautifully.
> 
> When he left I felt like crap. I wrote an email to Travis industries again stating that I was not happy and that I wanted a new "NOW" stove explaining that I just brought the stove and didn't want old stock especially since the knew there was a problem.  I left my phone number.
> 
> I got a call a few hours later.  They explained to me that they have stop production of the AGP stove due to those motors starting to fail.  Also explained to me that as soon as they noticed the problem they fired to company that made the motors.  He said that they will continue making the stoves and are waiting for the motors to come in.  They have a "Hand full of them" for repair and that they had fedex next day for my repair.  He informed me that I was the first one that had the motor die in two hours.  He said that it was happening in weeks and months or not at all.
> 
> He asked me what would make me happy.  I informed him that I wanted double the warranty on the moving parts.  They come with a two year.  He agreed and sent me an email stating so. So at this point I am happy.
> 
> As of today my stove has been running for four days straight and it is working great.  I have a split level ranch house.  Total of 4 levels.  I had the stove installed in my family room.  An area of about 30 feet by 20 feet.  It keeps that level at 78.  I had them install the external thermostat option and it is set to 80. The main level is at about 72.  The bedroom level is at 68-70.
> 
> I have loved my LOPI ANSWER.  I really believe the company is a great company. I just wanted to warn everyone who has or is buying one to call and make sure they get the upgraded motor.  I am telling you, I saw them both.  The new motor is double the size.  Good luck and I look forward to being a member on this fourm.
> 
> Robert


Thanks for the heads up. & happy it worked out for you in the end.


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## phil from barrington

73Charger said:


> Not sure if it's the same issue, but I have a freestanding AGP stove, and they had to replace the snap-disk (under warranty) during the first year.  The stove would be unable to cut through the pellets at times, sounds like a similar issue to yours.



Good Morning  73Charger: The snap disc has nothing to do with the rotary disc. Snap disc is all about heat and thermostat control.  My problem looks like that the blade that cuts the pellets is binding on the plate that sits just below it.  You can reach in there with the hopper empty and turn the rotary disc by hand.  On mine, it binds up and you can't turn it.   It squealed like hell last Sunday AM.  High pitched, like steel on steel.  After weeks of science projects with this unit, Travis is replacing it.  Top shelf customer service, I'd say.


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## Lake Girl

The stove going back to Travis so they can do an autopsy?  Glad to hear they are fixing you up with a new one


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## haff99

phil from barrington said:


> My AGP has been banging and clunking ever since I had it installed in August '15.  I called my dealer and they said the new upgraded motor was installed before I bought it.  Have any of you that have had it changed out still experience all the banging and clanging?  Also, for any of you that have posted here and asked about pellets.....Try Olympus brand if you can find them, or any other brand that is 100% Douglas Fir.  It's the best material to burn in a pellet stove, period.  You'll pay a bit more but those are the best I've come across in the 10 years I've been burning pellets.



My AGP insert bangs and clunks when it cuts the pellets.  I just thought that was normal. I've had it about 2 years now and other then the occasional clank it doesn't seem to be doing anything bad.  Is it supposed to cut the pellets quietly?  I get the clank maybe once or twice every hour or so.  SOmetimes it's louder where you can hear it cut more then one pellet.  

Every once in awhile it sounds like the a pellet gets stuck somewhere(I think in the auger) and it squeals until it pushed the pellet out.  I get more concerned about this.


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## Mikey pellet guy

I see a lot of smart people on these blogs with great knowledgeable information. What i dont get is why are there so many buying these box store pellet stoves? From my experience with pellet stoves you get what you pay for. I read a lot of blogs with problem after problems with the box store stoves. If price is the issue your better off buying a used quadra, Harman , Your higher end stoves which would be less issues even used. Better parts just better made for the same price as a new box store stove. Just my opinion


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## rich2500

lots of people with good luck with box store stoves, read about just as many people with problems with quads and harmans etc. as box store stoves. Lopi's are not a box store stove


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## NYBurner

Mikey pellet guy said:


> I see a lot of smart people on these blogs with great knowledgeable information. What i dont get is why are there so many buying these box store pellet stoves? From my experience with pellet stoves you get what you pay for. I read a lot of blogs with problem after problems with the box store stoves. If price is the issue your better off buying a used quadra, Harman , Your higher end stoves which would be less issues even used. Better parts just better made for the same price as a new box store stove. Just my opinion



Lopi AGP is not a cheap stove, and not a box store brand either


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## Mikey pellet guy

rich2500 said:


> lots of people with good luck with box store stoves, read about just as many people with problems with quads and harmans etc. as box store stoves. Lopi's are not a box store stove


Maybe but most of the issues with qaud & Harman are neglected issues, people buy pellet stoves & dont clean them properly 90 percent of issues are caused by neglecting through cleaning which leads to more strain on components to break downs.


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## Mikey pellet guy

NYBurner said:


> Lopi AGP is not a cheap stove, and not a box store brand either


Okay your right i was wrong agp are in the qauilty stove making. I did more research.


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## MikeM

As we swing into the 2017/2018 heating season,  here is a updated performance report on the Avalon AGP installed in our home in November 2012.  The replacement auger motor I first wrote about when creating this thread lasted all of 15 months, failing in March 2017.  This is failure # 4 for the Avalon AGP in 5 years of ownership.  The Avalon/Travis OEM motor is manufactured by Merkle-Korff,  and again failed at the gear shaft identical to the failure pictured in my Jan 10, 2016 post.  The Dealer could order a replacement part,  paid for by me in advance.  Avalon/Travis’ customer service representative took offense at my suggestion of a  design/engineering problem in their product.   After my anger subsided and I didn’t throw the unit off the back deck,  research on this forum helped me identify an alternate feed motor manufacture which so far (25+/- bags) has been working well.


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## Manly

MikeM said:


> As we swing into the 2017/2018 heating season,  here is a updated performance report on the Avalon AGP installed in our home in November 2012.  The replacement auger motor I first wrote about when creating this thread lasted all of 15 months, failing in March 2017.  This is failure # 4 for the Avalon AGP in 5 years of ownership.  The Avalon/Travis OEM motor is manufactured by Merkle-Korff,  and again failed at the gear shaft identical to the failure pictured in my Jan 10, 2016 post.  The Dealer could order a replacement part,  paid for by me in advance.  Avalon/Travis’ customer service representative took offense at my suggestion of a  design/engineering problem in their product.   After my anger subsided and I didn’t throw the unit off the back deck,  research on this forum helped me identify an alternate feed motor manufacture which so far (25+/- bags) has been working well.



It will be interesting to see how long you new motor lasts. I installed a Ravelli pellet stove a couple of seasons back. Last spring the auger motor failed. It was a Merkle-Korff motor in I'm not mistaken. I replaced it with a Dayton gear motor from Grainger. The new motor was much quieter than the original. I believe the original was defective, and, or installed improperly. Anyway, time will tell. So far so good.


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## Dedgerly603

Hello, just found this forum and I also have a Lopi AGP. It is the freestanding unit that I purchased as a showroom model in January last season. The manufacture date on the back says it was made in January 2014.

 I started heating season in NH  with the stove consistently around November 1. I burn cleanfire pacific pellets only and the stove runs 24/7 as a primary source to keep my 30 y/o oil furnace from running. In the past two weeks I have gotten poor performance from my stove. Heat output seems much lower then last season and the glass is sooting up; which has never ever happened in the past.

Two days ago the stove starting making a deep harmonic hum  and vibrating. I have isolated the noise to the vertical feed auger motor as described in the previous posts. Upon inspection I found the auger motor bracket was loose... was able to giggle it by hand...Maybe 1/8" of gap between the bracket and the housing it bolts too. Being a decently mechanically inclined person (gas turbine engineer), I tightening the bracket. Started the stove back up and the auger motor noise got worse. Much worse. Loud hum when it indexes and a bearing squeal when it cycles around its travel.

So I removed the pellets and the left side panel. Turned the stove back on with the left side panel open and loosened the auger motor bracket till the motor noises subsided mostly. Still louder then I remember from last season. While I had the pellets out I removed the auger chisel and sharpened it. It was not dull but not necessarily sharp. I sharpened it on a honing stone and removed a couple gouges and burs.  I have been getting louder and louder clunks since November and read on this forum that the chisel gets dull and clunks real bad.

Now the stove is back together and the clunking has lessened mostly; as I presume the sharp chisel cuts the pellets much easier. But the stove seems to have a relatively loud operating hum. Much louder then I remember last season .

I clean the stove every 5-7 days; empty ash pan, clean burn pot, remove all internal panels and clean exhaust blower from the ashpan drawer, and clean the convection tubes. A pretty thorough cleaning.

So at this point and from what I have read in this string of posts that I need to replace my auger motor. How do I know when I order it if I am getting the new updated motor?
What company are you ordering it from? Part number? 
I see some have ordered an alternate brand motor as well. Where could I get one of those? 

Also, has anyone replaced the combustion blower yet? I think my loud operating noise is partly due to that as well. I suppose the bearings in the motor are getting tired and its getting louder and louder.   

Sorry for the long post and any advice would be much appreciated.

Dan


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## MikeM

So at this point and from what I have read in this string of posts that I need to replace my auger motor. How do I know when I order it if I am getting the new updated motor?   *Failure detected when pellets stopped feeding: empty hopper, bypass feed door saftey (keep hands out ) and see if feed platter turns,  if not take side panels (opposite damper pull) off and confirm that platter and motor drive shaft fastners are snug,  if they are snug the motor is probably shot.  You can confirm by bench testing motor with 110v.
*
What company are you ordering it from? Part number?
I see some have ordered an alternate brand motor as well. Where could I get one of those?  *Would not buy the Merkle-Korff OEM motor,  the Gleason-Avery A901 installed last March is functioning fine.    *

Also, has anyone replaced the combustion blower yet? I think my loud operating noise is partly due to that as well. I suppose the bearings in the motor are getting tired and its getting louder and louder.  *Blower motors are louder than I would like but have performed trouble free.*

Sorry for the long post and any advice would be much appreciated.

Dan[/QUOTE]
When


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## Don2222

Hi
Are you using Hardwood or Softwood pellets?


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## MikeM

Don2222 said:


> Hi
> Are you using Hardwood or Softwood pellets?


hardwood


Update!  Another top feed/platen gearbox failure.  Stove went out 2-3x's  today.  Removed side panel and saw the tell tale black grease around the gearbox.  My bad for not sharpening & honing cutter blade??  Stove is POS.


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## kmcdonough

I am in my third season with my AGP.  When I first started using it, I had the same auger clunking noises described in earlier posts.  Even swapped out the motors on dealers advice.  Turns out I had the updated motor to begin with.  No change in performance.  I found adjusting the air damper worked to stop the noises.  I still get them but not as often as when I first used it.  I also removed two washers on the door latch, which tightened the seal and helped to mitigate some of the soot build up on the door.  For the first two seasons I used Curran hardwood blend pellets.  I think it's an 80/20 blend.  This season I am using Fusion Blend hardwood pellets.  I am having issues now this season with the fire cover being pushed off the burn pot every 2-3 days.  Very annoying.  I am thinking it may be a combination of using the stove on a low setting and burning hardwood pellets.  I have been told that Curran pellets are a "dirty" pellet but I think I am going to go back to them after I use up my fusion blend.  Has anyone else had a similar problem with the fire cover coming off?


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