# Lopi snap disk "turn on" temp



## clutch25 (Aug 26, 2011)

Does anyone know the "turn on" temp for the Lopi snap disk fan switch by chance?  Just got the stove in (pics to follow next week in new thread) and had a break in fire to cook the paint.  I got the stove what I considered plenty hot enough to turn on the fan but it never did activate.

I checked the fan and the motors are good and it will blow with the switch jumped.

Notes:

Used Lopi Republic 1750.

Thanks!


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## begreen (Aug 26, 2011)

Usually is say the close temp and differential on the side of the switch in fine print. It will be something like 125-30. Check to be sure that the switch is making good contact with the stove body. If there is a spring steel plate holding the switch, bend it a bit to put more pressure on the switch against the stove.


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## thewoodlands (Aug 26, 2011)

clutch25 said:
			
		

> Does anyone know the "turn on" temp for the Lopi snap disk fan switch by chance?  Just got the stove in (pics to follow next week in new thread) and had a break in fire to cook the paint.  I got the stove what I considered plenty hot enough to turn on the fan but it never did activate.
> 
> I checked the fan and the motors are good and it will blow with the switch jumped.
> 
> ...




We have the Liberty with the fan, could take 20-30 minutes.



zap


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## clutch25 (Aug 26, 2011)

Thanks!

I checked the pressure of the switch last night and it felt pretty tight in the mounting.  I will check it again tonight.  Still pretty warm out to have a roaring fire going in the house even with all the windows open...

Picking up a new stove top thermometer this afternoon so I can be a little more specific in the facts reported.


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## stoveguy13 (Aug 26, 2011)

you will most likely need more then a small break in or knidling fire to get the blower on


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## joefrompa (Aug 26, 2011)

I haven't looked into the HOW, but I'll say that I've wanted to modify my fan. I can have the stove top at 450-500 and the fan still isn't on. 20-30 minutes is normal. Lotta heat not yet getting pumped out.

If anything, I'd want mine to come on and stay on when the stove top is at 200 degrees. Which usually is about 5-7 minutes after a cold start.


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## thewoodlands (Aug 26, 2011)

clutch25 said:
			
		

> Does anyone know the "turn on" temp for the Lopi snap disk fan switch by chance?  Just got the stove in (pics to follow next week in new thread) and had a break in fire to cook the paint.  I got the stove what I considered plenty hot enough to turn on the fan but it never did activate.
> 
> I checked the fan and the motors are good and it will blow with the switch jumped.
> 
> ...




Once you get burning 24/7 forget about the 20/30 minutes, you'll need to turn it down!  :zip: 


zap


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## rdust (Aug 26, 2011)

On my Endeavor from a cold start it can take 45 minutes to 1 hour and stove top around 600.  There have been times when I thought it was never going to turn on and the stove was getting near 700.  I wanted to turn the blower on to cool of the stove.  It usually clicks on when I'm just starting to feel a little panic.  :lol:  When I'm burning 24/7 the fan is much more consistent. 

The switch location on the endeavor is at the top on the back so it take a while to get the steel cooking that far up the back.


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## North of 60 (Aug 26, 2011)

joefrompa said:
			
		

> I haven't looked into the HOW, but I'll say that I've wanted to modify my fan. I can have the stove top at 450-500 and the fan still isn't on. 20-30 minutes is normal. Lotta heat not yet getting pumped out.
> 
> If anything, I'd want mine to come on and stay on when the stove top is at 200 degrees. Which usually is about 5-7 minutes after a cold start.



Joe, its all about condensing and getting a clean burn. They want to get rid of all those cooler areas 1st to help with complete combustion. Running the fan too early will interfere with this process. A blower puts a fair load on the unit. Its amazing how it will affect the burn time on my stove.


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## MarkinNC (Aug 26, 2011)

rdust said:
			
		

> On my Endeavor from a cold start it can take 45 minutes to 1 hour and stove top around 600.  There have been times when I thought it was never going to turn on and the stove was getting near 700.  I wanted to turn the blower on to cool of the stove.  It usually clicks on when I'm just starting to feel a little panic.  :lol:  When I'm burning 24/7 the fan is much more consistent.
> 
> The switch location on the endeavor is at the top on the back so it take a while to get the steel cooking that far up the back.



The guys who installed my stove installed my temp sensor incorrectly on the bottom of the stove where the convective air is sucked in, not correctly between the rear heat shield and the stove (like I did).  The directions were misleading IMO.  I too can have my stove up to 600 or more degrees before my blower will kick on.

Anyhow, the installers did tell me if I cut the two wires to the temp sensor and spliced them together, I would have manual control over the blower unit.  If my temp sensor ever goes out and the fan unit still works, I may do that.


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## joefrompa (Aug 26, 2011)

north of 60 said:
			
		

> joefrompa said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I've observed that too - when my blower is really going, the stove works very differently than when it's off.

That being said, I've been around another plate steel stove and cast iron stove (Vogelzang and Jotul) whose fan's kick on FAR earlier and provide meaningful heat that much faster, without seeming to suffer any ill effects.

Is there anything I can do to make my fan kick on sooner/stay on longer as the stove cools down?


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## samhoff2 (Aug 27, 2011)

I'm watching this spot.  I too just bought a stove, first fire last night, and I was surprised the blower didn't kick on.


Sam


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## clutch25 (Aug 27, 2011)

Update and some info...

I reached into the air intake and poked the snap disk again tonight.

Got a fire going tonight, had a tough time getting it moving due to using some wood shop scraps that probably weren't as dry as they should be. It still only took me about 20 minutes to get the whole thing up to temp with a crappy draft and poor wood. Anyway, got the stove going and plugged in the blower and it kicked on right away. I bought a new Rutland stove top thermometer and it was showing around 450 I believe. The temp reads high on it by about 50 degrees at room temp and them I'm pretty sure it reads low at upper scale readings. Either way it is just a reference and I plan to bring down some lab thermometers and get a laser temp gauge also in the future.

So, on slab wood drops, and wood working scraps, the fan has been running about 2 hours non stop, every window in the house is open and it is around 86 by the stove....

Might have finally got it to go out now with the draft shut completely for the last 20 minutes. Stove got to almost 550 on the top before I realized that I need to move the therm. to the middle of the stove and out of the fan draft. I probably had a good 650 or better on the stove top.

Anyway, a person could put the fan on manual control for probably about $2 and 10 minutes worth of work. NOT THAT I RECOMMEND IT (disclaimer)! The fan switch is a "normally open" low amperage switch, that's as far as I'm going with it....

Pics to follow on Monday....


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## MarkinNC (Aug 27, 2011)

I'd say 600 or 650 is a common "cruising" temp on my stove.  It is interesting how much more intense 750 or 775 is IMO.  If your stove is ever getting to warm you can turn that fan up to high and it will drop the temp some.

After my usual digression, back to your regularly scheduled thread.


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## maverick06 (Aug 27, 2011)

I have the fireplace extrodinaire / lopi declaration. The snap disk is mounted on the bottom right of the firebox. It would require the fireplace to hit the same temperature as the surface of the sun before it clicked on. No joke, it was no uncommon for the first load of wood to be consumed before it turned on... terrible. 

It was super easy to bypass though, cut the wires and connect them. Now I turn it on and off as I see fit. It gets turned on at about 30-45 min (maybe a bit early) then runs full power until the fire is out. I get the most heat out that way. After 3 years of doing this I can also say that it is not producing any more creosote then before. 

Rick


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## joefrompa (Aug 27, 2011)

Mine often consumes the first load of wood (assuming the first load gets 5 minutes with the door cracked and then most of the rest with a good amount of air flowing through). Before the fan turns on. 

Are there articles anywhere on how to modify it to come on at a lower temperature? I still want it automated - I want it to turn itself off - but I just want it to come on far earlier.

I will say that I can put a load of wood on a roaring 600 degree fire, get roiling secondaries from the new wood instantly, and by turning the fan all the way up the stove won't do more than crack 700. The fan, on high, is absolutely amazing at controlling the stove's heat.


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## hwdemers (Aug 27, 2011)

MarkinNC said:
			
		

> rdust said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




the switch is a $12 part. I wouldnt recomend using it with out this part


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## maverick06 (Aug 28, 2011)

yep, very cheap to get on grainger, or probably amazon. Just have to try a few temperatures until you get one that you are happy with, if you choose to go that route.


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## webbie (Aug 28, 2011)

Paint snap black if not already so. It will soak up more heat and turn on quicker.


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## hwdemers (Aug 28, 2011)

Webmaster said:
			
		

> Paint snap black if not already so. It will soak up more heat and turn on quicker.



Is that a guess or have you tried this before? I like the idea!


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## webbie (Aug 28, 2011)

Definitely used it before and some units from the factory - way back when - had it already painted.


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## samhoff2 (Aug 28, 2011)

I'm still watching and learning from this thread.  But I wanted to hijack (sidetrack?) to ask a question:

I talked with my installer and told him I wanted the fan to run most of the time in order to make the fire more efficient.  He said, "You know, the fan just barely kicks up the efficiency.  Cool air will come in the bottom and be warmed and leave the top through convection even if you don't run the fan.  The difference in efficiency is negligible."  

I have a hard time believing this and would welcome any commentary.

By the way, painting the device black will only have a difference if it is being heated through radiant _visible _light.  Visible light is absorbed by black and reflected by white, so if you have sunlight shining on something, black will get hotter quicker.  But inside a stove where there is no visible light there is no difference.  My $0.02.

Sam


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## hwdemers (Aug 28, 2011)

samhoff2 said:
			
		

> I'm still watching and learning from this thread.  But I wanted to hijack (sidetrack?) to ask a question:
> 
> I talked with my installer and told him I wanted the fan to run most of the time in order to make the fire more efficient.  He said, "You know, the fan just barely kicks up the efficiency.  Cool air will come in the bottom and be warmed and leave the top through convection even if you don't run the fan.  The difference in efficiency is negligible."
> 
> ...



The visable light thing, I had the same thought but you articulated it well.  Imo blowers do not increase effecancy as they do not creat more heat they just push it farther into the room and help spread the heat around


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## mhrischuk (Aug 28, 2011)

I would install a switch.


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## maverick06 (Aug 29, 2011)

samhoff2 said:
			
		

> I wanted the fan to run most of the time in order to make the fire more efficient.



There have been a few seperate threads on this topic. In short, if it is a stand along unit, the fan helps a little. if it is a insert, the fan is mandatory. I have lost power before, the fireplace barely puts out any heatwithout the fan. Do your own test, see how your fireplace heats the house without the fan, each model is different. Its virtually mandatory for mine. This is why I want the fan to run non stop and on full power. This is why I bypassed the snap disk, one of the best decisions I have made! haha


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## samhoff2 (Sep 14, 2011)

Still watching this spot.  Have had a fire blazing for the last two hours and the fan on mine still hasn't turned on.  I complained two weeks ago when the install guys were here doing some stuff, and "we tested it and it's ok."  But this is just silly.

They did say that since the snap disk was down low, it would take a while to start.  Can I splice the wires and move the snap disk to a different location, closer to the fire itself? (or above it so it will heat faster).

It's an RSF Delta 2.

Thanks,

Sam


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## maverick06 (Sep 14, 2011)

You can move it anywhere you want, and replace it with another one if you want. Mounting it may be hard as it is likely held in place by screws and drilling/tapping new holes in there is probably pretty hard. But if you are going to cut the wires and move it, you could also just cut the wires, twist them together, and put a wire cap on them and call it a day. Thats what i did. 

But sure, move it wherever you want. Its just a switch, cold = open, hot = closed.


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## samhoff2 (Sep 14, 2011)

I found some snap disks online that I might try to replace it with.  One turns on at 120 and off at 90.  This seems too cool, but I don't know for sure?  Another is 150 and off at 120?  

Thanks for the help/advice,

Sam


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## joefrompa (Sep 14, 2011)

Samhoff,

Where is your snapdisk located and where did you find the 120/90 or 150/120 snap disk online? I might try relocating mine first (I have an insert) and second replacing it with what you named. I want the stove to turn off when it cools down, but I want it on ASAP and I want it to stay on while the stove is still significantly warmer than the room.


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## EJL923 (Sep 14, 2011)

Do yourself a favor and buy a timer switch for your outlet, best thing i ever did.  After you get used to burning your stove, you will know when and how long your stove is able to put out usable heat.  I have found that the snap disc can turn off before it should, as well as turning on after it should.  It is especially usable when you will be gone longer than is needed to refuel your stove.  You will know that the blower was on for the entire cycle of usable heat.  I barely use the auto turn on/off feature.  I turn on the timer when i leave for work.  In the morning, the stove is at times not hot enough to turn on the snapstat, but hot enough to put out usable heat.


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## samhoff2 (Sep 14, 2011)

The snap disks I was looking at are "senasys" on amazon.  Unfortunately made in china. (doh!)

Mine is located underneath the firebox, but there's a wall down there between the two.  I think I'm going to unscrew the unit and set it as close as I possibly can to the firebox, although I don't think I'll be able to screw it in there.  Based on EJL's post, maybe I'll go for the lowest temp one.

Putting a timer on isn't an option (as currently wired), because I have a dial on the wall that just controls the fan speed (off to the left, then high in the middle, then low on the right).  I think a low temp snap disk is likely the answer.

Thanks everyone for all the help; I'll keep this thread posted whatever I do.

Sam


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## joefrompa (Sep 14, 2011)

Please do. I've got ~4-6 weeks before I start actively burning, so if you figure this out it'd be great.

in the meantime, I'm going to become familiar with my snapdisk


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## maverick06 (Sep 15, 2011)

For those interested, I have a fireplace extrodinaire / lopi declaration. The snap disc is on the bottom of the firebox, behind the blower on the bottom right. I have included a picture of where it is. The red arrow points to the yellow snap disk. 

Oh wait. Silly me, thats not a snap disk, thats the wirenut I have on the wires when I bypassed the snap disk.... 

Seriously though, its just a few inches back from the bottom front corner. Its screwed (I think) into the metal plate from the bottom. If you get a flash light and pull the face off it will be easy to find.


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## joefrompa (Sep 15, 2011)

Nice. I'm actually really liking the secondary idea of wirenutting them together and using a wall timer. Turn the wall timer on, turn the blower to desired level, walk away. Feed the fire for the night? Set it for 6-7 hours. Etc.

Not as good as a nice quick snap disk, but still good!


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## samhoff2 (Sep 17, 2011)

Well, I finally got the snapdisk to snap.

I removed it (see pic), took off the metal protective box that was around it.  Used gorilla glue to glue two very small powerful magnets to the face itself (on the other side of what you're seeing in this pic).  Let it harden overnight.

Slipped it back inside the fireplace (whoops... should have hit the breaker: I touched metal and blew the breaker instead, causing me to jerk pretty good), put it right under the firebox (and the magnets held it there perfectly).

Flipped the breaker back on.

Built a pretty good fire.

It tripped in about 45 minutes or so  Nice.

I'm still going to try to replace it with the newer one I ordered because 45 minutes is a lot of heat to waste.

Sam


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## begreen (Sep 19, 2011)

copied from other thread:

I would be very careful experimenting with snap-switch mods. There is a reason for the snap switch to be screwed to a springy metal base. You are dealing with hot surfaces here. Caution should be taken to protect wiring from heat. I would use screws instead of glue to attach the switch. Installed correctly, the factory setup usually works fine.


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## joefrompa (Sep 19, 2011)

Sam,

Looks like you are using the freestanding stove....unfortunately, I can't tell how the snap disk is supposed to operate on the insert. Figuring that out now...


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## tickbitty (Sep 19, 2011)

Joe, the manual says it comes on when it is "up to temperature" but they don't say what temperature - and they say that will typically happen within 15-30 minutes.  When we first started using our stove we had not screwed the blower on but had it (I thought) securely against the stove where I thought it should have plenty of contact.  Turns out I was wrong and it took forever to turn on, until I got it actually screwed on there.  I can't remember if it comes on within 15-30 minutes, but it comes on in a decent period from a cold start.  I wouldn't want it coming on too soon, since I want the stove to get good and hot first.  And it definitely stays on a long time.  I have woken in the morning to ash with just a few embers and the blower still on.  I wonder if you are getting full contact, have you tried unscrewing the blower and rescrewing it in there?

(Lol, that is the answer to everything with computers... uninstall, reinstall, reboot... prob won't help you but anyway...)


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## joefrompa (Sep 19, 2011)

I haven't done that tickbitty, but when I took it off this morning it was VERY securely screwed in. I'v enever woken with the blower on....I don't think I've ever seen it stay on for more than 4 hours straight without a reload.

I'd like the blower to be able to come on LOW at 250 stove top - in other words, to start moving some air. For the most part, the stove is hitting 450+ before it even comes on. Compared to my FIL's Jotul (12-15 minutes) and my brother in laws vogelzang (6-8 minutes), I haven't seen their stoves have a rougher time getting warmed up.

I'm a little frustrated here honestly - I LIKE the concept of the snap disk. More than the idea of a timer or anything else. But I want this thing coming on fast too.


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## madison (Sep 19, 2011)

I am not at all familiar with the stove in question, but , is is feasible to move the switch to a "warmer" spot of the stove body. Is the switch is positioned at the coolest spot to make sure the fan turns off when the (bottom) box is cool OR is it possibly to prevent the blower from cooling the spot and having the fan cycle on and off?

Just a thought.


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## joefrompa (Sep 19, 2011)

I'll take pictures of mine tonight to post.


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## begreen (Sep 19, 2011)

tickbitty said:
			
		

> Joe, the manual says it comes on when it is "up to temperature" but they don't say what temperature - and they say that will typically happen within 15-30 minutes.  When we first started using our stove we had not screwed the blower on but had it (I thought) securely against the stove where I thought it should have plenty of contact.  Turns out I was wrong and it took forever to turn on, until I got it actually screwed on there.  I can't remember if it comes on within 15-30 minutes, but it comes on in a decent period from a cold start.



Our stove takes 30-45 minutes depending on the starting fire size. It takes a while to get the full 585# mass of the stove up to temperature. but once it's hot, it stays hot.


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## tickbitty (Sep 19, 2011)

joefrompa said:
			
		

> I haven't done that tickbitty, but when I took it off this morning it was VERY securely screwed in. I'v enever woken with the blower on....I don't think I've ever seen it stay on for more than 4 hours straight without a reload.
> 
> I'd like the blower to be able to come on LOW at 250 stove top - in other words, to start moving some air. For the most part, the stove is hitting 450+ before it even comes on. Compared to my FIL's Jotul (12-15 minutes) and my brother in laws vogelzang (6-8 minutes), I haven't seen their stoves have a rougher time getting warmed up.
> 
> I'm a little frustrated here honestly - I LIKE the concept of the snap disk. More than the idea of a timer or anything else. But I want this thing coming on fast too.



Hmm.  In a month or so when we start burning I'll get back to you on how long it takes and what temp stovetop.  Good luck!


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## maverick06 (Sep 19, 2011)

my opinions and experiance with this snap disk has been previously mentioned in this thread. 

BUT I dont think I would use gorilla glue. I do not think that it could take the temperature (how hot does that area get, pretty warm). What happens if power goes out when you have the stove running and the blowers arent cooling it. It may make it, maybe not. I would have suggested JB weld if you had to use an adhesive.


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## joefrompa (Sep 20, 2011)

Pictures of my lopi republic 1750 insert blower:

Front:






Looking down from above:






Underneath looking up:







Note, this is exactly how it looks removed from the insert. This mounts directly under the ash-lip. I haven't done so yet, but looking at the last photo I believe the snap disk is in there under the black metal mesh and wires. 

Note: if I'm right, then the snap disk on this insert is mounted up against the bottome of the ASH LIP. An interesting location to say the least. I may see about mounting a new low temperature snap disk to a piece of metal and JB welding that to the bottom of the firebox...


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## bpm44 (Sep 20, 2011)

Joe - I have a Revere, and as shown in your last pic the snap disk is just to the right of you thumb. That little round button with two wires going to it. The orientation should put it against the front of the body of the stove ( not touching the bottom of the lip itself, but rather the stove) mine comes on and stays on, once fires start up I'll keep track of some temps and times, but from a cold start with seasoned maple not more than 20 or 30 minutes. Maybe your blower housing needs to be tweaked a little so you get better contact between the disk and the stove body.


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## joefrompa (Sep 20, 2011)

That little black circle next to my thumb? Holy cow that thing is small. I'll take a closer look this morning.


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## bpm44 (Sep 20, 2011)

Yep, that's it. Only the size of a dime, so good contact to the stovebody is an absolute necessity. Something else I do is when I reload I use my poker to keep ash build up away from the middle front of the stove where the primary air hole is.

 At our old house one of our stoves was a Lopi Patriot freestanding stove, and the snap disk was remotely located away from the blower itself at the left front underside of the stove, in the channel where room air would circulate under the stove (like the air passages that our inserts blow the air through with the blower) anyhow, I noticed a huge difference in time when the blower would kick on based on the ash build up in the stove - the more ash, the longer it took to kick on from cold start up. Ash is a pretty effective insulator.


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## begreen (Sep 20, 2011)

Thanks Jeeper. That sure looks correct. It appears that they have modified the design from the online instructions.


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## joefrompa (Sep 20, 2011)

BeGreen - that blower is for the INSERT. The stuff you presented was for the standalone stove, I believe. So they are still accurate instructions online.


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## Hinterlander (Sep 20, 2011)

I've been using a Lopi Revere just about 24/7 for seven seasons now.   The fan is a must have.  Those switches get "lazy" after a few years and need to be replaced.   My fan will cycle on and off repeatedly as the stove warms and that's how I know it's time to buy another $15 switch from the neighborhood Lopi dealer.   I also give the fan and it's housing a good cleaning twice each season.   It is unbelievable how ash and dust will reduce the efficiency of the fan.


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## clutch25 (Sep 23, 2011)

It looks like I'm going to have to replace the switch in my stove.  The fan will now come on pretty reliably, but it won't shut off when the burn cycle is done and the stove is cold.  One time it even came on when the stove top was showing ~200 degrees....  Odd behavior that almost points to a chafed wire.


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## begreen (Sep 23, 2011)

I suspect it's the snap-switch. They get sticky and erratic when about to fail.


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## joefrompa (Sep 23, 2011)

Well, one plus is that it's exceptionally easy to access the snap disk on my insert. If I get frustrated this year, the snap disc is connected by 2 wires with slide-on adapters on the ends - easy enough to strip em and wirenut em together if needed and then simply either use the fan control and/or an outlet timer.

Now that I've thought it through some more, I am liking the idea of the timer more and more. The fan control itself operates as an on/off switch along with speed of fan, and the timer can just be set at night to my specifications.

We'll see what I wind up doing, but I don' tthink I'll be replacing the snap disk.


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## illadvisedhammer (Sep 30, 2011)

Thanks for all who participate on this and other threads, this site is invaluable. I am reading this during the curing burn-in on a new Republic 1750 insert, first fire on first insert ever for me.  Just a data point, my fan came on when the highest surface temperature (Kintrex thermometer, didn't want to cure the stovetop thermo into the paint) was 330Â° F.  However, it took me 2 hours to get to that temp, which means either that I put 2 very heavy logs in first with not nearly enough kindling/small logs (definitely) or my thermometer is low (less likely).  I think it is pretty cool still because there isn't any secondary burning, and the stove isn't making much noise.  Turning the fan off now to see if the stove temp will rise any more.  Since this is the curing fire and the door is ajar, it's easy to open up and poke around with the IR thermometer.  It reads off the scale for the burning logs, and 400-700 for the firebricks on the sides, back and top.


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## bpm44 (Sep 30, 2011)

Often times break-in fires don't get temps high enough to kick the fan on so don't worry. Lots of mass to heat up there.


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## Eater309 (Jan 29, 2014)

webbie said:


> Paint snap black if not already so. It will soak up more heat and turn on quicker.


Can you explain how black paint can heat up faster, there's no sunshine in the back of my stove.  This is from a very old thread.
Thanks, Eater


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