Best thing I've learned about my Lopi so far (1 month into ownership)

[joefrompa]

Hi all,

Well, I'm learning a lot and have begun feeling a decent mastery of the stove now. I'm going to write a review at the end of the season with more copious notes, but I thought I'd share two things I've learned so far:

1. A Lopi Republic 1750 can heat a 2-story 2000 square foot colonial using semi-seasoned wood and cruising at 400-550 degrees, even when it's placed in an exterior chimney on a wall far removed from an ideal location. The home has been reading 68 degrees in the cooler parts when its 30 degrees outside and the stove has been running for 6-8 hours straight.

2. (the real recent learning) Lopi has a damper bypass lever that allows exhaust gases to shoot right up the chimney. This allows for a strong draft to be formed and helps reduce smoke puffs into the room during loading a hot stove. I had been leaving this open for the first 15-20 minutes of the fire forming until the fire was nice and strong and then i'd shut it either all the way or 50% and then all the way once the fire got up to 300-350 degrees.

No more. As soon as the fire is caught (i.e. firebox is not filled with smoke so the draft is formed, and it's not just newspaper being lit), I close that damper bypass and let the smoke curl around and up. The door is left open a crack during this phase and for probably 10-15 more minutes.

Since doing that, I'm getting far healthier and hotter fires far sooner. It seems to have no ill effect on draft and I'm typically using 450 stove top temp within 15 minutes now.

It's great!

Joe

 

[madrone]

I also use the bypass just long enough to reload and close it right away. I've tried reloading without it open and it's possible to open the door with minimal smoke spill out, but only by slowly opening the door a little at a time. With the bypass open, you can just throw the door open and load. Where the bypass is really helpful is starting from a cold stove. I leave it open for 10-15 minutes to heat up the flue and get the draft started quickly.

 

[joefrompa]

Madrone - Unfortunately, with my bypass open I have to crack the door first then open it slowly and even then I get a puff of smoke into the room. I don't mind it in the short term, but I know in the long term it'll lead to some graying on the ceiling and such. I try to keep the fans on during re-loading, so that the smoke disperses by the time it hits the ceiling.

Joe

 

[tickbitty]

Last night I had a good hot fire going and charred logs and I added a couple more just to fill the firebox a while before I went to bed. I waited quite a while, to make sure it didn't get too hot, pushed the air in all the way when it looked like it was getting too hot, then it settled in and I went to bed, pretty late. Hubs got up early to a still nice toasty house but noted that I left the bypass open!! ACK! But, I guess one thing I can take from that is that the stove apparently doesn't overfire if the bypass is open the way it would if the air was wide open. Does that make any sense?!

 

[madrone]

Madrone - Unfortunately, with my bypass open I have to crack the door first then open it slowly and even then I get a puff of smoke into the room. I don't mind it in the short term, but I know in the long term it'll lead to some graying on the ceiling and such. I try to keep the fans on during re-loading, so that the smoke disperses by the time it hits the ceiling.

Joe

I don't mean to imply there's no smoke at all, but there's significantly less when the bypass is open.

 

[flyingpig]

Last night I had a good hot fire going and charred logs and I added a couple more just to fill the firebox a while before I went to bed. I waited quite a while, to make sure it didn't get too hot, pushed the air in all the way when it looked like it was getting too hot, then it settled in and I went to bed, pretty late. Hubs got up early to a still nice toasty house but noted that I left the bypass open!! ACK! But, I guess one thing I can take from that is that the stove apparently doesn't overfire if the bypass is open the way it would if the air was wide open. Does that make any sense?!

Bypass wide open will probably reduce the heat build up in the stove instead. So I think it won't cause overfire.

Me too who open the bypass in the first 15 min from cold start. But I never do the 50% thing. Either fully on or off.

Cheers.....Som