Blower Problwm with Lopi Liberty

[HelenGlen]

This is our second Lopi Liberty. We installed our first in 1986 and used it until we moved in 2001 and we never had to replace the blower. This one has been working well since 9/7/2001. Our first blower on this Liberty lasted from 2001 to 2015. This one is clearly not going to make it so long. It has always taken about 30 to 40 minutes to start after loading the first load in the morning but that seems to be normal. So did the other one. However, now it is stopping while the wood burner is still hot with plenty of wood. I Tried gently wiping the sensor and ensuring it is TIGHT against the back of the burner, but that didn't seem to help. I have now moved it to the center upper back instead of the instructed right upper back. This is helping, now it still goes off, but once the box heats up more (because the blower isn't cooling it I guess) then it will come back on temporarily.

My questions are: Are any of you having a similar problem? Have you tried anything that seems to work? Does anyone use a different blower other than the one sold by Lopi and, if so, do you like it?

As a little additional information, we have heated our homes (2) ENTIRELY with wood since 1086. While we have an all-electric house (in Ohio), the only time we even turn on the heat pump is if we go on a vacation in the cold months. Our house is 2110 square feet and our Liberty heats it ALL just fine. We have always fed it more wood during the day or when we're home and then loaded it up with "bedtime wood" that will last through the night. I would never have any other wood burner Thank you in advance for any ideas you may have!

 

[begreen]

It might be the thermostatic snap switch and not the blower. Does the blower switch have a manual position to test this? If not, the snap switch could temporarily be jumpered to eliminate it from question. Only do this if you know how to be safe when working with 120v.

 

[HelenGlen]

No, it doesn't have a manual operation mode. I know I could splice the two wires together and run it as a manual operation, but I am afraid it will lead to creosote build-up since it would continue to blow after it got cold during the night. I really do think it is the sensor that is the problem. I wonder if one could replace just the sensor?

 

[begreen]

I'm not suggesting a splice, just a temporary jumper to isolate the issue. You need to know what part to replace. Yes, just the sensor (snap switch) can be replaced. The snap switch should be a cheap fix if that is what has gone out.