Remove pins on Lopi air tubes

[Cate68]

Hi all - does anyone have a trick to do this? I'm using pliers (plyers? Neither spelling looks right) and the pin won't budge.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

I had a real hard time with getting mine out as well.
I used a decent pair of vice grips and carefully clamped them on the pin....then wiggled/twisted back and forth.
The pin shoud be a roll pin, that has a small grove in it when pinched it should compress a tiny bit. Also, I had better luck with mine when wiggling the pin I also wiggled the burn tube and that seemed to help out. Good luck

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

You might try spraying some W-D 40 on it first, let soak in and then use vise grips and wiggle back and forth.

 

[thewoodlands]

Hi all - does anyone have a trick to do this? I'm using pliers (plyers? Neither spelling looks right) and the pin won't budge.

Can I ask why you're taking them out?


Zap

 

[Cate68]

Thanks Dave and Wood...I'll give your advice a try.

Zap - this is a bit of a follow-up to my post a few weeks ago about my bypass damper getting stuck and will only open half way. I'm tired of the smoke getting in the house, though it is minimal, and I'm afraid I'll damage the bypass by forcing it closed, so I called the stove shop and they told me to remove the middle tube to get to the back bricks and clean them off. There might be ash buildup jamming the bypass. I know I can get to the bricks if I could just get that darned pin out. And I'm trying to save $100 doing it myself opposed to making a service call. I'll keep trying.

 

[thewoodlands]

Thanks Dave and Wood...I'll give your advice a try.

Zap - this is a bit of a follow-up to my post a few weeks ago about my bypass damper getting stuck and will only open half way. I'm tired of the smoke getting in the house, though it is minimal, and I'm afraid I'll damage the bypass by forcing it closed, so I called the stove shop and they told me to remove the middle tube to get to the back bricks and clean them off. There might be ash buildup jamming the bypass. I know I can get to the bricks if I could just get that darned pin out. And I'm trying to save $100 doing it myself opposed to making a service call. I'll keep trying.

Can't you remove the rear baffle support (page 25 in your manual #5) and remove the bricks without removing the tube.



Zap

 

[welderboyjk]

Not sure how the revere compares to my endeavor but I replaced the air tubes on mine this past fall. They were burned through and the crappy little spring puch pins were long gone. The new tubes came with the roll pins which I had to grind a teper on the end to get them started(rant).
On mine all of the top bricks can be moved to the front wnd slid down in front of the front air tube. It's kinda tight but it can be done.
I usually brush the chimney monthly which includes removing the flue pipe and cleaning that also. Mine goes up about two ft then turns a 90 and goes to the chimney so I scooch the stove a little and pull the pipe which exposes the bypass. Before the first burn in the fall I pull all of the upper bricks and clean the fly as from the upper part of the stove and run it all winter.

If your stove has the newer roll pins why not just drive them through (into the pipe) and remove them later? Just be careful to not drop them into the air chambers on the side as removing them then may take some ingeniuos work. Magnet?

 

[Cate68]

Well guys, I tried everything with no luck. The space is just too tight up in there even for my small hands with that tube in the way - even with the center baffle support and back bricks moved forward. So, I put it back together and that's that. When the sweep has it disassembled after the burning season I'll see if I can figure it out. Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[jensent]

Cate
There is a tool that I got from my Lopi dealer. It is a steel rod about 8in long with one end pointed like a pencil the other end has a cup on one side with a sticking surface on the opposite side. The cup is welded to the rod. Cup end of the tool installs the pins, pointed end is for driving them out of the secondary burn tubes. On our Endeaver the Bypass damper got hard to move. It was hanging up on ash that was piled on the rail it rides on. I think the only way is to pull the tubes and firebrick out then vacuum. The pins in the tubes are hard to remove. ( air turned blue) Not as bad going back in.
The tool mentioned came with new tubes and pins in a sort of kit.
Good Luck and dont try to hurry.
PM me if you have trouble.
Tom

 

[WidowMaker]

I've had good luck with a set of dykes(side cutters). grab them as close to the tube as you can with cutters paralell to the tube and lever them out, pull down on the handles while squeazing as if you were tring to cut the pin in two. wfmymmv

 

[bpm44]

When I took mine out I tapped them up and into the secondary tubes (as opposed to trying to pull them down and out). There is a lip at the side wall channel that with some care kept the pins from falling into the side wall box channel that the tubes connect between. Hope that helps.

 

[rdust]

If it's like my Endeavor you should be able to get a good look at the bypass by removing the pipe or is there not enough access from the top?

 

[jensent]

If it's like my Endeavor you should be able to get a good look at the bypass by removing the pipe or is there not enough access from the top?

You may be able to vaccum the area around the bypass from the top. Our stove had a lot of ash on the firebrick in the top of the stove.
Let us know how you came out for future reference.
Tom

 

[Hankjones]

I tried when i was cleaning my chimney.... to hard and gave up.