Saturday, January 17, 2009

Lopi insert - not for primary heating

I'm a bit disappointed in the new stove. I noticed that the embers didn't seem to burn down. They heaped up and up until you couldn't get more wood in the stove, and had to let all the wood burn down, and turn the pile of embers until they turned to ash.

This is more labor intensive than I was expecting. The previous insert burned right down to ash without a problem, even as you added more wood. If you kept up with loading wood, you never had to let the fire burn out until the ash built up -- up to two weeks, if you neglected it.

I have to let this insert burn down every 2 or 3 days. I thought perhaps it was me not using the stove properly, but a visit to the place I bought it confirmed...they have the same issue with the stove (an actual stove, not an insert) in their store.

Well, hell and fishes, why didn't they tell me that when they were pitching the stove to me?

Oh well, it's here now. I would highly recommend this stove if you want something very pretty for a toasty fire, and let your fire go out quite often. If you want a stove to keep piled full of wood day in and day out, the Lopi is not for you.

I will not get this stove for the great room, when the day comes to deal with that fireplace.

However I do love being able to see the fire, and when it's burning, it puts off much more heat than the previous insert.

Still, $3,200 with the chimney liner and installation, and by the time I get home from a six-hour trip to town, it's burned down to embers. And when I go to bed, I have to get up when I hear the furnace kick in because the fire has died. No, I am not-so-happy.

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