Elmira: a good brand?

[chico1st]

There is an Elmira Wood Stove 1700 (manual here) for sale used near me.
I dont know if that is a good brand of stove or not. The only information I have is from a random youtube video which says the Elmira 1700 outputs a lot of smoke which means its inefficient.

Im a newby so thanks for helping

PS: i did read the buying a stove primer guide here.

EDIT: im talking about a wood fireplace insert not a stove or something else

 

[jatoxico]

I used that exact Elmira wood insert a number of years ago. It was what we used to call an airtight where the air could be shut down real tight so not like todays EPA stoves that have a source of unregulated air and secondary burn capability to burn much cleaner. It did have a baffle so it wasn't just a metal box.

I think they were pretty well built for the time and kicked out decent heat. I don't think they make wood stoves anymore so parts may be tough to get and they don't comply with current EPA standards so if you concerned about any regulation you should know that. For instance I don't think it could be legally resold and installed in certain areas in the US that have such restrictions.

A newer EPA stove will use less wood and burn cleaner so I guess it depends on what you intend to do with it. If it's for a cabin or something maybe it's worth it if it's cheap enough. On the other hand if you intend to use it regularly it may be worth looking for a newer EPA certified.

Maybe someone with more install knowledge could chime in about any potential concerns (e.g. availability of proper adapters) in that regard.