Upgrade or not?

[Toddw]

We live in Georgia just south of Atlanta and we're currently heating our 1900 sq ft modular home with an Atlanta Stove Works Huntsmen heater. We bought it used about 10 years ago and have been using it since then as our primary heat source. It's served well but I'm wondering if a new stove would serve better being more efficient and maybe longer lasting. The stove is in what I believe to be good condition and does fairly good at heating the house. I would have to redo the flue as most new stoves are top outlet and ours now is rear outlet. I keep eying the Lopi and Vermont Castings but just undecided. I don't really know about the new stoves. This is the only stove we've had. My wife grew up in a home heated with a Fisher that's still being used today so both of us have been around wood heat all our lives but we've not had any experience with newer stoves. We just need some direction and I've been reading here at least 6 months learning.

 

[firefighterjake]

Most folks who switch find that they burn less wood ... but the wood needs to be well seasoned ... much more than pre EPA stoves need. Good views of the fire and decent burn times ... without choking the fire down so low that it becomes a creosote, smoke belching factory are also beneficial.

Lopi ... generally considered a good stove. Recent threads have shown some concerns with particular models. Like any internet site, the problems may be "exaggerated" ... by this I mean the problem is definitely there, but generally you hear about any problems vs folks starting a thread to say their stove has been problem free ... you see this with many stoves here, cars, appliances, etc.

Vermont Castings ... all I will say is do a search here for Vermont Castings.