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Multi Fuel StovesCombination Wood and Coal Stoves are a Great Secondary Heating System
Introduction: Many homes have a secondary heating system that burns wood, coal or pellets in a stove. These stoves have become very energy efficient in the last decade and can save the homeowner a lot of money on heating costs. Homeowners have been using these stoves in one form or another for decades as a secondary heat source. Most use either wood or fuel as a fuel source and a few use only coal. Now there are combination stoves or dual fuel stoves that can use either wood or coal. The pros and cons of wood/coal burning stoves: The multi fuel stove (wood and
coal) gives the homeowner options when it comes to
buying wood or coal. If you don’t have access to
cordwood, coal is a very reasonable alternative.
Depending where you live, coal cost approximately
$150 a ton, which is 2,000
pounds, and produces approximately 30 mil BTU’s of
heat. A cord of dry hardwood cost between $200 and
$240 a cord and produces approximately 21 mil BTUs
of heat. Obviously coal is a better buy when it
comes to the cost of fuel per dollar to BTU output.
Most multi fuel stove owners use a combination of
wood and coal in their stoves. Usually they use
wood during the daytime and coal at night. The coal
will burn a lot longer than wood which provides a
warm fire throughout the night. Most modern wood
burning stoves have a limited capacity and will not
burn through the night. They are usually limited to
six hours where a coal fire can burn as long as ten
hours. Both wood and coal are labor intense when it comes to handling and storage, however, coal is a bit less so. Coal can be purchased in forty pound bags (50 bags to a ton). The bags are easy to handle as they can be stacked in the basement or the garage. Wood takes a great deal of work and is a little messier than coal. Most of these multi fuel stoves have a blower attachment that permits the outlet to be adapted to the house regular heat ducts. This is a great feature as not only can they supplement a forced hot air heating system it can actually replace it if necessary. Multi fuel stoves can be purchased from any wood stove or fireplace dealer. These combination wood and coal stoves are very energy efficient but are cumbersome to move and install because of their weight. The best location for installing them is in a basement with close access to a bulkhead for easy access for bringing in wood and coal. Related articles: How to Remove Ashes from a Woodstove or Fireplace How to Repair a Cracked Chimney Liner How to Repair Stone Chimney Cracks How to Restore Marble Fireplaces Installing a Wood Burning Fireplace Insert
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