as we are new to the wood stove type of heating we wondered if we could burn coal in the stove as we have a source that will give us a couple of tons for free didnt know if it would hurt the stove or the chimney. thanks in advance for the advise.
burning coal in a wood stove
- Thread starter bucketboy
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as we are new to the wood stove type of heating we wondered if we could burn coal in the stove as we have a source that will give us a couple of tons for free didnt know if it would hurt the stove or the chimney. thanks in advance for the advise.
smokinj
Minister of Fire
Coal can burn almost triple the btu's per lb. than some firewoods. Be careful if your not sure if your stove is rated for this type of heat.
Gooserider
Mod Emeritus
IF you have a stove that is rated as a "Wood and Coal" stove by the manufacturer, AND you have it set up in the proper configuration to burn coal (often times switching fuels can involve changes in the grates or other parts) then you can burn coal no problem... Just follow the manufacturer's directions...
IF you have a stove that is described as ONLY a Wood Stove by the manufacturer, then every stove manual out there will tell you don't burn coal - As mentioned it puts out more heat than an equivalent volume of wood, which can cause all sorts of damage. In addition, the burning properties, and airflow requirements are different for the two fuels, so a stove that burns one fuel well will probably not burn the other at all well.
That said, we do have a few members that report burning SMALL amounts of coal in their wood stoves by putting it on top of a load of wood - no more than a handful or so at a time... Don't do this in a Catalytic stove as you will poison the cat, and remember that coal ashes or wood with coal ashes are semi-hazardous materials, and need to be disposed of carefully, usually in the municipal trash, not burying on your property or sprinkling around the way that you can with wood ashes...
Gooserider
IF you have a stove that is described as ONLY a Wood Stove by the manufacturer, then every stove manual out there will tell you don't burn coal - As mentioned it puts out more heat than an equivalent volume of wood, which can cause all sorts of damage. In addition, the burning properties, and airflow requirements are different for the two fuels, so a stove that burns one fuel well will probably not burn the other at all well.
That said, we do have a few members that report burning SMALL amounts of coal in their wood stoves by putting it on top of a load of wood - no more than a handful or so at a time... Don't do this in a Catalytic stove as you will poison the cat, and remember that coal ashes or wood with coal ashes are semi-hazardous materials, and need to be disposed of carefully, usually in the municipal trash, not burying on your property or sprinkling around the way that you can with wood ashes...
Gooserider
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