dual fuel..wood/coal

[Jason721]

I'm at my local feed mill this morning when I got to talking with the owner about the weather being cold these past few days. . Told him I'm looking to upgrade to a bigger stove (drolet escape 1800)
He tells me he upgraded to a dual fuel stove. He says when the temp gets in the teens or single digits he uses coal.. great heat for a long period of time... during the shoulder seasons switches to wood. Of course he has coal shipped to his mill to sell...
This is something I have never considered before... Any thoughts on a dual fuel stove? Anyone have/use one?

 

[bholler]

Dual fuel stoves typically are better coal stoves than wood stoves. But not all that great at either. If you want to burn wood get a wood stove if you want to burn coal get a coal stove

 

[venator260]

The consensus here is that a stove that attempts to burn both will not be very good for either. Coal must have air fed under the fuel load, while wood should not, as it seems to make it burn up faster. I would think that a manufacturer could make a stove with removable grates, and a secondary burn system that is open for wood mode and adjustable for coal mode. However, I don't think that's currently available, and may not pass EPA rules if a manufacturer tried.

I burned a multi fuel stove my first winter in my current house. The coal stove part of it meant that it didn't hold coals very well from a wood fire. The wood stove part of it meant that the grate system was less than ideal for when I burned anthracite. Lots of poking and jabbing to try and get all of the ash out for an even fire. Not sure I'd want a coal stove at this point; my chimney liners were expensive, and the coal gasses can be tough on them.