Furnaces that burn wood and coal.

[Microduck17]

Hello, this is my first post on here. But anyway on to my question. Is there available a modern wood and coal burning furnace that will burn wood and coal without doing any kind of modifications.
I'm not looking to burn both at the same time but would like to switch between the two quickly and simply. I have done several web searches but have not found any kind of conclusive answer. If i bought a coal stove with a large enough fire box to fit normal sized firewood into would it preform well burning wood? Thanks in advance.

 

[Prof]

You can usually burn wood in coal furnaces--in fact that is how I would usually get the coal started--start a wood fire and slowly add coal. That said, coal furnaces will not burn wood efficiently. Wood burns best with air at the level of the fire and above, while coal burns best from the bottom up--hence the grates on the bottom. My old furnace would throw a ton of heat when I was using wood, but it would also eat a ton of wood in short order.

 

[brenndatomu]

Coal furnaces will burn wood...and a lot of it...wood furnaces won't burn coal though...

 

[Bootstrap]

If your looking to burn small fires here and there on shoulder seasons then look for a coal furnace.
Itll burn wood ok.
But it wont be a good idea for any kind of long term wood burning because its not designed for that.
The ones at tractor supply (Hotblast) advertise wood and coal but are clearly designed for coal burning primarily. And even then, Hotblast is a crappy design. I know someone that uses two of those for wood and he burns pretty much a whole forest every winter.

Also, I burned coal for years. Easiest and quickest way to get a anthracite coal fire going is use charcoal. Yes, with a bit of lighter fluid. Build a 2" layer, soak in lighter fluid and let it sit for about 3 minutes. The natural draft from the chimney(if its built correctly) will keep the fumes out of the house.
Light the char coal.
Let it burn good for a few minutes then add anthracite 1" at a time, about 3-5 minutes between layers. 3 total layers should do. When they are all caught, you can add to the top and close it up, set your air control.
Always remember: Anthracite coal need UNDERFIRE AIR! So the top air vents should always be closed while burning Anthracite coal.
Those top vents are only for wood.
Burning coal will require a learning curve of when to shake down, when to add, where you want your air control settings and such.
Once you know what to do and when, its a piece of cake.

 

[Microduck17]

Thank for all the info. i think that my question has been well answered. A wood furnace it will be. I was hoping to use coal as a backup fuel source. I think I will just use a wall mounted propane heater as backup. Thanks again.

 

[laynes69]

I think it's DS Machines furnace would be a furnace that would burn coal great, but also have provisions for secondary air for wood burning. They may not be sold anymore, but that would be one of the more efficient furnaces to effectively burn both. They by far are not EPA certified, but better than most non epa furnaces.

 

[leon]

If your real desire is to burn both wood and coal the AHS Mutifuel WC40 boiler with a heat exchanger in your plenum may be your best option as you can burn wood and bituminous coal in it with the soft coal linkage kit or shaker grates to burn Anthracite Coal.

The Yukon Eagle, Klondike or Husky wood and coal furnace is another option to look.


Don't worry there are dual fuel furnaces out there that will also let you use oil or gas too.


You should also be thinking 15 years down the road and how much work you want to do to heat the home.


EFM makes coal stoker boilers and furnaces that burn anthracite rice coal.

www.efmheating.com

 

[brenndatomu]

The Yukon Eagle, Klondike or Husky wood and coal furnace is another option to look.

Currently not available in the USA...and I would imagine that if/when they release the new 2020 EPA cert models, they will not have the coal grates anymore...

 

[Microduck17]

Thanks for the info. I will screenshot this amd archive it. It turns out i won't have the money for a new furnace and a new chimney so for now my old one will have to suffice.

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