Those who love to keep your house warm in the cold winter might have coal stoves to serve the purpose. Coal or wood is in use in coal stoves to produce heat for a long time. These stoves are very heavy and built for heavy-duty purposes. You can install or buy a coal stove for your house as well.
Can you burn wood in a coal stove?
Yes, you can burn wood on a coal stove. There are different types of coal stoves. And to burn wood in these stoves, burn the wood first. Then add the coal. It will help the coal burn with more efficiency. Select the wood for the coal stove wisely. A coal stove is a multi-fuel stove with a grate.
To burn fuels in coal stoves, you have to consider factors, like the costing, efficiency, burning time, burning materials, etc.
Chubby coal stove:
Chubby coal stoves looks like a pot. They can run with or without electricity. You can use wood pellets in these stoves to produce heat and start a fire. Do not use big chunks or logs in these stoves.
Wonderluxe coal stove:
Wonderluxe coal stoves also use wood as a fuel source. That is, you can burn woods on this stove. A grate will help the air reach the wood pellets and burn them instead of smothering them.
Hitzer coal stove:
The design and production of Hitzer coal stoves are for the burning of coal. But you can use wood as fuel in these stoves as well. It has cast iron shaker grates that will help burn wood pellets.
Coat potbelly stove:
It is better to start a fire with wood in this stove to generate the necessary heat to fire up coals. Coat potbelly stove uses wood to fire up the heat.
Harman coal stove:
Use grates to burn wood pellets in this stove. You can also spray some fire starter gel on the pallets to light it up quickly.
Fatso coal stove:
These stoves are small in size. You can use wood pellets to light a fire in these stoves.
Vermont castings vigilant coal stove:
This type of stove that is built for coal burning is efficient. You can also burn woods when you are out of coals or even use wood to light the coals.
What happens if you burn wood in a coal stove?
You can burn wood in a coal stove. But you cannot burn coal on a wood stove. Although both are solid fuels, the configuration of coal stoves is heavy-duty. That is why it allows the wood to burn in it as well.
It burns faster:
The inside of coal stoves are suitable for the burning of coal. So, it gets a lot hot and dense while burning. Therefore, if you burn wood in it, it will get hot fast. And the wood will also burn faster than usual.
Cause smoke:
Burning wood produces a lot of smoke. And the wood stoves are made to tackle those smokes as well.
If you are burning wood on a coal stove, you will notice a lot of smoke. You can use a grater to hold wood for better performance.
Lining:
Smoke or ash produces when you burn wood on a coal stove. That is why it is necessary to have lining and chimneys in coal stoves as well. It will help reduce the effects of burning wood.
Leave residues:
when you burn wood in a coal stove, it will leave residues inside.
Burns longer:
If you combine wood with coal, you can add the wood after the coal has enough heat and starts to burn. In that case, the wood will light up and burn longer.
Wood aroma:
Burning wood along with coal will produce more heat. And it will spread a smoky scent of the wood as well.
Is it better to burn wood or coal in a coal stove?
The structure of the coal stove is according to the factors of burning coal. Coal is a dense material. And the coals that you use in coal stoves are very heavy-duty.
A coal stove is in-built with specific configurations and aims to burn coal. Hence it is called a coal-stove. But you can also burn wood on a coal stove.
Both coal and wood are solid fuels. And they work together as well. Of course, it is better to burn coal in a coal stove. But if you want, you can also burn wood in it.
Coal has a chemical composition that allows it to burn for a long time. And adding wood to this stove will cause the fuel to burn even longer with a woody aroma. That is, if you combine them, then it will last more than usual time.
How do I buy wood for a coal-burning stove? Factors to consider
There are different types of coal stoves that work on separate mechanisms. If you are going to burn wood on a coal stove, you have to consider some factors.
Density and temperature:
You have to ensure that the density and temperature are according to the configuration of the stove. At the core, the quality of all types of wood is similar. So, choose wisely.
Moisture content:
The wood must be dry and free of moisture to burn. Otherwise, it will not burn that efficiently. You have to buy considering this or make it moisture-free after you buy it.
Storage:
You can control the temperature, humidity, and moisture by storing your woods in a safe environment. They need to be kept in some specific manner following various methods.
Burn to test:
Test burn the wood pellets or logs to check their efficiency.
Chunk woods:
Using chunk woods instead of un-split woods saves a lot of your energy and money.
Seasoning:
The control of the seasoning process speeds up if you stack the chunks of wood on your own.
Off-season:
If you want woods in less costing, the ideal time to buy them is off-season.
Avoid wax-wood:
Wax woods have higher moisture content and low BTU. They are not good as fuels for burning in stoves of any kind.
How to burn wood in a coal stove?
Burning wood in a coal stove needs to follow some steps. The type of coal and wood and their burning time are the main factors here.
Steps to follow to start a fire with wood in a coal stove are:
- Take the coal and wood and prepare them for the burning process.
- You can use graters to restrict airflow in the case of burning wood.
- Use a grater if you are burning only wood. But if you want to add coal along with the wood, it is better not to use the grater.
- Place the larger chunks of wood on the bottom of the stove.
- Lit the fire using a match stick or burner.
- Let the wood burn for 60 minutes to 90 minutes before you add more woods or coals in that.
- After this time, the wood will have a good fire. And then slowly add more woods to it to get more heat.
- You can also combine coal with wood. To do this, add coal after the wood has a good fire. And let it burn for more hours.
What’s the difference between a wood stove and a coal stove?
Wood and coal stoves are different in their configuration. They use different materials as their fuel as well.
Kindling:
Kindling a wood stove is easy and can be done using some dry woods and fire. But coal stoves require more energy and heat to make the stove hot.
Smoke:
The smoke of wood stoves is clean compared to coal stoves. Coal stoves produce smoke, and thus there is lining in these stoves as well.
Multi-fuel:
You can burn wood in coal stoves. But you cannot burn coal in wood stoves owing to its construction specifications. The special features of coal stoves allow burning coals in them.
Temperature:
You need a high temperature and more time for burning coals to produce heat from it. But wood stoves are light up easily without much hassle.
Duration:
The lightening of fire in coal stoves takes more time than wood stoves. But the burning time of coal is longer than wood stoves as well.
Grate:
Coal stoves come with grates for multi-fuel purposes or use. But wood stoves do not usually come with grates.
Final Thoughts
Burning of wood in coal stoves is possible. You can use chunks of wood or wood pellets depending on the coal stove you are using. Higher BTU and lower moisture on the wood will help the woods burn efficiently. And using the wood to heat the stove helps the coal produce more heat in a short time.