Multi Fuel Stoves. Solid Fuel Stoves

What is a Multifuel stove?

A Multi fuel stove is designed to burn a variety of solid fuels, efficiently. Firstly it has a grate. This makes it suitable to burn coals.

Coals are very dense fuels requiring a lot of oxygen to burn, and producing large amounts of ash. A grate ensures oxygen reaches the fire and the ash can fall away so as not to suffocate the fire.

Wood too can be burned on a multifuel stove, but because its combustion needs are different, some attention is needed to get the best from it.

Some grates in coal burning stoves have shutting mechanisms to close off the airflow under the fuel. Some may have to be removed, and others, simply have to be full of ash to work well. Ideal for the lazy!

Multi Fuel Stove Types

'Hunter' and 'Charnwood' solid fuel stoves , are two good examples of patented 'Shutting' grate forms. Most manufacturers of Multifuel appliances assume that a proportion of solid fuel (Coals) are going to be used on their machines so usually incorporate some form of riddling into the grate. Whether this a good substitute for a long poker and the satisfaction to be gained from shoving the fire is entirely up to you!

'Clearview', 'Villager', 'Stovax', and many other manufacturers have opted for fully open grate systems.
Whilst, at first, this may not seem to be as sophisticated as others, bear in mind that the open fire grate has survived for a couple of centuries, guzzling more fuel than most stoves, creating more ash than most stoves, and heating more houses, all without a riddle mechanism!

Solid fuels. Coal and Wood

Decide what you want to burn

Points to remember:

• Solid fuel will create up to twenty times more ash than wood. It MUST be removed daily
  
• Solid fuel can be a lot hotter than wood. The extra work gets you more heat!
  
• Think about the proportions of wood or coal you are going to use. If you want to use ALL solid fuel, then you may want a riddle mechanism, a deeper ashpan, and a small boy to carry the fuel in and the ash out!
  
• Think about fuel storage. Large quantities of solid fuel, or wood, should never be stored in the house. Where will you put your bunker/woodpile? Remember you have to get to it easily in the winter!

For more advice on Multifuel stoves contact us.

Multifuel Suppliers and Manufacturers

Use our links to browse solid fuel stoves manufacturers websites then contact us for the best advice on the stove that would suit you. It will help if you have already done some homework.

Use site calculators to arrive at an output requirement, (See 'Villager' for an easy to use calculator), and find a look that you like. (Black? Enamel? Tall? Short? Shiny?)

We have access to all the multi fuel stoves in the British market and many European models, so PLEASE don’t ask us to send ALL the brochures! Knowledge is no substitute for Experience! Phone, email or write, and we will help all we can!

Stove Experience is proud of its competitive pricing policy, however, we firmly believe that “You gets what you pays for!”

CAUTION

If you want to pay the full amount of your stove in advance, have 100 plus kilo’s of cast iron or steel delivered to your doorstep, not to your fireplace, and be told that “The instructions are in the box”, Don’t call us!
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