Would you like to heat your home efficiently with an alternate heating source (as opposed to an indoor natural gas furnace)? Numerous individuals have decided on outdoor furnaces or boilers to heat their homes. People save on energy bills with outdoor wood and coal boilers. But the question arises, if you decide to have one installed, are outdoor wood and coal boilers significantly different?
Here, we will take a look at coal and wood burning boiler characteristics so you can make an educated decision as to which will serve your purposes best.
Note: Whichever furnace you choose, ensure your home is well insulated. The more heat you keep inside, the less you will have to supply. That means fewer trips to the outdoor furnace for stoking – regardless of whether you use wood or coal.
Heating with a Wood Burning Boiler
Some people like the idea of an old-fashioned wood-burning boiler. So a wood-burning boiler may appeal to you. Here are some things to think about regarding wood-burning stoves or boilers.
Pros:
- Free heat (if a free source is available
- You can be self-sustaining
- You can expect a long life from a wood furnace that is well-built
- You aren’t dependent on gas, propane, electric, or oil companies with a wood furnace.
Cons:
- To store wood, you need enough space, and you must protect it from the elements, bugs, etc
- Shorter times between filling the firebox
- The expense of buying wood (if a free source is not available)
- Must use well-seasoned wood for efficient burning
- Labor and time will be required to cut, stack, and load more frequently.
Advantages of Coal
There are several advantages to be enjoyed when you use anthracite coal as a heating source. Here are some of them:
- Anthracite coal is very cost-effective, even better than wood if you compare $/BTU
- Easily stored (no careful stacking necessary) and requires less space than its counterpart, firewood
- It is easier. You can go 30 days between filling the hopper.
- Coal does not have to be seasoned, as does firewood
- You don’t have to worry about a pile of coal mildewing, rotting, or getting buggy, as is always the possibility with wood that is stacked or stored
- Coal furnaces or boilers reduce work and are easy to load
- You can expect a long life from a coal furnace that is well-built
- You aren’t dependent on gas, propane, electric, or oil companies.
Cons:
- You have to buy coal
- You can’t find it in your backyard
Shop for Coal and Wood boilers at Alternate Heating Systems
We, at Alternate Heating Systems, not only carry hot air furnaces, waste oil boilers, multi-fuel boilers, outdoor coal boilers, commercial wood boilers, coal boilers, and indoor wood boilers, but we also handle add-ons, individual parts, and more. Feel free to contact us at 717-987-0099 for more information!