Coal in Central Boiler wood burner - grate needed?

[Red Dog Farms]

Was reading some topics in the past about using or adding coal with wood burners. Wondering if you need to all a grate or plate lifted off the metal bottom of the burner so you dont burn out the bottom? Will the coal get hot enough to start destroying the floor of the burner?

[ericjeeper]

Likely you will need grates to get air under the coal to burn. Does your boiler have a blower? or naturally aspirated?

[Darren]

I would call Central Boiler and give them the serial number on your unit. They can tell you what will work. A friend bought another brand of outdoor furnace last year. The instructions were very specific about not burning coal. Even burning wood constantly without an thick ash layer could warp the grate in his.

[clovis]

I would be really careful about what you do with coal in your Central Boiler.

Last spring, I saw a Central on ebay that had a burned out fire box. It sold for less than $500.

Call them before you do anything. I would hate to see you ruin a good unit.

[Honorine]

All good advice-you can also go to the link below and search for info or just ask. I almost bought one of those multi fuel furnaces that TSC sells, as they say that they can burn coal. No, not really, their not designed to burn coal, its completely different than burning wood. Almost made a huge and expensive mistake, this place saved me. I'm sure you'll find out what you need to know on the Anthracite forum.

http://nepacrossroads.com/