A multifuel stove differs from a strictly woodburning one in the sense that you have the freedom to use whatever fuel you please with one. To get more technical, a multifuel stove has a grate which allows air to flow under the fuel for more efficient burning to take place. However in a wood burner stove, it does not have a grate, instead it is just a solid metal base which is the reason coal is unable to burn in a wood burner; coal cannot burn if there’s not enough oxygen.
Due to the grate, ash can fall through it, for this reason multifuel stoves include an ashpan which makes cleaning the stove much easier as you can push the ash through and then pull out the ashpan and tip the ash into an ashbin.
Due to the added parts to the stove, multifuel stoves tend to cost a few hundred more than their woodburning counterparts. However if you have a woodburning stove and wish to make it a multifuel one, most stoves offer a kit that you can buy to easily swap the metal plate for a grid and ashpan, as well as the alternate firebricks for the sides of the stove.
- Here is a multifuel stove from our showroom.
- Notice the grate and ashpan.
- This will allow coals to burn properly and efficiently in the stove
- The firebricks on either side of the grate and ashpan must be swapped for shorter ones as shown