Should I burn coal in my fireplace?

Answer 1

You shouldn't be around matches, coal or anything with the word fire in it.

Answer 2

You can burn coal in a fireplace under the following conditions;
1) You need an ember catcher on you grate to keep the coal from sitting on the bottom plate.
2) You need to have a CO detector on every floor, and especially in the room with the fireplace.
3) You have to bank the coal under large half-split logs to damp it down to a lower heat/consumption rate, or you can damage your fireplace, chimney, or start a chimney fire.
4) You need to have your chimney swept more often because of buildup from the coal.
5) You should not burn it when it is raining or foggy because you will create localised acid rain, and it will trap the high-CO smoke next to the ground where you and your neighbors air feeds for their furnaces are.

Coal is okay to use in small amounts, and with great caution, but should not be the primary fuel in a fireplace, especially a metal one found in most newer units. Even a brick fireplace can crack or explode if you get enough coal going at once.

Answer 3

You shouldn't, it will give you heat but will also produce many complications. The most extreme will be how quickly your chimney will clog. A daily complication will be air flow in the chimney itself. If your unable to maintain a constant heat the smoke just may back up and come out into the room.

Coal is generally burned in a furnace where there is the ability to have a much higher level of heat than a fireplace & on some a person can also control pressure within the furnace.

Answer 4

Coal has a lot of carbon monoxide in it, there have been many reported poisonings this winter from people using coal in their fireplaces due to power losses. I would not reccomend using coal in an enclosed environment. Your fireplace was designed for wood, it does not have proper ventilation for a coal fire.

Answer 5

Only if it was designed to burn coal. Coal burns much hotter than wood, and would destroy a fireplace built for wood.

Answer 6

Well, in some places its actually illegal due to the pollutants coal releases...

And considering the pollutants it releases I would say no, don't use coal in your fireplace.

Heck, as much as I like fires, I'd suggest one of those portable heaters instead. Fifty bucks or so will get you one that can warm several hundred square feet.

Just my .01

-dh

Answer 7

You may have to install a finer grate to hold the coal but in general
you can probably make it work...

Answer 8

NOOO!!... poisonous gasses are emitted from burning coal.Try some good heat producing hard woods[must be dry].hickory,oak,maple are great...even some fruitwoods are fine as well...apple or cherry are excellent!!

Answer 9

check your zone regulations, it's not environmentally correct, but why freeze

Answer 10

no, it release toxic gas.