I bought a Vermont Castings stove that would burn wood and also hard coal. It came with coal grates and shaker equipment along with an ash pan.

After 'breaking it in' with wood I got some hard coal in bags and installed the devices to shake the coal ash etc.

I gave up after about a year. The bags of coal get tiresome to carry. You have 'got' to keep it going. If the coal goes out its a chore to clean up.

There was some smell from the burning coal also in the basement.

It was a Constant chore to shake it down and clean out the stove and get rid of high volume of coal ash!

I don't use the stove as much now. I burn some stuff up in it and keep wood in case of an emergency if the electric power goes off. The hot water oil furnace is our primary heat and hot water too. The stove also heats the basement where my work shop is.

Here is a photo from the net. to show much of that model's coal parts. It's a neat parlor stove. Mine is not rusty.

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