There are many types of coal stoves that range from the old fashioned ones that were in homes in the last centuries. There is the radiant type that has no need of a regular fireplace. It stands freely on its legs but has a vent which leads into the flues at the top or at the rear. The deep chamber for the fuel can pack enough coal that can go on burning for many hours without any need for stocking the embers. Some of them have thermostats to regulate the air flow automatically. The large ones can burn to the rate of 70,000 and up to 90,000 BTU. They come with two racks, the lower and the upper ones. It enables them to burn the fuel to the maximum extent to give out a higher degree of heat. They have their flues either on the top or at the back of the stove towards the top section. More details can be seen at Irish Stove Directory

Other versions of coal stoves are the inserts. These can fit into the regular fireplace. These ones simply enter the section provided as a simple fireplace and look like the old hearth style. They also produce very high heat to the tune of BTU70, 000 or even reaching 90,000. It may not resemble a radiant model because it has a wide opening which has a tight, transparent window that is actually the door. It enters and fits inside the fireplace very well and is able to make use of the old model chimney with a flue that leads to the top.

The hopper fed types are the coal stoves which, on the other hand, have applied a technology that operates naturally when the stove feeds coal that has been drawn in by gravity. The system works by using the force of gravity.  The coal simply rolls into the grate continuously, on its own, and is what gives it the name hopper-fed. The person using the burner must fill it almost to the brim with fuel and it will keep rolling down to reach the burning chamber. It makes use of a hopper plate that lifts itself to enable the fuel to drop into the grate on its own without a person bothering to push, or disturb it with a fork. This opening cannot allow the hopper to let in any air into this section of the burner which means only the coal that has already entered the grate can burn. As soon as it is completely burnt into ashes which drop into the ash; chamber the next lot of fresh coal drop into the drawer for ashes, or grate for it to start burning. Have the pea coal as the preferred type of coal for burning because of its small size. Its size enables it to roll down easily into the grate without any need for somebody to stack the fire.

Coal stoves generally produce intense fires that can provide maximum heat to the home. There are other burners which have the capacity to burn both coal and wood in turns. Since wood does not burn at high temperatures as coal, the stoves that combine the burning of wood as well as coal are not made of a material that is not very resistant to heat. This is as compared to the ones that are purely for burning coal, and no other fuels.