Outdoor Multi-Fuel Furnaces: The Best Fuel is the Cheapest Fuel

Multi fuel outdoor furnaces have a distinct advantage over single fuel models. With a multi fuel, or dual fuel furnace, you have the flexibility to burn whichever fuel is cheaper at any given time.

The most common type of multi fuel furnace combines a traditional outdoor wood furnace with a fuel oil, propane or natural gas burner. The addition of a fuel burner to the wood furnace can be useful in a number of ways.

It can be used to provide backup heat if you fail to refuel the furnace with wood or as the only heat source when not firing with wood. The burner can also be run at the beginning of the burn cycle to preheat the secondary combustion chamber which reduces start up emissions.

A wood pellet/corn version of the multi fuel outdoor furnace is also available as a substitute for burning wood. This is actually a multi-multi fuel furnace with the option to burn corn or wood pellets; or fuel oil, propane or natural gas with the back up burner.

Although multi fuel capability is standard on most of the larger outdoor wood furnaces,

it’s an option on less powerful models that will add around 25% to the purchase price.

According to one manufacturer of the wood/petroleum dual fuel outdoor furnaces, laboratory tests indicate efficiencies of 85% or better.

Given the constant price volatility for all types of fuel, a multi fuel outdoor furnace offers a way to hedge against gyrating fuel prices. If the cost to heat your home with natural gas is less than heating with wood, switching from wood to gas is a simple matter of turning the fuel selector knob.

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