This is a photo of Lovina's new coal-stove.  It's pretty typical of what you see in Amish homes.  This is a Hitzer brand stove.  In the Eicher's case the stove sits in the basement where the heat then travels through vents to the rest of the home. It's very efficient.  My understanding is that this stove also burns wood.  Two to three tons of coal will get the average Amish family through the winter, depending on how severe and cold the weather is.  But doesn't this look cozy?  I could put a sleeping bag near that stove and drift off quite nicely:)  You do have to watch how close you stand to a coal-stove.  I remember wearing some running pants once to Elizabeth's (that lycra type material)....I guess I was in a real running kick then, I stood too close to the stove and the heat melted right through my pants.  But even the most experience stove-owners can get seduced by the heat. Elizabeth's husband Ben had  patches on the back of a few pairs of his pants from standing too close to the stove.  So we always had a laugh about that.
Merissa @ Little House Living
Love it! It makes me feel warm just looking at it. We have a wood burning stove that comes in handy when the power goes out in the middle of a blizzard!
Kevin
Ah, blizzards...I wish we would have those here in Ohio:(
Diann
We have a similar looking stove, but it is electric. You can operate it with or without the heater and I love it. It makes the family room look cozy on a cold, winter day, such as the one we are having today.
Heather
I was wondering, how often do they have to put coal into it to keep it going? I love wood stoves and fireplaces. Just something about them.
jodie
Kevin, better be careful what you wish for. You just may get that blizzard.
Here in MO, tonight will be 13 degrees and tomorrow night it will be 10 degrees. b-r-r-r
Barb W.
We enjoyed our woodburner.It kept our old farm house very warm. We are under a winter storm warning at the moment. We have downsized so no more wood burning.
Ruth Johnson
We have a Hitzer coal-burning stove, not wood. My husband shakes it down morning and night and feeds it. Ours is gravity feed, with a "hopper" right on top of the stove. As the (chestnut size) coal burns in the firebox, the coal sifts down from the hopper. We shake & feed it morning and evening, but could probably get away with less. Love it! Good, even heat, not the up and down of a wood stove (we have one of those as well, in a different part of the house). There is also a blower on it, which we never use. It's the only thing electrical on the stove.