I'm looking for opinions on corn stoves for a friend. He wishes to heat a small ranch style house as much as possible with it but doesn't know much about them. He is away most of the day so a reliable unit is desired. Thanks for the help in advance.
Recomendations on buying a corn stove
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Depending on where you live a corn or a multi-fuel stove may make sense over a wood pellet stove. I always say look out your window. If you see trees, pellet is probably pretty good, if you see nothing but flat fields and corn that may be the way to go. Granted it's simplistic, but it is my way of encouraging people to check their local fuel supplies before they buy a unit.
That said, if your friend thinks a corn or multi-fuel stove is the way to go I have had success with both Dell Point and Harman's PC45. Dell Point is pretty pricey, but it is amazingly efficient, and has a DC system which includes a built in battery backup. It is a multi-fuel stove. Your friend must be willing to work with stove to get it set up as it takes "tuning" to each install situation. It is not plug and play, but once you get it set and learn the system it works great! Harman's stove is much more forgiving. It burns corn (or grains) pretty easily, and with the change of a burn pot it will burn wood pellets. It is very easy to clean and maintain. Harman builds a rock solid stove, multi-fuel or otherwise. Corn is a pretty tough fuel. The residuals of corn eat away at metal pretty good (even when mixed with pellets) and leave more of a mess to clean up. Talk to a few dealers, and definately find someone local. Corn customers benefit from being able to come down to the shop if they have questions about their corn or how to run / clean their stove.
That said, if your friend thinks a corn or multi-fuel stove is the way to go I have had success with both Dell Point and Harman's PC45. Dell Point is pretty pricey, but it is amazingly efficient, and has a DC system which includes a built in battery backup. It is a multi-fuel stove. Your friend must be willing to work with stove to get it set up as it takes "tuning" to each install situation. It is not plug and play, but once you get it set and learn the system it works great! Harman's stove is much more forgiving. It burns corn (or grains) pretty easily, and with the change of a burn pot it will burn wood pellets. It is very easy to clean and maintain. Harman builds a rock solid stove, multi-fuel or otherwise. Corn is a pretty tough fuel. The residuals of corn eat away at metal pretty good (even when mixed with pellets) and leave more of a mess to clean up. Talk to a few dealers, and definately find someone local. Corn customers benefit from being able to come down to the shop if they have questions about their corn or how to run / clean their stove.
Xena
Minister of Fire
In addition to what Metal said,
I'd strongly recommend checking
out http://www.iburncorn.com
Not trying to send you away,
but there are far more corn burning
folks there and imo you will get
a much better response with more
choices and ideas.
G'luck!
I'd strongly recommend checking
out http://www.iburncorn.com
Not trying to send you away,
but there are far more corn burning
folks there and imo you will get
a much better response with more
choices and ideas.
G'luck!
Hogwildz
Minister of Fire
My main grief with pellet or corn stoves is if you lose power, you just lost your heat. No blower, auger etc.
Unless he has that backup generator too
Unless he has that backup generator too
If you lose power for more than about four hours you'll make national news. If you live in an area that frequently loses power for that much time(like me), IMO you should have a generator anyway... I heat with a pellet boiler, a pellet stove in living room with a backup, pellet stove in separate small office bldg. and just put another pellet stove in my garage! No problem!
My fridge uses power and I am not getting rid of it because it doesn't work when the power goes out! My toilets don't work (pump takes power) and I am definately keeping them!
Pellet stoves don't take much power so it is easy to run them on a generator. They also make battery backups that work great. Or get a DC stove that has it all built in! I think Thelin even has a setup where you can tie it in to a solar panel system. Moot argument.
My fridge uses power and I am not getting rid of it because it doesn't work when the power goes out! My toilets don't work (pump takes power) and I am definately keeping them!
Pellet stoves don't take much power so it is easy to run them on a generator. They also make battery backups that work great. Or get a DC stove that has it all built in! I think Thelin even has a setup where you can tie it in to a solar panel system. Moot argument.
drizler
Minister of Fire
Jimkelt, where do you live anyways, the land of oz. We lose power for more than 4 hours at least twice a year. Best of all I happen to live plum in the middle of an area where all the rich %$#^ are building their McMansions and no one can afford the extravagant taxes ect. Still we lose the power all the time and they make no serious attempt to get it back on some of the time and I do mean the localized stuff. Of course we are SERVICED ( yes that is the appropriate word in you know which way) by a rather tiny electric utility. NYSEG ( NY State Extortion & Graft) as I have heard it referred to quite accurately just cant seem to get much done anymore since deregulation. I really think you guys are way better off with the mom and pop utilities for the most part. Too bad. Most folks around here have a gen set anyways since 98's ice storm.
As for stoves in NY I wouldn't hang my hat on just pellet or corn by itself. I have heard there are better corn prices downstate ( from me anyways) but corn is still by no means the great deal it was a year or 2 ago. I got mine for 100/ton 2 years ago and didn't shop around, for 90- 150 last year and did. With all these ethanol plants going in forget it for the time being anyways. I just got some bagged for 160 and was grateful. As for buying from the feedlot it seem that now days around here you have to just about bribe them to sell you a ton. Thats a total or 2 scoops from a skid steer and 10 minutes in and out and they aren't much interested. Some places just won't sell it at all. Keep that in mind. For that reason alone I would only recommend a multifuel. Next reason is the coming of switchgrass and related grass pellets. They burn dirtier than corn I have read so you won't get away burning it in a regular pellet stove. Pellets burn with about 5- 8 times less debris than corn and are much easier to keep burning on low settings, light ect. I much prefer pellets myself during the early and late winter months. I have noticed that the lofty prices of stoves such as my Countryside have dropped dramatically this year from last and you can even get them on the net if you dig. Again, I wouldn't hang my hat on any one of these stove types these days. FWIW my Countryside was running wide open to heat my 1400 sf so if you think you can get away with a small 30K btu stove you probably better think again. At -10 it does the job about 90% with the bedrooms just barely running on the boiler but thats about it. Bigger is better and Rogchester isn't much the tropics with all the wind you get down there. Check out iburncorn.com forums and go looking along the bottom stove specific fourms to see what everyone likes. Pellets here are currently $6/ bag everywhere but Tractor supply which has been $5 all winter, no bargain. Happy hunting!
BTW my take on Countryside or Magnum as its called today. Simple, lacking auto start bells and whistles, very easy to work on, inspect repair as both side fold completely open so you can climb right in. Soild with big hopper ( big hopper means a lot more for MTing the bag than burn time but its quite valuable if you don't have one you will know). Stove plows out the heat yet can be quirky on low and likes to go out. Messing with the air bands and even opening the slide grates that dump into the pan below is often needed. That isn't must my stove either, its common. Thats your art form. Ash pan needs dumping every 2-3 days ( corn) in spite of claims, once a week pellets. Countrysides will put some black ash on your ceiling if you ever open the door when its running which you have to. Thats a fact of life. Probably true of any grinder stove. They also spew volcanic and rather corrosive ash out the vent so watch where it exits. After a couple years on the deck I put mine up on the roof where it can wash down the eave. Again you will see that with any grinder type. Grinder makes the stove about twice as loud just by its motor running, no big deal but could be if you are sensitive to noise. I have noticed that mine after 3 seasons is starting to get some rust going on some of the outer surfaces along the air intake vents. Again no big deal but seems a tad cheesy. Draw yer own conclusions. I am sure that many of these traits are common among various MFG's.
As for stoves in NY I wouldn't hang my hat on just pellet or corn by itself. I have heard there are better corn prices downstate ( from me anyways) but corn is still by no means the great deal it was a year or 2 ago. I got mine for 100/ton 2 years ago and didn't shop around, for 90- 150 last year and did. With all these ethanol plants going in forget it for the time being anyways. I just got some bagged for 160 and was grateful. As for buying from the feedlot it seem that now days around here you have to just about bribe them to sell you a ton. Thats a total or 2 scoops from a skid steer and 10 minutes in and out and they aren't much interested. Some places just won't sell it at all. Keep that in mind. For that reason alone I would only recommend a multifuel. Next reason is the coming of switchgrass and related grass pellets. They burn dirtier than corn I have read so you won't get away burning it in a regular pellet stove. Pellets burn with about 5- 8 times less debris than corn and are much easier to keep burning on low settings, light ect. I much prefer pellets myself during the early and late winter months. I have noticed that the lofty prices of stoves such as my Countryside have dropped dramatically this year from last and you can even get them on the net if you dig. Again, I wouldn't hang my hat on any one of these stove types these days. FWIW my Countryside was running wide open to heat my 1400 sf so if you think you can get away with a small 30K btu stove you probably better think again. At -10 it does the job about 90% with the bedrooms just barely running on the boiler but thats about it. Bigger is better and Rogchester isn't much the tropics with all the wind you get down there. Check out iburncorn.com forums and go looking along the bottom stove specific fourms to see what everyone likes. Pellets here are currently $6/ bag everywhere but Tractor supply which has been $5 all winter, no bargain. Happy hunting!
BTW my take on Countryside or Magnum as its called today. Simple, lacking auto start bells and whistles, very easy to work on, inspect repair as both side fold completely open so you can climb right in. Soild with big hopper ( big hopper means a lot more for MTing the bag than burn time but its quite valuable if you don't have one you will know). Stove plows out the heat yet can be quirky on low and likes to go out. Messing with the air bands and even opening the slide grates that dump into the pan below is often needed. That isn't must my stove either, its common. Thats your art form. Ash pan needs dumping every 2-3 days ( corn) in spite of claims, once a week pellets. Countrysides will put some black ash on your ceiling if you ever open the door when its running which you have to. Thats a fact of life. Probably true of any grinder stove. They also spew volcanic and rather corrosive ash out the vent so watch where it exits. After a couple years on the deck I put mine up on the roof where it can wash down the eave. Again you will see that with any grinder type. Grinder makes the stove about twice as loud just by its motor running, no big deal but could be if you are sensitive to noise. I have noticed that mine after 3 seasons is starting to get some rust going on some of the outer surfaces along the air intake vents. Again no big deal but seems a tad cheesy. Draw yer own conclusions. I am sure that many of these traits are common among various MFG's.
It feels like I live in Oz sometimes, but really it's just rural NH. We are always the last to get power back up in our area. Fact of life, and I knew it before I moved here. I like electricity, but it is a reality that we have to live without, or with minimum, at times. Even so, I figure, going high, it's still less than 2% of the time(less than 7 days per year- only 1.5 so far this year) so I work with it, not plan my life around it.
Don't know much about Country Stoves although I heard that they were a pretty decent inexpensive stove. Each stove has unique features and requires different maintenance. Sorry to hear it does not heat your space as well as you like. I would have said it would take 28,000 btu's to 42,000 btu's to heat 1400 sq. ft. (we're about on the same parallel as Albany, NY) so more if you're further north. Each house is different so more or less depending on layout insulation etc. so there is no one size fits all number...
As far as the corn deal goes, I think it's a great fuel for some folks who live in the mid-west. I think there is a future in multi-fuel stoves(switch grass, barley, etc.) but we are not quite there yet. IMO a big reason there was a big surplus of corn last year was due to Katrina and the inability to ship the corn out of their (usual) southern ports. Someone else also pointed out the growing demand for ethanol. IMO biomass is still one of the more stable fuels, compared to gas and oil especially. Corn has a lot of markets, and government fingers involved so I won't even speculate on that one...
Around New England I think we have more trees so pellet works. I have never heard of someone getting caught short if they did early buy. You probably get some of the Lauzon pellets there, you have Dry Creek in NY, Allegheny and Energex hardwood in PA, I think New England Wood Pellet sends their Pinnacle out that way too, and others? There are some new mills in the works. New England Wood Pellet is building a new plant in Schuyler, NY. That will feed a lot of fuel into your state. So you will likely have even more choices in that department next year.
Don't know much about Country Stoves although I heard that they were a pretty decent inexpensive stove. Each stove has unique features and requires different maintenance. Sorry to hear it does not heat your space as well as you like. I would have said it would take 28,000 btu's to 42,000 btu's to heat 1400 sq. ft. (we're about on the same parallel as Albany, NY) so more if you're further north. Each house is different so more or less depending on layout insulation etc. so there is no one size fits all number...
As far as the corn deal goes, I think it's a great fuel for some folks who live in the mid-west. I think there is a future in multi-fuel stoves(switch grass, barley, etc.) but we are not quite there yet. IMO a big reason there was a big surplus of corn last year was due to Katrina and the inability to ship the corn out of their (usual) southern ports. Someone else also pointed out the growing demand for ethanol. IMO biomass is still one of the more stable fuels, compared to gas and oil especially. Corn has a lot of markets, and government fingers involved so I won't even speculate on that one...
Around New England I think we have more trees so pellet works. I have never heard of someone getting caught short if they did early buy. You probably get some of the Lauzon pellets there, you have Dry Creek in NY, Allegheny and Energex hardwood in PA, I think New England Wood Pellet sends their Pinnacle out that way too, and others? There are some new mills in the works. New England Wood Pellet is building a new plant in Schuyler, NY. That will feed a lot of fuel into your state. So you will likely have even more choices in that department next year.
webbie
Seasoned Moderator
JMF1 said:
For a small ranch, the one that I use would do the job easily- the down side is that the hopper will only hold about 40 lbs - but that is enough for 24 hours or more most of the time. The same company also has larger models and they are pretty reliable as far as corn goes.
These can also be had for somewhat of a middle price range -
They also have DC models and battery back-up, but I would say a computer UPS would do fine for most folks only needing only short term backup.
http://www.magnumheat.com/babycountryside.cfm
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