Corn and pellet stoves

[galen]

I went to a home show today in ST.Joe Missouri. This is middle America row crop country. Saw two stoves that I have never heard of. Bixby and Amaizablaze. One was high dollar and the other made me think it was sold at a big box store. Both were corn stoves and they hammered pellet stoves. I was simi impressed with the Bixby. Do any of you old heads know anything about These two? I do know that the first Bixby stoves were not good stoves but somehow they got their act together and are producing a fairly nice product now. Inlighten me!

 

[joshuaviktor]

Galen, this is a good question. Here are SOME answers. Note: Not all of them, just some of them.

Corn stoves will typically burn some pellets, and pellet stoves will typically burn some corn. Some of them 80/20, some 50/50. Basically, the corn has a higher ash content, turns into clinkers, which need to be cleaned out on a regular basis, (daily)(ish).

The issues between the two fuels are these:
1. Storage - rats and mice like corn (mm mm, good). We do not like rats and mice. Store corn carefully. Also, neither corn nor pellets do well if they get wet.
2. Price - Pellets went through a price surge equaled only by Tulips in Holland this past winter. Mostly due to high fossil fuel prices, and the amazing amount of pellet stoves sold. The sales channel was totally empty. Demand went through roof, supply was limited by production capacity. Price goes up!
2a. Corn prices stayed relatively unchanged, BUT can you get corn where you are? Midwest, corn plentiful and cheap, northeast, plentiful, not so cheap, and so on and so on.
3. Future - PEllet production is ramping up dramatically. Corn production is not, AND the new push for ethanol might reduce corn availability, raise prices, etc.
4. Continuation of 2. Bulk price - Corn is easily available in bulk (back up the truck and fill the bed up) ITs cheaper that way. PEllets are available in bulk only in selected areas.
Choices, choices.

Good luck.

BTW, they make corn and pellet furnaces and boilers. I intend to buy one in the next 2-4 years. OR maybe I'll get wood. But wood may get more expensive as people start using less fossil fuels. Argh. Choices, choices.

Joshua

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

good call. excellent post.

 

[richg]

I;ve been looking at another corn/pellet burner for an addtion we are building. According to those I've talked to (including a few Harman dealers) Bixby stoves are Rolls royce in quality and features. You will pay more, but there is nothing on the market that can match their quality features and durability.

 

[Shane]

We were going to sell the Bixby line when they were producing the 110 model (I think it was the 110 model) They were having some problems with the stoves burning properly at altitude. They came out with teh new model and supposedly everything is fixed. I really liked the auger system and the pot dumped clinkers automatically. Nice looking units too. I had one on order but have never seen the stove. It seemed like everytime I called the company to check on the order there was a new sales rep that I needed to talk to. I figured we would wait for awhile then look into them again. Maybe a mistake because if all bugs are worked out then I think it will be a really good stove and the line will get snatched up quickly.

 

[galen]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm going to have a hard time spending almost 4 grand for a stove. I'm sure there are others out there that will do a fine job at much less the cost. I'm zeroing in on ST. Croix also. I've been reading some good reviews on them. Don't hear much about them tho. I live in a rual area, on 18 acres. I could place a bin up by the old barn on the property. It would fit right in. I did an addition onto the house and need extra heat.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Inlighten me!

I hereby enlighten you.

 

[joshuaviktor]

I think what I'm going to do personally, is to diversify. I've got a monster wood stove in the basement, which also burns coal. I am going to get a used wood boiler for basement furnace work, and DHW (with a heat storage tank), and I am going to put a corn stove (which will burn pellets happily) in the living room for ambiance, and another 50k btu's/hr.

Thsi should cover all my bases.

Joshua

 

[Xena]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm going to have a hard time spending almost 4 grand for a stove. I'm sure there are others out there that will do a fine job at much less the cost. I'm zeroing in on ST. Croix also. I've been reading some good reviews on them. Don't hear much about them tho.

Galen the stove in my avatar is a St Croix Prescott pellet stove that we installed in the beginning of November and
it's been running pretty much every day since. This stove rocks is all I can say. We've been running
a 50/50 corn/pellet mix which has been working out fantastic. We paid 2400.00 for it new.
Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[galen]

Thanks Zeta. Why the 50/50 mix? Just to keep things cleaner? Isn't the Prescott a full corn burner? This corner is just waiting for a stove.

 

[Xena]

You are welcome Galen. The Prescott is a pellet stove.
The operation manual says it can burn up to a 50/50
corn pellet mix - so we do.

There's a link to the different model St Croix stoves.
(broken link removed to http://www.eventempinc.com/stcroix/stoves/stoves.html)

btw, that corner certainly does look like it's begging for a stove!

 

[pelletwise]

Seems like lots of good answers but not much about the Amaizablaze. I find they are an excellent stove, and very simple (no computor just 2 thermodisks and the control nobs) I have a had relitivly good luck the the Amaizablazes and i know quite a few people who love their stove and swear by it, and scoff when i mention pellets. With a corn stove like Amaizablaze, you can keep it running for much longer then a pellet stove without shutting it down. This is because instead of powdery ash from pellets, corn makes a hard mass in the bottom of the burn pot called a clinker, you can remove this daily with shutting the stove off and thats pretty much all the maintnence that is required. Though I recomend shutting it off every couple weeks to give it a thourough cleaning.

 

[Highbeam]

Okay pelletwise, say you live in the puget sound area of washington like me and are interested in a multifuel stove to be able to burn whatever comes up. Like me. How do you find out if there is corn available? Where do you get it? We grow corn in WA but not sure if it is the right corn or if it is available. I am interested in a stove that has no computer, that sounds great, but then again I also like carburetors.

 

[pelletwise]

Okay pelletwise, say you live in the puget sound area of washington like me and are interested in a multifuel stove to be able to burn whatever comes up. Like me. How do you find out if there is corn available? Where do you get it? We grow corn in WA but not sure if it is the right corn or if it is available. I am interested in a stove that has no computer, that sounds great, but then again I also like carburetors.

I like carburetors too! The corn you want is not the kind of corn we humans eat, nor is it the kind that pops when you heat it up. It is the kind they feed to cattle and pigs. I believe they call it dent corn, but don't quote me on that I'm a stove guy not a corn farmer. There should be website's online that tell you if the product is available in your area. You mentioned that they grow corn in WA so you could probably ask one of the farm owners, if he has been working with corn his life, I'm sure he's heard of a corn stove, he might even have one. Also, I've heard that over on the west coast people burn dried cherry and olive pits in their stoves as well, I don't pretend to know a lot about that, but it makes sense because the energy stored inside those pits, they probably burn great. If you have other Questions lemme know.

 

[pelletdude]

Look into the Enviro M 55. This stove is going to go head to head with the Harmon p68 and PC45. This stove puts out 55,000 BTUs and burns everything.