I can get 1000 pounds of corn cheaper 50 miles away like $35 per thousand cheaper but the corn has a lot of fines like 100 pounds out of 1000 pounds. Local corn I can buy at a higher price only requires I screen pass thru vs 3 on the dirty corn. How clean do you corn burners screen?
Corn burner questions
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I made a kan burn cleaner mover. Reason I like to clean my corn and pellets, is to keep dust to a minimum in the house. Most stoves will burn most any of it. Only issue with dirty corn is you can get a build-up of burnt residue in drop chute of some stoves, and it can block fuel, or start a hopper fire. kap
My first cleaner was a pc. of hardware cloth, draped over a wheel barrel, just to get the big pc's of cob and stalk out of it. Then my wife found a corn grader at a antique store, that I wrapped hardware cloth around, and could crank it feeding corn into a big funnel/hopper, and corn came out the other end. I had big flat tray under it to catch the fines and cracked corn. Dust blew away from a fan I had setting beside it. kap
Think about transport cost, if it cost you 25in fuel and extra time............count the cost. Either way figure a better way to get rid of the fines. If you design a better way of sifting the fines, you should only need to do it once. No matter the amount of fines.
When I bought corn from the co-op, it came magnetically screened and that was it and I ran it the way it was for many years and like Kap says it does make stuff in the firebox but I clean mine every 3 days anyway. I shut it down the evening before bed and clean it in the morning, but then I let the central furnace assume the heat load when it's off. It's supplementary heat anyway.
The last 2 years, I've been getting free screened and cleaned corn that is devoid of any junk so no cleaning needed. I do mix pellets with it at a ratio of 3-1 3 parts corn to one part pellets. The corn I get is very dry, averages 10%RM or less so it burns really hot.
Burn back is a non issue with my stove and no issue with any build up at the auger opening either. My 6039 is a single auger straight feed above the firepot. Fuel drops to the firepot so no carbon buildup and the feed is above the fire so no burnback chance either.
Like I said, when I got it from the co op I never cleaned any of it. Fines and earwings went right to the fire. It all burns anyway.
Dust in the house is a fact of life with any stove, pellet, corn or wood. The amount of it depends on your tolerance.
The last 2 years, I've been getting free screened and cleaned corn that is devoid of any junk so no cleaning needed. I do mix pellets with it at a ratio of 3-1 3 parts corn to one part pellets. The corn I get is very dry, averages 10%RM or less so it burns really hot.
Burn back is a non issue with my stove and no issue with any build up at the auger opening either. My 6039 is a single auger straight feed above the firepot. Fuel drops to the firepot so no carbon buildup and the feed is above the fire so no burnback chance either.
Like I said, when I got it from the co op I never cleaned any of it. Fines and earwings went right to the fire. It all burns anyway.
Dust in the house is a fact of life with any stove, pellet, corn or wood. The amount of it depends on your tolerance.
If you are real serious about burning corn over the long haul, I suggest either buying a gravity wagon and getting your corn in that or buying a grain tank with a bucket spout and having your supplier auger it into the tank. I have a pair of 600 bushel GSI's and both have bucket spouts on the bottom. I auger the corn in (I happen to have my own PTO driven auger) and bucket out what I need. My supplier delivers my corn in his gravity wagon and I transfer it to my tank.
I bought a screen off eBay it does a fine job, with the "dirty" corn I could get by with 1 pass. Trying to keep the dust outside of the house.
Nope not a long haul guy, one of the reasons I bought the corn stove is because we plan on moving next summer. Hard to sell a house that is heated with wood in this day and age.
Company vehicle I do not pay for fuel. When I go to pick up the corn I go visit my Grandson. it is a win win, except for the dusty corn.
If you think you can keep the dust out, that is false economy. There will always be dust from ashes when using a solid fuel appliance no matter what it burns.
The best bet to keep dust out of the house is to have a bin outside to feed corn into the stove. I know that keeps my wife happy. If you are moving soon, I wouldn't add more work when there is limited payout.
I use a shop vac every time I load fuel into hopper, clean stoves, ashpans, etc. And there is a dust bag in all my shop vacs. kap
Burned wood for 25 years, my wife loves the very little dust that is produced, that is a good enough economy for me.
Not adverse to recycling shop vac bags, I try but usually I rip them. I keep a couple on had all the time. Usually get one burn season out of one bag (10 gallon shop vac size).
Ssyko
Minister of Fire
I use the yellow drywall bags too. I also cut the end open and dump in the garden then hot glue the seam back together. Only 1 blow out in 20 yrs. took a month to get outta that dog house.
Never thought about gluing them shut but then a 3 pack at Menards is 12 bucks. Made in China bags. I'm frugal but not that frugal... I may try that anyway.
I have shook a few out because I did not want to deal with Menards on a Saturday morning.
I do not dislike menards I dislike the volume of people at menards on a Saturday Morning.
Understandable, I don't like crowds either. Why the wife and I go during the week, usually on Wednesday afternoon, about 2 pm. We are retired so no work constraints. Menards is great in my opinion. Probably why Lowes instituted the all the time 10% back policy, Menards has put a hurt on Lowes, at least around here. Problem with the Lowes 10% back deal is the online paperwork you have to go through to get the 10%, whereas with Menards, you mail the bottom of the register recepit to Elk Mound and 3-4 weeks later a voucher (with no expiration date) comes in the mail. easy peasy.
I like Home Despot too but HD is a junky, cluttered store (at least around here they are. I don't do clutter and junk well.
I like Home Despot too but HD is a junky, cluttered store (at least around here they are. I don't do clutter and junk well.
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