I was going to try mixing in corn with my pellets but I ran into an issue. Whether to purchased cracked corn or whole corn. TSC (Tractor Supply )sells both, but when I asked which type for pellet stove - they said oh yeah we sell pellets too! Does anyone know which is the proper one to purchase for burning? They sell Producers Pride Whole Corn and Producers Pride Cracked corn. If you go to (broken link removed) and do a search for corn, you will see the two products. Thanks in advance for the responses!
Cracked corn or Whole Corn for mix in Quadrafire Castille?
- Thread starter mgambuzza
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Hello you want to burn hole corn not cracked corn do to the fate that the smaller cracked corn well clog up the holes that the air goes through in the burn pot. desalting in tones of clinkers. which would be a lot of cleaning for you.
Thanks for the advice. I found a "feed supply" in the City of Syracuse - Lees Feed. They were extremely helpful and I am trying my first bag tonight. So far it seems fairly successful as the intensity of heat has improved with a ratio of 50/50. Thanks for the advice.
BTW - Lee's Feed is a historical site in the City of Syracuse - a related link:
(broken link removed to http://www.syracuse.com/living/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/living-1/1141466413144780.xml&coll=1)
BTW - Lee's Feed is a historical site in the City of Syracuse - a related link:
(broken link removed to http://www.syracuse.com/living/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/living-1/1141466413144780.xml&coll=1)
Mgam,
Use whole field corn (#2), hopefully clean and less than 13% humid. A quick humid check is to bite the kernal, it should snap clean at that %, not mush in your teeth. I run a Castille, I've put about 2 tons of corn thru it, along with pellet. I would suggest you clean it daily regardless of what you burn, but esp if you're burning corn. Scrape the pot good, make sure the four bottom holes and all the side holes in the pot are clear when you clean. You'll also want to do a total clean including the vent and behind the fire 'brick' and heat exchangers after about a ton or so, you'll notice lazy flames and reduced venting when this needs to be done. Mountain Stove Guy and others are a wealth of help here, lord knows they have helped me. Lastly, my Castille burned 100% corn fine, but they won't auto ignite at that rate as you probably know. I ran 100% when it was -20 here, it does seem to burn hotter but I think it burns quicker and therefore hotter. It is dirtier than pellets no doubt, but if you're ok with cleaning more and have a cheaper supply of corn, it does dilute the current price of pellets. Lastly, and back to your original question, don't burn cracked corn. The stove would probably handle it until the auger jams, and you don't want that. Luck,
B
Use whole field corn (#2), hopefully clean and less than 13% humid. A quick humid check is to bite the kernal, it should snap clean at that %, not mush in your teeth. I run a Castille, I've put about 2 tons of corn thru it, along with pellet. I would suggest you clean it daily regardless of what you burn, but esp if you're burning corn. Scrape the pot good, make sure the four bottom holes and all the side holes in the pot are clear when you clean. You'll also want to do a total clean including the vent and behind the fire 'brick' and heat exchangers after about a ton or so, you'll notice lazy flames and reduced venting when this needs to be done. Mountain Stove Guy and others are a wealth of help here, lord knows they have helped me. Lastly, my Castille burned 100% corn fine, but they won't auto ignite at that rate as you probably know. I ran 100% when it was -20 here, it does seem to burn hotter but I think it burns quicker and therefore hotter. It is dirtier than pellets no doubt, but if you're ok with cleaning more and have a cheaper supply of corn, it does dilute the current price of pellets. Lastly, and back to your original question, don't burn cracked corn. The stove would probably handle it until the auger jams, and you don't want that. Luck,
B
As I have said before, be aware that corn smoke is more corrosive than pellet smoke. Simpson Dura-Vent has no warranty on pellet pipe if you burn corn; they make a specific pipe for burning corn. There have been anecdotal stories about perforations in as little as a few months; it would be good to hear what folks who are blending see when they clean their pipe this summer.
SMK
SMK
I appreciate the input. After a couple of loads of mixture, I decided to stay with pure pellets. Less ash, and if I purchase at the proper time, the cost differences will be minimal. I am already finding wood pellets for less than the price of corn. Thanks to all for your input and knowledge on this issue.
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