LOPI burning Corn and Wood

[jkp77]

Hi all !

I bought a Lopi last November and it worked great all winter burning wood pellets. This year I wanted to try burning corn. SO I bought a ton of corn and started mixing 50/50 and dumping them into the hopper. The problem is half the time the stove does not ignite the mix in the firepot. When it does, the heat is alot warmer than regular wood pellets. Is there something I have to change? Possibly the air flow? (I did reduce the air flow and it did work alittle better) How about the programming board? Fan higher or lower?
Another issue, the glass gets real dirty to the point I can't even see inside. I used to wash the glass with a heavy dose of soap which it stayed clean for quite a while. Any other "solvents" or tricks to keep that glass clean for any length of time?
I appreciate any reply!!

 

[Shane]

I noticed this too when I burned our showroom model with a 50/50 corn mix. It didn't do so well. I told our rep about it and he held up a pellet and piece of corn, pointing out it took two corn kernels to equal one pellet and then told me the 50/50 mix was by volume not weight. So it's actually 75/25.

 

[jkp77]

Well thats interesting. I di not know that..
I also was told I could burn straight corn with the Lopi, no mixing with wood. I have not done that yet...

 

[Shane]

That's a new development since I left. They may have made adjustments to the unit to allow it to burn corn more readily, though from your description it sounds like it's about the same.

 

[jkp77]

Well.. I will contact my dealer in RI.
Do you know of the warranty policy for Lopi and if the visits from the dealer are included in that?

 

[Xena]

I had to increase the air intake when burning corn.

 

[Shane]

It's only covered if it's a product defect. I'd consult with your dealer about charges prior to him coming out. On the one that I burned in the showroom I always ran it with the air wide open, and got similar results to those that jkp77 got. Once I did the 75/25 mix it was better, but I still liked burning pellets the best. The unit seemed to burn cleaner and more reliably.