Pellet, Corn mix

[Al in MN]

I have a Afton Bay multi fuel stove ,been burning pellets only and on setting#2 it was 165 degrees from heatexchanger so today I mixed in about 35-40% corn and than the Temp goes to 175 degrees and on #3 it went to 210degrees so the corn does make a deference.How many of you mix pellets and corn and have you found out? Also how about the vent pipe maybe have to change out to pro vent or how soon or long will my pipes last doing this??Thanks for any and all coments.
-2 F this morning in central MN,Burrrr
AL

 

[imacman]

Al, I had an Astoria, and the manual said you could burn up to 50/50 mix (although I never tried it)....I'm guessing the Afton is the same?

I recently mixed about 60/40 pellets/corn in my Englander, and the heat WAS good, plus it seemed to make everything move easier, from in the hopper to in the auger.

As for your pipe, I have no idea how long a non-corn rated pipe will last. Maybe the guys over at iburncorn.com can tell you.

 

[mattson70]

Corn buns hotter, there's no doubt about it. I live in South Dakota, home of a lot of corn crops. I burned corn in my St. Croix Lancaster for the 1st four years I owned it. Once corn prices spiked due to governmental backing of the ethanol industry I switched to pellets. I have no hard data that corn burns hotter than what I feel from my stove but trust me it does. Corn is the way to go if you have an adequate and ready supply. Even mixing it is better than nothing. When I first bought the corn stove corn prices were around $2.00 a bushel which is 55 pounds of corn. Towards the end of my corn burning corn prices were around $5.00 dollars a bushel bagged and the local co-ops wanted nothing to do with supplying small time corn burners. I'm hoping people realize the cost of producing ethanol outhweighs its benefits. Sorry to be negative but it's true. If you can burn corn do it.

 

[GenghisJon]

Corn buns hotter, there's no doubt about it. I live in South Dakota, home of a lot of corn crops. I burned corn in my St. Croix Lancaster for the 1st four years I owned it. Once corn prices spiked due to governmental backing of the ethanol industry I switched to pellets. I have no hard data that corn burns hotter than what I feel from my stove but trust me it does. Corn is the way to go if you have an adequate and ready supply. Even mixing it is better than nothing. When I first bought the corn stove corn prices were around $2.00 a bushel which is 55 pounds of corn. Towards the end of my corn burning corn prices were around $5.00 dollars a bushel bagged and the local co-ops wanted nothing to do with supplying small time corn burners. I'm hoping people realize the cost of producing ethanol outhweighs its benefits. Sorry to be negative but it's true. If you can burn corn do it.

I would like to burn corn but the only place around sells it for $8 for a 50 pound bag.

http://www.pinecroftfarms.com/

Doesn't seem like I'd be saving any money at that price, even if they do burn a lot hotter.

 

[Shepherd of the stove]

When the temp here gets to teens or below I usually mix in 20-30% corn with my pellets. Certainly makes a big difference in heat. I have an old Vt Casting 2220 and it burns that mix very well. Many of the other folks here in the valley that burn corn & pellets in stoves and boilers are convinced that burning both together seems to give more heat than burning pellets or corn alone; though I don't have any scientific data for it aside from a much warmer home.

 

[Czech]

I'm burning a 50/50 mix here, I like it. There's been a lot of discussion about corn burning hotter, BTU for BTU it is my understanding it is pretty close to pellets if not less. I agree it seems hotter, but I think is more likely due to the fact that corn is more dense? Typically people do not adjust feed rates when they add corn so I wonder if being more dense it's just feeding more fuel and therefore hotter? Just a thought...

I've been burning mix and/or 100% corn for over 5 years with PL vent, it looked fine last fall via the vent camera! I believe the corn rated pipe is just heavier ga stainless?

 

[mjbrown]

is it okay to mix corn and pellets for my P38?

a guy at work said it was, but i want to make sure so as not to damage the stove.

thanx, mike

 

[jtakeman]

is it okay to mix corn and pellets for my P38?

a guy at work said it was, but i want to make sure so as not to damage the stove.

thanx, mike

Mike,

Not sure about the P38 stove and corn. You maybe able to mix 50/50 or so. But don't forget to check the vent. It is highly recommended to use a corn rated vent with any amount of corn in the stove. That's what the pro's say anyways. The average pipe has 304 SS liner, Where the corn vent has 316 SS liner. 304 has some carbon content(yes its even magnetic) and will corrode over a short period of time(I know there will be some flack over this comment), 316 SS is carbon free and is non magnetic. It may still corrode but its going to take much longer to do so.

just my 2
jay

 

[mjbrown]

thank you jay

 

[hossthehermit]

is it okay to mix corn and pellets for my P38?

a guy at work said it was, but i want to make sure so as not to damage the stove.

thanx, mike

Mike, have you got someplace you can get corn? I've been really wanting to try some, can't seem to find it around here. Gotta take a trip to Brighton in a couple weeks, if there's corn in the area I'd stop and pick up a few bags, or bushels, or whatever they call 'em