Question about burning corn

[BillGrieve]

I have a Fahrenheit Endurance Furance ..It has different setting for different kinds of fuel ..I have ever burnt anything other then wood pellets in it but I know of a farmer that has lots of “Cow corn” he is wanting to get rid of..I was wondering if I get this cow corn and remove the corn off the husk and dry it out will I be to heat my house with it next winter ? I looked on line for people that grow their own corn then burn it but couldn’t find out much ..

 

[Former Farmer]

The drier the corn the better for burning. Ideally you would like it in the 11 to 12% moisture range. Burning corn by itself can be tough. The older stoves that were designed to burn corn had stirring pots, a rod with fingers on it rotated to help with clinkers. A clinker is a hard deposit that will develop in the burn pot from all of the material that doesn't burn. Corn has considerably more of this than what wood pellets do. I use to burn a mixture of half corn and half wood pellets, but found it to be more work than what the cost savings were worth. You also have the issue of storing the corn so that bugs don't get into it. It is a food source for them. Depending upon your situation, it may or may not be worth the extra work.

 

[rona]

Burning corn for 13 years. some are called corn stoves designed for corn or other fuels called multifuel stoves. Others claim they can burn a certain per cent of corn mixed with pellets and the corn has to be dried to 12 % moisture. Corn is considered dry when it is 15% so that is how it is sold. When it is dried to 11-12 % there is a lot of damage cracked kernels etc so 15 is good. I have owned St Croix Auburn corn stove which is manually start using a cup of pellets then it burns 100% corn. I have also owned a Quadrafire AE which starts itself using corn, I also own a Harman PC45 which is a corn stove and starts itself. Lastly I bought a Bixby which is a true multifuel stove starts on corn and will burn corn pellets wheat barley, several types pellets, and more.
Some stoves used stirrers to break up clinkers and others produced a wafer or a hockey puck size chunk or a small brick of waste. No big deal but requires you sometimes need to shut the stove down to drop the clinker. Others do it automatically.
You should educate yourself about corn because it sounds like this is new to you. Corn is a tall plant that produces a ear of corn. It has the kernals on the outside of what is called a cob. To save time go talk to a farmer and ask him how he grows corn. I could but it would take to long.