Winter Heating....with corn!

KDM

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We dropped over 2 grand on propane last year for heating which prompted a search for an alternative. We purchased a corn stove last spring and fired it up the first of November. All I can say is I wish I'd have acquired one 5 years ago. This stove has kept the whole house (basement included) at 63-65 degrees with a setting that consumes about a bushel of corn a day. Our house is 1500 sq/ft with a full basement and to say the least, I'm impressed. We just took out a window in the basement and plumbed the exhaust through that. It took a couple hours (with 2 men) and it's worked flawlessly. There's a little daily maintenance and I need to put in a corn chute so I don't have to carry corn in buckets, but heating the house for under 4 bucks a day doesn't suck. The savings on heat should pay for the stove in a couple years. A pic is worth more words than I care to type so......

DSC02399.jpg
 


johnr

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Will it burn wood pellets too?
and does it heat the entire house with no backup? Seems like you would need to duct it to various rooms for an even stable heat
 

KDM

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Will it burn wood pellets too?
and does it heat the entire house with no backup? Seems like you would need to duct it to various rooms for an even stable heat

It will burn wood pellets, but you have to change the guts out. Pellets and corn don't burn the same, so there is a conversion kit. Corn is MUCH cheaper than pellets, which is why we use corn. It does heat the entire house the way it is right now without any backup. I can run ductwork into the cold air return to the furnace and use the furnace fan to circulate the heat if I need to, but that's another project and only if I need to do it. We leave the furnace fan running and the heat seems to get to all the rooms just fine. I can also cut into the heat ductwork to allow the heat to go right upstairs through the openings. For now, we leave the door to the basement open and the heat percolates up through the floor. We have propane and electric backup if needed, but the wife and daughter have only used the furnace a handful of times for at most a half hour. Like I said, I'm VERY impressed so far.
 


Kickemup

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Will it burn wood pellets too?
and does it heat the entire house with no backup? Seems like you would need to duct it to various rooms for an even stable heat


They will burn wood pellets also. The model kdm has will heat his house both up and down. It would probably go up to about a bushel and a half per day to keep the house at 70 all the time even on the colder days. I run a older corn stove in my garage and keep it on the lowest heat setting and my garage stays about 55-60. Coldest temps I have seen is single digits and the lowest it went was 55. I can run about 40 hrs on a bushel.
 

Kickemup

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Im using the big tote bags that hold about 50 bushels. Just put the in the back of the pickup and put them in the garage with a forklift. Cost all depends on market. I bought some cleaned and bagged corn earlier this year and that was 5.25 a bushel from the elevator. The 1 bushel bags from the elevator are a lot easier to store but cost about a 1/3 more. I’ll be making a corn run in the next couple days and I can update price.
 

KDM

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Outside temps here in the valley have been below zero quite a few times already and the lowest the house has gotten was 59 by the time we got up in the morning (one of the furnace days). That was on the lowest setting for the stove. We've kept the stove on setting 2 and have enjoyed the 63-65 ever since.
 

KDM

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how do you store corn?

how do you haul it from source?

cost/bushel?

My corn storage is outside in galvanized water tanks I bought at fleet farm for a 100 bucks and covered with sheets of plywood. I buy my corn from a local farmer for a bit over 3 bucks a bushel and I haul it in 250 gallon plastic totes (chemical containers) I cleaned and cut the top out of. Once I get a bin/storage container next to the house, it'll be a one time fill with a grain cart and I'm done for the year.
 


Kentucky Windage

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My corn storage is outside in galvanized water tanks I bought at fleet farm for a 100 bucks and covered with sheets of plywood. I buy my corn from a local farmer for a bit over 3 bucks a bushel and I haul it in 250 gallon plastic totes (chemical containers) I cleaned and cut the top out of. Once I get a bin/storage container next to the house, it'll be a one time fill with a grain cart and I'm done for the year.

I have a stainless steel tank that would work great for you. I’ll give you a deal on it.
 

Lou63

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my brothers have burned corn for years, they got hooked up with a seed corn company and get the old/outdated seed corn really cheap to burn
 


eyexer

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Does anybody make one that performs like a normal furnace where you use the duct work in the house, etc?
 

BrokenBackJack

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We used one on the farm for years. Worked just like a coal stoker furnace.
Bought it from a guy in LaMoure. Worked great. Burned wood pellets,
durum pellets, corn, and a little wheat. Corn and wood pellets worked the best. Corn had to be pretty clean to feed right. Hooked it into our forced air system. Our propane furnace never ran. Hopper would last about 7-14 days. Would keep house at any temperature i would set thermostat at. Was like wood or coal burner as always had warm air coming out of duct work whether fan was running or not.
Think the hopper was 14 bushel but can't be positive. His name was Dale and have his phone number but won't post it on interweb. PM if really interested. Wasn't cheap!
Our house was 2,000 sq. Ft ranch with full basement.
Had a 200 bushel gravity wagon and bought corn from our farm land renter. Just make sure to get it all empty by spring so you don't get bugs or spoiled grain. We also fed our deer and pheasants out of it. Pheasants loved the corn screenings we got from pouring it over the cleaner.
 
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Captain Ahab

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Between work, kid's events and trying to hunt and fish I would grow tired of the furnace feeding. Not so bad if you have time on your hands. I am thankful for Nat Gas in town.
 


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