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I'm curious how it stays lit, does it burn a small amount of corn all the time, like a pilot light? Our furnace has spark ignition, so every time it comes on it lights the methane, then shuts right off when it's done. I'm thinking spark ignition wouldn't work too good with corn.

Also, I would be interested to know if the waste product from making ethanol out of corn can be used in a furnace, I think they use it as animal feed now, but seems to me that it might, unless it's not a useable consistency or granularity.

 

What are the bags made out of? I had a rat in my place last year, and it caused quite a bit of damage. Their teeth can chew through just about anything, except maybe steel.

 

And the little guys has a higher quality product, in general. Or at least that's what I find when I go to the local farmer's market vs. the grocery store.

Ah well... if Walmart is squeezing out small retailers then why not "wal-farm"? Of course, it's up to the consumers to make the difference. People like the convenience of their supermarkets and don't care where the food comes from.

It's only when, for instance, they taste an heirloom tomato vs. what passes for a tomato at the supermarket that a light bulb goes off.

 

It is burning, and working great.

Now I can answer a few questions. This particular unit is meant to run all the time. It produces about 1 pound of solid waste for every 100 pounds burned.
It stays lit by just running. If it runs out of fuel, it shuts itself down, and waits for you to come home, and start it again. You control the burn rate by turning a dial on the machine. It also has a separate blower control. I only put 50 pounds in it to see how long that lasts me. The guy I bought my corn through said one ton should last 30-40 days in a 3000 square foot home, or about half my heating costs last year. Who knows what my potential gas bill could be this year!
The bags are just standard breathable woven bags.
If any of you are interested in corn stoves, the guy I bought my corn through owns http://www.marylandcornstoves.com Really seems to know his stuff. He has a showroom with all the models he sells. It seems the wait list for corn stoves is getting quite long. Stretching into next year at this point. As soon as I have a moment to snap some shots, I'll post them. Thanks for letting me know how to put pics up!

 

Guys, this corn stove is simply amazing. Since Sunday, it has heated our entire home at a nice constant 73 degrees on the main level. The basement must be 85+. I haven't recieved the piece of pipe that will convert it from a stove to a furnace. The house will be much more evenly heated at that point. The machine has been set on 3.5 out of 10 for fuel feed rate, and the fan blower is about medium. I cranked it up to 8 to see how hot it gets, and it is really really hot after about 20 minutes. It could easily heat the house into the 80's, I'm almost certain of it. The temp has been between 40 and 55 degrees, without a hint of sunshine. I'll post more in the coming weeks.

 

what's your burn rate so far? how long did the 50lb last you? How big is your house (Ranch or Colonial)?


thanks!

 

To answer your question gonavy, Our house is Colonial style. 50 pounds is lasting between 12 and 15 hours. The one thing I forgot to mention is the entire house is toasty warm, EXCEPT our bedroom, which is over the garage. That room is below 60 degrees, easy. Very cold in there. Until I get the ducting adapter hooked on the machine, and into the duct work the master bedroom will be cold, but I should have that done this weekend. Hope this answers your question. Oh ya' I was once in the navy. Got out after 10 years. Had a great time.

 

I'm just curious, but what are "normal heating costs"? $200 a month?

 

I wish! Our average was just a bit under $300.00 average for November through April. Last year wasn't even tough, and I had the digital thermostat set at 70 for the hours we were home, and walking around, and 66 for the hours we were at work, or our sleep time. I think we will save a ton this year. I haven't figured out the savings costs, but I'm sure it will be quite a bit. I'm not just calculating the cost of the machine. I'm also calculating the cost of gas to drive the 120 miles round trip to pick up the corn, the money to rent the u-haul trailer to lug a ton of corn, and electricity associated with running the blower, auger, and positive pressure fan.

 

Wow, that's a lot. My electric bill (we use heat pumps in AZ for heating & cooling) in the winter is typically $50-70/month and $180 or so in the summer. That's with an old 1994 unit too, rated 10 SEER. Looks like the cold weather is a real killer for your costs!! Now I understand the motivation to look for alternate heating methods.