I'm new to this game, but do have a multifuel. How do I start finding alternate fuels? I'd love to burn corn or cherry pits in addition to pellets.
$340/Ton!!!!!
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I'm new to this game, but do have a multifuel. How do I start finding alternate fuels? I'd love to burn corn or cherry pits in addition to pellets.
TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
First, determine what fuels your stove can burn. Some of these alternate fuels have to be mixed with pellets. Second, see whats available in your area. Here in MA, corn is more expensive than pellets while its quite cheap in the midwest. Third, some fuels require special stove modifications. Corn can be corrosive to your vent so special venting must be installed.
Lets qualify the venting issues a bit. Combusting corn produces nitric acid vapors as a by product, most of which escape the venting without impact. It's when the output of the appliance is low and stack temperatures drop enough that condensation forms on the inner liner and that condensation becomes acidic from the nitric vapors.
The real and practical answer is of course running pellets only during moderate weather in the fall and spring and running a 50-50 mix of corn and pellets during the colder, heavier demand months....exactly what I did for years previous to the spike in corn prices that occured about 5 years ago, when corn became so costly that it was ludricrous to even consider combusting it. Thats all changed this year. I've had the same Selkirk venting for over 29 years now with NO DEGRADATION in the liner or the outer shell for that matter, I just use some common sense, and, I take my venting apart every spring (after doing an 'Al Jolson' with the leaf blower) and wash it out inside with a garden hose.
Keep in mind that 15%RM shelled corn produces about a third again as much BTU output as an equal amount (by volume) of premium hardwood pellets, and, if you mix the corn with pellets, there is no need to invest in an expensive (and messy) corn cleaner, with this caveat... You must buy corn cleaned for feed, which is how most bulk corn is delivered anyway.
I've never cleaned corn prior to blernding with pellets, and with corn, you can burn sub standard pellets too. Corn ain't particular.
I can't imagine that corn is that hard to get out east. I'd be checking with the local co-op or elevator. You might even be able to get it bagged already.
The second MUST is, your appliance must be equipped to combust corn. To combust corn or any solid fuel other than processed wood pellets. it must have a stirrer/agitator and it must have controllable/adjustable combustion air because corn takes more air to burn. Less air causes heavy clinkers and less aur and no agitation causes a fouled burnpot, in a few hours.
I think the least expensive and most versittale is the 6039 HF which I have and I can alter all the firing parameters to adjust for the percentage of corn versus pellets, or no corn at all or all corn and no pellets.
Been playing with this stuff for a long time (and lurking here). Time to come 'out and share' I guess.
TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
Corn isn't nearly as plentiful here as it is in other parts of the country. It costs about $300 per ton. For that price, your better off sticking with pellets.
Wilbur Feral
Minister of Fire
Exactly... People in the midwest have no idea just how hard it is to get corn back east, just as earlier posters telling people there are pellets everywhere have no idea how frustrating that is to the guy who has none close to him. I stocked up early and am set for the season, but have been watching local supplies. Only one box store is apparently even attempting to get pellets (Lowes). First shipment in 3 weeks yesterday - only one truckload of Nation's Choice, so not much to brag about -, and they were going like hotcakes. The bottom line is that these ARE regional fuels for the most part, and for any of us to assume our situation is like everyone else's is just assuming far too much.
Oh, and to the guy that says you need a stirrer to burn corn: Not so. Go look at, for example, a Quad Mt Vernon AE. Multfuel, including corn. No stirrer.
alternativeheat
Minister of Fire
Some of the Harman stoves are rated to burn a mix but they also push a lot of air through the burn pot and no agitator/scraper. People here at teh forum do use them in a mix situation in fact.
Here in SE Ma. to the best of my knowledge the nearest silo for bulk corn purchase is in Bristol RI ( I think it was Bristol but it's been a few weeks since I checked on that so it may be the wrong town) and at the time I want to say that corn was $279 a ton. They also sell bags and they do distribute some bags of corn, I can imagine the price of that but not where to buy it.. There are no facilities that I know of in SE Ma. Most locations in RI are roughly 50 miles away from where I live.. There isn't a lot of corn grown in this area with Rochester probably being the honey zone around here. You could put all the Rochester fields in one corner of one of your big mid west corn farms.
If corn is 300 a ton and it yields half again as many BTU's as the best pellets available, it's still a bargain, unless my math is fuzzy. Far as pellet availability in the east, I have no idea, Maybe you all need to take a vacation out this way and grab a load.... You can shoot guns too. I hear guns are a no-no out your way....lol
Yes, you can combust corn with no stirrer/agitator, but be ready for a dialiy cleaning regimen because corn will clinker if not moved around.....
Yes, you can combust corn with no stirrer/agitator, but be ready for a dialiy cleaning regimen because corn will clinker if not moved around.....
TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
Why would I spend $300 for half the BTUs? Would that be like buying pellets for $600 per ton? Perhaps my math is wonky too.
I've got a class A license to carry. It's the same permit they issue to police out here. Unless it's banned by state law, I can own it.
Just got up maybe... I said corn yields HALF AGAIN AS MANY BTU'S FOR A SIMILIAR WEIGHT (VOLUME) THAN THE BEST AVAILABLE PELLETS. Thats not fuzzy math nor is it less, it's half again as much.
As a rule, I never venture across the Delaware Water Gap. To much anti firearm sentiment out there and I have a Class 3 plus a carry permit and I shoot IDPA Competition pistiol and F Class prone long range rifle which is my consuming hobby.
TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
If I had access to corn at the same prices as people out in the midwest do, You can bet your back side I'd have a basement full.
I farm, consequently I have elevated storage bins (GSI) by my barn so I just have them auger in say 500 or 600 bushel of shelled corn and each tank has an access port on the bottom so I'll load up the front loader with corn and drive it up to the house and put it in garnage cans so the wife can keep the appliance filled.
Best thing about corn is, it's no tax and no solid fuel surcharge. I write it as animal feed, I have stock and unlike pellets, corn will carry over for years without fear of it getting wet and 'puffy'.
Best thing about corn is, it's no tax and no solid fuel surcharge. I write it as animal feed, I have stock and unlike pellets, corn will carry over for years without fear of it getting wet and 'puffy'.
Wilbur Feral
Minister of Fire
Per point above, it's hard enough to find pellets in many places where lots of people live, but corn is not a viable option for many, if not most, forum members. If I see a grain elevator popping up here anytime soon I'll stop and ask them about buying corn, but for much of the population, even pellets are exotic and hard to find. Yes, the midwest is lovely, wonderful people, you can apparently own firearms more easily if you feel the need, and you get to ride around on tractors, or at least bigger tractors. A wonderful life, and goodness knows I occassionally long for it and feel the need to sell it all here and become your neighbor. But if we all did that you'd effectively live here. So given that you don't want that, we're back to you having lots of corn at a currently good price, and us having none, except the occasional ear we eat.
For the corn guys: Do y'all have any issues with rodents if you store the corn in your basement or elsewhere in your living space?
And, no, having a cat is NOT an option.
And, no, having a cat is NOT an option.
Interesting thought. Corn does attract rodents but corn don't give off CO (or at least I don't think it does). My corn is stored outside in grain tanks but if I did store it in the basement it would be in a 'crib' made of plywood with a tapered bottom tapered to a slide gate to obtain it, and, a secure fitting lid as well.
One downside of corn storage is it must be stored at or below 15%RM. If it's above 15% and in compacted storage (corn on top of corn), it will tend to heat up (as many farmers around here have discovered) and ultimately combust (as many farmers around here have discovered) and grain tank fires are a real bear to extinguish because the fire is usually at the very bottom and inaccessable.
Dry corn storage in bulk also presents an added risk. The chaff and fines in stored corn, when mixed with air, can become a volitale combination and one spark can ignite the mixture, so all storage must be grounded and all conveyance mechanisms must be grounded as well.
One downside of corn storage is it must be stored at or below 15%RM. If it's above 15% and in compacted storage (corn on top of corn), it will tend to heat up (as many farmers around here have discovered) and ultimately combust (as many farmers around here have discovered) and grain tank fires are a real bear to extinguish because the fire is usually at the very bottom and inaccessable.
Dry corn storage in bulk also presents an added risk. The chaff and fines in stored corn, when mixed with air, can become a volitale combination and one spark can ignite the mixture, so all storage must be grounded and all conveyance mechanisms must be grounded as well.
Peterfield
Minister of Fire
Hey, I live in NH which sounds similar to,Wisconsin but getting more like MA as each year passes. If I was living in PA, I'd be looking at one of themes coal stoves. More BTU's and not too different than a pellet stove maintenance-wise. I understand coal,can be had for a good price in PA and is readily available.
I had a coal stove about 20 years ago. Easy to clean, threw crazy heat, long burning, but WAY too dirty. A coal fired furnace in the basement, ok, but a coal stove in the living room....I'd advise not to.
steveg_nh
Member
I just paid $325/ton for 2 tons of Cubex. I was going to be short the season (my first season), so I just wanted to have enough. At that price, I still would be better than oil, but it was creeping up.
Basement is always good, Living room, not so good. When I lived in Eastern Ohio I heated with coal. In the basement.
heating with coal requites a bigger learming curve that pour em in and go pellets..
Many times I lit my coal furnace with ab oxy-acetylene torch when she went out on a cold winter night.
heating with coal requites a bigger learming curve that pour em in and go pellets..
Many times I lit my coal furnace with ab oxy-acetylene torch when she went out on a cold winter night.
Yep, good reminder that all kinds of dust are explosive, whether it's corn, saw, sugar, paper, etc.
alternativeheat
Minister of Fire
Anthracite coal or soft ? I burned anthracite for more than 30 years and never had the dust I have with pellets, never. Soft coal yes, that can be dirty. First, Anthracite isn't particularly dusty to begin with, certainly less so than a bag of pellets with the dust in the bags. Secondly you can just mist the anthracite coal down with water and it burns the same non the less. Third, you got to know how to shake down a coal stove and not have dust enter the house. Fourth , when you dump the ash from the pan do it outside. I hear all these instant comments about coal being dirty and have no idea why, I've always been amazed by that. I think it's some sort of urban legend because I never experienced the problem myself, at all..
Most everything you hear about coal being bad has to do with bituminous coal ( soft), except it's easier to get a fire started with. Todays anthracite burning stoker stoves should be just the ticket but alas, around here no small cut anthracite, dang !
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