Wood vs Pellet heat ???

[buckeyefarmer]

All corn stoves not too popular. The corn has to be below a certain moisture level, so has to be dried good. Some stoves allow you to mix corn with pellets.

 

[oosik]

I have not run my pellet stove - Welenco Pellet Master - in about twenty years. It just sits there looking pretty. Its designed to burn just about anything - wood pellets, olive pits, corn, wheat, barley and coal. Since I live in wheat country - I tried it. Wheat burns pretty good but uses about 2X more wheat than wood pellets. Which actually isn't that bad but you have to clean out the stove more often - wheat produces an awful lot of ash.

I was going to try coal but the dealer threw a BIG caution into that idea. Coal puts out enough "vapors & ash" that it will turn everything in the house sooty black.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Some folks burn cherry pits too, they actually burn quite well...

SR

 

[ovrszd]

The corn stove alternative goes back to "use what's readily available". In my world corn is cheap and readily available. Hesitation such as critter control, molding corn, etc., are from those not familiar with corn. For example, the corn flakes you eat in the morning,,,, you think they are made from fresh corn???? That corn may have been in the storage facility for years.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I thought about getting a corn stove, and growing corn for it, but thought it would be too much work for me.

 

[ovrszd]

I thought about getting a corn stove, and growing corn for it, but thought it would be too much work for me.

I wouldn't suggest that. Too much labor involved in growing/harvesting. Today corn is $2.75 at the local elevator. Totally not worth the effort of trying to grow what you need. Just buy it. This will also ensure it's dry so no worries about molding in storage. The corn you buy is taken out of a gigantic bin. It's not going to mold or it already would have.

 

[LouNY]

I was going to try coal but the dealer threw a BIG caution into that idea. Coal puts out enough "vapors & ash" that it will turn everything in the house sooty black.[/QUOTE]

I don't know were he got that from, I burn coal in a Hitzer insert, that is hard coal anthracite, coal does need air from under the fire and can be difficult to get started,
I lite mine off in mid Nov and it hasn't gone out since then. I get almost no vapors in the house and no soot. The ash does have a lot of fines that are very light and will
dust up the garage if I'm not carefull.

 

[sixdogs]

As a side note, can you have a wood stove fire and every now and then toss in a couple of scoops of pellets?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

As a side note, can you have a wood stove fire and every now and then toss in a couple of scoops of pellets?

Yes, but it would seem to be a waste.

 

[4570Man]

As a side note, can you have a wood stove fire and every now and then toss in a couple of scoops of pellets?

Why would you? Pellets are expensive and wood is cheap. I don’t think pellet stoves are cheaper than gas but that’s another issue.