Article in the paper a couple weeks back of a company in Taylorville, IL that makes corn furnaces. Sorry about the file size, but I wanted to keep it legible.
Interesting idea to use corn as a fuel source, but I think I’d rather sit in front of the woodstove 🙂
jt8
“If you don’t make mistakes, you aren’t really trying.” — Coleman Hawking
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'Nemo me impune lacesset'
No one will provoke me with impunity
my parents have one of these things and they can put out some mean btu's! The first time ma called and told me she had a new "corn stove" that burned corn pellets to heat her living room, I almost made reservations for the "retirement home"...
but once I actually saw the thing, and felt how much it could heat, I was sold! It doesn't hurt that their farm is in the middle of the corn belt and the supply is easy to find.
knowledge without experience is just information.... Mark Twain
http://www.cobrajem.com
Ma is considering building a house. If she does, she will have to decide: geothermal or combo standard/corn-furnace. She has talked to 2 or 3 people who already have a corn furnace and like the cheap operation. But geothermal would be less work.
jt8
"If you don't make mistakes, you aren't really trying." -- Coleman Hawking
A friend of mine wants to add one to their home. They are a cheap way to heat your home.
The drawback is that you need corn. Lots of it. This is cheap, but takes up space. As my friend is a fellow urbanite, putting up a silo in the back yard isn't terribly practical.
More appealing is a super-efficient woodburning system that some other friends of ours installed. They have to toss in one log every 3 days or so. Amazing production, IMHO.
As for me, if/when we ever get our house built, I think I'll fork out for the geothermal option.
I'm with you all the way on that. Give me geothermal with a very efficient wood stove. Whenever I'm in the mood, I can fire up the wood stove, otherwise the geothermal does its thing.
We just have a tornado through here, and I tell ya... wish my current house had a woodstove. I could have enough firewood for about 5 years, just for the effort of picking it up. most of it is even already cut into short pieces.
jt8
"If you don't make mistakes, you aren't really trying." -- Coleman Hawking
Darrell, do you know the source for that wood stove? Sounds like just what I need.
Don't know about Darrell but I have a Central Boiler that I swear by. In a 1892 farmhouse the hot water baseboard is incredibly warm and even. Try http://www.centralboiler.com
This is the house:http://www.naturalspacesdomes.com/huelspecs.htmAnd this is Rich (the owner's) web site:http://www.sunswarmth.com/I'm sure if you drop him an email he can give you the full details.
Thanks Darrel--I'll contact Rich.
Am I the only one who gets a little uneasy at the idea of burning corn (food or feed) as fuel? It would be ok to get rid of spoiled feed, but this doesn't seem to be the idea???
Not sure why it'd make you uneasy. It's just corn. ;o)
For quite a few years, we had a sheep farm in New York state (Salem), & bought corn from nearby farmers - don't remember what we paid, but it never seemed cheap enough to burn -
I'm aware of the midwest corn supply, but by the time you transport it, etc., burning just seems kind of strange...
Here in the Blue Ridge a fella could get shot for burning or eating corn, it's all reserved for drinking.
kate, I don't know where you live, but here in the cornbelt/midwest, we have MOUNTAINS of the stuff! Litterally so much that they fill all the storage bins, are hauling it away by rail car, and still have large piles of it on the ground. And this is after the govt pays some farmers to take some of their land out of production.
I guess what I'm saying is that there would have to be a real big increase in corn furnaces (or as a fuel source for cars) before we could even dent the field corn surplus. And you can grow another mountain of it each year. Takes longer to produce a tree for firewood or for oil to form or coal, etc.
But if you're in an area that doesn't grown corn, you would obviously want to check on availability prior to installing the furnace ;)
jt8
"If you don't make mistakes, you aren't really trying." -- Coleman Hawking
Edited 3/16/2006 12:31 pm by JohnT8
I just designed an infloor radiant/hydro-air system for a house in the far NW Chicago suburbs, using a corn boiler. Don't know if its from the same folks or not. Interesting heating option, no doubt.
http://boortz.com/images/funny/redneck_pics_furnace.jpg
hope this works. could not past the pic. but a pic of ur corn furnace?