Southern York County Life

I put in a corn stove this year.  Heating the house essentially for the price of corn per ton.  At the present rate I should burn about 2 tons of corn (about 140.00 per ton) this heating season.

Lots of small things to consider,

What type of stove (Pellet only, Corn Only, Mix, Biomass)
Starter Gel vs. Wood Starters
Oyster Shells
How to make that much butter for the popcorn (This is always the first question that I get asked.)!

So far this has been an excellent way to support the local farmers (burn local corn),
Cut my energy costs,
Help in a small way to break our dependence on oil.

Where did you purchase you stove and how much sq feet are you heating?  Also where did you purchase your corn.  I’m looking to go to this kind of heat and don’t know where to begin.  My husband does not believe that this could heat the whole house just one room.  Any answers would be great!

Thanks,
Teresa

I purchased mine at E.M. Herr Ace Hardware in Columbia, Pa.
Several Models and Manufactures Exist.  You should check the internet for vendors.  Most local places are sold out.  You need to research the difference between Biomass stoves and Wood pellet stoves.  Whatever you do, Make sure it has ash pan that can be emptied.  Some of the models that I saw at Home Depot required a ash vac to clean out the ash.

I Have mine in the basement of our house.  I put in a Ceiling Mount Bathroom Exhaust fan and vented to our first floor.
Our first floor stays at 72F.  The basement is insulated and stays around 74F.  The second floor is colder (when bedrooms are at) around 68F.  The Natural Gas Furnace does run once a day for a few minutes.  The front door opening causes cold air to get to the thermostat.

I am looking at a corn furnace for real whole house coverage next year.

You might want to check out http://corn.waldensedge.com/forum/index.php

I have been getting my corn, Bagged,Cleaned,Screened and dried 12% at Hokes Mill in York.
I am going to talk to some local farmers to purchase corn directly next year.

Dear Teresa 16401

You may want to check out Wertz Farm and Tractor on Lineboro Rd. I bought a corn stove from them and they were very helpful. You’ll probably have to wait for it, but they have excellent stoves there. I buy my corn for $6 per 100 lbs. from a local farmer. I burn about 50 lbs. a day, so it costs us about $90 per month to heat the house. Since the money goes to the local farmer it stays in the family so to speak and not to somebody in the middle east who makes crude oil for $4 per barrel and sells it for $60-$70. It’s clean and no truble at all to use.

Linus

Got my Natural Gas Bill Today.

$14.71 for the month.  Last year $157.00
The corn costs $67.00.

Complete ROI should be 2.5 heating seasons at this rate.

Check out http://www.iburncorn.com/ for more information.

This really supports the Farmers and could solve many
Oil Based fuel issues.  I am checking out a Corn based Furnace
for next season.