Corn Stoves and Wood Pellet Stoves

Originally Posted By: rwand1
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Does anyone have any experience with corn stoves or wood pellet stoves? I am thinking of puchasing one. And would be interested in hearing any info you may have, inspection wise, or product wise.


Personally I think they will become very popular in a very short time. Lots of corn around and wood pellets. I am on oil, and it is expected to go up, so corn maybe a cheaper alternative to supplement the heat.

This is the model I am looking at.
http://www.quadrafire.com/products/stoves/pelletStoveDetail.asp?f=mtvernon

Thanks,


--
Raymond Wand
Alton, ON
The value of experience is not in seeing much,
but in seeing wisely. - Sir William Osler 1905
NACHI Member
Registered Home Inspector (OAHI)
http://www.raymondwand.ca

Originally Posted By: phinsperger
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Ray, I should have seen this coming. icon_lol.gif


http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/monroe42.html


--
.


Paul Hinsperger
Hinsperger Inspection Services
Chairman - NACHI Awards Committee
Place your Award Nominations
here !

Originally Posted By: rwand1
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Yeah I guess your right! icon_lol.gif icon_lol.gif icon_lol.gif



Raymond Wand


Alton, ON


The value of experience is not in seeing much,


but in seeing wisely. - Sir William Osler 1905


NACHI Member


Registered Home Inspector (OAHI)


http://www.raymondwand.ca

Originally Posted By: Jay Moge
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both my brother and my father have pellet stoves. corn stoves are not as popular around here. they seem to work really well and are very efficiant. just keep in mind to have it profesionaly cleaned every seanson. my dad is on his second one due to missing a season on the cleaning. very little waiste, cost about $4 a day to heat a 3 bedroom garison, won’t burn anyone if they touche it (the flue only gets about 180*-200* so you know most of the heat isn’t going right up the flue.) the bigger the hopper the less you have to fill it. lets see what els…oh you can actualy vent it right out the wall like a gas w/h. bad side; need battery back up if power goes out, pellet come in 40lb bags and up here ya go threw about 3 pallets a year (50 bags per pallet @ $2-$3 per bag.)still less than oil. even gas. plus it’s quite and has a nice aumbiance. gees i should sell these things. oh well hope that helped. icon_cool.gif


Originally Posted By: dspencer
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Get a Corn Furnace, much better!! Safer for the kids too!


Originally Posted By: Jay Moge
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



i know you can buy pellets at just about any major hardware store and some smaller ones too (around here anyway), how accesible is corn fuel? icon_cool.gif


Originally Posted By: Jay Moge
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



dspencer wrote:
Get a Corn Furnace, much better!! Safer for the kids too!


safer? how? just curios as to the difference between the 2 as i am only farmiliar with pellet stoves ![icon_cool.gif](upload://oPnLkqdJc33Dyf2uA3TQwRkfhwd.gif)


Originally Posted By: dspencer
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Corn furance is like a Gas furnace placed in a location out of kids reach, uses existing duct work and A/C. Looks like a normal furnace. Corn burns cleaner.


Cost about $500yr to heat a 1900sf home!


http://www.americasheat.com/


Originally Posted By: phinsperger
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Corn is about 10% hotter than pellets


Corn does not produce creoste



Cheap bulk corn + silo +ouside corn boiler + undergound insulted piping +radiant heat = ![icon_biggrin.gif](upload://iKNGSw3qcRIEmXySa8gItY6Gczg.gif)


--
.


Paul Hinsperger
Hinsperger Inspection Services
Chairman - NACHI Awards Committee
Place your Award Nominations
here !

Originally Posted By: rwand1
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Thanks for the replies. As our oil supplies become more costly and people turn to more efficient means to heat their homes I can see these things taking off big time. There is lots of corn around.


From what I have learned thus far...

Corn stove does not get as hot as wood stove. It's gentler heat. Apparently the jacket doesn't get as hot as a wood stove.
There is not the wide temperature swings with corn stove like wood stove. Why? Because in a corn or pellet stove the burn rate is controllable. Most have a thermostat or you can hook one up.
Depending on the time of the year corn can be quite cheap. Corn is cheaper in the fall.
Many people have put them in their basements for more even heating of upper floors.

The downside is the units are expensive $4800 installed (Cdn.)(including tax) by WETT tech. Every manufacturer claims to have a fool proof auger. The unit I am looking at has done away with a full auger and used a cork screw type auger so it doesn't jam like an ordinary auger can.

Anyway I am anxious to get it. Have to order today and wait two weeks for delivery from Oregon. This past March and last time I filled up my fuel tank with furnance fuel it was 70 cents/per litre. They say fueil oil will be going up by at least 70 percent this season. Forutnately I still have 3/4 of a tank left.

As to power failure I do have a generator, but may buy a battery box from Canadian Tire as a temporary back up for power.

Thanks for the feedback!


--
Raymond Wand
Alton, ON
The value of experience is not in seeing much,
but in seeing wisely. - Sir William Osler 1905
NACHI Member
Registered Home Inspector (OAHI)
http://www.raymondwand.ca

Originally Posted By: rwand1
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Thanks for the links Paul


It seems by our links that the price of corn has gone done this year. As you may have seen driving around that there is a bumper crop of corn and soya bean this year.

I got a price for 88lbs of feed corn of $10.40 from the local feed store.
And another price of 55lbs at $5.99 from the local co-op. There is not taxes on corn!

Thanks,


--
Raymond Wand
Alton, ON
The value of experience is not in seeing much,
but in seeing wisely. - Sir William Osler 1905
NACHI Member
Registered Home Inspector (OAHI)
http://www.raymondwand.ca

Originally Posted By: Caoimh?n P. Connell
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Mr. Wand:


Pellet stoves are very popular in my neck of the woods. They are clean and convenient, and some have hoppers that only need to loaded every couple of days. They are generally easy to maintain, safe, easy to start and have good heat output.

In my case, solid wood is our primary heat source (I burn about eight cords per winter). I have an advantage over the pellet stoves in that if (sorry, WHEN) the electricity goes out for a couple of days and there?s four feet of snow outside ? I still have heat.

Cheers,
Caoimh?n


Originally Posted By: rwand1
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Hi Caoimh?n


Please call me Ray!

Who gets to stack the 8 cords? The other nice thing about corn and pellet is they have very low emissions. I can only imagine lugging 55lb, or 88lbs of corn will be a struggle. From reseach I have been doing I should expect to burn between 150-200 bushels for the season.

Regards,


--
Raymond Wand
Alton, ON
The value of experience is not in seeing much,
but in seeing wisely. - Sir William Osler 1905
NACHI Member
Registered Home Inspector (OAHI)
http://www.raymondwand.ca

Originally Posted By: mlong
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



rwand1 wrote:
Thanks for the replies. As our oil supplies become more costly and people turn to more efficient means to heat their homes I can see these things taking off big time. There is lots of corn around.

From what I have learned thus far...

Corn stove does not get as hot as wood stove. It's gentler heat. Apparently the jacket doesn't get as hot as a wood stove.
There is not the wide temperature swings with corn stove like wood stove. Why? Because in a corn or pellet stove the burn rate is controllable. Most have a thermostat or you can hook one up.
Depending on the time of the year corn can be quite cheap. Corn is cheaper in the fall.
Many people have put them in their basements for more even heating of upper floors.

The downside is the units are expensive $4800 installed (Cdn.)(including tax) by WETT tech. Every manufacturer claims to have a fool proof auger. The unit I am looking at has done away with a full auger and used a cork screw type auger so it doesn't jam like an ordinary auger can.

Anyway I am anxious to get it. Have to order today and wait two weeks for delivery from Oregon. This past March and last time I filled up my fuel tank with furnance fuel it was 70 cents/per litre. They say fueil oil will be going up by at least 70 percent this season. Forutnately I still have 3/4 of a tank left.

As to power failure I do have a generator, but may buy a battery box from Canadian Tire as a temporary back up for power.

Thanks for the feedback!


Raymond, I basically agree with the all of the above, as well as most of the other feedback you've received. I just thought I'd add a little more of my 2 cents.

I used to own and operate a hearth/swimming pool shop, and then worked in one after I closed my business a few years ago. I've had a great deal of experience with the Quadrafire brand and Mt Vernon model that you're looking at, as well as Envirofire and Whitfield brands. The shop I worked at was the biggest seller of the Quadrafire brand on the east coast of the US.

Wood Pellets and/or corn pellets are a great alternative heat source. I highly recommend them. The slight draw back to these stoves, however, is that there are a number of mechanical moving parts. You have a combustion fan, a convection fan, an auger, as well as a number of sensors, all of which have to be working properly for the stove to function. Like many other things, it is critical to do the regular routine maintenance. These stoves are not at all the low tech stoves that wood stoves are. It is particularly crucial that the burn pot be kept clean to keep the proper air flow moving through the combustion chamber. As long as you are aware of this going in, then it's OK.

As for burning corn, you want to get corn that is dried sufficiently, just as you want to get wood that is dried sufficiently if you have a wood stove. As for Quadrafire's freestanding stoves, they all have thermostats and are self igniting. They state, however, that if you are burning corn and want to use the self ignitor, then you should use a mixture of wood pellets and corn, not 100% corn. The corn does not want to ignite with the electric ignitor. You can, however, remove the thermostat and disconnect the ignitor and just have a constantly running stove.

Now, as for the Mount Vernon model you're looking at. This is a great looking stove and puts out a tremendous heat when it's working. We sold hundred of them through our shop. Now having said that, it is also Quadrafire's newest model. It came out about three years ago, I suppose. It came out with some built in engineering flaws that caused some service night mares. I was the service manager at the hearth shop and a number of people threatened to stick these stoves up one of my body cavities, several times. I told them it wouldn't fit, They tried to prove me wrong. (enough for dry humor). When I left the hearth shop, I was given a picture of a Mount Vernon as my going away present. I still get nightmares looking at it. But now that I've given you the bad news, let me try to give you some good.

All the while, of course, the engineers at the factory were trying to remedy the problems. In addition to that, I had a very dedicated, conscientious, bull headed service man that was also determined to make these stoves work properly out in the field. He actually came up with a number of suggestions as to how to re-engineer the stove. Since we were a large dealer and had some clout I was able to get people from the factory to come out and work my service guy, Tim, and actually listen to him. All of this was just going on as recently as last winter. I actually spoke to Tim a few days ago about all of this, and he assures me that this year's model will be the new, and highly improved model. Time will tell, I suppose.

I didn't mean to be so long winded, and I didn't want to put any damper on your plans when you seem ready to make a purchase, but I thought you should go into this with your eyes open. Quadrafire has been manufacturing pellet stoves for a long time, and I know for a fact that Quadrafire will stand behind their products, but every now and then there are a few bumps in the road.

Good luck,

Mark


--
Mark Long
Peace of Mind Home Inspections
http://www.pomhi.net

Originally Posted By: Caoimh?n P. Connell
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Ray:


Quote:
Who gets to stack the 8 cords?


Two guesses ? (Click here for the answer: http://www.forensic-applications.com/miscellanea/IMG_4218.jpg )

Caoimh?n


Originally Posted By: rwand1
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Hi Mark,


Thanks for the good insight! One question that came to mind after reading your informative post would be, do Quadra-Fire stand behind their warranty? And hopefully the stove I am purchasing has had a three year period to work out the bugs?

Thanks,


--
Raymond Wand
Alton, ON
The value of experience is not in seeing much,
but in seeing wisely. - Sir William Osler 1905
NACHI Member
Registered Home Inspector (OAHI)
http://www.raymondwand.ca

Originally Posted By: mlong
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



rwand1 wrote:
Hi Mark,

Thanks for the good insight! One question that came to mind after reading your informative post would be, do Quadra-Fire stand behind their warranty? And hopefully the stove I am purchasing has had a three year period to work out the bugs?

Thanks,


Yes, they do indeed stand behind their warranty. Hopefully, though, you have a good local dealer to take care of any warranty work you may need.

Best wishes,

mark


--
Mark Long
Peace of Mind Home Inspections
http://www.pomhi.net

Originally Posted By: rwand1
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Update …


I was informed yesterday that Quadra Fire will not be shipping any units to Canada because the demand is greater in the USA. Seems sales have taken off so well that Quadra Fire has decided to fill the demand in the States first.

I plan on calling Quadra Fire and getting the story from the horses mouth. It would be a shame for Quadra Fire to ignore a committment to Canada through its distributors in order to serve its US clients first.

With increasing costs oil, gas you can bet this type of heating source will be in greater demand.

Will keep you posted.


--
Raymond Wand
Alton, ON
The value of experience is not in seeing much,
but in seeing wisely. - Sir William Osler 1905
NACHI Member
Registered Home Inspector (OAHI)
http://www.raymondwand.ca

Originally Posted By: phinsperger
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Thanks fot the update Ray.


Are you going with pellets or corn?


--
.


Paul Hinsperger
Hinsperger Inspection Services
Chairman - NACHI Awards Committee
Place your Award Nominations
here !

Originally Posted By: rwand1
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Hi Paul


Going with wood pellets. Available at Home Depot for $4.30 per 40 lb. bag.

http://enviro-fire.com/fireplace-products/pellet/freestanding-fireplace.html

Going with the Meridian. It is manufactured in B.C. and is $1K cheaper.

Regards,

Ray


--
Raymond Wand
Alton, ON
The value of experience is not in seeing much,
but in seeing wisely. - Sir William Osler 1905
NACHI Member
Registered Home Inspector (OAHI)
http://www.raymondwand.ca