Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

corn burner

MIKE6
MIKE6 Member Posts: 102
in THE MAIN WALL
with my gas bill 300 + now a days just what is a corn burner??Is it a wood stove that burns corn? Any sites for corn burners?How much corn do I have to grow to heat my house for a season?
Mike

Comments

  • Lloyd Nichols
    Lloyd Nichols Member Posts: 20
    Yes, corn

    is an excellent energy source that is readily available in many parts of North America. There are a number of companies who make very good freestanding corn stoves (many of these also burn wood pellets). Several of these same companies also make hot air furnaces. BUT, of course, I am strongly biased towards automatic stoker boilers that use whole kernal corn or wood pellets. Hydronic central heat is the most comfortable and most flexible heat. When I drove across the midwest states last August it drove me just about nuts to see thousands of farms surrounded by millions of acres of corn, with a BIG propane tank in the front yard of every farm!!!!! We still have a tremendous amount of missionary work to do in letting people know that there is good, high quality heating equipment that can burn that corn efficiently so they don't have to use that propane. If you want, go to www.pelletboiler.com to see the equipment. It will take us in the industry a few years to make much impact, but already increasing numbers of users are discovering the joys of heating with corn and pellets. Thanks for asking.

    Lloyd
  • Brian_24
    Brian_24 Member Posts: 76


    I have recently tested the thermal efficency of two different corn burners. One ran at 29% and the other at 36%. Not much band for your buck if you ask me. The homeowner isn't to impressed with his investment either. JMHO.
    Brian
  • John Shea
    John Shea Member Posts: 247


    Brian,
    Could you give the parameters of your testing and the method of mechanical operation of the two units you tested? Matt
  • Brian_24
    Brian_24 Member Posts: 76


    I measured actual airflow x delta t x 1.08 to get the actual btu's being delivered to the home. CFM was read right at the duct conections to the unit. I took my readings after the units had been running over an hour at a staedy state. Both units were rated at 100,00 btuh by thier respective manufactures. The first unit delivered 27,364 btu's. Then the homeowner bought another unit. He was told this was the best one on the market. This one delivers 36,432 btu's. Not my idea of a very efficient unit.
    Brian
  • Andy Nesbitt
    Andy Nesbitt Member Posts: 8
    fuel consumed

    How did you measure how much fuel or corn was being consumed?
  • Brian_24
    Brian_24 Member Posts: 76


    I used the manufacters rating of 100,000 btuh. If some one has a way to clock the corn hopper I am all ears. Ha Ha. Seriously thuogh these things burn more corn per a day than the manufacters claim they will. If some one has Ideas on ways to make them better my customer will be more than eilling to try. Thanks,
    Brian
  • Andy Nesbitt
    Andy Nesbitt Member Posts: 8
    Clocking the hopper

    I am dealing with the some of the same problems. I have found out from the manufacturer that my unit burns 12# of corn per hour on "high fire". I ordered an 110v hour meter that I will be hooking up to the auger motor. When the unit is augering in corn the meter will be running. Then I can translate that to the btu's being used and calculate the efficiency.

    One problem with using the manufactuers listed btu output is that not all corn has the same btu's. The big discrepency is moisture content. The consesus seems to be between 8000 and 8500 btu's per pound of dry matter. The standard moisture content for No 1 corn is 15.5% or 84.5% dry matter. So now you are under 7000 btu's per pound.

    But you are right a lot of products out there not as advertised.

    I do believe it can be done right though. Corn burns unbelievably well.

    Regards

    Andy
  • Lloyd Nichols
    Lloyd Nichols Member Posts: 20
    Unfortunately,

    there are a lot of questionable quality products for burning corn being sold. These units give a bad name to this developing industry. I can tell you that we have detailed efficiency and emissions test reports from very well respected European test labs that certify high efficiency corn and wood pellet-fired boilers are available (we sell one brand). We have supplied these boilers for heating everything from 1500 sq. ft. homes up to 40,000+ sq. ft. manufacturing buildings. We're very excited about the bright future for this quality biomass heating equipment. Just hope not too many people get hurt by the poor quality stuff. Everyone loses when that happens.

    Lloyd
  • Andy Nesbitt
    Andy Nesbitt Member Posts: 8
    Draft control on corn burners

    Some manufacturers rely on good draft control for efficiency. In order for the heat not to be pulled straight up the chimney their recommendations are for between .02 to .04 inches of water column.

    I am not knowledeable enough to completely understand all of this but I keep looking hoping I can come up with something. With Tarm being able to get above 90% efficiency with their unit and seeing what a nice clean burn I am getting I just feel there has got to be a way to capture more heat.

    Still puzzled

    Andy

    the corn idiot
  • John Shea
    John Shea Member Posts: 247


    Lloyd,
    I couldn't agree more with your comments. We are getting our corn units (outdoor style) this summer. I sure hope that they have done their homework with these things. Matt
This discussion has been closed.

Categories