How Corn Stoves Work
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Lighting Procedure
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A corn stove, a type of pellet stove, is generally located in the center of a room or open area of a house, where it can be most effective in distributing heat. Its operation is somewhat similar to that of a wood stove except that it requires several electric motors to burn its fuel properly and keep air circulating. Two venting pipes, one for air intake and the other for venting, need to be professionally installed.
The corn used in corn stoves, available (often delivered) from farmers or grain elevators, is the type that has been shelled and dried. To use the stove, pour 40 to 100 pounds of corn into a "hopper" that will be used to dispense it into the burning chamber or "firepot." First, however, the stove must be lit.
Some models of corn stoves have auto-igniters while others need to be lit just like a wood stove, by either building a small fire with newspaper and kindling or igniting a commercially sold pressed-wood "firestarter." The on/off button is then pushed to begin the air-circulation system that is crucial to aerating the fire.
The motorized "auger," a very large screw that gradually supplies corn to the firepot, must be primed to bring corn forward through the screw to start dropping. This is generally done by holding in a starter button for a short period of time.
Burning Fuel and Blowing Air
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Once the fire has caught and the corn starts slowly dropping into the burn chamber, the remaining electrical components of the stove take over its operation. In addition to the auger motor, a motorized tumbler turns the corn to keep it burning evenly.
Air to be heated for the house via a heat exchanger is kept separate from the air that actually passes through the firepot. A room blower draws this heated air through the stove, typically switching on automatically by thermostat when the fire reaches approximately 120 degrees F, and circulates it through the room.
A separate exhaust fan pulls spent air from the firepot out through the vent pipe. A thermostat controls the stove's heat output. In some models, the thermostat is programmable to lower the temperature at certain times (for instance, at night) to save fuel.
Once a 100-pound load of corn begins dropping and burning, it will burn steadily from about 12 hours to a day and a half, depending on the thermostat setting. While the corn stove has significant advantages in efficiency over the traditional wood stove, costing only a few dollars a day to heat part or all of a home, it must be considered to be only a supplemental heater since its reliance on electric power makes it unsuitable for riding out a winter power failure.
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Shutdown and Maintenance Periods
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While corn stoves generally run quietly and efficiently, maintenance needs to be done on a regular schedule per the owner's manual. The hopper must be periodically refilled, an operation that requires experience to execute without needing to shut down the stove for a while. The burn pot must be checked daily to see that intake holes are clear. The ash drawer must be emptied as needed, and melted ash also hardens into "clinkers" that need to be removed frequently with a rake or special tool while the stove continues to operate.
Ash residue accumulates on internal glass surfaces and needs to be cleaned from time to time. One less frequent maintenance job that must be done by a professional is the cleaning out of the vent pipe to avoid dangerous buildup of exhaust materials.
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