How to Start a Corn-Burning Stove

Corn stoves, as you would expect from the name, burn corn as a fuel. Most corn burning stoves operate with a self feeding hopper feeding corn into the fire box where the actual combustion takes place. Starting a fire in the fire box starts the operation of the corn-burning stove.

Things You'll Need

• Corn
• Wood shavings
• Lighter fluid
• Match or lighter

Instructions

1. Load the hopper with corn. Corn is available in 50-pound bags or in bulk from feed supply stores. The same corn that is used as livestock feed is used in a corn-burning stove although screened corn usually burns cleaner and requires less stove cleaning than other grades of corn.

2. Place some wood shavings, small pieces of wood or wood pellets in the firebox. A handful is usually enough but more maybe required for larger stoves with larger fireboxes. Squirt some lighter fluid, commonly used for lighting charcoal barbecue grills, on the wood pieces in the firebox.

3. Light the wood in the firebox with a match or a long handle lighter. Make sure the lighter fluid has started and close the firebox door. The fire of the wood and lighter fluid starts burns hot enough to start the operation of the feeder to bring the corn into the firebox for combustion.

Tips & Warnings

• Clean the stove before lighting if the stove had been used previously. This usually involves removing a clinker, a piece of ash that resembles a rock, from the firebox. Make sure the stove is plugged into a working electrical outlet. Corn-burning stoves use electric motors to operate air moving fans and the controls for the hopper feeding into the firebox.

References

• Earth In Hand: Corn Stoves
• Northern Tool: Corn Stoves