Anyone know or do this??? I have a englander pellet stove (small one 40lbs hopper). I have heard that people burn a mixture of 50% pellets and 50% corn. Thoughts--Ideas--Suggestions?? Manufacture website is down!!

 

I believe it depends on the particular stove as to whether you can mix pellets and grains. I know that there seem to be specific stoves for 100% use with grains but every company does their own thing and make their own recommendations.

 

Maybe this company can answer your questions .http://sutherlandswest.com/shop/inde...&products_id=2

 

On every pellet stove that I ever sold (past life) you could run corn or pellets. The corn just didn't burn as completely so it left more ash.

Seems there was something else you could burn too, but I can't for the life of me remember what.. . .I'm getting old.

 

My stove wasn't designed to burn corn either (whitfield), but I do mix in corn when it's really cold out. Corn seams to burn a little hotter, but I have to keep a stronger flame to fully burn the corn.

 

Cherry pits?

 

I had an Englander pellet stove about 3-4 years ago and I burned a 50-50 mix of pellets and corn. it worked great. You will get some "Klinkers" and will need to clean it out about once a day though. Make sure you get good "clean" corn or you will eventually jam up the auger. Other than that it works great and smells a little bit like corn bread !!
I sold my pellet stove when the pellets went over $3.00 a bag. Now I see they are close to $4.25 a bag !! That is why I went with a good ol' wood stove. it throws better heat and works when the power goes out. But, If you don't have a wood source, I guess a pellet stove is the only other option.

BTW, the other thing you can burn is cherry pits or olive pits, if you can find them. I tried cherry pits and they smell good but don't throw the heat like the pellet/corn mix.

 

There you go. Thanks.

 

I found a video on Youtube where a guy starts his pellet stove on pellets then switches it over to Veg Oil.

 

You generally cant run that high a mix of corn/pellets in a pellet stove. Corn has a lot higher BTU value and will overheat/ruin your stove. I would start by mixing in about 10% and then working up. You need to really pay attention to your stove. I know one fella who was able to run 26% corn in an Englander stove, at 27% it would shut down on high temp. Manufacturers stance on this would be 'h**l NO' not designed to do it.

DuaneW

 

I own a Thelin Gnome pellet stove. I'm very disappointed in its performance. It will burn a 40lb. bag in about 36 hours. It's a small stove, but I don't think it puts out the BTU's it claims. The fan is loud, and I can't stand the infernal "clinking" sound of pellets dropping into the crucible. Harman stoves push the pellets into the crucible which eliminates that noise. It's not a pleasant flame so it's not something you'd sit in front of and watch.

Now pellet availability is another thing that seems to be a growing problem. Up here this year, if you didn't have your pellets by late September, you weren't going to get them. I never had a problem before until oil went up. If I had my druthers, I'd go with coal. I burned it in a parlor stove for 10 years, and loved it; fantastic, even heat.

 

I've been burning 100% pellets in my stove. Works well. Only this winter, neighbor started to mix corn pellets into wood pellets. Use to use a high ratio of corn with wood...burned too hot. Now its at a 10% to 90%, corn to wood ratio. Burns hotter without turning up auger speed. But yes, as mentioned above. Be careful not to run stove too hot.

Pellets here in N.Y. area are $235/ton. thats 50 40lb. bags. Nowadays, thats a decent price here. Best time to acquire pellets is middle of summer.

Thanks

 

With grain prices going the way they are, Corn may not be a good option either....... just something to think about

 

I know a guy who used copper pipe plumbed into a woodstove. he would dump old waste oil, parts washer, old hydralic oil, veg oil etc into the drum on the opposite end of the copper pipe. he would get it going on wood, and then crack the valve on the copper line to get rid of the oil plus get some heat out of it. he also threw his used oil filters into the stove for a day or two to burn off any oil before he threw them in the dumpster.

of coarse this was in a garage.

 

I have a Whitfield too. Where do you get corn for fuel?