Clean & Dry Corn
The Corn Must be Dry!
Most stove manufacturing agree that corn moisture is the single biggest factor in determining how well corn performs as a fuel, or even if it will burn at all. Our own experiences at Sparks Farms have certainly proven the wisdom of this premise as we have burned corn to heat our very large circa 1850's brick farm home through Indiana winters for the last several years. The simple fact is in our furnace drier corn results in less flyash, fewer clinkers and a much hotter fire requiring far less overall maintenance. (Our furnace will and has burned 15% to 16% corn), but
 nobody around here likes to deal with the trouble it causes!) The first winter, using our 15% grain-bin corn, we had to shut down the furnace to clean out the three-inch pellet exhaust pipe every five weeks. With our cleaned/low moisture corn fuel we only clean our pipe once in the entire Indiana winter heating season. We have experienced this now through several winters. This is why we know better quality fuel equals hotter, cleaner fuel combustion resulting in fewer maintenance issues and additional heat output. (MORE Btu's in out home) Most stove manufactures recommend corn of 13% moisture or less. (Read the instructions with your unit) All bagged corn we tested from other sources was at least 15% moisture, and some was over 16%! Farmer-stored corn is usually 15% or higher. Why? Because this is as dry as most local grain terminals require. For a farmer to dry corn to less than 15% would be a waste of $ in dryer fuel (Usually natural or LP gas, sometimes electric) and would result in fewer bushels being delivered to the terminal due to shrinkage of the corn kernals.
SPARKS FARMS has been growing corn for many years, and we have our own grain drying and storage facilities. We have the practical knowledge, the equipment and the ability to dry corn for the best performance as a fuel. Two to four points' difference in corn kernel moisture content may not sound like much, but wait till you see the difference in the burn and in overall appliance maintenance!
Remember, corn not intended for fuel use will almost certainly be too wet to perform at it's best in your appliance. This is because much of the corns' heat potential is consumed (Translation - lost to home/business) in drying out the corn instead of heating your home/business. A fair comparison would be a pile of wet leaves that burn very slowly as the heat and smoke work to dry the leaves enough so they can burn. This type of low heat output, high maintenance fire is not an efficient way to heat the home or business.
Better fuel equals a cleaner burn, more heat and less maintenance.
Isn't that what you're after? |
