The Corn Pellet Stove – a brief explanation
A corn pellet stove is one of several types of pellet stoves – kitchen appliances that burn either wood pellets or biomass pellets that are fed into a burning pot. These pellet stoves are used in residential and even industrial sites mostly for heating and sometimes even for cooking. They can be free-standing or they can be inserted onto fireplaces and vented towards a chimney. The use of biomass matter for pellet stoves and heaters came about as a result of the global fuel crisis that necessitated the use of alternative and renewable sources of energy.
Fuel for pellet stoves
How it works – the basics
The use of corn pellets ensure clean, pollution-free burning so that chimneys are no longer required for the corn pellet stove. A vent from the stove towards a window or opening outdoors will suffice. With its highly combustible nature, the use of corn in the pellet stove enables the heating of average-sized homes on less fuel, and less money spent for fuel of course, compared to other traditional and conventional fuels. Like a traditional furnace, a corn pellet stove is combustion-based – burning the corn pellets and warming up the surroundings as heat radiates from the flames. The secret is in the gradual feed of the corn pellets through the hopper, allowing for consistent heat which is not possible if the biomass fuel lot is simply dumped onto the fire. The larger the hopper, the longer the stove is able to continuously burn to provide long-term heating.
Another aspect of the corn pellet stove’s efficiency is the heat-exchanger inside the furnace. The heat exchanger, like that in a gas-furnace, extracts heat from the exhaust. The result is a more efficient heating system that allows for more space areas to be heated for less fuel consumption. It will only be a matter of strategically positioning the corn pellet stove in a residential or industrial structure to get the optimum heat from the contraption. Facility of locating is addressed easily as the stove is simply vented, no need for a chimney, so that smoke exhaust is forced outdoors.
Over and above the efficiency is the environmental issue. There are a lot of contentions that corn is a cleaner fuel, with less harmful emissions than traditional wooden fuel. Burnt corn leaves less ash, reportedly, less than the ash resulting from burning wood of equal quantity to the corn fuel. The construction of a corn stove pellet also allows for the ability to push ash out of the stove’s top towards a pan for easy emptying. The fire is thus allowed to burn continuously for a consistent, continuous heating. Then there is the safety issue, where fire is more controllable in a corn pellet stove, and outside areas are shielded and protected through the use of the blower that has an effect similar to bellows where despite hotter flames generated, the flames are confined to the stove area and are in no danger of accidentally touching on external or surrounding combustible materials.
With all these advantages of a corn pellet stove, including efficiency, economy, environmental-friendliness, and safety, a lot of residential and industrial users prefer it over the traditional wood-fed stoves.