Heating with Corn Stoves: an Alternative to Gas, Oil and Electric Heat

Corn stoves are big in the Midwest and Northern states. Why? Corn is plentiful and grown in most communities in these regions.

Why did people start using corn stoves? When gas and oil prices started soaring a few years ago, the corn stove was seen as a great alternative to them.

Now, the corn prices have made some people nervous, but most die-hard corn stove users are hooked on the warm heat. The prices have leveled off and still seem to “pencil out”.

How does a corn stove work? The corn stove can sit close to the wall, unlike wood stoves. 3-8 inches from the wall is a good average. The corn stove has a vent for the smoke and a vent for outside air to come into the stove. Both of these can go through the wall instead of the ceiling.

There is a “hopper” on the top of the corn stove. This holds about a bushel of corn. It gradual feeds a few kernels of corn at a time down to the firebox. The firebox is approx. 3×8. Some stoves have a “stirrer” in the fire pot that rotates the corn as it burns. Others do not.

As the corn catches fire, it heats the stove internally and a little fan comes on to blow the heat out of the front of the corn stove. Corn stoves have settings so that you can control the desired amount of heat coming out.

There are continual upgrades to the corn stoves. More models are coming out with digital gauges and electric fire starters.

They make corn stove inserts for existing fireplaces. The inserts work on the same principle as the freestanding corn stoves.

Here are some considerations on purchasing a corn stove. The availability of corn in your area is the biggest consideration. You must use clean corn; not seed corn. The corn must be 14% moisture content or less.

You will need an electric outlet somewhere close to the corn stove. You need a smoke detector in the same room with the corn stove.

Pros of a corn stove. One is it has a warmer heat than most other fuels. If you are in corn country, corn can sometimes be “bartered” for. Making the corn stove cheaper than other fuels. A corn burner is easy to maintain and easy to clean up compared to wood stoves.

A pro reason to burn corn for some people may be the fact that corn is a renewable commodity. Corn stoves also come with automatice shutdown safety features. So the stove cannot get too hot.

Cons of a corn stove. One is that unless you have an alternative means for electricity, in an electrical outage situation, the fans won’t run and the corn burner will not work. There are a handful of models coming out with converters for battery power in emergencies.

Another con is that no matter what you burn, wood, corn or pellets, the smoke eventually ends up on the walls and ceiling. And a place to store the corn where it won’t absorb moisture or mold is another hindrance for some people.

All in all, most people that have used corn stoves continue to do so. They are a good alternative to gas, oil and even electricity.