I just received the latest copy on my subscriptin to Back Home magazine and read the article on an outdoor grill that burns field corn. I went to their website which is www.snowflame.com and found they also have stoves for heating your home. I loved their products and the whole idea of burning corn for fuel. It doesn't produce toxic fumes, does not explode and it is RENEWABLE. The down side, of course, which is true for most things that are environmentally friendly is that it is expensive to buy. The grill sells for $795 and they didn't post the prices for their stoves so I know they too are high. Why can't we find a company that makes these wonderful products at more affordable prices? If only a company would start producing them so the average consumer could afford them and we would be able to drastically reduce our dependence on petroleum products. I'm going to search further to see if I can find a cheaper manufacturer because I am really taken by these stoves/grills. I'd love to hear from anyone who has used one of these or who knows of a more affordable source.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), June 06, 2001

Answers

Oops sorry. Didn't see the earlier posting. I will go to the archives to find what I am looking for. I am just so excited about this that I posted before going to the archives. Okay, twenty lashes with a wet noodle or maybe a green cornstalk.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), June 06, 2001.

Colleen, How about twenty lashes with an electric cord? Since you'll have to have it connected to the stove/whatever, and with current flowing, anyway? Not to say it's not a good idea anyway, but it won't work without electricity.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), June 06, 2001.

Colleen:

The price of SnowFlame heating units run from $1,295 to $1,747, depending on model, plus additional do-dads. One nice aspect is they can be delivered by UPS. However, check with your homeowner's insurer. Mine is State (We'll cancel you at the slightest excuse) Farm. They will not provide insurance unless the unit is installed by a factory-trained technician. If that isn't a consideration, they seem very easy to install. Just cut a hole in an outside wall through which an exhause pipe will go.

In addition to what Don noted, you might get tired of lugging 50- pound bags of corn to the unit.

I've become neutral on these stoves. For every advantage seem to be a disadvantage. They seem really only suitable for someone with a really cold winter. For someone with a more temperate climate, it's not like they can be easily turned off and on as heat is desire.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), June 06, 2001.

We have been making the cornstove in Canada for twelve years and all my customers are satisfied. These things only make sense and when you see one up close you will understand. The stove is insulated so that you do not have heat transfer to the outside shell. Corn can be carried in pails and stored in old freezers. No need to use a chainsaw to heat your house.

Mostly it uses a product that is grown locally and we will not have to depend on foreign countries and big oil companies anymore to heat our house. It is a win win situation. check out our website at www.cornstove.ca

-- Murray Milligan (cornstoves@hotmail.com), June 07, 2001.

I would like to say a few things about burning corn. I have looked at a quite a few different models and can speek from experiance. The BEST corn burning stove on the market is the Countryside Multifuel stove. It is the only one that has an auger in the burn pot to stir up the clinker. That way you don't have to remove the clinker daily. It is all ground(stirred) up and fall into the ash pan. I do not sell these stoves but do own one. They are wonderfull. I have run for over a month without ever shutting it down to clean it. Just take the ashes out about every 5 days and a little cleaning inside of the flyash every 3 days and NEVER removing a clinker. A couple other things to think about. The exhaust pipe is a special class that has a Stainless steel liner. This is because the exhaust air is highly acidic. You should also add a small amount of oyster shells to help the auger grind up the clinker. It will tell you this in the manual. A friend of mine has even burned oats in his although it didn't heat to well. You need to think about the initial cost. It will run you anywhere from 2,000-2,500 for the stove. Depending on the options. BUT the stove will pay for itself in about 2 years. You will also be burning an easily renewable fuel scource. Today in our area corn sells for $1.70 bu. that is not much to heat your house for 2 days. Steve

-- (stevekinstler@yahoo.com), September 27, 2001.