Corn Burning Fireplace:
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A corn burning fireplace is easy to operate and maintain. The growing concern about depleting energy resources and increasing environmental pollution has resulted in a shift from gas and oil as fuel to wood and corn as fuel for domestic heating solutions. It is a known fact that corn is an excellent source of heat. Corn always burns much cleaner than wood and is ecologically safe. It never pollutes the environment, as is the case with chemicals such as oil. Moreover, burning corn adds to the oxygen in the atmosphere. Today we have a situation on our hands. With the depleting of forests and fuels and imminent scarcity of oil, corn is a safe and viable alternative for fireplaces.
On the other hand, corn can be grown in fields, in ranches and in small farmlands. This is an energy source that cannot be depleted and is a safe and environment friendly alternative fuel. Corn is available everywhere, so you can also grow corn in your own kitchen garden as well.
Advantages of a Corn Burning Fireplace
If we were to draw a comparison between corn as a fuel and other fuels, we would find it an economically viable alternate fuel. Shelled corn comes for $1.75 per bushel and provides 92% efficiency and the total cost of generating 1 million BTUs is $3.33. Now let us check all other fuels.
• Natural gas costs $1.07 per 100 cubic feet and gives 85% efficiency and the total cost for 1 million BTUs is $5.15.
• Wood can be purchased for $115 per bush cord. The total cost for 1 million BTUs is $6.98 at 70% efficiency.
• Liquefied Petroleum (LP) Gas is available at 80 cents a gallon. It costs $8.80 for 1 million BTUs at 60% efficiency.
• Another alternative fuel, wood pellets costs $160 per ton. The total cost of 1 million BTUs is $10.25 at 80% efficiency.
Therefore, you can well imagine how much heat a fistful of corn can actually produce. Apart from this, burning corn does not produce too much ash. With a corn burning fireplace, you do not have to worry about pollution or cleaning the ash up everyday. The ash from the corn-burning fireplace can be cleaned once every week. A wood fireplace draws the air through the chimney from the room itself, heats it and sends it back. Therefore, if you are not sitting too close to the fireplace, you will not feel the warmth. However, in the case of a corn-burning fireplace, there is no chimney. It is connected directly through pipes to an outside wall. The pipes passing through the wall accomplish the task of circulating the air, bringing it in and thereby heating the rooms. The air for combustion is not circulated in the room unlike the wood furnace. The absence of combustion air means that there will be no carbon monoxide in the room.
The important thing to keep in mind while using a corn burning fireplace is that corn needs to be dry for the burning to take place. A corn burning fireplace, on average burns a bushel of shelled corn everyday. Another important advantage of this appliance is that you can connect it to a thermostat. Therefore, corn stands as the most effective and economically stable form of alternative fuel, and a corn burning fireplace probably represent one of the most effective alternative heating solutions.