Recently Joshua asked for some details about my Corn Stove firepot. It is simply easier to post here than attach photos to a comment section.
The Baby Magnum (2005 model) does not use a mechanical agitator for removing corn 'clinkers'.
The firebox is welded inside the stove. You can see the feed tube for corn or wood pellets. I took the time to also install the fresh air feed from outside the house for the firebox. I wanted to make sure I did not have negative air pressure problems.
Notice the tube which is the automatic igniter for wood pellets only. You can also see the air flow slots within the firebox. When using wood pellets the thermostat turns the stove on and ignites the pellets or shuts down the stove when heat is not needed.
There are two removable firepots that can sit in the firebox. One is for corn and the other for wood pellets. The air holes are different sizes and spaced differently. The tool in the picture is used for flipping out clinkers manually. It is a simple piece of metal with a flat piece welded onto the end.
To flip the corn clinker out without losing the fire I use two steps. When burning corn the thermostat switches the flame from low to high when heat is needed but the stove burns continuously. During cold weather I run the stove for a whole week before shut it down for cleaning. Once or twice a day I also flip out the corn clinkers by turning the thermostat off and opening the front door and grabbing the clinker with the edge of the tool.
I rotate the clinker 1/4 turn so that the hot portion is now facing toward the back of the pot. The corn (cleverly represented here by aluminum mesh) simply falls against the hot clinker and lights the corn. I wait about 15 minutes before the corn has established a new bed of fire and then flip the clinker out of the pot and over the side of the firebox.
Here is a firepot installed in the firebox. You can see all of the air holes that do a nice job keeping the corn burning hot. Air flows from all sides of the firepot. Once every few months I would also scrape out excess carbon residue and use a small nail set or hole punch to clean out the air holes.
This view shows the sides of the firebox. The clinkers can drop to either side left or right. There is a large hopper below the firebox that holds a weeks worth of clinkers.The firebox is about 12 inches above the hopper base. There is about 6 inches of clearance on either side of the firebox.
When I first bought the stove I noticed a lot of fuel missing the firepot and falling over the side and into the hopper beneath. I cured that by grinding the edges off of the back plate where the feed tube connects. I used a Dremel tool with a grinding bit. This smoothed the chute so that corn slid directly into the firepot (rather than bouncing off the edge of the back plate).
Comments