I find this stove a fascinating alternative to a wood stove, so I thought I would talk a bit about how they work, as well of some of their benefits and downfalls.

Instead of bringing in armfuls of wood in the winter, my dad comes inside with buckets of grain.  This grain is poured into a hopper at the top of the stove, and the grain is gradually transported by an electrically powered auger into the burn pot.  The rate at which grain is transported depends on the setting of the thermostat.  There are two fans, one that blows air across the fire, which causes it to burn steadily and efficiently, and another that blows hot air into the room.   The air that heats the room is warmed by the fire as it is transported through internal pipes.

Stoves like these are can burn more than just grain, grain just happens to be what my parents have chosen to burn.  Other materials they are capable of burning are corn and manufactured pellets.   The use of grain and corn provides an advantageous opportunity for farmers to sell low quality grain which is not appropriate for human or animal consumption.  Pellets are made from compressed materials which would otherwise be discarded.  For example, they are commonly made of sawdust and woodchips produced during the manufacturing of wood furniture and lumber, and there are also pellets made of such things as ground nut hulls and fruit pits.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to owning a grain stove rather than a wood stove.  From an environmental perspective, the materials they use are cleaner burning than wood.  Furthermore, they are generally either not useable for their originally intended purpose (like the poor quality grain that my parents buy), or they are the otherwise unusable by-product of manufacturing processes.

Unlike wood stoves which require actually building a fire, grain and pellet stoves are simply ignited with a button or knob, and the amount of heat generated can be controlled with a thermostat.  In the busy world we live in, this feature is certainly advantageous.

There are some downsides to grain stoves.  For one, unlike a wood stove, which is really a very simple object , grain and pellet stoves are mechanical contraptions and thus more prone to breakdowns.  This is made worse if they are not properly cleaned and maintained.  Maintenance is necessary at regular intervals and yearly professional cleanings are recommended.

Pellet stoves also rely on electricity to run the fan that sends the warm air into your home, so unless you have a backup generator, they are rendered useless in a power outage.  This means that the grain stove can’t function as a backup source of heat for your home.

From an aesthetic point of view, the fire in a grain stove doesn’t have the beautiful, mesmerizing quality of a wood fire.  The fire inside is very small, bright, and not very dynamic.

The last downside of a pellet stove is that the cost of pellets is quite high and the quality isn’t consistent from brand to brand.  On the other side of that coin, however, grain and corn very often can be found for very cheap from private vendors who are more than pleased to unload it.

Overall, I think the grain stove was a great option for my parents, and I see it as an eco-friendly choice.  I have to admit that just like with gas stoves, I don’t get that same ‘homey’, cozy feeling I do when sitting by a wood stove in the winter, but subjective feelings aside, it does the job it was intended for.  I’m curious to see if these become more popular over time.   

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