I think we all can sympathize with Anne Murray when she sang “A little good news today”. We live in a world where bad is good when it comes to media attention. Heating your home with renewable energy and saving money is not NEWS while the EPA slamming down on those “dirty” burning wood stoves makes for newspaper sales. Well Anne, there is a little good news today and MagnuM delivers that good news with a lineup of clean burning, environmentally sound wood stoves, pellet and corn appliances and gorgeous fireplaces that will keep you toasty warm and clear the air.

American Energy Systems Inc., manufacturer of the world renowned MagnuM and Country Flame line of renewable energy product participated in several EPA wood stove changeout programs where consumers were paid to take out that old dirty burning wood stove and replace it with a efficient and clean burning wood stove, pellet stove or corn stove. American Energy Systems Inc. won an award for the Libby Montana project where it was proven that we CAN clean up areas where the air is polluted and also improve the indoor air quality of your home.

You can go to hpba.org to read several articles on wood stove changeout programs and the amazing results where we have cleaned up the air to bring the area into air quality compliance, improved the air quality in the home and provided an economical means of saving precious energy. There are numerous changeout programs coming up so you will want to be checking in with us to see if you qualify.

Extra! Extra!

Maybe someday soon the headlines will read: MagnuM and Country Flame clear the air while providing safe affordable heating for your home. Homeowners go on vacation with the savings. Now that’s news!

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…

The 4th of July is coming and all of a sudden you have become patriotic and want to heat your home the American way, that is with CORN. You have researched very carefully and have made a wise decision to purchase a MagnuM or Country Flame Flex-fuel CORN stove. You are a genius! Now to prove to all mankind that you really are a smart dude you need to be equipped with the answer to the burning question “ what is a Klinker”?

To Start With…

Because you have purchased the internationally renowned Flex-fuel Corn stove from American Energy Systems, you can impress all your friends and family with the variety of fuels that your appliance can burn. The most popular of course is shelled corn but your appliance will be able to burn wood pellets and wheat along with other specialty biomass fuels. Your MagnuM or Country Flame stove is equipped to change fuels simply by increasing or decreasing the fuel stirrer speed, adjusting the air settings and just pouring in your favorite fuel of choice.

What is a Klinker?

But what about that little buildup that you see on the fingers (that is the fuel stirrer that you see turning in the firepot) and also a buildup starting in the firepot? That my friend is what we affectionately call a “Klinker” But what is this annoying buildup and how can I get rid of it? If you are using the self cleaning firepot system with the fuel stirrer it typically takes care of itself and by adding in a little oyster shells (you can purchase this at a local farm store, or steal some away from the chickens (they like to eat it) ) it will dissolve the Klinker and burn it up. You also can mix in about 10-15% wood pellets and it will help.

If you have the Biomass firepot system you simply roll the Klinker out of the firepot with the cleaning tool and a pair of tongs and you are good to go. You can eliminate or greatly reduce any buildup of the Klinker by making sure that your corn is free from dust, dirt, corn fines, pieces of stalk and other debris. Having your fuel at 11-12 percent moisture will also help out in reducing the Klinker buildup.

But what if I have the fingers on the fuel stirrer solid with buildup and the firepot is full? I have tapped on the Klinker and it has not fallen off? Don’t worry, this is not a big problem. You can cure this in a couple ways. One, let the unit cool completely down for about an hour or so and the Klinker will soften and almost fall off of the fuel stirrer fingers and will be loose in the firepot. If you are in a hurry to get back to heating with corn, you can simply soak the firepot and fuel stirrer in cold water and it will dissolve and fall off. Please do not take a 10 pound hammer and beat on the firepot system as this will just frustrate you and the Klinker will win the battle.

If you have a consistent problem with excessive Klinker buildup it could be that your home itself does not have enough fresh air to allow clean burning of the fuel. This can be fixed by proper makeup air for the home and the appliance. This is a job for a qualified technician to make sure that everything is right. Be sure to check out our technical center online at Magnumheat.com for more answers to these burning questions.

photo credit: mrvogon

With the recent tax incentives and heating costs predicted to go to all time highs, consumers are looking for alternative ways to heat their homes and asking the question “ when is a wood stove the right option for my alternative heating needs?” The answer to this question starts with researching the expansive information located on AES’s website www.magnumheat.com and the www.hpba.org website.  From there let’s take a look at what is right for you so that you can make a wise decision.

Is a wood stove or fireplace right for you?

The first question to ask yourself is “do I really want to have a wood fire and can my lifestyle accommodate the investment of time”. Most people love a wood fire, the romantic glow and the cozy warmth that will warm you through and through but forget to realize how much work goes into having a wood stove. If the answer is YES to having a readily available wood supply or like dressing up like Paul Bunyan and swinging an axe (or chainsaw), YES to having a safe place to store your wood and dispose of your ashes, YES to fitting in the time to maintain your wood stove and chimney system then you are ready to invest in a cost effective environmentally friendly wood stove, fireplace or fireplace insert for your home.

Ok, so now your excited and ready to jump in your truck (or gas saving hybrid car) and go find a wood burning appliance and have it installed before the weekend. But wait, have you checked to see what the requirements are in your area for emission codes and local burning compliance? Cleaning up our environment and making our planet a safe place to breath is of vital importance. The EPA, appliance manufacturers and local governments have teamed up to make sure that the future of the air we breathe will be clean and healthy. It is important to make sure that your choice of wood burning equipment will meet the requirements of local burning codes so that you will not install that beautiful stove only to find out that there are days that you cannot burn it. So give your local authorities a call to get up to date information on wood burning compliance. MagnuM and Country Flame wood burning appliances are certified to comply with the strictest of air quality standards and our wide variety of product features will certainly complement your home.

Now that you are armed with information on what you can install in your home where do you go from here? There are so many choices, so many different looks and features. Your head is already spinning and everyone seems to have the “right” product for your home. You are asking yourself “how do I find the right product for MY home”? This is where American Energy Systems can help you. Our team of product specialists along with a national network of qualified resellers will be glad to assist you in finding the wood burning appliance of your dreams. It all starts by going to MagnumHeat.com to get your journey to warm nights, cozy beginnings and assurance that you are doing your part to conserve our natural resources and clean up the air we breathe. Now doesn’t that just make you feel warm all over?

photo credit: seantoyer

Warm days are quickly approaching, but like every summer, the season is over way too fast. With cool days extending into May and starting again by September, we are often left with just a few short months of warm weather.

Why is summer a great time to buy a wood fireplace, a corn stove, or a flex-fuel furnace?

We’ll all work our way through a list of “to do” items that beg our attention. If you’ve made the decision to save money next fall by heating your home with alternative fuel, then now is the perfect time to add the purchase and installation of an alternative energy appliance to your list of summer projects.

There is no better time to install a corn stove or switch out an inefficient gas fireplace than during the hot days of summer; the days are long, offering more free time to get things done. Round up friends or family to help get your projects done! The weather is great for garage sales to sell your old fireplace unit. The weather is also perfect for working inside and out to vent your new stove or fireplace, and other tasks that keep you busy.

Right now if you buy online, shipping is free; What a Hot Deal!  With rising fuel prices and projected high heating costs for 2010/2011, alternative heating MagnuM appliances are HOT! Shop now, save on shipping, and enjoy later when others are scrambling to find and install products when the cold weather hits.

photo credit: holmanphoto

Do you have a question about your corn stove or wood burning fireplace? Maybe you’d like to talk to an expert technician on a specific topic. If you own a Magnum or Country Flame brand heat source, here is a great forum where people often find answers to their questions before even asking.

Here’s a break-down of topics you’ll find on the American Energy Systems Forum:

• Video Tutorial Library
• MagnuM Biomass / Corn / Multi-fuel Product Line
• Country Flame Biomass / Corn / Multi-fuel Product line
• MagnuM & Country Flame Wood Burning Product Line
• 2nds for Sale
• Qualifying your home, lifestyle and product purchase
• Fresh Air for your Appliance and Home
• Draft Issues for MagnuM & Country Flame Wood Burning Appliances
• Fuel Quality, Fuel types, How to find the right fuel
• Venting requirements
• Fireplace Door Systems

Each of these topics have many sub-categories and get quite specific. The forum has grown into a wealth of information, that many of our heating appliance owners appreciate and rely on.

Never hesitate to contact us. We want you to get the most out of your alternative heating choices!

Question: Should I buy a stove with lots of automatic features like auto ignition?  What are the
benefits?

You might have heard this recently; “my stove is better than the other guys because ours lights automatically”. Is this really true and is this what I should look for? The answer to this burning question is really quite simple. If you would rather pay to have the electrical company light your appliance go for it. They really enjoy getting a check at the end of the month. Honestly, there are so many great features available today that will make your life easier, and you need to decide if they are right for you.

Do not, however, get led into thinking that these features mean that the appliance is better.

Do you want an appliance that does not meet your needs,  but starts itself ?  Not where you want to be I am sure.

Manually lighting a corn or pellet stove takes about 3-5 minutes. Automatically lighting a corn or pellet stove takes about 3-5 minutes. The difference is manually you use a match and automatically you are replacing the match with a form of an electronic match. Sometimes the difference is simply your preference. To weigh the benefits you need to decide if it is important to have the appliance light while you are away from home or if you would rather be there to light the appliance.

The MagnuM and Country Flame product line come in both styles.

We feel that if you are trying to conserve our natural resources, you should light the appliance manually to save electricity. If you don’t worry about that sort of thing we have optional auto ignition systems to allow automatic lighting of the appliance. The economical and efficient method is to manually light your appliance, use the manual or thermostatic operation mode to evenly balance your heating needs and enjoy long burn times between lighting your appliance. Most auto ignition systems on the market today incorporate a full shut down feature and should your home require frequent lighting of the appliance (sometimes 15-20 times per day), you will experience premature failure of the auto system.

The difference with MagnumHeat.com company and products is that we care about your needs and taking the time to help you make the best choice for your situation.

photo credit: blumenbiene

Have you had a chance to watch this wonderful video with Rob Trott about saving a ton of money on your heating bills and using “home grown” renewable energy? To watch the video in its entirety, start with the video at the top of the screen and work down, through all three.

Maybe you have read the stories online about those darn stoves spewing ash and soot all over the house. What causes that and how can you avoid it in the future?

Technically, your corn or pellet stove runs on a negative pressure system in the firebox (that means that it would pull air into the appliance, not spew smoke, ash and soot out of it) so it will not release any stuff into your home. The venting system runs on a positive pressure system ( blow into a balloon, that is positive pressure ) so it is important that the venting system is properly designed and sealed.

But how does the ash and soot ever get into my home?

Here are a few of the common mistakes and the culprit to the problem.

• Venting system not sealed and ash leaking into the home, the room air fan picking it up and blowing it around the room.
• Venting exit too close to the fresh air intake for the home and the home intake system picking it up and blowing around the whole house.
• Home not balanced for fresh air makeup and pulling in ash and smoke from outside.
• Someone (we won’t mention names), dumping dirty/dusty fuel into the hopper while the unit is running and dust, etc. blowing all over the house (read blog on clean fuel).
• Someone (we learned not to mention names), using a sears shop vac to vacuum out those hot ashes consequently burning a hole in the filter, blowing fire, ash and soot out the back of the shop vac and blaming it on someone else (again, not mentioning any names). Hey, we can find a little humor, right?

Last, but certainly not least is the infamous “beer belly syndrome”. This is a condition (and it gets worse with the bigger the beer belly), where you stand in front of the stove, open the door and the air from the stove fan hits your chest, rolls off your belly and with the force of a hurricane (again dependent on the size of the protrusion) goes inside of the stove and blows the ash, and soot all over.

To prevent this occurrence either shut your appliance down, let it cool and then perform your maintenance chores or sign up at the gym. Seriously, following proper installation, operation and maintenance practices will eliminate dust, ash and soot from ever entering your home.

photo credit: ryanovineyards

You’ve sold me on using renewable energy to heat my home, but how do I go about choosing the right appliance for my home?

Since we were kids the statement “mine is better than yours” has caused many a fight and black eyes. Marketing hype and sales people bent on getting you to buy “their product” has sent your mind spinning. Just how do you select the “right” appliance?  Are all corn stoves created equal?

Research is the answer.

Today, manufacturers like American Energy Systems, have informative web sites http://magnumheat.com that carefully explain each product’s features so that you can choose just the right one for your heating needs. Some companies in the market have appliances that only burn one type of fuel. This can be a challenge when that fuel is in short supply and the price to get it goes through the roof.

The best advice is to choose an appliance like the MagnuM or Country Flame product line that offers multi-fuel capabilities. Then you can choose the fuel that is suitable for your area, availability, and of course,  your pocketbook.

Picking an appliance that is designed for one fuel and burning another can lead to problems that are not going to make you happy. When looking for an appliance make sure that the company has been building the product for a long time, and it has a positive track record. Choosing the right application for your needs will result in many years of affordable, renewable energy for your family.

photo credit: helgasms!

Stocking up on corn to get you through the cold months is great. This insures you have fuel readily available without buying and hauling repeatedly throughout the winter. Most corn stove owners know about how much corn they will need, but it’s common to have a little (or a lot) leftover.

Can I keep the corn and use it next fall?

Storing corn during the humid months is extremely difficult. To be able to burn corn in your corn stove, you must maintain the proper level of dryness. Yes, you made sure it was correct when you bought your corn last fall, but the cold winter months and dry weather help keep your corn in good condition.

So, what do we recommend? Find an alternative use for your leftover corn and buy new, properly dried corn next fall, so that your corn stove operates and burns as efficiently as possible.

Here are some ideas of what other people have done with their leftover corn:

1. Fill squirrel feeders
2. Crack the corn and use it in bird feeders.
3. Feed your chickens or give it to someone who has chickens or other livestock that would eat quality corn.
4. Supplement your campfire with corn
5. Make a HOT-COLD corn buddy: Fill a sock with corn, tie a knot. Heat in the microwave for 2 minutes for a heating pad or store in the freezer for a fast ice-pack
6. Let the kids plant it and see if they can get the corn to sprout and grow; journal it, photograph it, blog it.
7. Fill an empty water bottle with corn, replace the cap, and let the kids give you a headache from noise.
8. Fill a sensory table with corn; similar to a sandbox, but less messy and easier to clean up. A small plastsic swimming pool works great.
9. Compost it
10. Drop it off at an approved deer or wildlife feeding location

Do you have other ideas?

photo credit: fotosderianxo