Magnum Heat 

Can all pellet stoves on the market burn corn?

If you like the idea of heating with corn, then you may be wondering if any pellet stove will burn corn.

No, but many companies are trying to convert wood pellet stoves to burn corn or a corn, wood pellet mix. We sell the Magnum Countryside pellet stove which was the first nationally certified Flex-fuel burning stove on the market.

The Countryside, Baby Countryside, Winchester, and Country Flame Harvester and Crossfire pellet stoves can ALL burn corn, wood pellets or a combination of corn and wood pellets along with wheat and some other types of pellets such as cherry pits or olive pits.

If you want to read some stories about owners of these pellet stoves, check out, “A Heart Warming Story: Buying Corn from a Neighbor” about the Winchester pellet stove and “A Heart Warming Story: We Cut Our Fuel Oil Usage” about the Magnum Countryside pellet stove mentioned above.

Do you have a question we can answer? Leave it in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.

For 38 years, American Energy Systems has been innovating and engineering appliances that burn renewable energy. Their pellet stoves and fireplaces have found their way into thousands of homes across the country and around the world. This fall we are celebrating a new era of people welcoming new ideas to address age old questions.

• How do we save money on heat?
• How do we support our local economy?
• How do we avoid foreign oil?
• Can we buy American-Made products and fuel?
• How can our family use green heat?

These seemly complex questions point toward easy to implement, cost effective solutions provided by American Energy System’s solutions. For almost four decades, the American Energy Systems’ great product lines have fulfilled the needs of home owners with the ability to fit any decor, heating requirements and personal choice.

What’s New?

There is so much going on, it’s hard to know where to start!

Featured in Extreme How-To Magazine

In October, 2011 you will find the Magnum brand alternative energy appliances featured in “Extreme How-To” magazine. Watch your next issue for this or make sure you locate your copy on newsstands. This insightful resource not only helps homeowners, contractors, and Do-It-Yourselfer’s with all kinds of projects, but “Extreme How-To” embraces saving money AND doing things the right way. We’re certain that you, too, can take advantage of “Extreme How-To” ideas and switch to alternative heat before the cold weather arrives!

Reduced Shipping Means More Savings for You

Right now, American Energy Systems is offering to pick up half of all freight charges on appliances. This is a tremendous cost savings, and we want you to help us get the word out to as many people as possible. Planning and forethought is important, and American Energy Systems is offering half-priced shipping to encourage people to order your appliance now before the temperature drops.

Referral Program is a Success

Our referral rewards program is a success, and all you have to do is ask our customers who have received their $50.00 checks from American Energy Systems for referring others whom they know have shown an interest in heating with a pellet stove, saving money on heat, or switching to alternative energy. We recently received a referral from Kenneth H. from Jackson, Missouri and cut him a check immediately after his friend was utterly convinced our products fit his needs perfectly and got one on order.

What could you do with $50? Or $500. There is no limit to the number of people you can refer and the money you can earn. The process has been made super simple: Refer Now!

FREE is Good, Right?

Our NEW Free Buyer’s Guide to Finding the Best Alternative Energy Appliance is flying off the shelves. Consumers are saying it is very helpful in answering their questions in a straight forward, factual, and easy-to-understand way. If you are just starting to think about switching to alternative energy, have a wood or corn supply to burn, or simply feel daunted by the upcoming heating bills, get your copy today and read through it at your leisure. When you are ready, you can connect with us.

Don’t forget to jump into the conversations on Facebook where we talk about Heating with Alternative Energy and welcome your insight, questions, and comments!

About American Energy Systems: Around since 1973, AES invents and manufactures alternative heating products that burn a variety of Wood Pellet, Corn and biomass fuels. AES has achieved international recognition for their MagnuM Countryside Corn burning appliances and are recognized in the hearth industry as leaders in Flex-fuel / Biomass & Corn burning technology. The company is currently developing new combustion technology and an exciting lineup of flex-fuel appliances for the future.

Electricity is measured in kilowatts (kw) and a kilowatt is 1,000 watts and usually costs between six and tens cents per hour. In some areas like California the rates will be higher and in areas with hydroelectric power the rates can be lower, but the average is eight cents per hour per kw in the corn belt.

Electrical Usage for Magnum & Country Flame Pellet Stoves

The igniter for a MagnuM Baby Countryside stove uses 175 watts and it normally takes three to five minutes to light wood pellets in a stove (it may take longer in some cases) and the igniter runs for ten minutes. The igniter takes .175kw x .08 = 1.4 cents. If the igniter is on for ten minutes it would take only ten out of sixty minutes in an hour so 1/6 x 1.4 cents = .233 cents per lighting cycle. The use of the igniter on a Magnum Pellet stove will vary with individual usage, but if it went through a relight cycle twenty times in a day it would take .233 cents x 20 = 4.66 cents or less than a nickel a day (with wet or poor fuel it may take 2-3 cycles for the unit to light properly).

The fan motors, auger motor and stirrer motor (if standard) take approximately 2.5 amps to 3.0 amps to operate. Voltage x amps = watts, so 110v x 2.75 amps = 303 watts of usage per hour. With the average price of a kilowatt at $0.08, the average electrical cost to run a stove would be .303kw x .08 = 2.42 cents per hour. If a stove ran for 24 hours in a day it would use approximately 58 cents per day (2.42 cents x 24 hours =58.176 cents). Many times a stove is not needed or used 24 per day, so the actual cost would be based on the actual hours a stove is used by a homeowner—if it was used 12 hours per day the electrical cost would be about 29 cents per day.

It should be noted that the fan for the heater exchanger on a Magnum stove does a good job of pushing the heat into the room and helps to circulate heat in a house—especially in a lower level or a basement where hot air rises throughout a structure. Magnum Pellet stoves also give off radiant heat (like the hot heat of the sun) in addition to convection heat. Compared to wood stoves or heating appliances without a blower, you get better heat circulation with a corn stove (in many cases higher thermal efficiencies with a corn stove). A forced air furnace and some other forms of heating also need a blower to move the hot air around a structure and will take as much or more electricity than a corn stove. Although electric baseboard heat does not need a blower, the average electrical usage will be much higher than a corn stove to heat a comparable area.

Note: These calculations do not include meter fees and other charges from an electric company. Voltage will vary from 110 volts to 120 volts and at start up there is a slightly higher electrical draw. For more information on electrical usage for appliances you can visit or “Google” various websites or contact your electric company.

Do you have a question you’d like answered? Maybe you have a tip to share with other pellet stove owners, please share!

photo credit: fontplaydotcom

American Energy Systems has a rich history of providing superior corn stoves and flex-fuel heating appliances; including fireplaces and furnaces. We are pleased to offer a blog community to people passionate about using alternative energy to heat their homes and offices.

If you want to shop online and skip directly to our extensive Magnum and Country Flame product lines, please jump over to our Main Website at Magnum Heat. To go directly to our Magnum E-com Store click here.

For specific questions or assistance with one of our appliances, you can participate in our online Magnum Forum -which is getting rave reviews for quick, easy access to all your technical needs. 

 Cme2heatitup on Ebay, one of American Energy System’s Resellers, sells overstock, scratch and dent, and  special promotion units for wholesale prices. These are one of a kind items and deals, as Cme2heatitup is the ONLY authorized AES online Reseller that can sell DEMO units for full factory warranty.

If a show room is more your style, and you’d love to see a corn or pellet stove in action, you can find a dealer near you! Just use our Magnum and Country Flame locator!

For a fun, new community of people passionate about heating their homes with alternative energy, you can join our Fan Page on Facebook at Facebook.magnumheat.com Be sure to leave us a comment so we can say “hi”!

We are active on Twitter now too, so follow us at Twitter.com/alternativeheat Be sure to @ reply so we can follow you back! We love the discussions on Twitter going on about green living, saving money, burning corn, and alternative energy for heat. Weigh in!

We are working hard to offer countless videos featuring all our our Magnum and Country Flame products. Dozens of easy to understand and helpful demonstrational videos are posted on Magnum Heat channel of YouTube. From trouble shooting and venting, to choosing your corn or wood pellets to buy, we’re here to help.