Wood or Corn heat for next winter?

Heating with anything but electric, propane or fuel oil is on everyones mind this year. Lets take a look at some of the pros and cons of heating with wood or corn.

First off you need to decide which product (corn or wood ) is easily available where you live. If you are going to have to buy your wood will it figure out to actually be less expensive than your current heating system? Another thing to watch for if your thinking of going with heating with wood is are you able to handle the wood or load the stove? If you live in a corn production area corn maybe the way to go to heat your home or shop. Corn has stayed at a good price for use as a heating source.
Another item to think about is the square feet (sq. ft.) of living or working space you are going to try and heat. Most corn heaters are made with the idea of being used in a home,either being a insert type or free standing stove. Wood heaters gee in different sizes and styles.... inside stoves,outside wood heaters using forced air andoutdoor wood boilers are the main types. The forced air system will be cheaper than a water boiler type system. One of the pros of a water boiler is you can have as much hot water as you want to use from the system and the ability to be set farther away from you home and possibly heating two buildings. Having a stove in the house is messy since you are bringing wood in the house and taking out ashes inside the home.
The actual cost of your heating source is going to play a large role in your purchasing of a system. Payback can be pretty quick on a outside wood heater using forced air, and a corn heater will be less expensive than a water boiler system. Forced air systems can be as under 2000 dollars installed with a water boiler system can be anywhere from 6,7 to 10000 dollars. So your payback time can be alot longer on these types.
Corn can be handled easily in 50# sacks, stored in a garge and transported into the house pretty easy. Many corn heaters require filling once a day and make very little ash. Wood heaters require more room for your wood supply and you need to keep it dry so you get all the BTU's out of it when you burn it. If you live in city, water boilers maybe outlawed from your area due to the amount of smoke they make and having a short chimney that makes the smoke hug the ground and could smoke out your neighbors. Some forced air systems have a taller chimney and less smoke that gees down to hug the ground. You need to check with your county or city to make sure you can use an outside unit. While a corn heater vents easily and cleanly.

Water boilers also need to be maintained since hard water can clog up the system. In our area that is a concern. Nothing is maintainence free!
If your house is hard to heat now, just buying a different system will not solve your problems. Chaulking, new windows, insulation in walls and overhead can reduce your heating costs a bunch in a years time. Don't buy toosmall of a stove to heat your home, you need to know the square footage when looking for a heater. Ask your neighbors and friends what they use,if they like it or don't. Do they have a dealer that is easy to contact, will go the extra mile to help them? Your product is just as good as the folks that stand behind it ! That is something often overlooked, and sadly it is found out too late that they are not much help. On the other side of this there are many great dealers and manufacturers. So word of mouth from others is a good indication of a specific product.

Search Google and Yahoo for "outside wood heaters" or "outdoor wood furnace", "water boiler", "corn stove"are some good terms to use.
I hope this helps you and as with anything seasonal, don't wait till the day you want to change your heating system to start looking. It maybe too late for this particular year. Manufacturers sold more units last year (2005-2006) than they have in many years and were backordered.
Keep your saw sharp, and your wood dry and the mice out of the corn!
Scott

PS.If you find this somewhat helpful leave me a positive feedback!