Automatic Ash Removal For Burning Corn

2011 - Volume #35, Issue #5, Page #03

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Removing ash from a basement corn stove is easy with this vacuum system set up by Eugene Krause, Medford, Minn.
  Krause heats his home largely with corn. A duct system takes heat off the stove and runs it through his home’s forced air system. He likes heating with corn but got tired of carrying ashes out of the house by hand. “My homemade vacuum system cleans the ashes out automatically,” says Krause.
  He attached a leaf blower onto the lid of a metal garbage can that’s outside the house and ran a metal pipe from the can, through the basement wall, and into the house. There, the pipe hooks up to a vacuum cleaner hose that sucks ashes from the stove’s firepot. A small metal flap inside the can directs hot ash downward so it doesn’t enter directly into the plastic leaf blower.
  The leaf blower’s electric cord is plugged into a wall outlet outside the house. To start the blower, Krause simply flips a switch in the basement.
  To attach the leaf blower to the garbage can’s lid, he cut off part of the vacuum attachment on the bottom of the leaf blower and also cut a hole in the garbage can’s lid, caulking up the opening to seal it.
  Corn is delivered to the stove by a flex auger off an old hog feeder that goes through the basement wall. The auger delivers corn from a wagon into a home-built hopper that mounts on top of the stove. The hopper can hold three days worth of corn.
  “My cleanout system works great because I don’t have to shut the corn stove down to clean it out,” says Krause. “I place an old towel over the hopper on top of the corn stove to keep dust from building up in the basement. We live on a farm with no close neighbors so I don’t need to use a filter on the leaf blower to trap the particles of fine ash.
  “I use the same vacuum system to clean the ashes out of a wood stove in my basement. I hook up an old metal vacuum canister to the system in order to collect larger ash particles and trash that could otherwise plug up the hose. I burn a lot of scrap lumber and pallets in the stove, and the vacuum canister collects larger ash particles and trash such as nails and cinders.”
  The vacuum canister had a bad motor, which he removed. He bolted a metal plate over the opening where the motor had been, then hooked a vacuum cleaner hose up to it.
  “To remove clunkers from the canister I disconnect the hoses and remove the lid, then dump the can into the garbage container,” says Krause.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Eugene Krause, 4877 N.W. 60th St., Medford, Minn. 55049 (ph 507 451-6483; hioamusements@yahoo.com).

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Automatic Ash Removal For Burning Corn ENERGY Miscellaneous Removing ash from a basement corn stove is easy with this vacuum system set up by Eugene Krause Medford Minn Krause heats his home largely with corn A duct system takes heat off the stove and runs it through his home’s forced air system He likes heating with corn but got tired of carrying ashes out of the house by hand “My homemade vacuum system cleans the ashes out automatically ” says Krause He attached a leaf blower onto the lid of a metal garbage can that’s outside the house and ran a metal pipe from the can through the basement wall and into the house There the pipe hooks up to a vacuum cleaner hose that sucks ashes from the stove’s firepot A small metal flap inside the can directs hot ash downward so it doesn’t enter directly into the plastic leaf blower The leaf blower’s electric cord is plugged into a wall outlet outside the house To start the blower Krause simply flips a switch in the basement To attach the leaf blower to the garbage can’s lid he cut off part of the vacuum attachment on the bottom of the leaf blower and also cut a hole in the garbage can’s lid caulking up the opening to seal it Corn is delivered to the stove by a flex auger off an old hog feeder that goes through the basement wall The auger delivers corn from a wagon into a home-built hopper that mounts on top of the stove The hopper can hold three days worth of corn “My cleanout system works great because I don’t have to shut the corn stove down to clean it out ” says Krause “I place an old towel over the hopper on top of the corn stove to keep dust from building up in the basement We live on a farm with no close neighbors so I don’t need to use a filter on the leaf blower to trap the particles of fine ash “I use the same vacuum system to clean the ashes out of a wood stove in my basement I hook up an old metal vacuum canister to the system in order to collect larger ash particles and trash that could otherwise plug up the hose I burn a lot of scrap lumber and pallets in the stove and the vacuum canister collects larger ash particles and trash such as nails and cinders ” The vacuum canister had a bad motor which he removed He bolted a metal plate over the opening where the motor had been then hooked a vacuum cleaner hose up to it “To remove clunkers from the canister I disconnect the hoses and remove the lid then dump the can into the garbage container ” says Krause Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Eugene Krause 4877 N W 60th St Medford Minn 55049 ph 507 451-6483; hioamusements@yahoo com

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