wood pellet burner

[jackswift]

We have a Wamsler wood pellet stove with integral boiler. We have it a year now and are very very happy with it.

I think you'll find that alot/most of the people with negative stories and things to say don't actually have wood pellet stoves/boilers themselves.

For your information I have a Wamsler wood pellet stove just like yours.

 

[Mrs Aol]

quite simply, jackswift, I don't believe that you do.

before this goes any further, let me say that I will not be drawn into your time wasting games and will make no further comments towards you.

 

[Leo]

quite simply, jackswift, I don't believe that you do.

before this goes any further, let me say that I will not be drawn into your time wasting games and will make no further comments towards you.

That's some leap based on the information given.

If you're not prepared to back up your comments or assumptions, then perhaps AAM, let alone any online forum, may not be the place for you.
Leo

 

[ninsaga]

quite Simply, Jackswift, I Don't Believe That You Do.

Before This Goes Any Further, Let Me Say That I Will Not Be Drawn Into Your Time Wasting Games And Will Make No Further Comments Towards You.

Meeeeeeooooooowww!

 

[DavyJones]

We have a Wamsler wood pellet stove with integral boiler. We have it a year now and are very very happy with it.

I think you'll find that alot/most of the people with negative stories and things to say don't actually have wood pellet stoves/boilers themselves.

I work in the industry and would not fit one in my home under any circumstances, Condensing boilers are the way forward. In the last 6 weeks I know 2 people who have pulled out their wood pellet boilers and a lot more considering doing the same.

 

[lastbuilders]

I have had a Dor / Scotte wood pellet boiler for the last 18 months with no problems to report. Pellet costs last year about 6oo euros which I believe is a good saving on oil. There is more maintenance with it as you have to empty ashes but I knew this before installing it.

Lastbuilders

 

[stevo]

Davy Jones,

I am tempted to install a condensing boiler in my own home but recently heard Gas prices are to rise by 40% in the near future, would you still recommend them ?

I believe condensing boilers are particularily suited to UFH due to the low temp they can operate at when heating the water

 

[DavyJones]

Davy Jones,

I am tempted to install a condensing boiler in my own home but recently heard Gas prices are to rise by 40% in the near future, would you still recommend them ?

I believe condensing boilers are particularily suited to UFH due to the low temp they can operate at when heating the water

yes, they claim to be 98% efficient compared to around 70% for standard boiler. Wood pellet burners in my opinion is only a fad, I'll wait for something better to come along.

 

[badabing]

Why do everyone think that wood pellets are eco-friendly? For starters wood pellets need to be dried to 95% dry matter this uses a lot of diesel which is why they are so dear to buy. The drying process is not eco-friendly. They need to be stored very well to stop them getting damp otherwise they won't burn.

Been reading the posts and alot of rumours to dispel here
Pellets are dried with wood, not diesel, when buying in bulk they are not dear to buy, cheaper than on the continent in fact and the price has been steady over the last 3 years.
3 golden rules when installing a pellet boiler
-Good plumbing, nothing fancy, in fact the simpler the better, good tall flue and a hot water storage to balance out the load.
-decent sized silo
-half decent brand supplied by someone with a track record


98% efficiency from a condensing gas boiler?..highly unlikely in practice. In my experience its not hard to get in the high 80's throuhout the year on pellets

 

[ninsaga]

..........Condensing boilers are the way forward. ........

..now that's a bit short sighted ...... why is it that in Austria/Germany that wood pellet boilers have been in use for 20 yrs yet you would consider that condensing boilers are the way forward. If they wee that bad then I'm sure they would not have taken off over their either.

I think the problems here have been...
- rising costs of pellets
- lack of availability of pellets last year or year before
- previous problems with Balcas pellets (now stablised as far as I know) ie the pellets were to long & alot of dust in bulk deliveries.
- some boilers not modulating or inefficient
- most models of boilers require cleaning & emptying the ash pan
- people buying bagged pellets (much more expensive than bulk)
- having to make provisions for a silo

I hear of people (though here), who are switching back to oil - would be interested to know exactly though what their particular reasons are

 

[DavyJones]

..now that's a bit short sighted ...... why is it that in Austria/Germany that wood pellet boilers have been in use for 20 yrs yet you would consider that condensing boilers are the way forward. If they wee that bad then I'm sure they would not have taken off over their either.

Short sighted, I think not. When I say condensing boiler I mean the actual way the boiler works and not the type of fuel it uses. Do you know that an oil burner will burn pure and used vegetable oil with just slight modifacation. that is the way forward. Anybody burning keresone can make the switch with very little cost.

Until wood pellet burners improve for the resons you mention, I for one would not touch them.

 

[krissovo]

I am building at the moment and very interested in this thread as the plan was to use wood pellets.

I think I want to know the truth, there is a lot hearsay from what I can gather on this thread so if any one has facts then step forward and offer you opinion. I built a couple of years ago and put in a woodchip boiler unfortunately I didnt end up living in the house so I cannot form an opinion.

If you do not want to post then please PM your advice/experience

 

[Duffman]

I work in the industry and would not fit one in my home under any circumstances, Condensing boilers are the way forward. In the last 6 weeks I know 2 people who have pulled out their wood pellet boilers and a lot more considering doing the same.

Can you just clarify what part of the industry you are in? I'll presume its not in the wood pellet industry anyway - would it be oil by any chance?

I notice that so far the only really negative posts about wood pellet boilers have been from people who don't have them - but of course they all 'know people who did but had them taken out.'
Look back through the posts from those who do have pellet boilers & generally they recount positive experiences.

 

[jackswift]

Been reading the posts and alot of rumours to dispel here
Pellets are dried with wood, not diesel,

The sawdust has to be dried to 92% dry matter before the pellet making process begins, it is not made into pellets first and then dried. Could you post a link explaining how the sawdust is dried with wood.

 

[DavyJones]

Can you just clarify what part of the industry you are in? I'll presume its not in the wood pellet industry anyway - would it be oil by any chance?

I notice that so far the only really negative posts about wood pellet boilers have been from people who don't have them - but of course they all 'know people who did but had them taken out.'
Look back through the posts from those who do have pellet boilers & generally they recount positive experiences.

I run a heating and plumbing business, We also fit renewable energy products like solar panels and wood pellet burners. We are also certified to fit oil and gas appliances, both natural and LPG.

My cilents are normally well informed people both private and commercially. We get a spec and we do the work accordly. If you wanted us to fit a boiler that runs on potatoe skins we would do it.Evryone for there own.

I am giving my personal opinion on this matter and firmly belive that condensing boilers of any fuel are a better choice with regard to installation and running costs.

wood pellet boilers have a future but only if they are massively improved. ~People want appliances with little or no maintance. I belive in the next 5 - 10 years there will be much better products out there so I wouldn't invest in them now,IMHO.

I think the same about solar panels, they too have a whole lot of improving to do.

I also have no connections to any manufactur or fuel supplier I.E oil/gas/wood pellet

 

[Duffman]

I run a heating and plumbing business, We also fit renewable energy products like solar panels and wood pellet burners. We are also certified to fit oil and gas appliances, both natural and LPG.

My cilents are normally well informed people both private and commercially. We get a spec and we do the work accordly. If you wanted us to fit a boiler that runs on potatoe skins we would do it.Evryone for there own.

I am giving my personal opinion on this matter and firmly belive that condensing boilers of any fuel are a better choice with regard to installation and running costs.

wood pellet boilers have a future but only if they are massively improved. ~People want appliances with little or no maintance. I belive in the next 5 - 10 years there will be much better products out there so I wouldn't invest in them now,IMHO.

I think the same about solar panels, they too have a whole lot of improving to do.

I also have no connections to any manufactur or fuel supplier I.E oil/gas/wood pellet

Well thats fair enough. But as I stated on a previous post, I personally have had no problems with my wood pellet boiler - except with after sales service which was non-existant - but that depends on the supplier. I still haven't seen a post on here from one of the "many" people who have changed back to oil. As a previous poster said, all the negative comments are from people who have never had one.

 

[DavyJones]

Well thats fair enough. But as I stated on a previous post, I personally have had no problems with my wood pellet boiler - except with after sales service which was non-existant - but that depends on the supplier. I still haven't seen a post on here from one of the "many" people who have changed back to oil. As a previous poster said, all the negative comments are from people who have never had one.

I understand where you are coming from. In the last few months we have change 3 or 4 back and are doing another one next week. Main reason was after- sales and no support of the product when there was a problem. However that is 5 people out of hundreds that have them. Nobody will ever call me up to tell me how good their boiler is running so I hear only the negatives. one of our installers won't fit wood pellet boilers anymore because of the lack of support from the manufactur and he ending up taking the flak when there was faults.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they work for some people, but I know there are too many potenial problems with the bulk of the units I have come across. However they will improve

 

[badabing]

The sawdust has to be dried to 92% dry matter before the pellet making process begins, it is not made into pellets first and then dried. Could you post a link explaining how the sawdust is dried with wood.

a wood fired furnace generates all the heat required

 

[ElviswasGree]

Wood Pellets make up 25% of the Swedish heating market. 95% of that is bag fed. Pellets are eco friendly if made in a Combined Heat and Power Plant that effectively uses 1 tonne of saw dust to heat the other 1 tonne of saw dust that becomes your pellets. No diesel. Each and every boiler is basically the same, its the back up and explanation of operating from agents that differs. For too long we have all been used to oil - no serevicing (very inefficient then) and not properly commissioned (waste of energy with too high psi in the oil line).

Pellets work well, they do require a bit of work, no where the same as the open fire/back boiler. They are cheap to run, provided they are sized right. I ahve seen guys with 30=40kW in houses 2000 sq ft!! Madness and stupidity. 20kW is the max any house should need. Buffers are a good way to go as they do allow for that 1 hour boost. Gerkros boilers are loading boilers, and effectively any house over 2000 sq ft should have a buffer. This is due to the water content, 75 litres. If you look at the Scandanavian models they have water content of about 200 litres. This means they can function well without buffers. Do not listen to SEI and their nonsense about 60 litres per kW - crap!! The Froeling has stainless steel inside which adds more cost, but this only menas you dont need to brush the inside walls - I for one would happily brish inside the boiler walls to save about €8,000!! It is so importnat to get a good installer/agent with service contracts and an attitude taht cares for what they do. I could reccomend a few.

 

[Rathlynin]

Put in a Gerkros Woodpecker for my brother in law in Meath in 2006 and he saved a fotune last year v's oil......The simpler the boiler the better...great name for a boiler too eh!