When organizing autonomous heating, the question often arises: "Which boiler is better to choose: gas, electric, solid or liquid fuel?" Today we will consider the advantages and disadvantages of one of the types of solid fuel boilers - pellet. This is one of the most economical heating appliances, which, moreover, is rarely serviced and cleaned.
Pellets are granules that are made from waste from the
wood industry. This is 100% natural fuel: in the production only wood milled into flour is used, no additional adhesives or other additives. Pellets are obtained in special apparatuses where crushed wood residues are pressed. Under the influence of pressure, lignin begins to be released from the wood fibers, which glues the fibers together. The output is small cylindrical granules, which are either packaged in standard containers or sold in bulk. Pellets are characterized by increased calorific value (1.5 times higher than that of the best firewood) and a small amount of ash residue (not more than 3%).
All these fuel characteristics allow us to speak about the high efficiency that pellet boilers possess. Their coefficient of performance (COP) is in the region of 90%. A small amount of ash, an almost complete absence of resins (for high-quality raw materials) and the ability to maintain a stable combustion temperature for a long time allow very rarely such boiler maintenance. You will have to clean the ash no more than once every two weeks. And how often do you have to
load fuel into the hopper, depends on the temperature that must be maintained, the size of the heated room and the capacity of the hopper. The burner will need to be cleaned about once every two months. As you can see, there is not much work. When the boiler is operating, there is a slight smell of burning wood, how comfortable it is - it is for everyone to decide.
Pellet boilers do not have special installation requirements: the cost is comparable to the cost of installing gas equipment. But the difference (dignity) is that there is no need to invite regulatory authorities.
From an environmental point of view, it is hardly possible to find a safer fuel. Until the technology for creating fuel pellets was developed, wood waste was transported to landfills, where it rotted for years, sometimes starting to smolder and burn. So on this side, pellet boilers are good for the environment. And they emit less carbon monoxide than gas boilers.
When purchasing pellet boilers, you need to take care of the place for storing fuel. On average, two bags of 50 kg are needed per day. If you do not have to buy them every day, you need to find a place for storage that must be protected from moisture. This is the main disadvantage of this type of boilers: you need an equipped place to store fuel. Pellets have very low humidity, due to which they maintain a high combustion temperature. When water gets in, their calorific value decreases, the amount of unburnt residue increases.
Pellet heating boilers appeared on the expanses of the former USSR not so long ago, and in Europe these devices have been used for more than 30 years. Therefore, the equipment is usually of European origin. At the same time, the domestic pellet boiler "Zota" is a good reliable alternative to imported equipment. Equipment manufactured under this brand is suitable for heating homes or industrial premises ranging from 150 to 900 m2 (depending on the capacity of the installed unit).