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 serviced and cleaned very rarely.
Pellets are granules that are made from wood industry waste. This is a 100% natural fuel: only wood ground into flour is used in the production, no additional adhesives or other additives are used. Pellets are obtained in special devices, where crushed wood residues are pressed. Under the influence of pressure, lignin begins to be released from the wood fibers, which sticks together the fibers. The output is small cylindrical granules, which are either packed in standard containers or sold in bulk. Pellets have a high calorific valueability (1.5 times higher than that of the best firewood) and a small amount of ash residue (no more than 3%).
All these characteristics of the fuel allow us to talk about the high efficiency that pellet boilers have. Their coefficient of performance (COP) is in the region of 90%. A small amount of ash, the almost complete absence of resins (for high-quality raw materials) and the ability to maintain a stable combustion temperature for a long time make it possible to carry out maintenance of such boilers very rarely. You will have to clean the ashes no more than once every two weeks. And how often do you have to
loading fuel into the bunker depends on the temperature to be maintained, the size of the heated room and the capacity of the bunker. You will need to clean the burner about once every two months. As you can see, not much work. When the boiler is in operation, there is a slight smell of burning wood, how comfortable it is - everyone decides individually.
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 the point of view of ecology, it is hardly possible to find a safer fuel. Until the technology for creating fuel pellets was developed, wood waste was taken to landfills, where it rotted for years, sometimes starting to smolder and burn. So from this side, pellet boilers are a boon for the environment. And they emit less carbon monoxide than gas-fired boilers.
When purchasing pellet boilers, you need to take care of a place to store fuel. On average, two bags of 50 kg are needed per day. If there is no time to buy them every day, you need to find a storage place that must be protected from moisture. This is the main drawback of this type of boilers: you need an equipped place to store the fuel supply. Pellets have a very low moisture content, due to which they maintain a high combustion temperature. When water enters, their calorific value decreases, the amount of unburned residues increases.
In the expanses of the former USSR, pellet heating boilers appeared 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 houses or industrial premises ranging from 150 to 900 m2 (depending on the capacity of the installed unit).
