How to choose pellet boiler - specialist recommendations

Pellet boilers are not yet so widely represented on the Ukrainian market and belong to the more expensive segment of heating equipment, which is not available to every Ukrainian. For this reason, the question of how to choose a pellet boiler does not often arise. In our publication, we would like to reveal the features of pelleted fuel heating. Why the costs of purchasing heating equipment are justified today even for replacing low-cost equipment?

Pellet boilers for ash pellets

One of the most important characteristics affecting the choice of a boiler is the ash content of the pellets, which can be used in the operation of heating equipment. Foreign models are not designed to work with high-ash granules, since European standards do not allow its use. Certified pellets must not exceed 1%. At the same time, the available granule on the Ukrainian market has higher characteristics. Ash content can be 5% and more.

Choice pellet boilerdesigned to work with an ash pellet is an important requirement. As a rule, all foreign boilers can be removed from the list of available equipment. The remaining models are analyzed by the nature of the technological solution in relation to the organization of the combustion process of granular fuel.

A type pellet burner: flare or rotary

In a pellet boiler, the main device that fundamentally distinguishes equipment from any other is pellet burner... Depending on the boiler model, it can be of one of two types:

• rotary;
• torch.

The most efficient is a pellet flare burner. Special thermodynamic conditions are created in the burner firebox, contributing to the ignition of the fuel in the entire volume at once. At the same time, a huge amount of thermal energy is released, and the efficiency is 95%.

Compared to a rotary burner, a flare burner will differ favorably in terms of combustion efficiency. If you have found the right model, you should also pay attention to the type of cleaning the burner from ash. Mechanical vibration cleaning is considered the most effective. With its help, the most difficult and time-consuming work is performed, and the dust is collected by a dust collector.

Heat exchange circuit and type of heat carrier

Equipment with water and air heat carrier is on sale on the Ukrainian market. A water heat exchanger is considered more versatile, therefore equipment of this type is more common. At the same time, in some cases, the purchase of a pellet boiler for air heating is more expedient, in this case the type of burner and other characteristics may not be considered.

In addition to the type of heat exchanger, the useful heat exchange area corresponding to the power and the developed convective surface are also important. In some models, several types of heat exchange circuits are used to effectively remove the accumulated heat generated by the operation of the pellet burner.

Fuel delivery system and other automatic functions

Another important characteristic pellet boiler is the fuel supply system. Usually there is a feeding auger:

• inside the burner cavity;
• from the storage hopper for pellets with pneumatic or screw feed.

The better and more technologically advanced the pellet feeding system into the boiler is developed, the easier the boiler operation will be. We recommend that you avoid buying equipment with manual pellet feeding. Loading a pellet boiler without proper equipment is very laborious.

Common automatic functions include auto ignition and automatic boiler cleaning. The most effective is mechanical vibration. The boiler can be equipped with an additional ash catcher and a tank for collecting ash residue. Different methods of ash removal may be offered depending on the manufacturer. This function is mandatory for solid fuel boilers. Cleaning should be done regularly. Otherwise, the convection zone will decrease, and the boiler efficiency will reversibly fall.

Boiler design features

The design features of the pellet boiler take into account the required size of the furnace for opening the flame of the pellet burner torch. The firebox must be sufficient for this purpose.

Also, during the analysis, the design of heat exchange circuits and its effectiveness for the selected combustion method are considered. The manufacturer of the selected boiler model must explain to the buyers the features of heat exchangers, which are invariably associated with the efficiency of heating equipment.

How to choose a pellet boiler? Of course, in terms of the useful convective heat exchange area. The larger it is, the higher the power. But it is only necessary to evaluate the squared heat transfer without the furnace surface and the grate zone.

Availability microcontroller management

Modern pellet boilers work by creating special combustion conditions, involving the complete combustion of the fuel itself and the emitted combustion products. This is implemented using a controller.

In addition to the controller, in order to be able to use climate control in the heating system, there must be other digital devices in the programmer manufacturer's equipment line:

• to obtain temperature data;
• room thermostats;
• wireless data transmission devices and others.

Give preference to microcontrollers with a package offer of the equipment line. If you have it, there will be no difficulties with installation and integration.

Outcomes: how to choose a pellet boiler

The choice of a pellet boiler, first of all, is carried out according to the indicator of permissible ash content when using a non-certified or self-made pellet. Heating equipment must be equipped with a flare burner and have structural features that ensure complete combustion of the fuel.

When selecting models, the type and reliability of the fuel supply, the boiler cleaning function and the presence of a microcontroller with advanced functions and a set of related digital equipment are taken into account. If you still have questions on how to choose a pellet boiler, contact our specialists for advice.

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