Pellet boiler

[stecy]

Steve, Are you using the outdoor air kit?

Andrew

No outdoor air. I have proposed that to the dealer on multiple occasions, but he advises against it for some reason that is unclear. Do you see it as beneficial in your installation?


Steve

 

[AndrewChurchill]

Steve,

What you are describing sounds an awful lot like incomplete combustion. My brother is a master plumber and when he installed my PB105 I asked him about the benefits of outdoor air.

I have a 2000 sq. ft. basement and he said even with a basement that large there isn't enough air drawn into the basement for proper combustion because the house is so tight.

I suspect the basement your PB105 is located in is probably smaller than mine. I would definitely install the outdoor air kit. There aren't any disadvantages and I bet it will solve your problem.

 

[stecy]

Steve,

What you are describing sounds an awful lot like incomplete combustion. My brother is a master plumber and when he installed my PB105 I asked him about the benefits of outdoor air.

I have a 2000 sq. ft. basement and he said even with a basement that large there isn't enough air drawn into the basement for proper combustion because the house is so tight.

I suspect the basement your PB105 is located in is probably smaller than mine. I would definitely install the outdoor air kit. There aren't any disadvantages and I bet it will solve your problem.

Andrew

Yes, I agree that it sounds like incomplete combustion; indeed that is what the 3 blink error message signifies. However, this house is the opposite of how you describe yours - it is a large, drafty old farmhouse; hence the 12 tons a season. Nonetheless, outside air is about the only thing left to try, and I think that with your encouragement I will now install it whether or not the dealer regards it as necessary.

Thanks

Steve

 

[verne]

I have a Harman PB105 pellet boiler and I love it. The only weak link is its autoignite system. However, if you by a new one they have upgraded that function and I hear it works well.

Pellets will save you money over oil, but how much depends on your local oil and pellet prices.

If you're going to use wood for your primary heat pellets are the way to go. I can fill my hopper and go a couple of days without filling it again in 20F weather and if you get the 1500 pound hopper option you could go a couple of weeks before refilling. Try that with cord wood.

As far as cord wood being cheaper than pellets that depends on whether you have your own wood lot or not. Right now in my area if I had to buy split wood I would have to pay $250 P/Cord. I can pick up pellets for $250 P/Ton and a ton of pellets on average are equal to 1 and 1/2 cord of wood so pellets are cheaper in this case.

a ton of pellets are closer to 3/4 of mixed cord of hardwood.

 

[Como]

Pellets are more like $180 a ton in bulk in my area.

There are distinct grant and tax advantages to wood, apart from digging down a few hundred feet I have no idea where I could get coal locally. And digging is not an option as I do not own the mineral rights.

 

[AndrewChurchill]

Verne,

BTU to BTU you're right until you take into account the efficiency of the wood burning device compared to the pellet stove or boiler. In general you are going to use twice as much wood in a wood stove compared to a pellet stove.

Same goes for a wood boiler unless you are talking about a gasification wood boiler.

I have a Harman PB105 pellet boiler and I love it. The only weak link is its autoignite system. However, if you by a new one they have upgraded that function and I hear it works well.

Pellets will save you money over oil, but how much depends on your local oil and pellet prices.

If you're going to use wood for your primary heat pellets are the way to go. I can fill my hopper and go a couple of days without filling it again in 20F weather and if you get the 1500 pound hopper option you could go a couple of weeks before refilling. Try that with cord wood.

As far as cord wood being cheaper than pellets that depends on whether you have your own wood lot or not. Right now in my area if I had to buy split wood I would have to pay $250 P/Cord. I can pick up pellets for $250 P/Ton and a ton of pellets on average are equal to 1 and 1/2 cord of wood so pellets are cheaper in this case.

a ton of pellets are closer to 3/4 of mixed cord of hardwood.

 

[Piker]

For what it's worth, a ton of pellets is equal to a ton of firewood... providing the moisture content of the fuel and combustion efficiency of the respective units are equal. An average mix of hardwood at 20% moisture content might weigh around 2750 lbs.

The moisture content in pellets is more like 12% or less... some are 5% or less. This makes a big difference. Not many people burn wood at 5% moisture content.

Cheers.

 

[paul2e]

I was just doing my daily ritual of checking the hopper and the firebox, when I was thinking about my own installation. I did a bunch of research before I bought my boiler. I lurked and read just about everywhere & everything I could. I am still very confident that my Tarm pellet boiler is right for my home and for me. I purchased mine from CL and had to travel quit a bit (100 miles). It was new, still bubble wrapped and in the crate when I bought it.
I think I knew more then most when I started to do my own install. I quickly noticed a serious error with some labels on my new boiler. The stickers labeling outflow and inflow pipes were swapped. The documentation and the physical layout were correct, just the little blue and orange stickers, in and out, were wrong. Granted I had to move the boiler into my own basement and removed the doors and all of the jackets, so I became very familiar with everything MH 2.5.
Please have you friend check that the inflow is close to the hopper and the outflow is close to the control panel......

 

[Hansson]

Change the boiler is very expensive. If your fire box is large maybe you can change the burner.Not the boiler?

Its common over here.
Like this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9aJWwvOWpI&feature=related