Thoughts on Pellet Boilers

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Chris04626

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Sep 19, 2008
521
Maine
familytraditionwreaths.com
two i have been looking at are
Harman PB105 Pellet Boiler

(broken link removed to http://mainestoves.com/site/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=98:harman-pb105-pellet-boiler&Itemid=84)

and
MESys Convertible Boiler



(broken link removed to http://www.maineenergysystems.com/OkoFEN_AutoPellet_Boilers.htm)

Thoughts on these? I believe the MESYS is alot more money but less user maintenance needs to be done
 
I was looking at the BioWin I did not end up getting it I had just purchased my home and there ended up being to many other things that I needed to fix before I bought the new boiler but I do plan on getting one in the next few years.
 
I bought a PB105 because that was all that was available at the time. The Okefen works well from what I've seen and there's a new boiler from Denmark that's being called a Kedel in Maine.
 
Chris04626 said:
two i have been looking at are
Harman PB105 Pellet Boiler

(broken link removed to http://mainestoves.com/site/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=98:harman-pb105-pellet-boiler&Itemid=84)

and
MESys Convertible Boiler



(broken link removed to http://www.maineenergysystems.com/OkoFEN_AutoPellet_Boilers.htm)

Thoughts on these? I believe the MESYS is alot more money but less user maintenance needs to be done
Click to expand...



Depends on where you are maybe, 04626 is that Cutler?

Lee at Revision Heat in Bangor is a straight up guy, he is now offering the Kedel, a friend has one and is very satisfied.
 
Chris04626 said:
How does the pb105 work for you? How much did it cost?
Click to expand...

It was 5 years ago but I think it was about $7500. It's worked well.
Two of my relatives also put in PB105s the same year and we've all had some warranty work done. One had a burnpot replacement. Mine had a control board and ESP replaced because it doesn't read the water temperature correctly. Still not sure why they replaced the ESP. I ended up fixing it myself by sliding the sensor up a little higher in the well it sits in. I've also replaced the ignitor once (it was warranteed too).
It's very heavy and ruggedly built. We had to disassemble it into 3 pieces and it still took 6 of us to get it down my cellar steps. I like how the burn pot swings out on hinges and is easy to clean. The only PF100 I've seen was extremely difficult to clean. I didn't appreciate the convenience of the PB105 setup until I tried cleaning a PF100.

I've seen 2 of the Okefen boilers and they seemed ok. I didn't get to watch them for very long or open them up.
I've only seen the smallest Kedel boiler and it seemed ok too. But I don't have any operational experience with either of these boilers from Denmark. The control systems appear to be way more advanced than the Harman and they seem to be more versatile in how they are set up.
 
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I don't clean it as much as I should. I try to scrape the burn pot and clean out around the ignitor once per week but sometimes it's 2 weeks. Takes about 5 minutes. I empty the ash pan once a month or so. Once per day I put in pellets and pull the cleaning rods out a few times. It has 3 rods on the side to scrape off the heat exchange tubes. Once a year I put the leafblower on outside and rap on the exhaust ducting. I really should take a brush to the inside of it.

My house is about 2000 sq.ft. with cathedral ceilings. The boiler used to keep up just fine but now it has to work a little harder. I used to set the water temperature down to a max of 150 deg. and burn about 4 tons per year. My wife found a used Four Seasons sunroom in Uncle Henry's a few years ago and we finally installed it last summer. That little glass room is cold! When it was -20 deg outside overnight I had the boiler cranked up with the water at 190 deg. and used just over 4 bags per day. I'll be using about 7 to 8 tons this year. But, yesterday, where it was so warm, I used maybe 1/2 a bag. Just don't install a glass room on the north side of your house and a PB105 will have no problem heating it. Or, if you do have a major heat loss, have a lot of pellets on hand.

I also keep it burning all year because I use it to heat my hot water too. In the summer I'll turn the water temp. settings way down since my DHW is only 120 deg. During the spring, summer, and fall I might burn 1.5 to 2 tons. I haven't kept an accurate count but it's been 2 to 3 bags per week.
 
I have the PB 105 and love it... you should be able to pick it up fot around $6500 before taxes with their $100 OFF DEAL
 
how much generally does installation cost? I would like to hook it in and still be able to use my furnace as back up. IS that possible to have both things installed? Can the Harman have different zones?
 
Chris04626 said:
how much generally does installation cost? I would like to hook it in and still be able to use my furnace as back up. IS that possible to have both things installed? Can the Harman have different zones?
Click to expand...

A heating contractor in Wisconsin installed my PB105 boiler for about $2K. He put in a primary/secondary loop that has the oil and pellet boilers hooked up in parallel so the pellet boiler needn't heat the oil boiler's water jacket when it runs.

Oops, I forgot that the venting was done separately by the Harman dealer. So add another $475 to that total.
 
hoverfly said:
MESys is based on a European design.
Click to expand...
Nope, Europe is far ahead of us in pellet boilers than we are. I believe MESys is a self cleaning system where you only have to dump the ash once or twice a year. Just make sure you do your fact finding home work.
 
Yes thats a big plus on the mesys is auto cleaning. They said roughly 20k installed unit itself is 9999 but the 20k also includes a 3 ton pellet storage hopper.

They said i couldnt do that unit because that requires pellet delivery through them, and they don't deliver to my area. said i would have to go with the convertible unit for $9999 that holds 300 pounds of pellets at a time.

The PB105 i was told would cost 7999 for the unit by the closest dealer but that requires alot more cleaning i guess.
 
Chris04626 said:
Yes thats a big plus on the mesys is auto cleaning. They said roughly 20k installed unit itself is 9999 but the 20k also includes a 3 ton pellet storage hopper.

They said i couldnt do that unit because that requires pellet delivery through them, and they don't deliver to my area. said i would have to go with the convertible unit for $9999 that holds 300 pounds of pellets at a time.

The PB105 i was told would cost 7999 for the unit by the closest dealer but that requires alot more cleaning i guess.
Click to expand...

list price is only $7100.00...your dealing with an A-hole...where do you live...bet I can ship you a unit for around 7000 dollars...plus tax on 6500...roughly 8% of 6500
 
Look into the Pinnacle PB150 (click my signature). I have had one for 4 years and it heats my 2100 + sq ft home, and could heat larger. Oldest running pellet boiler in North America. Simple design, doesn't have all those circuit board controls ~ which means less can go wrong. If something does go wrong, Mark is always available.
 
Chris04626 said:
how many btus is the harman? The mesys convertible unit is 68k but said it would heat 2000 sq feet i\on its mid to high setting
Click to expand...


up to 114,000 BTU
 
nice. I have an old wood furnace next to my current furnace i am hoping to have removed this summer and i think that would be a perfect spot for a pellet boiler.

Can a furnace and pellet boiler share a chimney?
 
Chris04626 said:
nice. I have an old wood furnace next to my current furnace i am hoping to have removed this summer and i think that would be a perfect spot for a pellet boiler.

Can a furnace and pellet boiler share a chimney?
Click to expand...

[QUOTECan a furnace and pellet boiler share a chimney][/QUOTE] Never!!

the PB 105 is a direct vent so it requires only a short shot through basement wall
 
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