The choice of solid fuel boilers as the main source of thermal energy is due to several factors. One of them is the affordable cost of fuel. But along with this, they note the inconvenience in maintenance - it is necessary to constantly fill the furnace, remove ash, etc. Therefore, heating the house with pellets is chosen as the best alternative: boilers, consumption, reviews of which speak of advantages over conventional systems.
Features of pellet heating at home
First you need to understand the difference between pellets and ordinary wood. For the production of pellets, wood waste is used, which undergoes several stages of processing. After thorough drying and cleaning, they are exposed to steam, resulting in a viscous mass. Then, under a pressure of 300 atm, small cylindrical granules from 6 to 8 mm in diameter and up to 70 mm long are obtained.
A modern pellet heating boiler can generate more heat than a wood-fired one. This can be seen from the comparative table of the calorific value for different types of fuel.
| Fuel | Calorific value, kW / kg |
| Firewood | 2,84 |
| Fuel briquettes | 4,7 |
| Pellets | 4,99 |
But even this is not the advantage of heating the house with pellets. The problem of constantly filling the combustion chamber with fuel was solved in a rather efficient way. In general, the heating system consists of several blocks:
- Bunker... Designed for storage of pellets. Often made of stainless steel. An important parameter is its volume. Depending on this, a further maximum fuel supply is determined;
- Pellet feeding line to the boiler... Consists of a flexible hose and auger. Under their own weight, the granules enter the auger rotor and from there into the distribution chamber;
- Modern pellet boilers for home heating are divided into multiple zones... In the first one, the granules are loaded, which fall through the bell into the zone of action of the air burner. In this case, incomplete combustion of the fuel occurs, as a result of which wood gas is formed. It is the main source of heat, burning in the afterburner.
With such a heating scheme, the operation of the boiler is almost completely automated. It is necessary only once every 3-4 days, with continuous work, to remove ash and, as necessary, replenish the bunker with fuel.
The rules for installing a pellet boiler for heating a private house are the same as for other similar equipment. Therefore, it is best to equip a boiler room for this, which will meet the requirements of SP 42-101-2003.
Pellet boiler selection
Without a properly selected boiler, it is impossible to heat a house with pellets. Reviews of various models are not always unambiguous. Someone does not like the relatively low efficiency, some complain about the constant clogging of the combustion chamber. Therefore, when choosing equipment, it is recommended to pay attention not only to its power, but also design features.
The ratio of the generated heat energy to the area of the house for pellet equipment is standard - 1 kW per 10 m² of living space. Then you need to pay attention to the following functional and design features of the boiler:
- Combustion chamber volume... The maximum load of the furnace and the time of burning out of all fuel depends on this;
- Self-cleaning function... Pellet heating boilers have a flue gas spiral. Over time, a layer of soot can form on it, which will significantly reduce the power of the equipment;
- Automatic control... It is best to choose models with the ability to adjust the load depending on external factors - room temperature, outside, etc. In this case, the consumption of pellets for heating will be optimized.
For consumers, the main indicator is still the cost of the boiler. Among the many models, there are several that are used for heating with pellets. Reviews about their work speak of reliability and a good indicator of efficiency. One of the most affordable is the products of the Russian company Teplodar. Their model Kupper OK 20 currently costs about 84 thousand rubles. The kit includes a hopper, a feeder, a burner and the boiler itself.
In the industrial segment of powerful heating equipment, Viesmann is the leader. Their automated set, designed for a maximum power of 90 kW, costs about 310 thousand rubles.
In addition to power, you need to pay attention to the boiler efficiency. Efficient heating of a house with pellets is possible with a minimum rate of 80% or more.
Pellet quality for heating
However, in addition to the correctly selected equipment, the operation of pellet boilers for heating a house directly depends on the quality of the fuel. The popularity of this method of heating the room has led to the appearance of low-quality granules, made by handicraft without observing technology. This was reflected in the actual indicator of the calorific value - it is significantly below the norm. There is a misconception that the consumption of pellets for heating in a private house depends on their color. In fact, the darker the pellets, the more bark was used to make them. Light yellow pellets are made from furniture industry waste, and dark brown pellets from logging. Also, all types of granules will sink in water, since their density index exceeds 1.
Ash content is one of the main selection criteria. According to the existing European standards, this figure should not exceed 1.5%. In case of inconsistency, a large amount of slag will form during combustion, which will negatively affect the operation of the boiler.
In addition, high-quality pellets should have the following characteristics:
- Humidity - less than 10%... Otherwise, there will be an increase in the consumption of pellets for heating due to the loss of heat capacity;
- Dust content - no more than 11%... This directly affects the ash content of the pellets;
- Packaging... The best option when the granules are stored in special bags, treated inside with a waterproofing film. In this case, the storage period can be calculated in years.
The cost of one kilogram of granules is from 6 to 10 rubles. depending on the packaging. If you have a large bunker, it is recommended to purchase pellets in so-called big bags - large bags. The full container weight will be about 900 kg.
You can find reviews on pellet heating on specialized forums. Comments on the websites of sellers or manufacturers are not always objective due to internal moderation.
How to determine the consumption of pellets
Another correct question that arises before the future owners of the above equipment is how many pellets do you need to heat a house? To determine this indicator, you need to know the main factors of consumption.
The main one is the area of the house. With the proper level of thermal insulation for heating 1 m² of the room, 200 grams of pellets will be consumed for heating in a private house. This is an approximate figure, depending on the boiler model and its parameters.
In addition, such characteristics must be taken into account when calculating the flow rate.
Selection of the power of the pellet boiler
Ideally, it should correspond to the ratio of 1 kW of energy per 10 m² of the room. However, in this case, the equipment will operate at maximum load. Therefore, you need to take a small margin of power. Then, for a building with an area of 200 m², the following amount of pellets will be needed to heat the house - (200/10) * 0.2 = 4 kg per hour at maximum load.
Automatic fuel supply system
It is necessary to install such a fuel supply mechanism in order to create economical heating of a private house with pellets. Reviews of homemade augers and flow control devices are generally not very good - it is difficult or impossible to fine-tune the pellet feed into the boiler. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase factory models.
Climatic zone
For winters with a low minimum temperature, the consumption of pellets will be correspondingly less than during extremely low frosts. This is also necessarily taken into account when calculating the consumption of pellets for heating in the house.
If there is a gas main, it is best to choose this type of energy carrier. Pellet heating is considered economical, but still more expensive than gas heating.
Self-made heating with pellets
Is it possible to heat a house with pellets so as to minimize material costs? In some cases, modernization of a standard solid fuel boiler is carried out.
To do this, you need to purchase a pellet burner and a pellet auger. When using big bags, you can make a suspension system that replaces the hopper. Flexible PVC hose should be 75 to 100 mm in diameter. This takes into account that the auger will be mounted inside it. The latter is best purchased from the factory, since an electric motor for rotation will already be installed in it.
The burner also needs a factory burner, as in case of self-production, problems with reliability and power regulation are possible. The average cost of a 30 kW model will be from 45 to 50 thousand rubles. The main problem will arise when operating an old boiler. It does not provide a cleaning system, as in special models. Therefore, it will be necessary to clean the heat exchanger from soot once every 2-3 months.
Is it profitable to use a pellet heating boiler? Yes, but it is best to choose boiler models that can operate not only on pallets, but also on any other solid fuel. Some of them are even designed for the installation of a gas or diesel burner. This will make it possible to change the type of fuel without upgrading the entire system.
As an example of the complexity of self-manufacturing a pellet burner, you can watch the video:
