Requirements

How does the efficiency compare to that of a boiler designed for pellets?

A boiler designed specifically to burn wood pellets will exhibit similar burning efficiency. Overall system efficiency will differ based on the length of time between cleaning of the heat exchanger surfaces in the boilers. Pellet boilers are designed with heat exchanger cleaners that require frequent cleaning (daily in most cases) to maintain overall system efficiency. Oil fired boilers are not designed with these cleaning mechanisms, and ash will build up on the heat exchanger surfaces of a boiler converted to wood pellets. As this ash builds up, system efficiency is lost. A converted boiler requires more frequent cleaning of the heat exchanger surfaces (than when firing on oil) in order to maintain efficiency and insure the safety of the system. Typical usage will see the need to clean a boiler converted from oil once for every three to four tons of pellets burned depending on your particular boiler. This cleaning consists of the removal of heavy ash from the firebox and brushing the heat exchanger to remove fly-ash; it is accomplished by our certified installation and maintenance technicians.

Frequently Asked Questions