Q: Which boiler should I consider: wood or pellet?
A: This decision is primarily one of lifestyle. Many people find it satisfying to prepare their own firewood. They can decrease their energy costs significantly, depend less on energy commodities, and of course get a bit of healthy exercise for mind and body. Wood pellet fuel advocates appreciate the simplicity of using pellets. Pellets are clean, require less storage and handling, do not require time to dry, and allow for the use of more automated appliances. Pellet fuel is a locally made energy source that is more loosely tied to commodity markets than oil and gas. This helps to make it an economical fuel sourIn many more urban areas the cost of firewood is equal to the cost of wood pellets.
Q: How do I know which size boiler I need?
A: A heat loss calculation/analysis (energy audit) is the most reliable method for selecting a boiler size. Best performed by a local installer, a heat loss calculation takes many aspects of the construction of the building into consideration including windows, doors, insulation, and square footage. Without a heat loss calculation, determining a boiler size can only be done using rules of thumb and historical information such ashow much wood or oil has been burned in the past. While much less accurate than a heat loss calculation, these methods can be successful. Your local installer can help you make the best decision.
Q: I am told your boilers must be used with heat storage tanks. Is that true?
A: Boilers sold by Tarm Biomass have never required storage tanks. However, we have decided to advocate the use of storage tanks as we feel they optimize the use of our boilers. In fact, we do not know of any wood burning boiler that would not benefit from being integrated with heat storage tanks. Beginning in October of 2008 we will offer the next generation of wood burning boilers. Due to the extremely high efficiency of these boilers, heat storage will be required. However, we will continue to offer wood burning boilers that do not require heat storage tanks.
Q: Do your wood pellet boilers require heat storage tanks?
A: No, the wood pellet boilers we offer modulate their operating temperature to match building demands, making heat storage unnecessary.
Q: Can either the wood or wood pellet boilers be used to heat domestic hot water in the summer?
A: Both boilers can be used during non-heating periods to heat domestic hot water. However, the use of these boilers for only domestic hot water heating will require the integration of a heat storage tank(s). Heat storage tanks enable the boilers to be fired continuously for a period long enough to fully combust available fuel. This enables the boilers to operate during non-heating periods without producing condensation or creosote. Use of boilers during the summer months should be considered carefully. Summer air is not conducive to smoke dispersion. Even our boilers, which burn with a clear exhaust, produce a wood smoke odor. If there are neighbors nearby, especially on the downwind side of your chimney, summer time use of these appliances is not advised.
Q: Can your boilers be located in an out building with heat supplied through pipes beneath the ground?
A: Technically our boilers can be used in that fashion. However, Tarm Biomass does not recommend this type of application for several reasons. Many states now define outdoor boilers as boilers that are specified for installation in buildings uninhabited by people. For many reasons, we do not want our systems to be classified as outdoor boilers. Further, it can be difficult to provide chimneys tall enough for proper operation and adequate exhaust dispersion in short out buildings. It is always best to locate heating appliances in such a way that the heat lost by the appliance can be used to heat the intended space.
Q: Do I have to worry about creosote when using either your wood or wood pellet boilers?
A: When used as instructed, the appliances we offer will produce virtually no creosote in the chimney or heat exchange tubes. These boilers, whether wood or wood-pellet burning, burn hot enough to combust tars that would otherwise have the potential to condense as creosote.
Q: What is the burn time on your wood boilers?
A: Burn time is completely influenced by the demand on the boilers. The boilers we offer will cycle on and off to maintain a consistent operating temperature. During off cycles, combustion cease and preserves the wood load. It is possible to have burn times of 2 days. While this is not recommended, it is possible during very low heat load periods. On the other hand, if the boilers are continuously burned red-hot with a fresh load of mixed hardwood, they will typically burn through a load of wood in about 4hours. When our boilers are sized properly, most customers should expect a minimum of an 8-hour burn time. When used with heat storage systems, the boilers typically consume all wood in the firebox in about 4 hours, but provide heat and hot water in a home for 12-24 hours.
Q: Who can install your boilers?
A: All boilers we sell can be installed by a licensed heating installer. Our products are pressurized boilers that can be easily integrated into an existing plumbing system or installed in a new home with very few exceptions to a traditional oil or gas boiler installation. Additionally, in many locations we have installing dealers or dealers affiliated with installers. Some states, such as Maine, require installers of solid fuel central heat to have a solid fuel installation license. We do not recommend homeowner self-installation.
Q: How much wood will I burn in a heating season?
A: An average home will use between 5 and 7 pulp cords (or a wood stack measuring 4’x 4’ x 8’) per heating season.
Q: How many pellets will I burn in a heating season?
A: An average home will use between 5 and 7 tons of premium wood pellet fuel per heating season. Most wood pellets are sold in 40-pound bags, with 50 bags to a ton. In some locations, bulk pellet delivery is possible. Bulk pellets arrive by tanker truck and can be fed into a hopper through auger or air pneumatic conveyance. A storage device capable of holding 5-10 tons is usually required where bulk delivery is available.
Q: What size wood can I put in the firebox?
A: All of our wood-burning boilers are manufactured in Europe. The standard convention there is to cut firewood ½ meter in length. Therefore, our fireboxes will take up t, the wood should be split so that no cross section is greater than 6”. Larger cross sections will normally burn successfully as long as the moisture content is less than 20%.
Q: Do you offer a boiler that burns wood pellets and oil, or wood pellets and gas?
A: Unfortunately, we do not. The pellet boilers are very specialized for pellet combustion. While combination boilers capable of burning wood pellets and oil or gas are available in Europe, we are not convinced that the technology is user-friendly.
Q: Can your wood boiler be converted to burn wood pellets?
A: Because our wood and wood pellet boilers are carefully engineered to optimize the use of each type of fuel, conversion is not possible.
Q: Can my wood boiler or pellet boiler burn coal?
A: Coal burning is not possible in any of the boilers we currently offer. Many Tarm boilers of the ’70s and ’80s could burn coal with the addition of coal burning kits, but with the advanced wood and wood pellet fuel combustion we offer today, coal burning is no longer possible.