Boiler gas pellets. A competent approach to the choice of fuel for organizing an autonomous heating system: liquefied gas or pellets? What to heat: pellets or gas

A universal or multi-fuel boiler for pellets and gas is a heating equipment with the ability to quickly switch from one type of fuel to another. The refurbishment takes place by replacing the burners. In most models, a built-in electric heating element is also provided.

The device and principle of operation of the pellet-gas boiler

Universal pellet gas boilers are distinguished by the presence of several combustion chambers mounted in general design. Fuel change is carried out in 10-15 minutes by connecting the desired burner. Combined pellet-gas boilers are especially relevant when connected to. Bottled gas is allowed.

The efficiency of the combined gas-pellet boiler reaches 90% on the main, and 85% on the reserve type of fuel. The basic package includes a main and a replacement burner. Re-equipment is made as simple as possible in order to enable independent replacement of the burner device, without inviting specialists.

Working on pellets

Transfer to pellets is carried out by means of an installation connected to the fuel bunker. After installing the burner, the operation of the boiler is as follows:

• Pellets come from the fuel bunker to the burner through a screw conveyor.
• Immediately after the start of the pellet supply, electric ignition is carried out using a piezoelectric element.
• In the flare burner, the built-in fan is turned on, which pressurizes. The combustion of pellets is carried out at an artificially raised combustion temperature.

To install a pellet burner, connectors are provided in the lower combustion chamber. Most manufacturers make fireboxes of standard sizes, which allows you to install a burner device from almost any manufacturer.

Boilers for gas and pellet burners are mainly made of cast iron. In view of the large weight, the installation is performed on a pre-prepared concrete base.

Work on gas

Pellet boilers with a gas burner, in the first place, are designed for connection to cylinder installations and gas holders. Wide distribution, equipment of this type, also received during the construction of houses in new cottage settlements, the gasification of which is planned for the near future.

To connect a gas burner, just perform a few simple manipulations:

• Close the unused furnace with a sealed hatch.
• in the hole, under gas equipment, install the burner.
• Set the switch to gas consumption mode.

Converting a pellet boiler to a gas one takes 10-15 minutes. There is no need to call a specialist to carry out the modification. Installation gas burner carried out in accordance with detailed instructions manufacturer, included in the basic configuration of the equipment.

Comparative characteristics of the efficiency of heating on pellets and bottled gas show the advantage of the first type of fuel. But after connecting the main gas, the financial efficiency of fuel pellets is significantly reduced.

Features of the operation of a gas-pellet boiler

Universal combined boiler for burning pellets and gas, has a high degree of automation and safety. The design provides for the presence of a large number of shut-off and control valves, which prevents the occurrence of emergencies.

Despite this, a multi-fuel combined heating boiler operating on gas and pellets requires the following measures:

• Installation is carried out with strict observance of all existing norms of SNiP and PPB.
• Installation work is carried out on a previously prepared solid base. The walls and floor of the room used for the boiler room are lined with ceramic tiles or other non-combustible materials.
• The minimum requirements for a boiler room are: ceiling height of at least 2.4 m; area 12 m²; box entrance doors should not have a lower threshold; ventilation holes are provided in the canvas.
• Installation of a chimney for a pellet boiler that switches to gas is carried out in compliance with the PPB standards. Provide fire breaks when passing the roof, walls and floor slabs. To increase traction, install a deflector. To prevent fire, a spark arrester is placed on the head of the pipe.

During operation, it is necessary to carry out periodic maintenance of the boiler. Depending on the availability of a self-cleaning system, work is carried out at intervals of several days to a month. During maintenance, accumulated soot and wood dust are removed from the electric drive, and the moving elements of the pellet fuel transmission.

Which is better - a combined boiler or two separate ones?

Combined gas and pellet boilers have the following advantages over mono-fuel systems:

• Smaller footprint.
• The cost is less, about a third, than you have to pay for two separate boilers.
• Usability alternative source thermal energy.
• The consumption of a pellet boiler, compared to a gas boiler operating on bottled fuel, is somewhat less. But when connecting the trunk, it becomes more profitable to use natural gas. The design of the boiler allows you to quickly switch from one type of fuel to another.
• Installation costs are halved.

The combined boiler is traditionally used for space heating, in cases where there is no stable supply of the required type of fuel. So, in the presence of pellets, you can heat the building with them, but after they finish, the equipment is quickly transferred to gas and vice versa.

With stable supplies, it becomes possible to choose which fuel is more economically profitable. In these aspects, universal boilers more convenient than mono-fuel units.

To keep warm Vacation home, cottage or cottage, you need fuel. Well, if it is possible to connect to the gas pipeline. What to do if it is not? Let's try to understand the pros and cons of other heating methods.

Heating with electricity

High price. If natural gas is the cheapest source of energy, then electricity is, if not the most expensive, then one of the most expensive. One kilowatt-hour of electricity will cost . For comparison, a kilowatt-hour of natural gas costs, and propane-butane -. For a year, this difference can result in tens and hundreds of thousands of rubles of additional expenses.

Insufficient selection. The general availability of electricity (unlike natural gas, it is really everywhere) does not mean at all that there will be enough energy to heat the whole country house. The power consumed by the heating system will not be pulled by any suburban power grid. If the network fails, solving this problem is almost as difficult as building a main gas pipeline.

Disadvantages of electric heating

• High price.
• Voltage drop in the network in cold weather.
• Insufficient electricity supply.

Heating with liquefied gas

Propane-butane is a liquefied gas, which is filled with gas-powered cars and well-known "country" gas cylinders Red. He gives the best combination prices and comfort after natural gas.

For autonomous heating a private house with gas, it is necessary to install an underground gas tank on the site. One gas tank holds several thousand liters of liquefied gas. This volume is enough to heat the house for many months. When the gas tank is empty (this happens once or twice a year), it will be replenished by special refueling cars.

Low price. Propane-butane costs one and a half to two times cheaper than electricity or diesel fuel: per kWh versus electricity and diesel fuel.

In practice, this means the difference between - how much heating costs 100 square meters liquefied gas for a year - and - a much more significant amount that would have been required to shell out if using diesel fuel.

Convenience. Like natural gas or electricity, propane-butane is supplied to the heating system without human intervention. This is not firewood or coal, which you need to throw up several times a day. Liquefied gas does not require regular loading and constant supervision. The gas tank needs refueling once or twice a year, and this is done by a specialist, not a homeowner. It may be necessary to clear the snow in winter so that a filling truck can drive up to the site. This is the worst thing that can happen.

Doesn't take up space. The gas tank is located underground. You can walk on it, you can grow on it herbaceous plants and even bushes. When the system is running gas heating does not emit a noticeable odor. No comparison to firewood, coal, pellets or diesel fuel, which will take up space on the plot or in the house to store.

Disadvantages of heating with liquefied gas

Heating with diesel fuel

Heating with diesel fuel will also require a tank, and the cost of installing it will be comparable to the cost of autonomous gasification Houses. At the same time, unlike propane-butane, diesel fuel cannot be called cheap.

High price. Diesel fuel is the most expensive source of energy used for autonomous heating of a private house. A kilowatt-hour of diesel fuel costs . Even electricity is a little cheaper. It will probably be difficult to spend more on heating.

Bad smell. This is an inevitable property of diesel fuel. A strong smell will follow the unfortunate owner of a diesel tank everywhere. The house will smell like in a garage, and on the site - like from a working tractor, and nothing can be done about it.

Problems when using low-quality fuel. The use of low-quality diesel fuel can lead to serious damage heating equipment. Those who use liquefied gas and gas tanks AvtonomGaz do not have such a problem: the quality of propane-butane does not affect its consumer properties.

Disadvantages of heating with diesel fuel

• High price.
• Sometimes you have to clean the snow for winter delivery.
• Strong smell in the house and on the site.
• Use of storage space.

Heating with coal or wood

Firewood and charcoal have the same disadvantages. They need to be loaded very frequently (so often that big house, you may need a stoker), require regular cleaning of the ashes, and their storage takes up a fair amount of area on the site. In addition, they also emit a strong odor.

Firewood needs to be loaded into the heating system three to four times a day. During the season, this will take at least hours. More than three working weeks of continuous physical labor, worked from start to finish. Not surprisingly, many people prefer to find a stoker. However, this in turn affects the price. Taking into account the payment of the stoker, the annual heating of a house of 100 square meters with the help of firewood will cost. This is more than the same amount for diesel fuel () or electricity ().

Coal is not particularly better in this sense. It must be loaded into the heating system two to three times a day, that is, a little less often than firewood. As a result, the time spent (and, accordingly, money, if you have to pay the stoker) turns out to be slightly less than when using firewood, but the difference is insignificant: for heating a house with an area of ​​100 square meters, taking into account the payment of the stoker.

In fairness, it should be noted that this problem has a partial solution. There are special boilers with a bunker, in which coal is refueled not several times a day, but only once every three to four days. This is a significant improvement compared to refueling every few hours, but against the background of propane-butane or even diesel fuel, it looks rather pale.

Warehouse place. A feature of firewood is the need for a large room for storage and drying. So that up to 40% of energy is not spent on evaporation of moisture, they must be dried for three years. A large room will occupy a part of the site, which otherwise could be found more useful application. Coal storage also requires a significant area.

Danger of poisoning. An unpleasant smell is a constant companion of any type of solid fuel, but in this case we can talk about a threat not only to the sense of smell, but also to life. If the boiler room is located directly in the house, when using solid fuels, the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning cannot be completely excluded.

Disadvantages of heating with wood or coal

The smell in the house and on the site.

Part of the site is occupied by a warehouse.

Fuel pellets made from peat and wood waste, differ from firewood more high density and calorific value. This is the most profitable and comfortable solid fuel, but all its advantages outweigh the already familiar disadvantages: the need for frequent loading, a strong smell, large room for storing bags of pellets.

Low price. Pellets are surprisingly cheap: only per kWh. If they didn't have to spend so much time loading, they would become the cheapest type of fuel. But time still has to be spent, albeit less than when using coal or firewood. Pellets should be loaded at least once a week, and taking into account the work of the stoker, this type of fuel can be considered average in cost, but by no means the cheapest: for heating one hundred square meters during the year.

Disadvantages of heating with pellets

The need to clean the ash and pay for the stoker.

The smell in the house and on the site.

Part of the site is occupied by a warehouse.

Consumption ecology. Homestead: As a comparison, let's consider connecting and heating a house with a gas and pellet boiler in order to understand which option is more efficient.

As a comparison, consider connecting and heating a house with a gas and pellet boiler in order to understand which option is more efficient.

Connection

To connect gas boiler you will need to do the following:

• prepare documentation;
• purchase gas equipment;
• lay pipes;
• connect the boiler;
• pay for the connection.

Average connection to main pipe and other costs combined would be about $15,000. When connecting, you will need the help of employees of the gas service, the Ministry of Emergencies.

The cost of installing a pellet boiler does not differ from a gas one. But unlike the previous case, you can not turn to the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for help. A pellet boiler requires a specially designated place for storing briquettes. But given the biological inactivity, the remains after the winter can be stored even under a canopy.

Security

Rarely, but still, a gas leak occurs, which explodes when the slightest spark hits. Pellet fuel does not ignite without a powerful air supply. For pellets to ignite, a spark is not enough.

Price

A good gas boiler will cost 4-5 thousand dollars. To save on purchase, you can buy a burner and install it yourself. A pellet boiler costs about 2-3 thousand dollars.

Operation features

Definitely gas boilers are easier to handle. The only thing they require is a check/adjustment once a year. The quality of the incoming fuel is unchanged and meets the standards.

The operation of a pellet boiler is more labor-intensive. Once every 2 weeks, cleaning of the furnace from ash is required, once every 2 months, cleaning of the burner is required, but perhaps more often, it all depends on the quality of the fuel.

Which boiler is more environmentally friendly?

Gas is not for everyone. During its combustion, a high level of CO is released, as well as a large number of impurities. During the combustion of pellets, the smell of hot wood is released, CO emission is neutral.

Gas or pellets: comparison

The gas boiler takes less area, it is characterized by automation and good calorific value, it is absolutely safe to operate. The pellet boiler has a low ash content, automatic fuel supply, high level efficiency. At the same time, gas is considered an inexpensive fuel, but its price is constantly growing. The pellet boiler is absolutely safe, produces transparent smoke, pellets can be burned even in a home fireplace.

Results

Each of the boilers has a set of advantages and disadvantages, and the final choice depends on the needs of the buyer. If we talk about the initial costs of connection, then in the case of gas model the cost of connection will be 2-3 times higher in comparison with the pellet one. Therefore, if further savings justify significant initial costs, then the choice in favor of a gas boiler is obvious. published

If there is a central gas supply, the question of the method of heating disappears by itself, since natural gas is the cheapest and most efficient raw material for heating system. However, in his absence, before the owners of private houses and country cottages several questions arise at once: the easier it is to heat the room, which is more expensive – kilowatt propane butane or pellets, on which option to stop, etc.

Types of heating a private house

There are several ways to provide a country house with heat in cold weather:

1. Electricity;
2. liquefied gas;
3. pellets;
4. coal and firewood.

For many, the price is of paramount importance, so it is advisable to determine at the planning stage what is more expensive: propane, butane, pellets, or a kilowatt of electricity.

Comparison of the cost of heating a house different types fuel (actual numbers may vary)

The use of electricity is perhaps the most accessible way in terms of organization. Unlike gas, a cable with supply voltage is connected to almost every house in our country. However, electric heating also has its drawbacks. Firstly, 1 kilowatt is quite expensive (from 3 rubles). Secondly, not every power line will be able to provide the settlement with the required load.

At correct operation standard furnace design, the efficiency will be slightly higher than that of electric heating. However, to create optimum temperature indoors will require a lot of effort. Firewood or coal must be regularly added to any stove, so in such houses the mornings are very often cold.

To date, the most optimal solutions for the organization of the heating system - the use of liquefied hydrocarbon gas (propane-butane) or fuel granules (pellets). Therefore, we will dwell on these options in more detail.

On the left is a gas tank that is filled with LPG; right - pellets

Propane-butane and fuel pellets: how to heat them

Advantages autonomous gasification:

• independent gas supply;
• high efficiency;
• low frequency of refueling;
• warm home at any time;
• hot water.

You will find more articles on our blog on this topic.

The advantages of LPG and a gas tank cannot be denied

Asking the question what is more expensive - a kilowatt of butane propane or pellets, you need to understand the specifics of the use of fuel pellets. For their combustion, special solid fuel boilers, which are able to regulate the supply of fuel and the release of thermal energy. Of course, such equipment costs a lot (from 150,000 rubles), however, its efficiency is an order of magnitude greater than that of a conventional furnace. Some models provide not only comfortable conditions indoors, but also organize hot water supply.

Where is the efficiency higher and what is more expensive - a kilowatt of propane butane or pellets

When burning 1 kg solid fuel 5 kW of thermal energy is released, and when burning 1 kg of liquefied gas - 12.8 kW. The efficiency of propane-butane is higher than that of fuel pellets. At the same time, pellets have more low cost– 7 rubles/kg versus 27 rubles/kg. Simple calculations show that 1 kW of solid fuel costs 1.4 rubles, while the price of a kilowatt of liquefied gas is 2.1 rubles.

As can be seen, the cost of thermal energy obtained from a propane-butane mixture is 1.5 times higher. However, when choosing the most suitable option heating take into account not only the price of fuel, but also some operational issues.

And below is a video on the production of pellets:

Comparison of heating systems

The gas storage is usually located underground, that is, it does not occupy free space on the site. At the same time, a separate room is required for the storage of pellets, in which the humidity of the air must be maintained at a minimum level. In addition, fuel pellets require periodic loading, not as frequent as when using firewood and coal, but still human participation is necessary. The gas tank is filled no more than 2 times a year, and the rest of the time you just enjoy the presence of gas in the house and warm rooms.

The video shows the principle of operation of the pellet stove:

Summing up, we can say that it is beneficial to use pellets in small enterprises, especially in the woodworking industry. Firstly, it is possible to make fuel pellets from wood waste and get practically waste-free production. Secondly, in such conditions it is not so difficult to find a dry and spacious place to store fuel.

You can fill the tank with high-quality propane-butane at the Promtekhgaz company, which will help ensure uninterrupted gas supply to your business or private home.

In order not to plunge into the jungle of calculations and know real consumption pellet for home heating, it is worth looking at the statistics of the owners of pellet boilers, who post their reports in direct access.

Pellets are an autonomous fuel for a heating boiler, as well as liquefied gas, and. And if you need a gas tank and the services of a specialized organization to use LPG, then nothing is needed to install a pellet boiler or a diesel fuel boiler.

You can compare these two types of autonomous fuel - pellets and diesel fuel. In general, in terms of calorific value, 1000 liters of diesel fuel are equal to 2 tons of pellets. Here we are talking about the so-called "white pellets", which have good performance in terms of calorie content and stable indicators for combustion and ash content.

Why doesn't it make sense to compare, for example, mains gas and electricity with pellets? Because the first two types of fuel are network ones. If you have networks, you have fuel. There is no gas pipeline and there is not enough - there is no heating of the house.

Next, there is coal. However, although we live in a country that is one of the top three coal-producing countries in the world as of 2016, Russia does not have enough infrastructure to supply quality coal to the population.

Only in coal-mining areas can one hope for regular supplies of coal. And then, as the experience of Kuzbass shows, in the area where coal is mined, in the afternoon with fire you will not find good quality coal for heating a private house.

If the situation with the supply of high-quality coal in Russia were different, every second owner of a private house would have a Carbobot in the boiler room, which would supply hot water to the heating and hot water system.

As a result, we have a situation where, in order to provide autonomous heating for a private house, the owners actually choose between pellets and diesel fuel.

It is difficult to take firewood into account, since it is impossible to provide automated heating at home on wood for at least a week. We already wrote about this in the material "?"

Calculations are calculations, but reality sometimes gives us food for thought. That is why we have collected in this material feedback from the owners of pellet boilers on the consumption of pellets for concrete houses in winter.

See reviews on pellet consumption, you can see practically a “picture of your house” by region, heated area, insulation and understand how much your boiler will consume.

Pellet consumption - reports of owners of pellet boilers

Below are the reports of the owners on the consumption of pellets. The data is structured and includes the following items:

1. House area / heated area.
2. Wall material / wall thickness / house insulation.
3. Pellet boiler / pellet burner.
4. Outdoor temperature at which measurements were taken.
5. Pellet consumption in different periods of the heating season.
6. Specific consumption of pellets per 1 sq.m. heated area (kg/sq.m.) per month.

So what do we have?

House of 330 square meters in the Moscow region, Kaluga direction. Foam block house 30 cm, wall insulation with foam plastic 15 cm, ceiling - 25 cm foam. R=6.15. Boiler KCHM 50 kW and.
Consumption at -9C = 30 kg/day, at -13C = 35 kg/day, at -25C (January) = 55 kg/day.
The specific consumption of pellets for home heating is 5 kg per 1 sq.m. per month.

House of 180 square meters in the Smolensk region. House made of timber 150mm, insulation with basalt wool 50mm, ceiling 200mm basalt wool, floor 150 mm basalt wool. Boiler OPOP Woody (OPOP Woody) 16 kW. Consumption amounted to 5500 kg for the heating season.
The specific consumption of pellets for home heating is 3.5 kg per 1 sq.m.

Now the Northwest region.

Wood concrete house 160 square meters near St. Petersburg. Wall thickness 30 cm. Ceiling 20 cm mineral wool, floor 20 cm mineral wool. Warming according to wooden lags. Boiler KCHM 5 Combi and Obshchemash. The heat loss of the house at 0C is 50W per sq.m.
Pellet consumption in the coldest months of the year (January, February) is 6.5 kilograms per 1 sq.m. per month.

Let's go back to the capital.

Frame house 180 square meters in the Moscow region. Frame insulation 150 mm basalt wool, ceiling 250 mm wool and floor 200 mm wool. Boiler DON 16 and pellet burner Obshchemash 10/20.
Monthly expenses in 2013 - October 660 kg/month, November 990 kg/month, December 1620 kg/month.
The specific consumption of pellets for heating the house amounted to 3.7 kg per sq.m. in October, 5.5 kg per sq.m. in November and 9 kg per sq.m. December.

House of 170 square meters in the vicinity of Riga. Walls timber 15 cm and insulation with ecowool 15 cm. Ecowool ceiling 30 cm, ecowool floor 20 cm. Grandeg Bio 25 pellet boiler.
At a temperature in December during the day -6C, at night -9C, the consumption is 25 kg of pellets per day.
Specific consumption for home heating - 4.5 kg of pellets per 1 sq.m.

And again the Moscow region.

A house with an area of ​​135 square meters in the Moscow region is used as a dacha. The temperature of +15C is maintained in the house during the week. Pellet power 16 kW.
The consumption of pellets at a temperature outside the window of -5C (delta 20 degrees) is approximately 700 grams per hour (GSM monitoring data).
The specific consumption of pellets for heating a country house is 3.6 kg per square meter per month.

Let's see what is happening in Belarus.

House with an area of ​​200 sq.m. near Minsk. The walls are timber 22 cm, the second light is 5 meters high, the ceiling is insulated with a bonfire 20 cm. Pellet boiler TIS (Poland) 25 kW.
Pellet consumption in December at -1C is 1000 kg per month.
Specific is 5 kg per 1 square meter of heated area per month.

And finally, the very north.

House of 250 square meters in the city of Novy Urengoy. The walls are made of gas silicate 370 mm and the insulation along the walls is 50 mm of basalt wool. Floor 150 mm wadding and ceiling 150 mm wadding.
Pellet boiler OPOP Woody 16 kW and boiler indirect heating(BKN) per 200 liters for the production of hot water.
Pellet consumption at -17C is 2 kg per hour, at -0C fuel consumption is 1.3 kg/hour.
Specific consumption of pellets for heating and production hot water ranges from 3.6 to 5.6 kg per 1 sq.m. Houses.

In the latter case, the ceilings are clearly insufficiently insulated, especially the ceiling, through which the main heat losses of the house occur.

We hope that this material will allow you to form own opinion in terms of fuel consumption.

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