Our Wood Pellet Boiler decisions.........

frugal6

Hi we live in a 6 bed house in the very north of Scotland and we have put in a MCZ 24 kW compact utility boiler in january this year and very impresed with it & so far it has been cheaper to run that oil that it replaced about a third cheaper. It does take longer to heat water up from cold compared to oil, in the summer months it uses a 10kg bag a day hot water only and in winter months it is using 2 bags a day . We hover it out every time we fill it and empty the ash pan a bout once a month. The only problem we have had so far is small water leak from an o-ring on the main water pump I fixed this myself as supplyer of the boiler doesnt have a very good backup service for spares.Would be good to hear if any of you have a good back up service who could get me spares if needed. Hope this info is off use to all.
Cheers

DaveWSmith

Hi, just an update. I have just ordered my 4th pallet of Pellets, we still have 1/2 a pallet left but with Christmas next week the delivery's may be erratic. I think that will be all until February/March (depending on the Weather) , Just over a Year since it was installed. Next, new rads with TRV's next year should improve the heat flow. and our EPC band.

Alycidon

nande2000 wrote: »

Im in a similar position so ill be keeping an eye on this post.
I was looking at Tundra stoves, my worry is the warranty and support network.

One thing I have found out from a friend of an owner of a wood pellet factory is that the business model is based on the price of wood pellets tracking the price of oil. Pellets will always be cheaper, but the prices will be linked.

Balcas dominate the UK pellet market, I was at a presentation from one of their senior guys a few years ago and he said that they will hold a differential between pellet and oil, so both rise or fall together. The other pellet producers such as Verdo fall in line.

A

Sycorax

I'm moving house in a couple of weeks and cureently it's served by bulk LPG which i dearly want rid of...

So I'm starting from scrtach on my research, but I need to be quick, I've only got a months supply of LPG in the tank.

I really want something basic (less to go wrong) for my 3 bed detached and I'm unafraid of manual labour. Filing a hopper and clearing the ash wont be an issue.

My first challenge though is finding some installers to give me quotes (I'm near Nuneaton) and I'd appreciate any recommendations, I'm nervous about being sold a load of stuff I don't need particuarly as I'm new to being 'off the grid'!

I notice one of the posters here does installations and whilst I appreciate this isn't a sales forum, if s/he can provide a quote or make a recommendation for someone in my part of the UK I would be eternally grateful!

ModelCitizen

I'm intending to install a biomass pellet boiler in the next couple of months and am trying to decide on which boiler, and whether I need a heat store and hopper. The
MCZ RED Compact24 is a contender solely due to its low price. Other boiler manufacturers suggested to us are Okufen, KWB and Froeling. Grant have not been offered as an option. Froeling look very good but are very expensive.

I am finding that the biggest problem is lack of information. None of the installers I've talked to agree and there is a noticeable lack of info on the web in English.

I'm very interested to know if the original poster is still happy with his MCZ RED Compact24 and filling it up every few days.

blogger57

DanRichards wrote: »

The current costs for us are approx 10K for a boiler, 12 radiators, pipework, new 250 litre twin coil solar unvented cylinder and installation.

Hi Dan
I was interested that you were using a twin coil solar unvented cylinder in your system Is that a specific requirement of the pellet boiler or are you just planning ahead to use solar water heating in the future?

DanRichards

ModelCitizen wrote: »

I'm intending to install a biomass pellet boiler in the next couple of months and am trying to decide on which boiler, and whether I need a heat store and hopper. The
MCZ RED Compact24 is a contender solely due to its low price. Other boiler manufacturers suggested to us are Okufen, KWB and Froeling. Grant have not been offered as an option. Froeling look very good but are very expensive.

I am finding that the biggest problem is lack of information. None of the installers I've talked to agree and there is a noticeable lack of info on the web in English.

I'm very interested to know if the original poster is still happy with his MCZ RED Compact24 and filling it up every few days.

I am indeed very happy with the boiler. We also struggled when we were looking for info on pellet boilers, there simply isn't any info out there, which was the main reason for starting this thread!

We were lucky I guess in finding an installer who knew what he was talking about. At the time it felt very much like a leap of faith, but I'm very glad we've done it.

Filling it up is just part of my routine in the morning. It's far from empty but it just feels better keeping it full, and I like how I can gauge each days use.

We were offered a Grant boiler, but the price was way too much. I'm sure it's a great boiler but wasn't anything like affordable for a home install.

All the best with your decision.

DanRichards

blogger57 wrote: »

Hi Dan
I was interested that you were using a twin coil solar unvented cylinder in your system Is that a specific requirement of the pellet boiler or are you just planning ahead to use solar water heating in the future?

It's simply that we plan on adding solar heating in the future. :cool:

ModelCitizen

Thanks for that. I am inclined towards a simpler and less expensive boiler than the over-engineered, hand-built and computer controller Froeling that I was initially offered. Due to getting on a bit I also want one that I can be fed by a hopper capable of taking 5 tons of pellets.

I have been pointed the way of Klover (sold in the UK by Stoves On Line) which, whilst not being quite as cheap as the MCZ RED Compact24 are still relatively inexpensive Italian production line boilers but have a few advantages (one being decent large hoppers).

I'm coming down on the side of having as large a store as I can fit/afford to keep boiler cycling at a minimum... as we are not at home during the day most days and the boiler will be required to warm itself up from cold in the morning and then again late afternoon a store seems to be a good thing. It will also enable me to connect in other forms of alternative heating should I need to, apparently.

The garage seems to be the best place to put it, but the insulated pipe for the flow and return to the house costs £50 a metre.... and we need at least 25m. :-(

Ever onwards. It's a learning journey.

DanRichards

ModelCitizen wrote: »

Thanks for that. I am inclined towards a simpler and less expensive boiler than the over-engineered, hand-built and computer controller Froeling that I was initially offered. Due to getting on a bit I also want one that I can be fed by a hopper capable of taking 5 tons of pellets.

I have been pointed the way of Klover (sold in the UK by Stoves On Line) which, whilst not being quite as cheap as the MCZ RED Compact24 are still relatively inexpensive Italian production line boilers but have a few advantages (one being decent large hoppers).

I'm coming down on the side of having as large a store as I can fit/afford to keep boiler cycling at a minimum... as we are not at home during the day most days and the boiler will be required to warm itself up from cold in the morning and then again late afternoon a store seems to be a good thing. It will also enable me to connect in other forms of alternative heating should I need to, apparently.

The garage seems to be the best place to put it, but the insulated pipe for the flow and return to the house costs £50 a metre.... and we need at least 25m. :-(

Ever onwards. It's a learning journey.

We also needed some insulated pipe, but luckily just a metre!! I wonder what sort of loss of efficiency you would experience with such a long run? Perhaps worth asking?
Boiler sounds good though. It really seems that choosing a boiler comes down to personal circumstances. We didn't need a hopper, therefore the mcz was perfect, although you can add them, i just fill every day.