- Location
- South Wales UK
Dragon same on start up but when up to temp. Clear
Biomass boiler reviews - are the returns as you were told?
- Thread starter frustratedfarmer
- Start date
farmer phil
Member
- Location
- Derby, uk
Makes no difference whether it's first burn after a good clean, or week to 2 weeks later, smoke issue still the same.
Regarding previous suggestions, I have no idea how to adjust top air, and there is no measurement of flue temp (or if there is I don't know where it is or how to alter it). It is at it's worst at start up and then if we haven't put much on it does clear, but then an hour later you start the process again if you want to keep the temperature of the whole system right up.
We have got 3 heat meters all located at the point where the heat exchangers are, a little way from the boiler and the accumulator tank.. I know someone who has just 1 heat meter on a dragon boiler and that is located right next to the boiler, before the tank. His is a slightly bigger boiler but he is getting less smoke and his returns are very much higher.
Doing it for the kids
Member
Usually there is a flap the other side of the fan which can adjust air flow up or down. Ring up,the manufacturer and ask them if unsure.
The usual,culprits for smoke are firstly moisture, then fuel type. Try keeping the chamber hot (turn stat on shunt pump up) and ideally flue should be above 300 degrees from memory.
I run a F200 amoung others and don't suffer too badly, however my plumbers always talk of smokie GF's and Dragon's, afraid it's down to the design as much as anything. Very pleased I spent the extra 15% back,then and went for blue over green.
The usual,culprits for smoke are firstly moisture, then fuel type. Try keeping the chamber hot (turn stat on shunt pump up) and ideally flue should be above 300 degrees from memory.
I run a F200 amoung others and don't suffer too badly, however my plumbers always talk of smokie GF's and Dragon's, afraid it's down to the design as much as anything. Very pleased I spent the extra 15% back,then and went for blue over green.
Which fuel supplier was that? We only supply one kind of pellets - BS EN Plus A1 certified so they're the best quality.
- Location
- Boroughbridge, york
cheap pellets can give more trouble than they are worth, to much ash causes clinkers and also chokes up the chimney fans.
Afterwood pellets dont have these issues
Afterwood pellets dont have these issues
We supply nationwide so could supply you with
Good to hear! Do you buy from us regularly?
welshfarming
Member
ask them how much wood you would need and what kw return you would expect from burning 1 ton / price per ton..
woodworm
Member
- Location
- Thetford Norfolk
@Afterwood , are your pellets UK manufactured?
farmerm
Member
- Location
- Shropshire
Well I wouldnt like to say just incase I have mis quoted them but their UK premium pellets come in a green bag and are £40 a pallet more than their imported product, despite both being EN Plus A1 certified and so on paper both being of the same "best quality"...
We supply both UK and imported pellets. If you have a preference, we can accommodate.
Biomass Bart
New Member
- Location
- South -West
Contact Edge Renewables - great company and can offer waste wood and straw boilers as well.
cricket1987
Member
Hi Dan,
we are based in leicestershire and install biomass boilers from 10kw to 1.5mw . chip, pellet, batch etc We have been installing for 8 years now and look after servicing contracts and problem fix existing installs.
If you want to get in touch to discuss then feel free, I can also give you contacts of existing customers so you can get a personal review on the company.
Biomass hut
Grain Buyer
Member
- Location
- Omnipresent
The answer is no from me too, RHI and Biomass has been the worst and most expensive decision I've ever made..
The following a summary letter to Ombudsman about the failure of the system, which describes the main issues. The Ombudsman have reached a conclusion and found in favour of the Supplier!!!
I don’t have the right handling equipment for processing 130 tons of wood per annum even if this was a feasible process, which it isn’t, because it isn’t profitable.
In the last year I have spent over £3300 on wood supply, not including having supplied at least £500 of my own wood (rated at £132 per tonne) – I am currently paying a wood supplier by direct debit until August 2016 for wood already burnt back in November last year.
.
just reading the two issues above. I think the people who haven't got an efficient set-up like yourself, lack a lot of the things an efficient user has. I'm saying this from experience as I was going to put a 199kw system in from scratch so I needed a big shed, processing gear, fuels stores etc. Plus the 6 properties I was going to put on the system were a fair way apart so the pipes were expensive. Most efficient systems went into big houses and onto farms with big sheds and plenty of handling gear....must be nice to load up a round bale with a telehandler and be done for the day.
Your second comment about wood being expensive. Were do you get the cost of £132 per tonne for your own wood? I can buy timber in the length at £40 delivered? No wonder your costs are so high if this is what you are paying for wood?
It must be frustrating for the Ombudsman to rule in the other parties favour, but by the sound of it, you need to address the problems and make the thing work.
warksfarmer
Member
Early days here but so far yes its all spot on to be honest. Wheat straw is burning at about 3500kwh/tonne. An underground insulated water pipe is delivering around 85 degrees of heat into a grain drying fan even though its a good 100m run from the boiler itself. The next stage is to get the farmhouse and some industrial units plumbed into it and we are reviewing the fuel supply as that is without doubt the pain. Presently we can put about 31,000 kwh of fuel onto the fuel supply system but this means we are refilling it quite a lot when there is a big heat requirement. I think a bulk system is probably going to be better in the long run and also we are looking at miscanthus as the fuel because it burns more efficiently so we would require about 25% less fuel per year whilst maintaining the same output. This means less handling of fuel and less storage space required etc etc. Costs look to be very similar to that of wheat straw as well.
The cost of the system did exceed budget slightly but this was associated items rather than the boiler itself. The rhi application was smooth although we have somebody managing this for us with us supplying them the info and them submitting it on our behalf.
When you take everything into account and pay for it then its returning double its cost as well as saving cost on heat from the likes of propane and kerosene as well as putting us in control of our own heat supply for 20 years. That along with some roof solar panels giving us 75% of our annual power requirement means we are quite self sufficient energy wise.
Doing it for the kids
Member
Pleased it's worked out for you, I recall you did the leg work early on to get it correct.
Is the 3500 kWh / ton the real value or what the boiler is giving you including loss through in efficiency?
Is the 3500 kWh / ton the real value or what the boiler is giving you including loss through in efficiency?
warksfarmer
Member
Well it's against bale numbers so the weights will vary but assuming a 550kg bale then we get 3500 kWh on the meter with a couple of wads left on each bale as it's a twin feed belt.
What we do is weigh a load of straw into the yard and then obviously monitoring the meter as we use the load.
- Location
- Boroughbridge, york
perhaps the answer to straw bale biomass storage?
http://www.haycap.co.uk/
http://www.haycap.co.uk/