Gerkros Wood Pellet Boiler

tinofapples

Okay Folks,
I'm looking for help in the shape of comments and experiences from people who have installed or considered installing the Gerkros Woodpecker Boiler system. A couple of weeks ago a friend of my wife told us that his plumber told him to avoid this particular boiler , I took that with a pinch of salt and thought , ah maybe he's a fussy f'er or something like that. Then yesterday I got a call from my brother in law who's doing most of our self build for us. Seems he met a plumber (Who he's lining up for our house) at another house and got talking about the WP boilers. The plumber told him to stay away from a Gerkros boiler , and briefly explained to him why. Said we'd only have trouble with it.

Now I have applied for and been approved for the grant with the Gerkros boiler and now I'm concerned about going ahead with this particular model. I'm told there isn't an issue changing the model or manufacturer you purchase.

Can those that have heard similar stories let them be heard here and those who actually have the boiler installed do the same .

Thanks,
Dave

mjffey

We have heard similar not so positive stories about gerkos and we are now going for Extraflame woodpellet boilers. Very sleek (Italian) design. Hopper and boiler in one unit. Expensive too.

We'll get it from Ecostoves (Rooferpete)

Goll Mac Morna

Also have been approved for the grant for the GERKROS model. however got negative vibe from electrician who was quoting for our house in JULY. he had installed one and said that there was a fair amount of black soot?? coming from it . this doesn't sound right, but he said it was a very fine soot and that he had to clean it weekly and that GERKROS had promised to look into it.
Although our plumber put that down to 'teething problems' with a new boiler.


The electrician put great store in the fact that it being an Irish model (of sorts) he could get any part he needed in 24hours.
When I asked him how long he was waiting for the Gerkros man to come to look at the problematic boiler he said two or three weeks :rolleyes:



I was talking to someone from GERkros last week and they are supposed to be launching a much smaller utility room boiler after Christmas.
Would be interested in any other opinions on the GERKROS boiler.

tinofapples

Thanks Goll,
As you say would like to hear more people's experiences .

beer enigma

edit at request

Gimme a shout if I can help further

Rathlynin

I'd agree with earlier comments that the boilers are only as good as the installers that put them in. I have commissioned some Woodpeckers from Gerkros and I think its an excellent product which works very well. However I've gone to commission some boilers and how some householders expect the boilers to work in the conditions and locations they are locayed I'll never know...bad chimneys/no chimneys/ wide open sheds.......I know Gerkros have had problems with guys thinking they know it all and trying to commission the boilers themselves...I think this is amazing given Gerkros have included commissioning in the price..In short I know several Gerkros boilers working very well but there are many plumbers and electricians who haven't a clue and they're being found out.......

Builderwoman!

We have one up and running for past six weeks or so and the only probems we had was the pellets like Andip says it's more the pellet than the boiler that is the issue when there are problems. We had the wrong size of pellets and bad quality pellets from bags until Balcas came with our bulk order and they certainly affected the efficiency of the boiler.

Woodpecker isn't the rolls royce of boilers and you won't be able to call it up and switch it on but it seems like a genuinely good boiler for the money. Only other problem was their silo which took a little bit of persuasion to get someone to put it together (it comes flat packed which is a little disappointing given the price of it!) and I have the name and number of a guy now who can put it together no problems so if anyone needs it just pm or post back. There was also a small issue with the augur which our elecrtician discovered but our plumber fixed it. It's a motor issue which wires need to be switched around nothing complicated. It's all up and running perfectly and not using very much pellets either! We're very happy so far. At least you can ring the company here in Ireland if you have a problem and our plumber was dealing directly with one of the owners, Declan, a service you won't get it you buy a "foreign" boiler. They sorted out the problems between themselves over the phone. I would say their office staff aren't terribly efficient and when I got talking to the right person we were able to solve all our issues. I wouldn't have any hesitation in recommending it but watch out some suppliers are charging a lot more than others for the Woodpecker! Let us know what you decide? Best of luck.

tinofapples

Thanks Builderwoman.

That's a little more reassuring.

eddiej

Builderwoman,

Asregards the hopper when you say it has to be assembled is this just abolt together job or does it have to be welded

Thanks
Eddie

PS Grekros will be at the ploughin over the next few days if anyone wants to see them will be payin a visit myself

prospect

I have a 180,00 BTU Gerkros kerosene boiler at the minute. It is installed outside, and runs our UFH downstairs, and Rads upstairs, and heats the water in the tanks en-route.

Can these woodpellet boilers be installed outside? Also, i believe it costs little over €1000 for these, when then grant is considered, can you part exchange your oil boiler with this, do they produce a 180K BTU equivalent?

Thanks.

Kashkai

prospect wrote:

I have a 180,00 BTU Gerkros kerosene boiler at the minute. It is installed outside, and runs our UFH downstairs, and Rads upstairs, and heats the water in the tanks en-route.

Can these woodpellet boilers be installed outside? Also, i believe it costs little over €1000 for these, when then grant is considered, can you part exchange your oil boiler with this, do they produce a 180K BTU equivalent?

Thanks.

The key thing to keep in mind when using wood pellet is that the pellets have to be kept dry. Otherwise, they'll fall apart and just clog the boiler. They should be placed in a garage/shed that is dry. You can get models that are combination room/central heating models but they wouldn't be powerful enough to produce 180k BTU. I think they are 90k BTU rated.

eddiej

prospect wrote:

I have a 180,00 BTU Gerkros kerosene boiler at the minute. It is installed outside, and runs our UFH downstairs, and Rads upstairs, and heats the water in the tanks en-route.

Can these woodpellet boilers be installed outside? Also, i believe it costs little over €1000 for these, when then grant is considered, can you part exchange your oil boiler with this, do they produce a 180K BTU equivalent?

Thanks.

Gerkros have a woodpecker boiler hopper combination that is enclosed in a kind of stainless steel box that can be installed outside its on their website I spotted it yesterday and by the way I dont work for them

Eddie

Builderwoman!

Hi EddieJ and all,
We have the Gerkros supplied (not manufactured by them think it's made in Sweden or Denmark) steel silo. It came flat packed which we were a little disappointed about and instructions weren't brilliant. But we got a guy who can be available to others who is really handy at jobs such as these do put it together for us. He did a fine job. It has to be water tight but not air tight. It is bolted together and despite high winds, rain etc is keeping our pellets in perfect condition. I think it's a good product it's just a bit time consuming to put together and one of those jobs that your plumber will probably not want to spend time doing. As I say the guy I have can travel and would be more than capable of putting it together. Then you just need your electrician and plumber to hook it up to the boiler.

These boilers are very cost effective Prospect when you take the grant into consideration but storage is the expensive issue and proper storage as Prosperous Dave and others say is vital. Don't think Gerkros do part exchange but I would recommend you look into switching over. We are very happy with it so far.

eddiej

Hi all,

Just wondering the boiler itself has a small storage capacity as far as i can gather for about 2-3 days. So if you had outbuildings that were water tight and vermin proof etc could you just order 10 or 12 tonnes of pellets and pop them in there and fill the boiler every so often. i was thinking of using it in conjunction with passive design and solar water heating so would only be a back up anyone of or experienced people any comments. Any other comments welcome too of course

eddie

prospect

Thanks guys, and gals.

I was thinking, I could get a smallish PVC coated steel shed installed and have the boiler installed in it, with a small hopper. Then as Eddiej suggested, just keep the pellets in the shed and top it up every few days when cleaning out the soot? Would this work?

Also, how are the pellets delivered? A truck would not be able to access where my boiler is?

Also, the biggest size currently seems to be 50kW which seems to be equivalent to 170,000BTU, is this calculation correct?

beer enigma

prospect wrote:

Thanks guys, and gals.

I was thinking, I could get a smallish PVC coated steel shed installed and have the boiler installed in it, with a small hopper. Then as Eddiej suggested, just keep the pellets in the shed and top it up every few days when cleaning out the soot? Would this work?

Also, how are the pellets delivered? A truck would not be able to access where my boiler is?

Also, the biggest size currently seems to be 50kW which seems to be equivalent to 170,000BTU, is this calculation correct?

Yep - 0.293Kw = 1000 BTU, so 170k BTU = 49.825Kw

Dont forget, pellet boilers generally run much more efficently that oil & as a rule of thumb for a modern insulated house, its 10Kw per 1000sq ft of house.

Bulk pellets are 'blown' into the silo by a truck (similar to the ones that deliver chicken feed) - distances vary, but the max is about 120ft - worth considering when you site your silo. Bagged pellets are the other option, but they come at a premium over bulk.

Most people using the hopper solution fill it up initially (most will hold 200kg or so) & then just top it up as you're passing. The ash from the pellet boilers is minimal and you only really need to empty them maybe once a month max. If you're getting a lot of ash, its asign that the boiler is not running efficiently or that the pellet quality if poor.

A 6mm-8mm pellet with 6% moisture will give you roughly 92% effienciency from the boiler compared to a 10mm pellet of 8% moisture which will give you only 80% efficiency.

Builderwoman!

Prospect like Andip says you only get ash about once a month. We used bags in for a few weeks and I would def recommend saving and planning for a silo option sooner rather than later as it is much more cost effective. We're just back from hols and it was great not to have to worry about who was going to put pellets into the small silo while you were away(bit like who's gonna feed dog or cat!). Our heat had to be on because we have a granny flat and we wanted the house to tick over too as we had just moved in and wanted to keep the underfloor going at a minimum. So you can manage with bags but plan for large silo. The lorry needs to get about same distance to your storage as an oil lorry. 15/16 feet I think. 6ml pellet we are told will give you much better efficiency than 8 ml. Woodpecker prefers 6ml cos we had 8 ml bags in the beginning and it was not as efficient running on them at all. We have th 50kw boiler but we have a large floor area with a house and granny flat. Get a small shed from Shannette sheds (that's where Gerkros buy them from) in Kilbeggan and it will work fine as a boiler house.

Eddie we don't have a passive design but are using solar and wood pellet and it is the way to go. But you do need the boiler to tick over in our situation. Plan for the future for storage for cost effectiveness as much as conveinece. A bulk order is SO much cheaper than bags.

prospect

Thanks Builderwoman.

I would be also interested in the details of your Solar install. We have a very large roof area facing South-South-East, I am told it is the ideal direction and pitch for solar panels. It could easily accommodate alot of solar panels.

When building i tried to research solar panels but found the information in ireland to be very poor and sparse.

Are they expensive?
Did you get grants?
How do they interact with the woodpellet boiler?
Do you need extra controls in the system?
What do they contribute to your overall heating solution?
Is the install difficult, in a retro fit situation?
Do you need specalist plumbers to install?
Etc.

Mucho appreciado.

Vinneyboy

Hello Builderwoman,

just a quick question on the gerkros woodpellet system do you have to leave the system on 24/7 or can you come in at night from work and turn it on?

eddiej

prospect wrote:

Thanks Builderwoman.

I would be also interested in the details of your Solar install. We have a very large roof area facing South-South-East, I am told it is the ideal direction and pitch for solar panels. It could easily accommodate alot of solar panels.

When building i tried to research solar panels but found the information in ireland to be very poor and sparse.

Are they expensive?
Did you get grants?
How do they interact with the woodpellet boiler?
Do you need extra controls in the system?
What do they contribute to your overall heating solution?
Is the install difficult, in a retro fit situation?
Do you need specalist plumbers to install?
Etc.

Mucho appreciado.

the SEI site says that to avial of there grants the renewables must installed by registered contractors of which I thnk they have a list but I am not sure and also how up to date it is but you could get in contact with them www.sei.ie

Hope this helps
Eddie

prospect

eddiej wrote:

the SEI site says that to avial of there grants the renewables must installed by registered contractors of which I thnk they have a list but I am not sure and also how up to date it is but you could get in contact with them www.sei.ie

Hope this helps
Eddie

Thanks Eddie,

I e-mailed Gerkros yesterday with a few questions, have not heard back yet though.
I sometimes find that sei site a bit difficult to sift through. But I have a headache at the minute, which doesn't help.

Builderwoman!

Hi Prospect

Would def put in solar panels now. We were getting 65 degrees coming in from our panels earlier this week on a dull September day! Free hot water!!

To answer your questions:

Are they expensive?
7.5 metres cost us 6k plus Vat
That did not include hot water tank as we went for a huge 750 litre Prosolar
hot water storage tank as we use the solar to feed into our heating as well.
Did you get grants?
Yes for both.
How do they interact with the woodpellet boiler?
We have a large water storage tank from solar (as above) and a prosolar control panel that talks to both the boiler when a top up is needed for underfloor or rads.
Do you need extra controls in the system?
Yes, expensive but very worthwhile. We are reaping the benefits of a cosy house and tonnes of hot water already. We have a pressurised system, 5 Showers and no electric showers needed at all.
What do they contribute to your overall heating solution?
Yes
Is the install difficult, in a retro fit situation?
You can retro fit solar panels but why bother putting yourself to that expense later it will cost less to do it now and from what I'm told the grants aren't going to be around for ever. They are way to encourage us to install alternatives much like other grants over the years but don't last forever.
Do you need specalist plumbers to install?
Well our plumbers Eco Nrg from Wexford specilaise in alternatives such as wood pellet and solar.

We have a great system and are very happy so far.

Would defintely recommend that you factor in large wood pellet storage as well. That's what makes it all so cost effective.

Any further questions. Don't hesitate.

Cheers!

Cossie1

Hi folks,

I am fairly new to this forum, but have read all your old threads over the past few months with great interest. I’m in the process planning to buy a wood pellet boiler for my home and have spent many head wrecking evenings browsing the countless number of pellet boiler web sites.

I have it narrowed my choice down to 2 boilers (Gerkros Woodpecker & OPOP Scotte), purely on the basis of recommended local (South East) suppliers. 3 of the 5 suppliers I spoke to wouldn’t recommend the Woodpecker.:eek:

Question…..is the Woodpecker that bad a boiler has anyone experienced the OPOP boiler?

Apologies if these questions were asked before.

Thanks:)

lastbuilders

I have a dor boiler which HAS the same burner as the opop. I only got it installed about 3 weeks ago so cannot comment on performance over time but so far it has been fine. I hope to move into the house in about 3 weeks so will have more feedback then.

I looked at the woodpecker too but opted for Dor for few reasons one of which was the fact it came with a 2 year warrenty whereas the woodpecker only has one year warranty.

Lastbuilders

Builderwoman!

Just to update on Woodpecker boiler. Apparently there have been some teething problems with commissioning them. Guys just not doing them right and they are a boiler that needs to be commssioned correctly or you will get issues. Gerkros sent their guy out to us last week and he teeked the boiler to perfection! Working excellently now. So this has to be an advantage that they are an Irish boiler and can provide that service if you are having difficulties. So I don't think that it would be fair to say that Woodpecker is a bad boiler.

towbar

What type of problems were you having?

joemcglynn

I am thinking of installing a wood pellet burner. I was just wondering what the yearly running costs would be for a 3,000 sq/ft (new) house with underfloor heating. I am currently running it off LPG (not the most efficient, I know).

Builderwoman!

towbar, the boiler kept cutting out and was also send out a lot of black smoke. It needed to be re-commssioned by Gerkros and totally adjusted and is working to perfection now. Some of the issue may have been caused by the fact we had bagged pellets delivered and put into the silo and they turned out to be 8ml pellets and not 6 which may have caused some issues. We did not realise that they were larger pellets! Other issues were from inexperience in commissioning and trouble shooting.

Not sure joe what the annual running costs will be. Only up and running since middle August! Not sure that there are too many amongst us up and running a year yet.

forthepeople

joemcglynn wrote:

I am thinking of installing a wood pellet burner. I was just wondering what the yearly running costs would be for a 3,000 sq/ft (new) house with underfloor heating. I am currently running it off LPG (not the most efficient, I know).

Possibly too late to join in now but tread carefully if going for Gerkros - have had major problems with the boiler and Gerkros themselves - from the top down ! Had to disconnect boiler after 8 unsuccessful weeks in new built house - installed oil fired boiler and had lots of lovely heat in 30 minutes !
Cant say much more at the moment.

towbar

Seems a very broad statement - surely you can give us some idea of the technical problems.

tinofapples

Cant say much more at the moment

Why ? You could do some others including myself a huge favour if you were to elaborate as to the issue's you have experienced with Gerkros and their boiler.

Rathlynin

I have now commissioned about 10 Woodpeckers and a few Opop boilers and they are going well all in my area in Galway. I recently attended a workshop run by SEI in Portaliseand it is very interesting to hear their views on Flueing. Ther flue must now be 1m above the ridge tile. I believe some boilers are suffering from terrible down draught and can result in burn back. In short the boilers are only as good as the flues no matter what boiler make it is...This is something you should bear in mind when installing the boiler........

Chimpster

Totally agree with you on the flue situation.

The flue should have at minimum a 0.6 metre clearance of the ridge of the garage/boiler house. Otherwise down draughts will lead to back burn. I am comissioning Kedco boilers in Galway myself at the minute and flue regulations are key to the success of the solution.

Another thing to bear in mind is that, the lag time for a WPB to heat up a house will be slightly longer than an Oil fired boiler. If you want a warm house at 8am then set your timer to come on at 7.15am. If your house has under floor heating we would highly reccomend a buffer tank if you are using the WPB, this leads to more effecient heating solution.

the brickie

i know there is no comparison but if you buy an austrian boiler or any wpb
with comparible safety features built in you do not have to worry about downdraughts for burnback.all the austrian boilers ,froeling,eta,sht ,kwb
have airtight valves between the feed bins and the grates so burnback is impossible.the cheap models just drop pellets straight into the flames so
there is very little control over safety.
when we researched ours we decided we wanted to do as little as possible,
it cost us more but i have emptied ashes once in11 months and not had to touch it other wise.

ISTR there being a reccommendation/regulation thet there is a minimum chimney height of 7m for a fire to draw correctly, is this true of wpb's?

Perhaps this is part of the problem!

fatchance

"when we researched ours we decided we wanted to do as little as possible,
it cost us more but i have emptied ashes once in11 months and not had to touch it other wise"



Brickie old son,

which wpb did you opt for? My heads spinning atm trying to decide on this issue. Had planned ground source heat pump but very expensive even with grant and damn esb pumping up prices ended that idea.

Need to know for grant exectly what make and model I'm getting so I can get approval but I could do with some heart recommendations on wpb make and models please,

thanks dude

Builderwoman!

For the people...please come back and elaborate re Gerkros? We have a Gerkros wpb boiler and while we've had a few teething problems and in the beginning I have to say that their customer service in their office isn't up to much but when you get talking to the lads themselves thye are very helpful and have always sorted out any issues for us.

the brickie

fatchance,
we have an ETA pe25 woodpellet boiler,we got it from evergreen energy
their website is www.evergreenenergy.ie

yimberman

I put in a 30k woodpecker woodpellet boiler in 2006 and have not looked back, it was a great move, it has never given me any problems . a mate of mine got one put in at the same time and did have some problems because the plumber that installed it comissioned it himself and made a pigs ear of it, then gerkros sorted it out and he has had no problem since. keep it serviced by gerkros every year.

Joey the lips

yimberman wrote: »

I put in a 30k woodpecker woodpellet boiler in 2006 and have not looked back, it was a great move, it has never given me any problems . a mate of mine got one put in at the same time and did have some problems because the plumber that installed it comissioned it himself and made a pigs ear of it, then gerkros sorted it out and he has had no problem since. keep it serviced by gerkros every year.

You wont be this year! Gerkross have gone! Also link to other gerkross boilers.

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?p=848103

gears

Joey the lips wrote: »

You wont be this year! Gerkross have gone! Also link to other gerkross boilers.

Actually you're not 100% correct. True Gerkros have gone but a friend of mine who has a Gerkros boiler recieved a letter earlier this year from the guy who used to run their service department and he has apparently taken on the service crew to continue servicing Gerkros boilers as an independent business. My friend has had a service from them so it seems that the poster should be able to get a boiler service.

vincenzolorenzo

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone know what type of Burner is used on the Woodpeckers? a friend of mine is having trouble with the heating element burning out fairly often and Gerkros / Suirvale are charging hefty money to replace what is a fairly basic looking element.

I thought I had heard at some stage that the burner was a model from KNB or KB or something like that?

Iderown

Vincenzolorenzo - Woodpecker wood-pellet burning boiler

Ignition element.

Ours USED to die every 6 weeks or so. Problem traced here to incorrect wiring of house thermostat. It was switching very frequently and unnecessarily.
Also, allowing some space between the front of the ignition element and its housing in the burner can reduce mechanical stress on the unit.

Message me, or reply to this thread, if you need more detail.

Slán

vincenzolorenzoHi, I was just wondering if anyone know what type of Burner is used on the Woodpeckers? a friend of mine is having trouble with the heating element burning out fairly often and Gerkros / Suirvale are charging hefty money to replace what is a fairly basic looking element.

smwalsh

We have a Woodpecker woodpellet burner installed since 2006. During cold weather (Like now!) it regularly fails to reignite and I find myself in the shed manually starting it at least once a day. Frustrating. Last time I spoke to the people who installed it about this they were not very helpful. Can anybody recommend somebody I could talk to about this matter? We are based in Westport, Co Mayo.

Many thanks

SMWALSH

boomslang

We have a woodpecker in our council house here in Garristown. It's had problems on and off since we moved here. Currently it has error 03 which sounds like something has gone once again. Waiting on the council to sort it. House is freezing luckilly we have the open fire untill we run out of briqettes lol
It is serviced by the council but I wonder how long before it will need to be replaced. It never really gets the house hot. Just takes the chill off. To be honest I think there is issue with the whole heating system. There is a small tank in the attic next to the main water one that has a ballcock but no water, no idea what that is for at all.

boomslang

and it's still not fixed by Fingall CC
Does anyone know how to clear the error 03?
Or a direct line to a Fingall CC manager to get this sorted. Their customer service is beyond woefull

lgflynn

Hi, I get a lad called Jame to service my boiler and he is very good. 087 2866735. Hope it helps Rgds, Liam

boomslang

Thanks Liam,
being in a council house we pay towards the servicing and luckily it was finally fixed this evening!

SEVERA

Does anyone know where i can get an efficiency percentage for a gerkros woodpecker 40kw wood pellet boiler Ive tried harp database on seai site, nothing there.
the company that manufactured the boilers in Tipperary has gone burst. i need it for a Ber assessment so it needs to be substantiated, i would be grateful for any info, thanks

vincenzolorenzo

The woodpecker manual gives a heat to water efficiency of 87% and a flue gas efficiency of 93%. I've done some testing on a 20kW boiler and found its flue gas efficiency to be as high as 92% under good operating conditions. The SEDBUK database usually has all that info but couldn;t find any wood pellet related values there now

Username Exists.

Dragging up an old thread here but would anyone know where I could buy a heater element for a 30KW Gerkros woodpecker boiler.
Boiler is working fine if I manually light it.
I've been on to the service engineer but he's gone missing and I don't want to wait a month for him like the lad from Garristown on this thread.

Thanks.