Gasifying wood log boiler.

topcatcbr

Has any one got experience of a Gasifying wood log boiler.

badolepuddytat

A guy i know has one. He fires it up about once every two days in december and once every week in the summer. He says it is fantastic. It's visited on a field trip in the Tipperary Institutes domestic sustainability course.... if you are very serious.

topcatcbr

badolepuddytat wrote: »

A guy i know has one. He fires it up about once every two days in december and once every week in the summer. He says it is fantastic. It's visited on a field trip in the Tipperary Institutes domestic sustainability course.... if you are very serious.

The first i heard of this was in tip inst. It sounds like a real renewable technology. Very low Primary energy cost. Probably the lowest on market.

I am seriously considering getting a boiler like this, costs in the region of 4k plus they need a very large buffer tank as the heat output is variable to say the least.

Perfect if you have a ready supply of scrap wood (plus a bit of household rubbish - not officially recommended) you can't lose.

badolepuddytat

You put anything else in there it'll clog flues and decrease efficiency in heat transfer by a large amount. Consider the home heating boilers of years ago, the crap in them!

There is a local guy here with a large solid wood burner that owns a timber products place. Boiler performance decreased significantly due to him burning MDF, Plywoods etc.

not good.

lignum

I would also be very interested in hearing peoples experiences of these.
I am thinking strongly of using one.(if I get PP)

betonit

badolepuddytat wrote: »

You put anything else in there it'll clog flues and decrease efficiency in heat transfer by a large amount.
not good.

What's the best to put in these, any wood or specific pellets?
If just pellets what the difference between this and pellet boilers?
where can you get them?
thanks

sydthebeat

last time i looked there was none included in the HARP database.

The woodpecker one from Gerkros, Tipperary, is the only one ive specified before, because the clients have a steady access to their own wood.

Th eefficientcy of them varyies wildly, because they are dependant on the quality, drying standard and carorific values of the fuel that feeds its.

badolepuddytat

Sorry for not being clear....

any dry (<30% Moisture content) wood is perfect. Pallets (not blue painted chep!) and other waste wood is fine provided it's not treated or painted.

The main aim of them is that you put in <3ft lengths of dry split timber logs in an array and fire the lot together into a buffer tank.

http://www.woodenergy.ie/iopen24/pub/ccn_gasifier.pdf

all you need to know. written by the coford with some of the experts in irish wood energy.

Bty they will be grant aided in the greener homes phase 3.

The_Bullman

Deleted User wrote: »

...they need a very large buffer tank ...

How large is a very large buffer tank?

The_Bullman

The_Bullman wrote: »

How large is a very large buffer tank?

Looking at manufacturers websites, they are recommending 1000l or so, I have seen some that need 5000l, depends on the size of boiler and how quickly you can use the hot water.

Toyota1968

where is a good place to buy buffer tanks?

gally74

folks,

there is a good youtube clip of one of these in cork,

the engineering behind these boilers is that they manage to burn the gases released by the wood,

it need good dry wood, best if left aired for 2 years if possible.

i think this is one of the best renewable systems, also looking at a viesmann range.

nolaska

I just installed a Woody Log gasification for a client in Kildare....great job...Turned on thr power , set the CO2 and away she went with the aid of a firelighter....My merchant got it from Gerkros in Tipperary...I thought it was good value....rememember you need a buffer tank (sometimes a hidden cost)

reilig

nolaska wrote: »

I just installed a Woody Log gasification for a client in Kildare....great job...Turned on thr power , set the CO2 and away she went with the aid of a firelighter....My merchant got it from Gerkros in Tipperary...I thought it was good value....rememember you need a buffer tank (sometimes a hidden cost)

Hey Nolaska,

I'm looking at installing one of these in my new house after christmas. I have got loads of quotes from suppliers which vairy from €7000 to €15000 for 25kw boilers and 1000l buffer tanks.

I have a friend in Eastern Europe who can source an Atmos gasification boiler and buffer tank, including the laddomat and other fittings for half the price that I was quoted for the cheapest boiler here, and €4000 cheaper than any atmos supplier here. My only worry was finding someone to install it for me. Could you do this? Have you got the technical know how ?? Do you do it for a living?

Regards

Dan

Doctor_L

A colleague of mine has a wood boiler. It cost him 450 euros last year to heat his b3 rated home.

In the winter he lights it every second to third day and it burns for about 5 hrs. He has a large buffer tank attached to it 5000 litres (I think)

It cost in the region of 16,000 i(for boiler tank, insulated pipe run and installation) n 2007 and he is using irish timber. Some of the cheaper systems need timber that has less moisture i.e. imported timber that is shipped in a container.

If I had room enough on my site to store 30 tonne of timber I would consider one. He reckons 30 tonne would last 3 years. The logs have to be sawed to 1 metre length.

Regards

Liam

The_Bullman

Why would you want 3 years supply of timber? Couldn't you manage with a years supply at a time? Do you think you'd need the time to dry out the timber?

Does your mate use the boiler for their hot water supply also or only space heating?

And where does he source the timber? 45 euro a ton seems cheap to me. I'm only in the early stages of considering it and I got a quote per ton of 150.

reilig

The_Bullman wrote: »

Why would you want 3 years supply of timber? Couldn't you manage with a years supply at a time? Do you think you'd need the time to dry out the timber?

Does your mate use the boiler for their hot water supply also or only space heating?

And where does he source the timber? 45 euro a ton seems cheap to me. I'm only in the early stages of considering it and I got a quote per ton of 150.

From the research that I have done, I found out that wood needs at least 2 years drying before you burn it in the gasification boiler - it has to be 20% moisture or less. The dryer it is, the better the burn - ie, it burns cleaner and doesn't clog up your boiler.

We have our own farm with plenty of ash hedgerows which require thinning every year. We also have a firewood processor (shared between 4 families) which means that we can source our own wood for next to nothing. Labour is counted with about half a day knocking the trees. One day will process approximately 10 ton of firewood.

I can buy 30 ton of pine thinnings from a forestry thinning company close to me for €450. This would include the delivery price to my yard. This would heat my house for almost 3 years.

We have a large stanley soild fuel range in my parents house which heats 20 radiators. We burn only ash in it. It is lit for about 350 days i the year as it supplies the hot water as well. It takes approximately 15 ton of wood per year to keep it going. I have been told that my gasification boiler will use at leats 1/3 less. And the fact that both me and my o/h work means that the house won't be heated during the day, so we will use less fuel.

Major have a new slogan for their log splitters -

"He who cuts his own wood heats himself twice"

riccol1966

anyone's boiler using a lambda probe or not ?
I was wondering if the high cost of this add-on is offset by the increased efficiency that they claim for it. Also, what's the actual running costs of the boiler itself, has anyone connected up an energy monitor to see how much it draws? Oh, and how noisy are they compared to the oil boliers?