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Wood Pellets

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    #122
    Maynoothspur
    Registered Users Posts: 30 ✭Maynoothspur


    Can someone tell me if I can use bagged pellets with a system with a storage bin? I'm moving into a rental house and the landlord told me that I have to get a load blown in and it usually costs around €600 1) can I just buy about €300 worth of bags and load it manually? 2) can I get a half load?

    Cheers for your advice.


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    #123
    danoriordan1402
    Registered Users Posts: 696 ✭✭✭danoriordan1402


    you should be able to throw in the bags manually, hard work though


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    #124
    PeteHeat
    Registered Users Posts: 648 ✭✭✭PeteHeat


    Maynoothspur wrote: »
    Can someone tell me if I can use bagged pellets with a system with a storage bin? I'm moving into a rental house and the landlord told me that I have to get a load blown in and it usually costs around €600 1) can I just buy about €300 worth of bags and load it manually? 2) can I get a half load?

    Cheers for your advice.

    Hi,

    If the boiler has a separate hopper there should be no problem loading bags.

    Half loads can usually be organised through Leinster Pellets you can expect to pay more than the full load load per tonne price as the prices listed are based on the transport costs etc for a delivery of 3 tonnes.

    I suggest you talk to them, they may be able to do a deal if you are flexible with the delivery time so they may be able to deliver when in your area.
    .


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    #125
    Clapsholas
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭Clapsholas


    Hi

    Does anybody find the Gerkros maintenance outrageously expensive. If so, is there an alternative?


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    #126
    cantwbr1
    Registered Users Posts: 303 ✭✭cantwbr1


    I'm having a lot of problems with dust this year. I got a fill of pellets in March last and since October I have been cleaning out the base of the bulk storage twice a week. The screw feeder inlet is filling with dust and everything stops. Does anyone have any advice. I reckon that I have 1.5-2 Tons of supply left so cleaning out the hopper is not an option at the moment.


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    #127
    Username Exists.
    Registered Users Posts: 127 ✭✭Username Exists.


    TopMan wrote: »
    Spares for Gerkros Woodpecker Wood Pellet Boilers are availablefrom Wood Energy Solutions in Tipperary. They stock elements and can give tech support on all the issues with the older models as well. Worth a shout. www.woodenergysolutions.com or 062 74007.

    Has anyone used this recently?
    I looking to source a new ignition element for my 30KW gerkros woodpecker. I've sent them a message so see how that goes.

    Does anyone have an alternative contact for sourcing an ignition element?

    Thanks
    UE.


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    #128
    Biglad
    Registered Users Posts: 495 ✭✭Biglad


    My brother in law also has a woodpecker (as well documented on here) and his element goes at least twice a year. He gets the element from the local hardware shop who supplied the machine originally. I think he is paying around 50 Euro a pop. He also needs to replace the bit where the pellets burn as it is burned through already and he is now waiting on "the engineer" to show up again as for some reason the thing stops every other day, a reason beyond our own knowledge although we had the machine taken apart many times already as I normally replace the elements for him. From the day it was installed this machine has been unreliable, temperamental and eating elements...

    Our Mescoli is still going strong. The one and only "sore" point was the pipe connecting the hopper to the burner inlet. Although we have 5 meters of insulated flu occasionally on a bad stormy night with winds from a certain direction we would get a blow back and the pipe would melt. We were charged 90 Euro a go for the replacement which is daylight robbery of course for 1 mtr of PU piping. After some research I bought 6 meters of PU piping of the same spec in the UK to share between my buddy (also Mescoli) and ourselves and we paid 70 pounds delivered to Donegal...

    To the poster above talking about the dust; who supplied your pellets?


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    #129
    Username Exists.
    Registered Users Posts: 127 ✭✭Username Exists.


    Thanks for the response Biglad.
    Any chance you could post or PM me the details of the hardware shop for the elements. Just a phone number will do.
    I having trouble getting my hands on one. I've contacted some sites listed here by e-mail but no replies yet.

    I've had the woodpecker 5 years now and this is the first element gone.
    As another psoter somewhere said he's spent many hours in his shed watching it. Waiting. Been there.


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    #130
    cantwbr1
    Registered Users Posts: 303 ✭✭cantwbr1


    I got them from D pellet in Kilkenny. I wasn't in a position to empty the hopper fully before the load so it may be related to the previous years supply. At the moment I'm cleaning out the feeder every 1-2 weeks


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    #131
    Username Exists.
    Registered Users Posts: 127 ✭✭Username Exists.


    TopMan wrote: »
    Spares for Gerkros Woodpecker Wood Pellet Boilers are availablefrom Wood Energy Solutions in Tipperary. They stock elements and can give tech support on all the issues with the older models as well. Worth a shout. www.woodenergysolutions.com or 062 74007.

    Rang this crowd last week and had an element delivered yesterday.
    Their website isn't working by the way.

    Boiler back in action, quick enough job to change out.

    I was also PM'd a shop in donegal who stock elements. I rang them also and they were willing to help.


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    #132
    lennie6998
    Registered Users Posts: 24 ✭lennie6998


    Clapsholas wrote: »
    Hi

    Does anybody find the Gerkros maintenance outrageously expensive. If so, is there an alternative?

    This is my experience. I'm from Donegal and had the service man (or so called) up from Somewhere near Tipperary. He was there for 2 hours and charged me 200 euro and wait for it.....didn't fix the problem which is intermittent. These things (gerkross woodpeckers) are scrap and as soon as I can change it I will.

    If anybody knows someone is competent at fixing these boilers please pm me there details.

    Thanks


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    #133
    Biglad
    Registered Users Posts: 495 ✭✭Biglad


    My brother in law is still on his "journey" with the Woodpecker as well. It now also is cutting out intermittently and I think he has been waiting for the service engineer to come up for several weeks now. This individual is travelling quite a distance as well and is obviously gathering up a few calls to make it worth his while. I'll ask him for the details of this guy and PM these to those up here in Donegal that are interested.

    I've heard nothing but bad stuff involving Woodpeckers. Didn't Gerkross get some kind of business award as well (for jumping on the band wagon and gathering all the grant money out there).

    The problem is the big cost involved in buying a decent Pellet Boiler against reverting back to oil. But then paying a Euro a ltr for oil...no thanks...


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    #134
    1984baby
    Registered Users Posts: 369 ✭✭1984baby


    We have a woodpecker pellet boiler 30kw also. Firstly I hate the fecking thing. It gives nothing but trouble. Have the technician out every year to service it and replace the element. When it works it's very good, quick heat up and efficient. When it's acting up, it's a pain in the a***. Currently, for the last week, Er13 after about 25 mins. I could go on & on & on.
    I wish I did proper research into these boilers before I purchased.
    Has anyone got rid of theirs and replaced it with another pellet system or some other system??


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    #135
    Username Exists.
    Registered Users Posts: 127 ✭✭Username Exists.


    1984baby wrote: »
    Currently, for the last week, Er13 after about 25 mins.

    Can be due to a few things.
    Mostly i find with mine it's downdraught, which will happen with the squally easterly winds we have at the moment.
    This can also lead to unburnt pellets in the burn chamber, whenyou get error 13 open the door where the pellets feed in (bottom door, careful it's not hot) and scrape out the embers with the metal scraper you got with the boiler. Should start up fine next time.
    Check you don't have dusty pellets, not feeding the boiler enough.

    Do you clean out the boiler other than the annual service. I clean mine out every two to three months dependng on usage. Heater element is expensive and I just lost my first after 5 years. I've never paid for a service. €50 for an element.


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    #136
    lennie6998
    Registered Users Posts: 24 ✭lennie6998


    I was chatting to an independent wood pellet boiler specialist a few months back who told me that he has replaced 12 of these boilers in the last 2/3 years as they are scrap. I'm just waiting for something to go belly up in mine again and then it's gone. Just a matter of time...... Tick tock tick tock


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    #137
    Biglad
    Registered Users Posts: 495 ✭✭Biglad


    All Woodpecker owners should get together and go back to that government that even handed Gerkross some kind of award for that scrap they made. It was a typical money grabbing exercise trying to make a boiler that was just a little more expensive than the grant available.

    Second complication was that the grant system was introduced in to a country where hardly any body knew anything about pellet boilers and where the pellet manufacturers only found out through the media.

    Hardly anybody did proper research and "Irish Made" was promoted and stimulated hence the incredible sales generated by Gerkross...Wonder how the government that promoted to "buy local" would look at this now...

    Our Mescoli is working great. They have been making pellet boilers since 1969...


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    #138
    danoriordan1402
    Registered Users Posts: 696 ✭✭✭danoriordan1402


    I have a 30kw Kedco (opop) that's working well now for 3 years, easy to maintain as well. Had a blowback issue last year that fried some componants including small circuit board, capacitor and sensor but could source these and were straight forward to replace. Changed pellet supplier recently and see a lot more unburned pellets in the ash pan, does that mean I have to adjust the settings I think?


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    #139
    lennie6998
    Registered Users Posts: 24 ✭lennie6998


    danoriordan1402 wrote: »
    I have a 30kw Kedco (opop) that's working well now for 3 years, easy to maintain as well. Had a blowback issue last year that fried some componants including small circuit board, capacitor and sensor but could source these and were straight forward to replace. Changed pellet supplier recently and see a lot more unburned pellets in the ash pan, does that mean I have to adjust the settings I think?

    Does Kedco have a good back up service? Sounds like you need your running set up re-calibrated. Was this done when you replaced the circuit board?


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    #140
    cantwbr1
    Registered Users Posts: 303 ✭✭cantwbr1


    danoriordan1402 wrote: »
    I have a 30kw Kedco (opop) that's working well now for 3 years, easy to maintain as well. Had a blowback issue last year that fried some componants including small circuit board, capacitor and sensor but could source these and were straight forward to replace. Changed pellet supplier recently and see a lot more unburned pellets in the ash pan, does that mean I have to adjust the settings I think?

    Did you do the repairs yourself and where did you source the parts. I have the same boiler and am terrified that something will go wrong and I won't be able to get the parts required. Also, were the parts expensive.


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    #141
    danoriordan1402
    Registered Users Posts: 696 ✭✭✭danoriordan1402


    lennie6998 wrote: »
    Does Kedco have a good back up service? Sounds like you need your running set up re-calibrated. Was this done when you replaced the circuit board?

    Kedco have gone out of business, I have the number of one of there service engineers if I need it though. The circuit board was a small one located on the boiler itself, calibration would be done through the controller thats mounted on the wall I would guess.


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    #142
    danoriordan1402
    Registered Users Posts: 696 ✭✭✭danoriordan1402


    cantwbr1 wrote: »
    Did you do the repairs yourself and where did you source the parts. I have the same boiler and am terrified that something will go wrong and I won't be able to get the parts required. Also, were the parts expensive.

    I did the repairs myself, straightforward enough - I got the parts from Kerry biofuels - www.kerrybiofuels.ie, photosensor was 20E, capacitor was 14E I think, cant remember the rest of the prices.


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    #143
    colmcaseys
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭colmcaseys


    I repair these boilers and parts are available. Mostly they are poorly installed and are not set up properly. Usually hear back from clients after a visit that they are working the way the should have been from day 1. PM me for details.


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    #144
    tinofapples
    Registered Users Posts: 2,957 ✭✭✭tinofapples


    This morning I am faced with another hickup in my ownership of my Kedco Pop 24kw boiler. The short auger which draws the fallen pellets across has stopped working. One person has told me it could be the motor another says it could be the capacitor. I'm taking a chance of the capacitor at first. They say a cat has nine lives, this boiler is running outta lives as far as my wife is concerned :o


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    #145
    danoriordan1402
    Registered Users Posts: 696 ✭✭✭danoriordan1402


    hehe, had this a few weeks back - 99% sure its the capacitor thats gone, easy to replace


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    #146
    tinofapples
    Registered Users Posts: 2,957 ✭✭✭tinofapples


    danoriordan1402 wrote: »
    hehe, had this a few weeks back - 99% sure its the capacitor thats gone, easy to replace

    Hopefully cause everytime something goes bump ... "we're getting rid of that yoke". €15 I can live with however no heat for 2/3 days is painful. If it's the same capacitor I found on amazon for $3.75 I'll be a wee bit disappointed as well :-(


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    #147
    tinofapples
    Registered Users Posts: 2,957 ✭✭✭tinofapples


    danoriordan1402 wrote: »
    hehe, had this a few weeks back - 99% sure its the capacitor thats gone, easy to replace

    dano , do you recall could you hear a squeking noise coming from the burner /auger in the days leading up to your auger failure ?


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    #148
    danoriordan1402
    Registered Users Posts: 696 ✭✭✭danoriordan1402


    no, cant say that I did - the feed of pellets just stopped with the boiler eventually going into faulty ignition.


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    #149
    tinofapples
    Registered Users Posts: 2,957 ✭✭✭tinofapples


    danoriordan1402 wrote: »
    no, cant say that I did - the feed of pellets just stopped with the boiler eventually going into faulty ignition.


    Hmmm , had hoped the capacitor would have arrived in the post today but no sign yet. Hopefully it is the issue and not the motor.


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    #150
    tinofapples
    Registered Users Posts: 2,957 ✭✭✭tinofapples


    tinofapples wrote: »
    Hmmm , had hoped the capacitor would have arrived in the post today but no sign yet. Hopefully it is the issue and not the motor.

    Fitted capacitor Tuesday evening, worked but still wined or streeched. No heat again this morning. I'm getting a new boiler and hopefully before xmas. Was planning on doing it next yr anyway.


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    #151
    cantwbr1
    Registered Users Posts: 303 ✭✭cantwbr1


    tinofapples wrote: »
    Fitted capacitor Tuesday evening, worked but still wined or streeched. No heat again this morning. I'm getting a new boiler and hopefully before xmas. Was planning on doing it next yr anyway.


    Hi Tin. Are you getting a new pellet boiler or giving up on pellets alltogether


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