# Pellet Burner Conversion



## blackslax (Nov 29, 2010)

I have been looking into doing a pellet burner conversion for some time.  I have friends is Sweden and they say that they are no issue with the right boiler.  So I have done some homework and found the ULMA pellet burner is now available in the U.S.  Have they been available here for long? My Swedish friends say that they are highly rated over there, but is there any any expperince with them here? I know through the treads that the Pellergy and Pellx don't have issues, but is the Ulma out there?

Here is the website www.pellet-pro.com

Let me know what you think.


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## blackslax (Nov 29, 2010)

anyone care to opine in this?


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## blackslax (Nov 30, 2010)

A little help please - does anyone have any experience with these?  I contacted Pellet pro and they said that it is listed for conversions and that there are some in the field.  Has anyone heard any good or bad news.  Price seems right.


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## sdrobertson (Nov 30, 2010)

I know of no one who is running anything like these.  I like the idea of them but I would also look at a add on pellet burner if it is pellets you want to burn.  The reason for the add on would be that you would have the oil burner if there was ever a problem with the pellet stove.  If the importer has some in the field, they will probably give you the contact information to talk directly to a user.  Being a new item here in the states, it may be hard to find out any "real" information from the states yet.


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## blackslax (Dec 1, 2010)

Thanks for the insight.  Does anyone have experience with any burner conversions?


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## leaddog (Dec 1, 2010)

I don't know anything about these but it is an interesting idea. If I had an old oil boiler I might think about using it for a backup to my cord wood boiler. I'm wondering how much it will clog the hx on some boilers. My pellet burner in my insert throws alittle fly ash up on the heat tubes and some oil boiler hx aren't easy to clean. 
leaddog


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## blackslax (Dec 1, 2010)

My experience with them, or lack there of comes from friends in Sweden.  I looked at some last fall when I was over and we talked about them with an installer.  He said that for w Wood boiler they only need cleaning 1-2 times a years  and that the biggest problem is stack temp.  He said that most people make turbulators too slow the air flow down and get transfer.  As for oil boilers, he said that steel boilers with verticle tubes are the standard in Europe.  As for cast iron, I do know a guy running a Janfire in a Bedurus and he cleans about every 2-3 weeks.  But, those systems cost 14-18k.  The Pellet-pro guys said that they are running one in a Smith (pin style) and they clean about 3 weeks and siad than the pin style works good.  They also said that the importer has worked with Biasi in their 3 pass with great results.  I am just wondering if these are the real deal.  They look it.


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## blackslax (Dec 2, 2010)

I had a good talk with the Pellt Pro guys today.  I think they have put my mind at ease.  They indicated that there are other burners coming out of the eastern block these days taht are junk copies of the Scandinavians.  The biggest difference is quality.  He said  that cheap burners will wholesale for $800 or so and that by contrast, the burn tube on the Ulma is made from some special steel and cost (believe it or not)$500 by itself!  
I really want to pull the trigger on this, I just wish there was information available.
Any other experiences would be appreciated.


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## maineheat (Dec 3, 2010)

I like the concept of having the ability to choose either pellets or oil in the same boiler block.  I do question the ability to maintain system efficiency in a boiler block designed for heat transfer, based on an oil gun, which runs a lot cleaner.  More advanced boilers designed for this have the capability to clean the heat exchanger without an invasive procedure, but then again they are also more invasive on the wallet!  I've been watching the pellergy and pellx but feel that I'd be cleaning often in my 20 year old burnham v1 pin style boiler where the chamber won't allow for much ash buildup.

As an aside.  The pellet-pro.com website is lacking huge amounts of information.  It always makes you wonder when you can't find a phone number for a company your looking to spend 3k with.....  I did end up finding a PDF on the Sweedish website describing the burner.  I guess I'd be a little cautious in this adventure.


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## blackslax (Dec 9, 2010)

I guess I made up my mind.  Talked to the Pellet-Pro guys again. We talked about all of the other burners and I was  impressed that they did not tear down the other companies.  No sales pitch at all, just a no BS appraisal of my system, their equipment and these guys REALLY know everyones burner on a technical level and how they all differ.  They gave me a VERY high level of confidence in the product and how it will go.  

Wish me luck!


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## leaddog (Dec 9, 2010)

Keep us posted and remember , no pic or it didn't happen.
leaddog


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## blackslax (Dec 9, 2010)

You guys and your technical pornography


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## sdrobertson (Dec 9, 2010)

blackslax said:
			
		

> You guys and your technical pornography



Its the only kind I'm supposed to look at without getting into trouble with the wife ;-)


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## CK-1 (Dec 16, 2010)

Interesting..  I'm hearing and reading that this could be the new wave to optionally replace the high price of heating oil.   I have a power venter not a chimney for my oil furnace so that could be a issue from the start...


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## blackslax (Dec 20, 2010)

Just received the unit today.  Looks great.  everything has a heavy gold-cad coating on it and the igniter is a really cool set up.  Looks really straight forward.  Only thing to do now is make an apointment with my local machine shop to plasma cut a larger hole in the door. 
I think I will  get everything in place, calibrate the ignition charge, and test the burner before. Then when I i take the door out, I can come right back, mount the burner, and do the fine tuning with no suprises before the house gets cold. (hopefully)

More to come


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## jjmelt (Jan 16, 2011)

how did this turn out? found this will searching a conversion unit. Curious to hear how it went?


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## blackslax (Jan 23, 2011)

Sorry, trying to get through year end at work.  I have some pics of the unit, I can probably get them up later.


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## Hoval (Mar 29, 2011)

Well I donâ€™t know if I am the first but I have converted my boiler to a pellet boiler with a PellX conversion unit. The unit includes a pellet burner, like an oil burner but with a larger hole (6â€) into the boiler. The unit and control panel operates on 110v 60hz electricity. The panel allows me to program the shut off temperature, a choice of 4 starts up temperatures, the amount of startup pellets, the amount of operating pellets, the air speed and max burn time.  A 1.7m auger was included. This is a self start and shut off unit. I built a pellet storage bunker out of plywood that stores 1 ton of pellets ready to use. This heats my 5 zone (1700 sq ft) ranch house and domestic hot water just like the old oil unit.  I had a machine shop provide me with two 1/16â€ steel plates, one foot square with four mounting holes in the same location so I could switch out the burners at any time.  I have used just short of 8 tons of pellets this year since September and we are still cold outside, today 38 F High for the day.  I will be burning all year as this does my hot water as well.

I need to clean the burner every 1000# (takes about 15 minutes) and the boiler every 2000# (takes about 1 hour including the burner.  Once I  adjusted the burner I have not had a problem with the unit.  I would have used about 1500 gal of fuel oil for the year at say $3.00 per Gal or $4,500. for the year.  I have paid $250. per ton of pellets or $2,000.  I paid $3250 for the PELLX unit and installed the unit myself.  So my first year cost will be $4,500-2,000= $2,500  Then $2,500-3250=$750 to be paid off on the PELLX burner.  This is a no brainer for those with the proper boiler and a bit of knowledge.  

What are your thoughts?


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## Willman (Mar 30, 2011)

What boiler did you convert? Is the domestic coil in boiler or do you use an indirect? How about some pics .

Will


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## Hoval (Mar 30, 2011)

Last Fall I converted my Hoval ZKT to a pellet burner using a PellX 20KW burner conversion.  The original Hoval was a 30 year old multi fuel boiler made by Gustav Ospelt Hovalwerk AG In Liechtenstein.  When I bought it new I was told that I could heat with anything-Oil, Nat Gas, Liquid Propane, Wood, Electric or Coal.  I don't think that Wood Pellets were even a gleam in the eye of the manufacture.  I think it has a 150 gal of heating hot water and 50 gal of domestic hot water.   Several of the years I used a mix of Coal in the late fall, after temperatures were below 35F, winter and early spring switching to Oil for the rest of the year as I used this for my hot water all year.  I would usually go through 4 tons of coal (say $980) and 450 gal of oil (say $1,500).  

The Hoval that I have was a perfect unit for conversion.  What I have found out is that I need to clean the burner every 1000# of pellets burned and clean the boiler every ton of pellets burned.  This requires that you can gain access to the fire box and heat exchanger.  My Hoval has a swing open door that opens up the front of the unit for cleaning. I then use a small shovel to clean the ash off the bottom of the boiler and a brush and vacuum to clean the heat exchanger (after it has cooled off).  I spend about 10 to 15 minutes to clean the burner and half an hour to clean the boiler.

The PellX unit comes complete with the control box that allows you to adjust several functions to get the proper burn.  I can adjust the amount of pellets feed rate for start up, pellets feed rate to operate, fan speed and the temperature on the high limit as well as 4 start up temperature options based on the high temperature shut off.  An auger is included that is about 1.7 meters feet long.  The unit also includes a temperature sending unit that needs a well in the boiler for shut off temperature.  I did need to buy a safety temperature shut off as a safety back up. (this has never been triggered)  The burner has a high temperature shut off on the pellet inlet stack. (this has shut the unit down three times when I have not cleaned the burner often enough.)  The PellX unit is self lighting, self shut off, self feeding and somewhat self cleaning of the burner.

As I said this is a conversion unit so I do not have the attached bin like many units that holds what 100# of pellets?  My bin 1 ton at a time.  I built mine out of plywood on legs with tin for the bottom to help the pellets slide down to a 3â€ pvc toilet fitting that goes into a 3â€ pvc â€œYâ€.  I used a 45 degree â€œYâ€ unit that drops the pellets into the straight part of the â€œYâ€.  This allows me to remove and replace the auger if needed while the bin is loaded. (it comes out easy but need some fooling with to get back in)

My plans are to make my own pellets starting this spring.   I have found a supply of product and plan to process and produce about 600# every hour.  But that is another story.  Let me know if you are interested.  I have included photoâ€™s  of the above.  Let me know what you think.


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## EcoHeat (Mar 30, 2011)

Pellet burners alone can work fine on a wood boiler that you're not planning to use for heating wood anymore, but there are issues with using an oil boiler.  

1.  Burners should be on a door for cleaning.  If not on door, removing the burner for cleaning wears out the seal.
2.  There's no provision for ash in oil boilers.  
3.  Oil boilers are not designed for regular cleaning of the heat exchange surfaces, which is an important requirement for burning any kind of biomass, including wood pellets.
4.  Combustion chambers are too small in oil boilers for efficient combustion.

It's also a good idea to leave an oil boiler in place as a back-up, in the event you're called away and not able to refill the bin.  Large homes can use the oil boiler for supplemental heating for when heat losses are at their greatest.

Swebo burners haven't been mentioned in this thread.  They are also Swedish technology, and run on high and low limits.  A back-up oil boiler would have high and low limits below the high and low limits of the pellet boiler.  This keeps the pellet boiler running as much as possible.  Power levels can also be adjusted so that in spring and fall, the burner can run at lower power and so with longer run times which increases the efficiency.  Adjustments can also be made to all four phases of combustion, and to fan speeds at every power level.  As with all the Swedish burners, they are very well made.


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## Hoval (Apr 1, 2011)

Thank you for your input.  You sound very knowledgeable about the Swebo Boiler, you must be a dealer or sales person.   I tried to find a Swebo pellet burner replacement but I did not notice one on any of the web sites.  You made several excellent notations about boilers but in general it seems that you did not even read my input.

 The issues that you are pointing out like a door for cleaningâ€”as you will notice from my pictures my front of the boiler 3â€™ X 2â€™ opens all the way up to expose the heat exchanger as well as the ash pit.  My boiler has a 16â€ x 22â€ pit 4â€ below the burner for ash.  I am able to burn 1 ton of pellets with only 3â€œof ash or 4 gallons before I need to clean it.

My heat exchanger has chambers that I can get a 2 foot brush from the front to the back as well as enough width to get my vacuum cleaning attachment that is also 2 feet long from the front to the back.  The pellets that I burn have burned off the deposits from years of oil burning and all I have now is some ash powder that falls off with a brush or the vacuum.

My combustion chamber is 16â€ X 22â€ X 15â€ this provides me enough space to burn the original 225,000 BTU with oil so I guess that it can take 22kw of heat. (what that 66,000 BTU)

As I mentioned I have a two sets of plates that attach my burners to the boiler that use 4 bolts.  With this set up I can change back to oil in 10 Minutes.  I live in upstate NY and we have just had a very cold and snowy winter in which my 22KW unit never fell behind.  

You seem familiar with the Swebo units.  I mentioned that my cost was $3250 but you failed to mention the cost of the Swebo (even without instillation).  I looked for specks on the Swebo but I could not find any.  Does it run on 110V 60 Hz or is it the 220/240V European unit?  When hooked up with an oil burner do you need a separate chimney or do you put it through the same one?  My PELLX unit has a separate controller that hangs on the wall to minimizes the vibrations to protect the electronics, where is your controller?  I have a compressed air line from my controller to the burner that is the self cleaning portion of the burner, is yours self cleaning and how does it work? How about some information on your unit?


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## EcoHeat (Apr 1, 2011)

Hoval said:
			
		

> Thank you for your input.  You sound very knowledgeable about the Swebo Boiler, you must be a dealer or sales person.


  Yes I am.  We stock *Swebo burners* here in New England.



			
				Hoval said:
			
		

> I tried to find a Swebo pellet burner replacement but I did not notice one on any of the web sites.  You made several excellent notations about boilers but in general it seems that you did not even read my input.





			
				Hoval said:
			
		

> The issues that you are pointing out like a door for cleaningâ€”as you will notice from my pictures my front of the boiler 3â€™ X 2â€™ opens all the way up to expose the heat exchanger as well as the ash pit.  My boiler has a 16â€ x 22â€ pit 4â€ below the burner for ash.  I am able to burn 1 ton of pellets with only 3â€œof ash or 4 gallons before I need to clean it.


  You've got good access to the combustion chamber, and a good spot for collecting the ash.  Not many are as fortunate when looking to retrofit an oil boiler.  



			
				Hoval said:
			
		

> My combustion chamber is 16â€ X 22â€ X 15â€ this provides me enough space to burn the original 225,000 BTU with oil so I guess that it can take 22kw of heat. (what that 66,000 BTU)


    This is a good size combustion chamber.  Because the boiler is designed for much higher (4x) the pellet burner output, I would worry about there being not enough flue gasses to make turbulent flow through the tubes. That can reduce the heat transfer.  But what really counts is how it's working for you, and it seems that it's working fine.  Making adjustments to lower power levels in the spring and fall may not work so well, but you can try.  Perhaps with more aggressive turbulators.



			
				Hoval said:
			
		

> As I mentioned I have a two sets of plates that attach my burners to the boiler that use 4 bolts.  With this set up I can change back to oil in 10 Minutes.  I live in upstate NY and we have just had a very cold and snowy winter in which my 22KW unit never fell behind.


  That's very good.  The ideal for most people would be to have the oil boiler set up in parallel, so that if you aren't able to feed pellets to the bin for any reason before it empties out, the oil boiler takes over automatically.



			
				Hoval said:
			
		

> You seem familiar with the Swebo units.  I mentioned that my cost was $3250 but you failed to mention the cost of the Swebo (even without instillation).  I looked for specks on the Swebo but I could not find any.  Does it run on 110V 60 Hz or is it the 220/240V European unit?  When hooked up with an oil burner do you need a separate chimney or do you put it through the same one?  My PELLX unit has a separate controller that hangs on the wall to minimizes the vibrations to protect the electronics, where is your controller?  I have a compressed air line from my controller to the burner that is the self cleaning portion of the burner, is yours self cleaning and how does it work? How about some information on your unit?


 The cost for Swebo burners is similar to what you quote.  The burners run on 120V/60Hz.  You do need a separate chimney if there is the possibility of running both at once.  The controller is included with the burner, but is mounted separately, like yours.  Swebo burners must be cleaned manually.  That's very simple and quick to do.  _Although we can sell burners separately, we also have a whole package of equipment that go together:  EcoBoiler, Swebo burner, controller, auger and storage.  Feel free to contact me for an exact quote, or for other specifications, sample schematics, payback info, etc._


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## Hoval (Apr 2, 2011)

Just curious Geo!  You mentioned that your burner and controller is about the same cost as mine, then went on to say that you could work up a package price with the burner, control box and auger, mine comes complete with the burner,control box, temperature probe, wires and auger at the price I quoted.  Does this mean that we have a difference in price for this package and what would you charge for yours?

This is a great forum to get your prices and information out to a select group of pellet burners.  I hope I am asking the right questions for comparison of like products.

I do like the photo that shows that our burners are alike in that they blow over and through the flame chamber and are not a suction unit like most of the pellet stoves.

Is that the only door to clean your unit?  It what 10" X 10"?  Do you have a unit in you house as well or just the photo's from Swebo?


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## EcoHeat (Apr 4, 2011)

Hoval said:
			
		

> Just curious Geo!  You mentioned that your burner and controller is about the same cost as mine, then went on to say that you could work up a package price with the burner, control box and auger, mine comes complete with the burner,control box, temperature probe, wires and auger at the price I quoted.  Does this mean that we have a difference in price for this package and what would you charge for yours?


Our pricing is similar to what you paid.  We include the same things.  I may be mistaken, but it's my understanding that manufacturers, distributors and retailers are not supposed to be posting prices on this forum.  I am happy to share other information here on this forum, and pricing separately.  



> Is that the only door to clean your unit?  It what 10" X 10"?  Do you have a unit in you house as well or just the photo's from Swebo?


  The photos you see are ours.  The door you see in the photos is on our EcoBoiler here in East Walpole, Massachusetts. This is our own American-made ASME certified boiler, not a Swebo product.  The dimensions on the door are 12" x 12".  There's another door below to access the ash bin, and another door above for cleaning the flue tubes.


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## steve_in_nepa (Apr 6, 2011)

I'm really interested in doing a conversion too.  My heating system right now is 2 boilers.  The primary is a Harman VF3000 which burns rice coal.  The backup is a System 2000 oil boiler.  The boilers are hooked up in parallel (not in a series), so when the coal boiler is hot, the oil boiler remains at room temp.  Only if the coil boiler malfunctions (i.e. I forget to add coal), does the oil boiler turn on.  Zone valves prevent the hot water from the operating boiler fgrrom going through the other boiler.

I want to convert my Harman from coal to pellets.  The coal works great and is pretty cheap (just over $200/ton delivered), but it is EXTREMELY dirty.  During the coldest part of the winter I have to empty about 80 lbs of cinders out of it and fill the hopper with another 250 lbs of coal.  Both processes create a tremendous amount of dirt and dust.  I probably should wear a dust mask because after I do it I have a lot of coal dust in my nose.

I would really like to hear the results of the conversions.  How difficult was it to put the pellet burner in, how often do you have to clean it and have you had any problems with it.  The Pellx really sounds interesting with the self-clean (hook it up to an air compressor).

I tried contacting Harman to see if I could buy a pellet burner from them and got absolutely ZERO help.  Just a "we don't offer a kit to do that".

Thanks!
Steve


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## Hoval (Apr 6, 2011)

Steve, it sounds like you might have a good possibility for conversion.  You need to be able to mount the burner that is much like an oil burner, but bigger around (6"), on to a flat surface of the Harman VF3000.  I looked up your boiler and it looks like an oil burner is an option so this might be the perfect spot for this conversion.  When I cut the hole in my boiler I had 2 steel plates made with identical holes for bolts so I am able to go back and forth with either the PELLX or the oil burner. The PELLX requires a well for a temperature probe but I was able to use that same well as my Aquastat and you will also need this as a safety shut off. 

I heat both my hot water and heat my house with the one unit.  I built a bin that holds 2000# of pellets so I donâ€™t need to fill it very often. During the coldest part of this last winter I would burn 1000# per week.  I would need to clean my burner every 1000#, a 15 minute job, and clean my boiler every 2000#.  I use a central vacuum that vents outside, and that keeps most of the dust down.  After burning the 2000# I end up with a 4 gallon bucket of ashes that doesnâ€™t weight anything.   

My goal was to same money compared to Oil, set the thermostat at a constant level, heat my hot water all year without the use of oil and spend as little time with the unit as possible.  The PELLX with its self start and shut down has been my answer.  The self cleaning is good to a point but you will still need to clean it every 1000# or so.  

I canâ€™t say enough about the PELLX as I used to burn coal in the winter with oil the rest of the year.  I will say that it was cheaper to heat with coal than pellets.  In the long run I will be making pellets and cut the cost down to almost nothing.

Good luck and if you decide to convert let me know and I can save you about 10% on the cost of the burner, auger and control box.


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## steve_in_nepa (Apr 6, 2011)

Hoval said:
			
		

> Steve, it sounds like you might have a good possibility for conversion.  You need to be able to mount the burner that is much like an oil burner, but bigger around (6"), on to a flat surface of the Harman VF3000.  I looked up your boiler and it looks like an oil burner is an option so this might be the perfect spot for this conversion.  When I cut the hole in my boiler I had 2 steel plates made with identical holes for bolts so I am able to go back and forth with either the PELLX or the oil burner. The PELLX requires a well for a temperature probe but I was able to use that same well as my Aquastat and you will also need this as a safety shut off.
> 
> I heat both my hot water and heat my house with the one unit.  I built a bin that holds 2000# of pellets so I donâ€™t need to fill it very often. During the coldest part of this last winter I would burn 1000# per week.  I would need to clean my burner every 1000#, a 15 minute job, and clean my boiler every 2000#.  I use a central vacuum that vents outside, and that keeps most of the dust down.  After burning the 2000# I end up with a 4 gallon bucket of ashes that doesnâ€™t weight anything.
> 
> ...



I can easily unbolt the coal burner assembly.  The hole that is left in the boiler is about 12 3/4" wide by 8 3/4" tall.  There is only 2 bolts that hold the coal burner on here.  I know a metal fabricator, so 1/4" boiler plate with a laser cut round hole in it won't be an issue at all.

I currently have 3 aquastats. The first controls the burner and the high-temp override.  My high temp override turns on my boiler circulator (boilers in parallel) and it also turns on one of my heating zones (another circulator).  The second aquastat controls the temp at which I want all zones to shut off.  This is currently set at 150.  I put this in so that if the fire is going and too much heat is being extracted (cooling the boiler), I give the coal time to 'catch up'.  The third aquastat (set at 140) controls the power to the oil boiler.  The only time this takes affect is when I run out of fuel.  

I also heat my domestic hot water with both boilers using the System 2000 storage tank.  Another circulator and 2 more zone valves.  The domestic hot water either goes through the coal boiler OR it goes through the oil boiler (never both).

I can easily deal with having to clean it once a week.  I look forward to being able to dump the ashes in my lawn instead of having to dump into a galvanized steel garbage can.  Then, once they are COLD I can put them in bags and haul them out with the garbage (I produce more cinders in a week than I can leave for my garbage hauler, so it usually takes me well into the summer before all my cinders are gone).

I plan on converting my coal bin to a pellet bin.  Then, I'll be able to dump the pellets from inside my garage without having to take them downstairs to the boiler.  My coal bin is about 4' x 8' and 8' deep.  It is right at the front of my garage below the garage floor.

I definitely am going to convert.  It will be either Pellx or Ulma.  I really want to see one in operation first.  Is it possible to meet up with you?  I can PM you my email address and I'll include my full-name, address and phone numbers in an email.


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## PelletGun (Jun 15, 2011)

I have been running a Pellergy unit for three + years and love it.  Check them out: www.pellergy.com; the one down side is that they only sell through their Certified Installers, but they will train any licensed home heating person, company or plumber.  Good unit, built in the USA from a Swedish design and great support.


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## Hansson (Jun 21, 2011)

Here is a link to the Swedish pellets forum
http://translate.google.se/translate?sl=sv&tl=en&u=www.pellets.info
Maybe you can find some info there.
Have a nice day


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## smwilliamson (Jul 9, 2011)

Geo. said:
			
		

> Pellet burners alone can work fine on a wood boiler that you're not planning to use for heating wood anymore, but there are issues with using an oil boiler.
> 
> 1.  Burners should be on a door for cleaning.  If not on door, removing the burner for cleaning wears out the seal.
> 2.  There's no provision for ash in oil boilers.
> ...



I'm going to meet with this fellow next week...Gosh he's 14 miles away.


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## blackslax (Dec 23, 2011)

I started this thread and finally have had time to install the darn thing.
Funny how a year goes by that quickly.
From looking at the thread, looks like these are catching on a bit.

Well here are the facts (with the proof required):
I called Pelletpro to say that to ask a couple questions (Has been a year).  Guy said that he would start the warranty from November of this year.  thought that was kind of nice.
Decided to put it into my Biasi to make sure I am happy with it before I spend a bunch on a new boiler.

Here's the facts:
house - 3600'
6 baseboard zones
2 radiant zones
hot water maker running agaist 2 teenage girls, one wife, me.

Install time -        3 hours (easier than I thought by a long shot)
Install gas temp - 375
Outside temp. -     30 average
Usage  -               22 bags in two weeks. (Wanted to check after 1 week, but my boiler tech buddy was gone so I couldn't get his analyzer)
Flue temp -          433 (Pelletpro said it should go up by about 100 degrees before cleaning.) 
Ash -                   1 1/2 gallons from Independence all softwood pellets (Pelletpro said to use as high a softwood content as possible.) No clinkers, no hard stuff.  Just dark grey ash.  
Average run -      35 minutes - NO buffer (Pelpro said it would go to about 50-75 minutes with a buffer.) No time no money this year.
System faults -     0
Problems -           0
Happy wives -      1
OIL USED -          0

System has been run on low since install and we have had two nights beolow 10 with showers in the morning still kept up.

All in all, I am really happy.  


I'll keep you posted...


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## Hoval (Dec 23, 2011)

Good to have another conversion on board.  I have been running over a year now with my PELLX conversion and I am very happy.  I did go through 12.5 tons of pellets last year for all my hot water and heating needs.  I run all year.  This year I am adding my own pellet making project.  I just ordered my pellet mill and expect to be making pellets in the next couple of months.  Good luck to you.


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## EcoHeat (Dec 23, 2011)

That's great that you're having success with your pellet burner.  Your fuel bills will probably be about half of what they would otherwise be if you were still burning oil.  

One thing I notice in your description is a relatively high stack temperature.  The stack temp should ideally be between 300 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit, with the lower half of that range being preferable.  When you retrofit a pellet burner to an oil boiler, you have a situation where the match between the two may not be ideal.  Oil boilers tend to be oversized relative to the norm of pellet burners, which is 20kW.  Therefore, hot flue gasses can shoot right past the heat exchanger without coming into contact and transferring heat through the heat exchanger to the boiler water.  This effect becomes even more noticeable when pellet burners modulate to lower power levels as they normally do when they approach the high limit.  

A pellet burner is ideally suited to a boiler designed for using pellets.  That is, the boiler and burner are sized together like clothing is to a person.  A pellet boiler also has a bin where ash can collect out of the way of the combustion area, and a large combustion chamber for good combustion efficiency.  A good pellet boiler is designed to be easily brushed clean.  Oil boilers are designed for annual cleaning, and will have ash blown into places that are hard to get at.


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## DERUBIS (Dec 23, 2011)

I also look into these, now since I have my Harman 105PB I can't see how effective these work .Plus You couldn't keep a oil burner clean enough burning pellets.


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## Hoval (Dec 23, 2011)

You can see my unit that I converted last year; photoâ€™s earlier in this post.  Note the heat exchanger that was previously used for Fuel Oil and how some carbon was still on the unit.  That carbon has burned off and now the only thing to clean is some fine ash that brushes off with a shop brush.  Please notice that the entire front of my boiler opens on the right side where the pellet burner is now located, giving me complete access to the heat exchanger and the ash dump in the bottom.  This allows access like reaching into a kitchen oven.

My flue temperature is near the 150 F mark during the middle of the burn cycle, it doesnâ€™t seem to get any hotter.  All of my controls regarding the burn, the automatic start, self cleaning, pellet delivery, turn on and turn off are regulated by the pellet unit that is separate from my boiler.  The boiler controls the distribution of the heated water through 5 zone pumps and my domestic water through a 6th zone pump; this is separate from the pellet controller.  The only item that goes from one unit to the other is a temperature probe and a safety aqua stat.  This is like having an Oil burner to heat my house.


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## blackslax (Jan 21, 2012)

Geo. said:
			
		

> A pellet burner is ideally suited to a boiler designed for using pellets.  That is, the boiler and burner are sized together like clothing is to a person.  A pellet boiler also has a bin where ash can collect out of the way of the combustion area, and a large combustion chamber for good combustion efficiency.  A good pellet boiler is designed to be easily brushed clean.  Oil boilers are designed for annual cleaning, and will have ash blown into places that are hard to get at.



Spoken like a true salesman. I've got $3000 in the install and it works great.  I told the guys at Pellet-Pro and they disagreed.  They said that the pellet burner was originally designed to replace oil burners in Sweden and that is why they work so well in conversions.  They did say that boilers designed and optimized for the burners came later, but how much do you want to spend?

I talked to the guys at Pellet-Pro about the stack temp and they said that it needs to be above 325 with 32' of masonary chimney.  That stack temp is actually lower than my oil boiler.  They did recommend that I adjust the draft damper and that brought the stack down to about 340 when it is running on low.

It has now been colder than my orignal report and I can say that I still have not had to put it on high fire.  It has always kept up.  the coldest night we have had was about -5 and the burner on low started 5 times from 8:00PM - 8:00AM.  Consumption for the coldest total day of about 0 degrees was 2.5 bags with kids and showers.

Did fault for over temp but it was my fault.  did not clean the slots between the sections.  As I was brushing the scale off, I actually plugged them without noticing.  I thought a 3 pass meant that all of the heat went all th way to the back, and then the front and then the back.  Didn't realize that it went up between the sections as well.  Completely my fault.

A buddy of mine put one in too and he said he has gone from 1-1 1/2 bags in his big pellet stove plus 750 gallons of oil to 1 1/2 - 2 bags a day.  He is over the moon.

I'll get some better numbers when my third ton is done.


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## Hoval (Jan 21, 2012)

Congrats on your unit. I am very pleased with my unit also. I had my go round with George also and he seems to only sell the full system and not so much into conversions. I think that the full system is great if you want to spend 8-10 grand or more but I switched to save money not to spend it. Will you and your friend take the next step to making your own pellets? Do you plan on using the boiler all year as I do or shut it off in the summer? Is your unit a self start, self off like an oil burner or is it the high/low/pilot burn type? Have you tried different pellets? I just tried Dry Creek and they are a higher density pellet that required me to decrease the amount for auto start and the amount for full burn. This is the first time I needed to adjust my pellet feed down for a change in pellets.


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## blackslax (Jan 21, 2012)

Th Ulma is similar to the Pellx in the on/off.  Difference is that Ulma uses a different element that is ignited and on low in about 70 seconds.  

Not sure on runnning in the summer.  I'll try it and see if it is more hassle than the savings is worth.  I only burn about 75 gallons from April - September becuase i have a camp.

As for making pellets and changing brands, I am a forester and also researched it a lot and contrary to popular belief, you want to burn softwood pellets.  They have more energy because of the pitch and have less ash because of the cell fiber structure.  the guy at Pellet-pro said that softwood is about 1/2 the ash and they are the same density because of the pressure needed to push the wood through the die.  (Siad that they have a pellet mill across the road from their offices) so they are pretty familiar with the process.  He really recommended their pellets (Northeast Pellet) but we don't have them down this way.


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## katman (Jan 26, 2012)

I really appreciate your sharing your experiences converting your oil boilers to pellets.  I was looking into doing this at my place and was particularly interested in the ease of switching from the pellet gun to oil burner if necessary.  However, after talking to the folks at Pellergy we concluded my oil boiler is simply too small.  Looks like both of you have sizable, older oil boilers.  Plus, my current boiler is in a utility room I made in a crawl space.  When I dug out the area for this room I was installing my hydronic system and sized it for my boiler, water tank & condition equipment but never thought about including enough space for a pellet hopper.  It would be a task feeding and maintaining with the current access.  I did speak to George about his systems and found him to be very informative and helpful so yes, he is a salesman, but he shared a lot of time and useful information, including on Christmas eve, so don't bash him too hard.  I ended up putting a Harman pellet boiler in my barn and running 100 feet of insulated pipe to the house.  Just completing the install this week.  If everything works fine the oil will be backup, only being used when I am away and the Harman goes cold.

Please continue to inform us about the performance of your conversions.  I haven't given up.   I'm keeping a watch out for older boilers that might be suitable for a conversion.  If I find one, I'll consider putting that in.  I'm also interested in the units that use the gun in combination with a gasifier and I haven't written off getting one of George's packages.  The Harman was purchsed with the possibility that it will to another location currently heated with heat pumps and propane.  I think the Harman will do a nice job there, but the guns you have installed seem to be a more efficient option and I have plenty of space in my barn to add water storage if I want to see if that optimizes performance.  Blackslax, I must have misst it--where did yoiu get that pellet hopper?


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## Hoot23 (Apr 2, 2012)

ive been looking at a pellx conversion. and from what i've read in this post, it will work in a biasi 3 wood 6. just have to cut a hole in the front for the head. am i on the right track


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## Hoot23 (Apr 2, 2012)

ive been looking at a pellx conversion. and from what i've read in this post, it will work in a biasi 3 wood 6. just have to cut a hole in the front for the head. am i on the right track


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## blackslax (Aug 7, 2012)

Another update on the Ulma.

6 tons got me from Novenber to April.

I decided to run the unit for the summer since I sold my camp and went 14 weeks on 1 ton of pellets.  Not as efficient as oil in the summer, but still cheaper.

Had a couple of faults - all due to forgetting to fill the bin.

Lost the photoeye. for some reason it said it always saw light.  They were quick about replacing it under warranty. 

The finish started to flake off the downtube a bit, but just cosmetic. 

Have cleaned the burner once this summer and probably should again.


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## blackslax (Aug 7, 2012)

Hoot23 said:


> ive been looking at a pellx conversion. and from what i've read in this post, it will work in a biasi 3 wood 6. just have to cut a hole in the front for the head. am i on the right track


 
I was on the pellet-pro wabsite to get thier number when the eye failed, and it said that they are now listed with the 3Wood.


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## Matthew Fritz (Oct 7, 2012)

I am converting a Laars Newport oil boiler to the ULMA 2000TC. I'm confused how to connect the aqua stat (currently connected to the oil gun) to the ULMA, though. It is a two-wire (black and white). The ULMA has a connection for AC but I'm pretty sure that is supposed to go to a dedicated (and constant) power source. Any advice?


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## Matthew Fritz (Oct 7, 2012)

Great to hear you are happy with your conversion! Could you offer some advice to a newbie? I'm trying to convert my Laars Newport oil boiler to ULMA, but can't figure out how to make the electrical connections. Specifically, how do I connect the existing aqua stat to the ULMA? My oil gun has two wires running to it, that is all. Doesn't the ULMA require a constant power source? If I just connected the existing two wires, it will receive power only when the aqua stat calls for it. Thanks in advance for any advice!

-Matt


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## blackslax (Nov 25, 2012)

New update.
I torture tested my Ulma this fall (whick means I didn't clean it when I knew I should) and it finally shut down on me today.  I was actually suprised at how full the main chamber was and the heat exchangers as well.  It was not pretty, it was actually about 2 1/2 gallons of ash in a Vega 4-section.  I knew it was dirty because I was using more pellets than usual for the weather. 
All in all, I am still really happy.


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## blackslax (Nov 25, 2012)

Matthew Fritz said:


> Great to hear you are happy with your conversion! Could you offer some advice to a newbie? I'm trying to convert my Laars Newport oil boiler to ULMA, but can't figure out how to make the electrical connections. Specifically, how do I connect the existing aqua stat to the ULMA? My oil gun has two wires running to it, that is all. Doesn't the ULMA require a constant power source? If I just connected the existing two wires, it will receive power only when the aqua stat calls for it. Thanks in advance for any advice!
> 
> -Matt


 
Good to see you here.  I expect that your electrical question was taken care of by Pellet-Pro.  Best advise I can give is get to understand when your boiler can, should, and must be cleaned. Those are 3 different times to be sure.  Holding your hand on the downtube below where the flex tube goes in will tell you. 
When it is OK, it will be warm. 
When it can be cleaned, it will be hot but comfortable to the touch. 
When it must be cleaned is when it is hot any uncomfotable. 
You can keep your hand on it, but it is hot. 
If you can't hold your hand on it, it definitely needs cleaning.

Another way to tell is to pull the downtube out while it is running. 
Twist it out gently so that the dust does not grain elevator back up the pipe (lesson learned).
Once it is out, smack the pipe to let the dust out in your hand.
If it is pushing heat out the pipe, probably time ot clean it.


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## Matthew Fritz (Nov 25, 2012)

We've been running the newest ULMA conversion with our Laars Newport for a month and LOVE it! Just gave the boiler a good cleaning this weekend and look forward to a cleaner burn. Still waiting to get someone in to measure our chimney gasses. http://www.pellet-pro.com is AWESOME! GREAT customer service... If you are looking to make the switch, I strongly recommend Tim at Pellet-Pro.


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## blackslax (Nov 28, 2012)

Matthew Fritz said:


> We've been running the newest ULMA conversion with our Laars Newport for a month and LOVE it! Just gave the boiler a good cleaning this weekend and look forward to a cleaner burn. Still waiting to get someone in to measure our chimney gasses. http://www.pellet-pro.com is AWESOME! GREAT customer service... If you are looking to make the switch, I strongly recommend Tim at Pellet-Pro.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
X2 here


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## Grover59 (Jan 11, 2013)

I will be installing one of these Ulma burners very soon, at this time I have a Black Bear gasifier with a 750 gal tank, and a Burnham 3 section oil boiler that has not run for 4 years. My job at this time makes it sometimes difficult to keep the Black Bear running and the tank up to temp, so at times I have had to burn a little oil which burns my butt.
I have decided that I would rather spend the money on one of these burners, then spend it on oil, and I will still save money over the long haul. I am delighted to hear only good things about Tim and Pellet-Pro, and my experience so for with Tim supports everything I have heard on this forum, he has answered all my questions by e-mail for the last couple of months, and sounds very knowledgeable on this subject. 

Steve


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## Hoot23 (Jan 11, 2013)

Would like to hear how it works for ya. Looking into it for myself and father-in-law


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## maple1 (Jan 11, 2013)

Can these pellet conversions use a direct vent flue - rather than a chimney the oil boiler would ordinarily have been piped to?


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## Grover59 (Jan 11, 2013)

maple1 said:


> Can these pellet conversions use a direct vent flue - rather than a chimney the oil boiler would ordinarily have been piped to?


I am not sure but I will find out by the middle of next week, I do believe you can direct vent them, so long as you have the proper draft.


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## Hoot23 (Jan 12, 2013)

maple1 said:


> Can these pellet conversions use a direct vent flue - rather than a chimney the oil boiler would ordinarily have been piped to?



That's a great question. My biasi oil burner has a direct vent.


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## maple1 (Jan 12, 2013)

If so, that opens up a lot of possibilities for those who might want to get off or not get into fossil fuels or electricity but don't have a typical chimney available. In my case, I got rid of my oil/wood combo boiler and the new wood boiler is using the flue hole it was. I put in an electric boiler for backup. There are a ton of used oil boilers around - if you could get one, stick a pellet head in it, and direct vent it, that would make a decent backup boiler with way less operational costs than oil or electric. Or it even could be used as primary heat if that's what you wanted.


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## Grover59 (Jan 12, 2013)

maple1 said:


> If so, that opens up a lot of possibilities for those who might want to get off or not get into fossil fuels or electricity but don't have a typical chimney available. In my case, I got rid of my oil/wood combo boiler and the new wood boiler is using the flue hole it was. I put in an electric boiler for backup. There are a ton of used oil boilers around - if you could get one, stick a pellet head in it, and direct vent it, that would make a decent backup boiler with way less operational costs than oil or electric. Or it even could be used as primary heat if that's what you wanted.


 
Yes as a matter of fact I have been looking for used boilers here in Maine, and you won't believe how many are available cheap. A lot of people are switching out to gas, and are getting rid of their oil boilers and tanks at decent prices, particularly in the southern part of the state. One other thing about the burner you can change it out in a matter of minutes so I understand, and switch back to oil if need be, so you are not locked into a huge device to have  to haul out of your basement if you decide to do something different.

Steve


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## lucamajuke (Nov 1, 2013)

I'm looking at installing an Ulma in a Buderus 115/5.  I hope to post pix when I get it up and running...Thanks for all of the posts, reading here has convinced me that this is the way to go.


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## heaterman (Nov 2, 2013)

Aside from the issue of a given pellet burner head being of good quality or not, the larger issue is the boiler that is being converted. 
I would say that many oil and gas boilers would not be suitable for a conversion head because of the design of the boiler itself. 
For example, if I owned a pin type boiler like a Weil- McClain, Slant Fin or Burnham I would probably not consider using pellets in it.

The problem would be cleaning and ash removal in the upper heat exchanger area. The passageways are very narrow and given that pellets produce some ash, the pin area of the heat exchanger would be about 100% sure to be a very regular source of extra work. 

If I had a typical three pass design with wider flue passages and a hinged, swing out burner door I would consider that to be a better candidate for burning "solid fuel". Cleaning would not be as difficult and probably not needed as frequently.

That being said, any boiler that was designed for liquid or gaseous fuel is going to present a big jump in maintenance when switched over to pellets simply due to the difference in the combustion by-products of the fuels. The pellet burner might be a "drop in" replacement but the real issue is the boiler itself.


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