# Calling all Pellet boiler owners, how’s it going?



## faultymechanics (Nov 15, 2020)

I’ve read a few different threads on here from 2012-2015, regarding pellet boilers.

Now that you’ve owned them for a good few years, what are your thoughts and recommendations?

Looks like my wife and I will be getting one for the new house. I’m trying to get some info from people besides the companies themselves.


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## Highbeam (Nov 15, 2020)

faultymechanics said:


> I’ve read a few different threads on here from 2012-2015, regarding pellet boilers.
> 
> Now that you’ve owned them for a good few years, what are your thoughts and recommendations?
> 
> Looks like my wife and I will be getting one for the new house. I’m trying to get some info from people besides the companies themselves.



Good idea. Would love to see more current info too.


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## faultymechanics (Nov 16, 2020)

ALso curious, those of you who have the pellet boilers, if you have a thermal storage tank.


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## AndrewChurchill (Nov 16, 2020)

I have a Pellergy PB1525 with a 500 gallon storage tank.  It's attached to my Buderus G215 boiler.  I have it set up so I can switch between pellets and propane in less than 5 minutes.  

It works well and I've used pellets for 4 out of the past 8 years.  Burning propane this year since it's cheaper than pellets.

They no longer make that type of burner anymore since it emits too much particulate.


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## faultymechanics (Nov 16, 2020)

AndrewChurchill said:


> I have a Pellergy PB1525 with a 500 gallon storage tank.  It's attached to my Buderus G215 boiler.  I have it set up so I can switch between pellets and propane in less than 5 minutes.
> 
> It works well and I've used pellets for 4 out of the past 8 years.  Burning propane this year since it's cheaper than pellets.
> 
> They no longer make that type of burner anymore since it emits too much particulate.


 
Not that I don't believe you but it seems wild to me that propane is cheaper for you to burn this year. Average price is $2.90 per gallon in Nh, can't imagine it is too different in NH. Seems crazy to me, even with Propane prices being lower I was estimating saving $1500-$2000 a year on heating fuel switching from Propane to Pellets. House uses just a under 1500 gal of propane a year.


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## 3fordasho (Nov 16, 2020)

faultymechanics said:


> Not that I don't believe you but it seems wild to me that propane is cheaper for you to burn this year. Average price is $2.90 per gallon in Nh, can't imagine it is too different in NH. Seems crazy to me, even with Propane prices being lower I was estimating saving $1500-$2000 a year on heating fuel switching from Propane to Pellets. House uses just a under 1500 gal of propane a year.



My summer propane fill was .89 or .94/gallon - of course it's usually cheaper here in the midwest but we did have that spike in 2014/15 where some were paying $3 to $4 a gallon.  Pellets here are right at $4.99/40lb bag so that puts pellets at $20.67 per million btu and propane  at $13.38 per million btu.  In your area with $2.90/gallon propane you are at $41.27 per million btu.


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## peakbagger (Nov 16, 2020)

I dont own one. I do know MeSys had a early manufacturer that they imported that didnt work out. Way too much cleaning and service required,. They went with a more expensive import when the Northern Forest Initiative made pellet boilers practically free in Berlin NH a few years ago. I think MeSys did all the installs and do the deliveries. There was another firm in NorthConway that had a delivery truck several years ago.


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## Highbeam (Nov 16, 2020)

Looking at the epa list of approved pellet boilers for 2020 there are only a few brands and of those, some have horrible efficiency ratings.


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## faultymechanics (Nov 17, 2020)

Highbeam said:


> Looking at the epa list of approved pellet boilers for 2020 there are only a few brands and of those, some have horrible efficiency ratings.



You’re definitely not wrong there. The contender from MEsys hits 77% and the Windhagen is even a bit lower than that at around 65% (not looking at exact numbers). Pretty wild that some are 50% and that’s considered efficient at all....


I'll add it's worth noting all these efficiencies were done without thermal storage. I've read positives and negatives on the topic but what's interesting is MEsys is the only company who really doesn't suggest thermal storage. The companies that do suggest thermal storage seem to be the ones with lower efficiency ratings which makes me wonder how all of that comes into play.


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## AndrewChurchill (Nov 18, 2020)

I locked in at $1.60 per gallon in May.   

The last time my PB-1525 was tested is was running at 83% efficiency which is pretty good considering the propane burner is running at 87% efficiency.  

I actually have two of these units and I had one set up at an apartment building I own.  The apartment didn't have storage and while it did heat the building and DHW it used more fuel than the house I live in.

The apartment is a 2400 sq/ft duplex and I would burn about 13 ton of pellets per year for heat and DHW.  I live in a 2400 sq/ft house with a 864 sq/ft attached, heated garage with an apartment of the same size above it and I only use 11 ton of pellets for heat and DHW.

But at the house I have a 500 gallon storage tank.  The tank on an average day needs to be charged 4 times a day and the burner runs for a little over 5 hours per day.  

Up at the duplex the burner would fire on average 30 times a day.  That puts a lot of strain on the igniter and I would have to change that at least once a year.  The other issue up there was the boiler was small and I had to get clean it out every 10 days or it would plug up.  



3fordasho said:


> My summer propane fill was .89 or .94/gallon - of course it's usually cheaper here in the midwest but we did have that spike in 2014/15 where some were paying $3 to $4 a gallon.  Pellets here are right at $4.99/40lb bag so that puts pellets at $20.67 per million btu and propane  at $13.38 per million btu.  In your area with $2.90/gallon propane you are at $41.27 per million btu.


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## Mr._Graybeard (Nov 19, 2020)

This is my eighth heating season with a Harman PB105 pellet boiler in our old farm house. It has been our mainstay heat source during that time, with our Burnham oil boiler acting as backup. Over that time I have replaced one igniter and an auger motor; several cracked burnpots were replaced under warranty.
Other than that is has been pretty trouble-free. It takes four bags of pellets in the hopper, which it will consume in a day when it gets really cold. Today, breezy with the high temp around 40, it burned a little over two bags. Mediocre pellets are no problem, the Harman eats them all. Its pressure ignition system fires it up quickly and dependably.
  Harman claimed the boiler is 85% efficient. I have no storage per se, although the water circulates through the oil boiler at all times, providing a heat sink of sorts.
Since the burn in a pellet unit is thermostatically controlled, a storage tank isn't necessary IMO.
BTW, I ran across a deal on pellets in my area, $204/ton.


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## AndrewChurchill (Nov 19, 2020)

I installed a Harman PB105 in my previous house.  Once I figured out a couple of minor issues it ran great.  It's still there but since I sold the house in 2012 none of the new owners, now on the third one, have run it.  



Mr._Graybeard said:


> This is my eighth heating season with a Harman PB105 pellet boiler in our old farm house. It has been our mainstay heat source during that time, with our Burnham oil boiler acting as backup. Over that time I have replaced one igniter and an auger motor; several cracked burnpots were replaced under warranty.
> Other than that is has been pretty trouble-free. It takes four bags of pellets in the hopper, which it will consume in a day when it gets really cold. Today, breezy with the high temp around 40, it burned a little over two bags. Mediocre pellets are no problem, the Harman eats them all. Its pressure ignition system fires it up quickly and dependably.
> Harman claimed the boiler is 85% efficient. I have no storage per se, although the water circulates through the oil boiler at all times, providing a heat sink of sorts.
> Since the burn in a pellet unit is thermostatically controlled, a storage tank isn't necessary IMO.
> BTW, I ran across a deal on pellets in my area, $204/ton.


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## gthomas785 (Nov 19, 2020)

My dad  got the MeSys AutoPellet about 10 years ago. No storage. There was definitely a learning curve as far as maintenance especially since the local techs were on the same curve at the same time, but they were supportive and kept at it. I know he has had one draft inducer and one auger motor replaced under warranty. Now overall he is happy with it and glad to be done with oil heat.


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## faultymechanics (Nov 19, 2020)

Mr._Graybeard said:


> This is my eighth heating season with a Harman PB105 pellet boiler in our old farm house. It has been our mainstay heat source during that time, with our Burnham oil boiler acting as backup. Over that time I have replaced one igniter and an auger motor; several cracked burnpots were replaced under warranty.
> Other than that is has been pretty trouble-free. It takes four bags of pellets in the hopper, which it will consume in a day when it gets really cold. Today, breezy with the high temp around 40, it burned a little over two bags. Mediocre pellets are no problem, the Harman eats them all. Its pressure ignition system fires it up quickly and dependably.
> Harman claimed the boiler is 85% efficient. I have no storage per se, although the water circulates through the oil boiler at all times, providing a heat sink of sorts.
> Since the burn in a pellet unit is thermostatically controlled, a storage tank isn't necessary IMO.
> BTW, I ran across a deal on pellets in my area, $204/ton.





AndrewChurchill said:


> I installed a Harman PB105 in my previous house.  Once I figured out a couple of minor issues it ran great.  It's still there but since I sold the house in 2012 none of the new owners, now on the third one, have run it.



Unfortunately the Harmon units aren't EPA approved for 2020 so I wouldn't be able to get the state rebate  I appreciate your feedback though, helps to get more information regarding efficiency of all units with or without thermal storage. 




gthomas785 said:


> My dad  got the MeSys AutoPellet about 10 years ago. No storage. There was definitely a learning curve as far as maintenance especially since the local techs were on the same curve at the same time, but they were supportive and kept at it. I know he has had one draft inducer and one auger motor replaced under warranty. Now overall he is happy with it and glad to be done with oil heat.



This is likely the system I will end up with as the support in this area is highest for the MEsys AutoPellet. Our school also uses them and I was able to see how they function first hand, and their units are probably 6-7 years old now.

Really appreciate all the information everyone is providing. Keep it coming if you got it!!


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## NHJoe (Nov 28, 2020)

I am starting on my second season heating with my Pinnacle PB150 pellet/corn boiler (manufactured in 2008).  I purchased it on Craigslist to replace my Harmon SF260 wood/coal boiler.  I burned coal in the Harmon and liked the heat and somewhat easy maintenance.  I did not like getting rid of the annual ton of coal ashes.  The Pinnacle like the Harmon is connected to the oil burner through which hot water is continually circulating.  The PB150, like most or all of pellet boilers of this general design, is no longer made and it is not difficult to understand why this is the case.  It does not have an igniter so it is designed to continually burn on either the burn or pilot cycle.  There is no automatic ash removal so the fire pot requires a daily scoop out.  It must be shut down and cleaned about every three to four weeks.  The cleaning includes removing the ash from above the heat exchanger, brushing out the fourteen fire tubes, removing and cleaning the draft motor and fan, and finally removing the ash and soot from the fire pot and burn chamber.   This pellet boiler is not for everyone.  Being retired and having the inclination to do all this stuff - I really like burning my Pinnacle PB150.  I especially enjoy my morning coffee in front of the stove.  The initial learning curve was a bit frustrating but I had help from the Pinnacle Stove Sales people in Canada.  Learning how to adjust the fan speed during the pilot cycle was the key for me.  Anyway, I thought it might be interesting to reintroduce the Pinnacle PB150 pellet boiler.


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## Mr._Graybeard (Nov 28, 2020)

While the Harman PB105 isn't as low-maintenance as some of the European boilers, it's not too bad. I clear off the heat exchanger tubes daily (there are external handles for this) and scrape the burnpot maybe every other day. The ash pan is huge and gets dumped only about three times a season. Since I burn the cheapest pellets I can find, I clean the combustion fan about every six weeks and clean the flue every couple months, usually with a leaf blower.


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## NHJoe (Nov 28, 2020)

I was seriously considering a Harman PB105 back when I was shopping for a used pellet boiler.  There was one available locally.  I read much of what was posted on this forum and decided that burn pot bubbles, ignitor issues, among other things, were more than I wanted to deal with.  My decision was to go pellet boiler primitive with the Pinnacle PB150.  It appears that the PB105 issues were solved and then Harman stopped making them (I can't remember if this was after Harman was sold).  If I knew then what I know now, I would probably be using that PB105.  But then what would I do with all my spare time?


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## Mr._Graybeard (Nov 28, 2020)

Yeah, they finally ironed out the bugs and then gave the model the heave-ho. I recall talking to a guy who had an early version with the finned igniter and he never was able to get the unit to ignite reliably. The pressure igniter was a big improvement. Even the crummiest pellets need only about 90 seconds before they light. 

I may be wrong but I think the pressure igniter may have led to the burnpots cracking. I know some owners have never had a problem with it. I think Harman replaced mine twice under warranty.

I'm not sure there ever was a significant market for pellet boilers in this country, where most homes are heated with forced air. A pellet furnace is a lot cheaper that a boiler, especially when you factor in the plumbing work. Europeans seem to prefer hydronic heat, as do I.


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## Marshy (Dec 2, 2020)

Wow, sounds like all of the pellet boilers are high maintenance compared to cord wood boilers. Yeah I know we have more prep work in making the cord wood but it would be interesting to compare the price point of BTU's if you purchased firewood vs purchased pellets... 

Anyways, I am completely happy with my cordwood boiler made by Froling and would steer anyone towards their based on my experience with their cord wood boiler. Storage is a must though.  Good luck.


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## Mr._Graybeard (Dec 2, 2020)

No storage needed with a pellet boiler. Combustion is 100% controlled. 

No need to hold fuel for years till it's dry enough to burn, either. I can pick up a ton of pellet fuel today and burn it tomorrow.

I see it as a matter of cost vs. convenience. I pay more per BTU for pellets than cordwood would cost, but I suspect it's not that much more if I'm buying good, low-moisture firewood. It's a whole other game if you're cutting your own firewood, then the wood boiler is the big winner. But then there are the hours spent harvesting, stacking, etc. BTDT.


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## Highbeam (Dec 4, 2020)

Mr._Graybeard said:


> No storage needed with a pellet boiler. Combustion is 100% controlled.
> 
> No need to hold fuel for years till it's dry enough to burn, either. I can pick up a ton of pellet fuel today and burn it tomorrow.
> 
> I see it as a matter of cost vs. convenience. I pay more per BTU for pellets than cordwood would cost, but I suspect it's not that much more if I'm buying good, low-moisture firewood. It's a whole other game if you're cutting your own firewood, then the wood boiler is the big winner. But then there are the hours spent harvesting, stacking, etc. BTDT.



I see the logic but am mostly convinced by the first sentence. Controlled and variable combustion.

For beginners like me, this whole storage and heat exchangers and separate pumps and stratification and floor space complications of a cordwood boiler, not to mention the huge cost all in, make pellet boilers appear to be much more plug and play.

I just want to sent cold water to a thing and have hot water come back. I want that thing to burn some type of very cheap fuel.

If only there were more options.


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## faultymechanics (Dec 4, 2020)

Just got a quote for the Okofen pellet system about 5k cheaper than the first quote. Methinks the wife will like this new change as the price really ends up being around 2k more than a propane setup after all the rebates.

Very excited, I think this will sway the wife to pellets!


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## Mr._Graybeard (Dec 4, 2020)

Pellet boilers and wood gasifiers seem to have one parallel -- the innovation comes from Europe. I have no personal experience with Okofen, Kedel or Windhager, but their designs seem focused on creating efficient units requiring minimal maintenance. I see that Okofen is using condensing designs, which should increase efficiency. Looking at the MeSys website, they appear to be using Okofen designs and a bottom pellet feed, which I like. Bottom feeds clear ash out of the burnpot without any additional mechanisms like agitators. My Harman has a bottom-feed burnpot. I wouldn't want a top feeder for serious heat output.

We used to have quite a few Windhager fans on the pellet forum, but I haven't heard much from them lately. The boilers were high tech, but IIRC they fed pellets from above.


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## Mr._Graybeard (Dec 4, 2020)

Another point I hadn't thought of up till now: Many Pellet heaters can be direct vented -- that is, you can stick the flue straight out of a vertical wall with no elevation necessary to create draft. My Harman is set up for direct venting, which leaves my chimney open for  my old Burham oil boiler. I think the Windhager requires a vertical run in the flue. Not sure about the others.


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## Former Farmer (Dec 4, 2020)

Mr._Graybeard said:


> I may be wrong but I think the pressure igniter may have led to the burnpots cracking. I know some owners have never had a problem with it. I think Harman replaced mine twice under warranty.



I still have the finned igniter.  It has been reliable over the years, I only had to replace it once.   I think I was up to four firepots being replaced under warranty because of the bubble, cracking issues.  

I don't use it much now because of propane prices being a cheaper source of heat.  I had my propane tanks filled for $.75 per gallon this summer and have enough for the entire heating season.  

For a cost comparison, propane runs me $8.75 per Mbtu versus wood pellets at $210 per ton would be around $16 per Mbtu.

As far as storage for a pellet boiler, don't do it.  I tried it with a 50 gallon water heater that I had and it ended up actually using more energy to keep the storage hot as well.  A pellet boiler is a variable output heat source that can burn efficiently at different rates.


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## Mr._Graybeard (Dec 4, 2020)

So you had burnpots crack with the finned igniter, FF. I recall there were boiler owners who said they never had one go bad.
Gotta say the pressure igniter is awesome. It lights pellets in a minute.

We're sticking with oil here, my wife hates the look of the propane tank in the yard. A pellet burning friend near me made the switch to LP but his spouse made him put the tank 100 feet from the house.


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## faultymechanics (Dec 4, 2020)

Former Farmer said:


> I still have the finned igniter.  It has been reliable over the years, I only had to replace it once.   I think I was up to four firepots being replaced under warranty because of the bubble, cracking issues.
> 
> I don't use it much now because of propane prices being a cheaper source of heat.  I had my propane tanks filled for $.75 per gallon this summer and have enough for the entire heating season.
> 
> ...



So would you also be implying indirect DHW off the pellet boiler is inefficient compared to say a heat pump setup that isn’t drawing right off the pellet boiler.


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## Former Farmer (Dec 4, 2020)

I remember the same thing with the burn pots.  I guess I was not one of the lucky ones.  

I have the LP tanks tucked behind some evergreens.  You really don't know that they are there.

The water heater that I was referring to was connected strictly for storage purposes.  

My system is a little different than most.  I have a Lennox CompleteHeat system which is a LP fired 35 gallon water heater with extra plumbing connections for using the potable water through heat exchangers for infloor heat via a plate exchanger and forced hot air via a water to air exchanger.  I added the pellet boiler to the entire system via a plate exchanger to heat the potable water in the CompleteHeat water heater.  

I think that the boiler is a good means for DHW since you need to keep it warm already and you are going to have heat loses regardless of the heating method. 

I hope that all of this makes sense.


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## Solarguy3500 (Dec 6, 2020)

I replaced my old oil boiler in 2015 with an Okofen (Mesys) pellet boiler with thermal storage. MA had a rebate of $10,000 on pellet boilers at the time, and they upped it to $12,000 if you got storage with it, so I got the $12,000 rebate. 

The nearest company that had a bulk pellet delivery truck was over 1.5 hours from me so they had to charge a delivery fee. I got a 7 ton pellet bin so that I would only need 1 fill per year to minimize delivery fees. 

I also got a heat pump water heater for DHW because I was about to install solar PV panels and with the low cost of electricity with the solar, it didn't make sense to burn pellets all summer just to heat water. I really liked that setup a lot, and to make it even better, the state rolled out alternative energy credits about a year after I installed my boiler and made eligibility retroactive back to a date before my system was installed so I was able to get paid on the back end for heating with pellets as well as the up front rebate.

We sold the house in 2019 and I love my new house, but I do miss that pellet boiler. Sucks going back to oil after having gotten rid of it once.


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## Highbeam (Dec 6, 2020)

Solarguy3500 said:


> I replaced my old oil boiler in 2015 with an Okofen (Mesys) pellet boiler with thermal storage. MA had a rebate of $10,000 on pellet boilers at the time, and they upped it to $12,000 if you got storage with it, so I got the $12,000 rebate.
> 
> The nearest company that had a bulk pellet delivery truck was over 1.5 hours from me so they had to charge a delivery fee. I got a 7 ton pellet bin so that I would only need 1 fill per year to minimize delivery fees.
> 
> ...



12k rebate! How much do these things cost?


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## Solarguy3500 (Dec 6, 2020)

Highbeam said:


> 12k rebate! How much do these things cost?



The total cost of the project including the heat pump water heater was around 25k, so the rebate paid almost half. 

In MA there is a utility sponsored energy efficiency program called MassSave that has a 0% interest loan for efficiency upgrades, including heating system replacement, so after the $12k rebate, I was able to finance the remainder interest free.


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## faultymechanics (Dec 7, 2020)

Going to ask about igniter replacement cost today. That may help my decision.

I still keep going back and forth between heat Pump or indirect.

Indirect is almost 1k cheaper to install but keeps boiler running all year.

With the heat pump I’m concerned even next to the pellet boiler, there won’t be enough heat in the basement during the winter to be efficient. Which means it will use a good deal of electricity to heat the water which in sure is more expensive than just using pellet heat from the boiler.(hopefully that made sense)

My understanding is the heat pump hybrid will also have a longer recovery rate than the in direct.


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## Solarguy3500 (Dec 7, 2020)

faultymechanics said:


> Going to ask about igniter replacement cost today. That may help my decision.
> 
> I still keep going back and forth between heat Pump or indirect.
> 
> ...



FWIW I never had to replace an igniter on the boiler in the 4 years I owned it until I sold the house. Speaking of selling my house, when we put it on the market, we sold it in 1 week and the buyer said the 2 main reasons she bought it were the pellet boiler and the solar panels.

About the heat pump water heater. How many people in your household? Is your basement very cold and drafty? We never really had a problem with the water heater not keeping up with the demand and we have 3 kids so there were always showers, baths, and laundry going. There were only a handful of times when both my older kids took a shower right in a row, we gave the baby a bath, then my wife and I both took showers, and the last shower would be a little cooler but still fine.  You can set it in hybrid mode if you're worried about it and then if the heat pump struggles to heat the water, the electric elements can help out. Our basement was not heated (just the ambient heat off the piping from the boiler) and there was always enough heat in the basement for the heat pump to work with. Remember, the refrigerant and compressor are going to be doing the heavy lifting.


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## faultymechanics (Dec 7, 2020)

Solarguy3500 said:


> FWIW I never had to replace an igniter on the boiler in the 4 years I owned it until I sold the house. Speaking of selling my house, when we put it on the market, we sold it in 1 week and the buyer said the 2 main reasons she bought it were the pellet boiler and the solar panels.
> 
> About the heat pump water heater. How many people in your household? Is your basement very cold and drafty? We never really had a problem with the water heater not keeping up with the demand and we have 3 kids so there were always showers, baths, and laundry going. There were only a handful of times when both my older kids took a shower right in a row, we gave the baby a bath, then my wife and I both took showers, and the last shower would be a little cooler but still fine.  You can set it in hybrid mode if you're worried about it and then if the heat pump struggles to heat the water, the electric elements can help out. Our basement was not heated (just the ambient heat off the piping from the boiler) and there was always enough heat in the basement for the heat pump to work with. Remember, the refrigerant and compressor are going to be doing the heavy lifting.



Thanks for the feedback.

Currently there’s just two of us in the house, although we plan on growing the family soon. We also do enjoy longer warm showers in the winter if that matters.

The basement isdefinitely chilly. Not sure how drafty but the house is almost 100 years old so not exactly air tight. Plus it’s completely below ground and it gets cold as heck up here sometimes. That’s my big concern.

I have no reference for how much ambient heat the boiler will put off and if that will give enough heat to the heat pump. I imagine in regular electric mode the system would be less efficient, financially, than the indirect water heater.

How many gallons did you say your Water Tank was?


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## peakbagger (Dec 7, 2020)

Unless you have insulated walls in the basement is always going to be ground temp which is borderline for HPHW heater.


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## faultymechanics (Dec 7, 2020)

peakbagger said:


> Unless you have insulated walls in the basement is always going to be ground temp which is borderline for HPHW heater.



No insulation in the basement and probably no plans to insulate.

Being in our area and knowing the climate, do you have input as to what system you would use?

Sounds like Indirect is the way to go, even though the boiler is running in the summer.


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## peakbagger (Dec 7, 2020)

I think the problem is in NH is you ideally want two hot water options for winter and summer. It was easy when folks could buy the surplus add on Heat Pump Hot Water heaters that integrated with electric hot water heaters  from one of the Hearth members for cheap but think his supply ran out long ago. HPHWs work well in the 3 seasons in typical basement temps but they just dont like a cold basement in the winter. Thus you need a winter option and that is either an electric hot water heater or a hot water maker hooked up to source of heating hot water. A hot water maker is just a well insulated tank with a coil in its center that takes boiler water and heat up domestic hot water. Its heated as hot as possible and then a tempering valve blends cold water into it to get to the household temp. 

A general FYI is that both hot water makers and electric hot water heaters are typically installed poorly turning them into inadvertent space heaters. Heat rises and cool settles so if the pipes out of either device goes straight up they will continuously conduct heat out of the tank and into the space above the tank. There are heat trap valves that can be installed or just instal loops of pipe above the tank that shuts off the thermosyphoning. It makes a big difference but most plumber s just take the easy way.

If you having a heating source that heats water, a so called hot water maker, an insulated hot water tank with coil in it is a nice option. I have one I got used and it holds hot water for quite awhile before I charge it up, then again I dont have much hot water demand and I plan my uses when I think I have enough water. I dump excess heat from my wood boiler when my storage temp is maxed out. I also have a solar hot water system that is close to 20 years old. It has what looks to be a regular hot water heater with a copper coil wrapped around the tank integrated into the insulation of the tank. It also has a single  electric hot water element. If the temps over 50 degrees outside I run directly off the SHW, once it cools down then I used the preheated SHW to feed the hot water maker tank. I do run into issues in the spring and fall where I am running the minisplit for heat and not running the wood boiler but the outside air temps are bit too low. I just go down and flip the breaker on the hot water heater element to boost up my SHW temps. I could automate things but I already have a overly complex system. BTW I also still have an oil boiler that can run over to the hot water maker but since my power is free from my solar electric panels I dont use the oil boiler.  No doubt if I ever go to sell the place I will strip out a lot of the systems as I expect the complexity would scare off most folks.


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## faultymechanics (Dec 7, 2020)

After talking with our installer I decided on Indirect. He has a HPWH that is used in the Summer. Even in the best scenario he has still run out of water because of the slow recovery on the tank. Meanwhile he has never run out with his 30 gallon indirect setup because it can keep up with the rate of usage.

Between that information, the cost and knowing an totally idle boiler can have some issues, we went indirect. If I was to leave the boiler idle I'd have to get it serviced at the beginning of the summer every year to ensure no issues from condensation or ash absorbing moisture. This just seemed easier.

He also said he services or has installed 150 pellet boilers and even with the older units, 10-15years old, he has never had to replace the igniter.

It seems the only thing people replace in these is the auger motor in the hopper. Go figure.


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## Mr._Graybeard (Dec 7, 2020)

faultymechanics said:


> If I was to leave the boiler idle I'd have to get it serviced at the beginning of the summer every year to ensure no issues from condensation or ash absorbing moisture. This just seemed easier. ...
> 
> It seems the only thing people replace in these is the auger motor in the hopper. Go figure.



Speaking to service at the beginning vs. end of summer, my Harman stove guy recommended leaving the ash in the unit until fall. He said it is a good sink for moisture. Of course my boiler does not pack the ash away in a suitcase like some of the Euro models do, so a little surface rust in my Harman's ash pan won't gum up the works. YMMV. Also, I like to put some Damp-Rid in the combustion chamber to keep the humidity down. I believe the product is basically calcium chloride, which is widely used to melt snow and ice on sidewalks in the winter. It's pretty cheap in a 20-lb. bag vs. Damp-Rid.


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## velvetfoot (Dec 8, 2020)

I haven't run my Windhager for a while since oil prices went down and pellet prices stayed the same.  Six tons in the basement.  I charge up the 120 gallon buffer tank with my oil boiler.  When I clean the cast iron Burnham oil boiler, it looks pretty good which I attribute to the longer run times because of the tank.

I haven't done any math on economies, but the pellet boiler is ready to go.  Of course, then I'd have to clean that, lol.


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## maple1 (Dec 8, 2020)

I think I would go heat pump water heater with electric element backup (is that what they call hybrid?) over keeping boiler hot all summer. I would even go conventional electric over keeping boiler hot all summer - that's what I eventually decided to do even with already having wood boiler + storage. But can pellet boilers work as cold start boilers? That might influence a bit. But also around here, pellets are not cheap, at all. Likely the most expensive heat source, aside from resistance electric.


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## faultymechanics (Dec 8, 2020)

maple1 said:


> I think I would go heat pump water heater with electric element backup (is that what they call hybrid?) over keeping boiler hot all summer. I would even go conventional electric over keeping boiler hot all summer - that's what I eventually decided to do even with already having wood boiler + storage. But can pellet boilers work as cold start boilers? That might influence a bit. But also around here, pellets are not cheap, at all. Likely the most expensive heat source, aside from resistance electric.



Ended up going indirect for the reasons listed above. The Pellet boiler can do cold starts but of course, it's ideal to keep it running once started but cold starts don't cause issues with the boiler. 

It's so interesting how widely heating costs vary. Electric is fairly high near me and Propane is about 2.81/gal last I checked. With 1 ton of pellets coming in at $269 delivered, it is about half the price of Propane for the equivalent amount. 

Heating oil I'm not sure but we're switching from Propane.

Biggest downside is our stove uses propane so we will still need a tank, however, instead of having the monstrous Propane tank we currently have, I'm going to have the gas company swap it for a much smaller tank. Save myself from the eyesore a bit!


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## bdud (Dec 14, 2020)

faultymechanics said:


> The Pellet boiler can do cold starts but of course, it's ideal to keep it running once started but cold starts don't cause issues with the boiler.


Yes a pellet boiler can do cold starts but it does not heat instantly like an oil feed boiler, it takes times for the pellets to ignite and then get to heat. A storage tank I think would be a requirement.


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## bdud (Dec 14, 2020)

I had a Windhager pellet boiler installed in late 2013 and have used it every winter / cold season ever since. In the summer we use a Nyle a stand-alone HPWH connected to a 130 gallon solar style hot water storage tank for our hot water. When the pellet boiler is switched on, the HPWH is turned off and the boiler heats the a storage tank (100 gallons I think) which heats the hot water storage tank as required. We have had no issues with the Windhager and maybe clean it twice a year, takes ~20 minutes. Our house is ~2,000sqft in MA and I had a custom silo built that holds ~3.5 tons which is sometimes enough to get us through a complete year, this is supplying the heat, hot water and a Harman pellet stove. 
The HPWH which is in the basement does a great job keeping that area cool and sucks out the humidity better than any dehumidifier we had used before. The Windhager I am sure like other pellet boilers, has a multi-element ignitor so if one ignitor fails another will continue. 
So glad to get rid of our oil boiler. I have a bulk pellet delivery company not far from me so that makes life easier.


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## faultymechanics (Jan 1, 2021)

Just a quick update. We closed on the house yesterday, wahoo! Boiler is being installed the week of the 11th. 

Will be tense until the install is finished. Current system isn't reliable at all and since it takes a week to install the boiler I'm going to have electric heaters keeping the house warm enough so the pipes don't freeze. Here's to hoping one of those electric heaters doesn't burn down our new house.


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## faultymechanics (Sep 7, 2021)

Hello all!

Apologies for not updating you all sooner. I am hoping to take some photos for everyone but we had the MeSys boiler installed back in mid-January.

So far the system has been fantastic. Absolutely zero issues with the unit, easy to dump the ash; water and home get VERY hot and do it quite quickly. Efficiency is great, assuming we don't get another fill before the cold season hits, we will have saved at least 2k on heating fuel costs alone.

If anyone has questions please let me know, happy to give as much info as possible. We have a basement hopper which has been doing great. During the coldest parts of the winter the Boiler would vacuum pellets maybe twice a day. Now in the warm season it MAYBE does it once a day. The self cleaning system is great and occasionally I hear it but no biggie.

In regards to total installed cost 9with DHW being tied in and new tank) we had a bill of about 25k. The state of NH gave us a $10,000 rebate. Additionally with the Federal tax credit we should get another $6500 back in tax credits. This leaves us with around $8,500 spent to have the boiler and hopper installed, plumbed and Hot Water tank added and plumbed. I'd say we did pretty darn good.

We fit just under 5 tons of pellets in our hopper and a full load runs us around $1,000.

I will do my best to snap some photos but our basement is still full of stuff to be organized.


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## peakbagger (Sep 7, 2021)

My guess is you timed it right. A lot of incentive money is being shifted over to electrification of homes as the power utilities have a lot of pull with the state PUC on where incentive money goes.  Given that we are in the north country of NH, my preference is to be on control of my fuel supply versus waiting for the power company to restore it after a storm. My guess is you can probably run your pellet boiler and heating system off a small generator and be toasty in minutes instead of days? I don't see you losing out on the investment.


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## faultymechanics (Sep 7, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> My guess is you timed it right. A lot of incentive money is being shifted over to electrification of homes as the power utilities have a lot of pull with the state PUC on where incentive money goes.  Given that we are in the north country of NH, my preference is to be on control of my fuel supply versus waiting for the power company to restore it after a storm. My guess is you can probably run your pellet boiler and heating system off a small generator and be toasty in minutes instead of days? I don't see you losing out on the investment.


I know my contact with the PUC said this batch of funding was the last of it. When I contacted them back in December to start the process  they only had funding left for about 7-8 more systems with no plan to renew the program. 

Never really thought about running the boiler off a small generator but I totally need to ask my HVAC guy what I would need in terms of capacity to do that. We are planning to redo out wood stove at some point so we can get some solid heat during outages. 

I would love to go solar but regardless of the programs or incentives, it comes out so pricey. One of the things I loved about the Pellet boiler was the renewable energy and the fuel cost going back to the locale. 

I just wish NH had more smaller incentive rebates like the wood stove changeover VT offers or the EBike rebates, etc.


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## velvetfoot (Sep 15, 2021)

The startup phase probably consumes a high amount of watts.  I measured mine at one time, but I think it was 1000-1500 watts on my Windhager.


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## Tennman (Sep 25, 2021)

Hi guys! Long time rarely drop in. The Windhager has been fabulous! Not perfect…. But it’s a machine so….. I don’t expect perfection. But it’s close. Windhager users probably don’t drop in like we did back in the day trying to figure out how to run our gassers.  Hard to believe this will be our 7th season burning both pellets and wood. I fire up the Biomass for nostalgia and the fragrance in the air is wonderful around Christmas. Anyway….  Don’t drop I like the old days since I’m not always trying to fix something. Best wishes to all!


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## Tennman (Sep 25, 2021)

Well hey Velvet! How ya doin? Windhager still good?


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## velvetfoot (Sep 26, 2021)

Tennman said:


> Well hey Velvet! How ya doin? Windhager still good?


Well hey yourself.  Haven't run the Windhager in a couple years because of what I thought oil prices were, but they're going up.  It's ready to go, though.  The six tons of pellets in the basement still seem good-it's a dry basement. That reminds me:  I have to clean and service the oil boiler and clean out the wood insert's flue.

I just got a standby generator.  I don't think the pellet boiler would have that much residual heat in an outage, like a wood boiler, but I'll be ready for it, regardless, lol.

Looking at those guys move the 1000 gal propane tank to the back yard reminded me of my original plan of a wood gasifier, and getting a tank that size through the walkout basement door!


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## Tennman (Sep 27, 2021)

I don't know what I'd do without running the Windhager. House is so much warmer vs running propane or heat pump. Love our boiler. I haven't been following here for year... but you now have 10,000 POSTS! geez! What's the word on Windhager. People here still like them? Marc Caluwe is I guess still the U.S. rep. I can't tell how many units Windhager is selling. I'm helping a friend research pellet boilers to heat his old house. Surprised you're not running the pellet to save expenses.

cheers


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## Mr._Graybeard (Sep 27, 2021)

Pellets are definitely cheaper than fuel out here in the Great Lakes, but you have to shop around. I just loaded up for $210/ton. The regular season price is $235, but some big-box stores want $250 for pretty mediocre stock. I'll roast 6 tons this season in my Harman.


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## Tennman (Sep 27, 2021)

Just checked. $200/ton here from the pellet factory in TN. I'll burn a little more than you Mr GB...... in southern TN..... I guarantee my 170 YO house is vastly less efficient than yours in Wisconsin. If my old place was up in your woods, I'd be burning 12 tons and be thankful to be burning pellets!  Cheers


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## Mr._Graybeard (Sep 27, 2021)

Tennman said:


> Just checked. $200/ton here from the pellet factory in TN. I'll burn a little more than you Mr GB...... in southern TN..... I guarantee my 170 YO house is vastly less efficient than yours in Wisconsin. If my old place was up in your woods, I'd be burning 12 tons and be thankful to be burning pellets!  Cheers



My farmhouse is only 130 years old, but it's a yellow brick that's common in these parts.  Maybe that holds in the heat. My friend likes to say that heating these old farmsteads is like heating a corn crib.


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## velvetfoot (Sep 28, 2021)

Marc is still in the game!  I texted him about parts and he replied very quickly!


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## Tennman (Sep 29, 2021)

Velvet, If ok with you if my friend Matt connects with you to ask about residential sized Windhagers. Matt started a newbie thread here. I think he's now down to between the Froling vs Windhager.

Matt, meet Velvet. I'm gonna guess you will have similarly sized boilers.  Cheers


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## velvetfoot (Oct 3, 2021)

Sure, but like I said, I haven't used it in a few years, and I haven't really put that many hours on it.  If he's near me he can come over and check out my fabulous install.  Of course, that would probably mean I'll have to start it up, lol.  Hope it won't be too creaky.


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## Pellet Boiler (Oct 3, 2021)

Hi all, first post. I just bought a house with a MESYS/okofen autopellet something or other pellet boiler with a 4 ton hopper. 

It’s the main source of heat without any  oil or propane backup. 

Not sure what I don’t know yet and I’m sure I’ll have a few questions regarding cleaning and keeping it running.  I had a indoor gasser with 1000 Gallons of storage that heated my last house trouble free for 11 or 12 years. So this pellet thing seems easy in comparison!


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## creztor (Oct 6, 2021)

faultymechanics said:


> Hello all!
> 
> Apologies for not updating you all sooner. I am hoping to take some photos for everyone but we had the MeSys boiler installed back in mid-January.


Would love to see some pics when possible.


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## faultymechanics (Nov 19, 2021)

Sorry this took so long. Let me know if you want any specific photos.


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## Letsburnwoodnotoil (Dec 3, 2021)

faultymechanics said:


> You’re definitely not wrong there. The contender from MEsys hits 77% and the Windhagen is even a bit lower than that at around 65% (not looking at exact numbers). Pretty wild that some are 50% and that’s considered efficient at all....
> 
> 
> I'll add it's worth noting all these efficiencies were done without thermal storage. I've read positives and negatives on the topic but what's interesting is MEsys is the only company who really doesn't suggest thermal storage. The companies that do suggest thermal storage seem to be the ones with lower efficiency ratings which makes me wonder how all of that comes into play.


The reason the 20Kw Mesys boiler is rated at 77% efficiency is the way the EPA forces the rating to be at low fire, (mostly). The efficiency at nominal output is actually 80.4%. This is lab confirmed, NOT manufacturer. Their larger units are higher also. 83.7%for the 32Kw unit  and 86+% for the 56Kw model.


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## Luvmesomesamples (Mar 13, 2022)

Hey all. Looks like with home heating oil prices skyrocketing I will finally start to get some roi on my pellet boiler investment I made in 2014. My pellergy PB1525 has worked flawless the past 8 seasons. (8k hours and 8500 starts). I’m still on my original igniter!


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## PassionForFire&Water (Mar 14, 2022)

creztor said:


> Would love to see some pics when possible.


Below some pictures of a Windhager BioWIN152 wood pellet boiler
with 119 Gal Thermal Storage Tank
and 3.5 bulk pellet bin with 3-probe change over unit


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## mainahTJ (Mar 22, 2022)

Hi All, I'm new to this forum and Hearth. I wanted to reach out and get some opinions from ya'll. I had a Kedel boiler installed in 2016. I knew there was going to be a learning curve with it but thought it would settle in and eventually pay for itself. I've had all kinds of issues with it over the years. My local guys who installed and service the boiler have been out here a zillion times this winter. They are just as frustrated with these units as I am. The biggest issue I've had over the years is the ignitors failing. There have been other issues as well. I'm exhausted with not having heat in the dead of winter (Christmas morning, 3 degrees out, no heat). I have zero interest in going back to oil heat or some other fossil fuel. What kind of boiler do you have, and what has your experience been like? I'd really appreciate some honest appraisals. I may just end up replacing this unit.


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## Mr._Graybeard (Mar 22, 2022)

We're wrapping up our 10th season with our Harman PB105 boiler, burning 6 to 8 tons of mostly cheap hardwood pellets every year. We had some teething problems at first, most notably burnpot warping that Harman addressed twice under warranty. I've replaced an auger motor that probably should have been covered under warranty as well. 

The best part of this boiler, one of the later models, is the pressure igniter. It pumps superheated air to a pinpoint area at the base of the burnpot. I'm not exaggerating when I say it lights the pellets within about a minute after the auger finishes priming the burnpot with pellets. Without it I'd hesitate using it as a primary heat source, or I'd have to install some kind of blend valve to keep the boiler temp above 140 degrees.

Of course, Harman stopped making central heating units like the PB105 and PF100 several years ago. Parts support still seems strong, though. They pop up on Craigslist every once in a while.


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## velvetfoot (Mar 22, 2022)

I never understood why they ripped out perfectly good heating systems to put in a pellet boiler.


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## PassionForFire&Water (Mar 23, 2022)

mainahTJ said:


> Hi All, I'm new to this forum and Hearth. I wanted to reach out and get some opinions from ya'll. I had a Kedel boiler installed in 2016. I knew there was going to be a learning curve with it but thought it would settle in and eventually pay for itself. I've had all kinds of issues with it over the years. My local guys who installed and service the boiler have been out here a zillion times this winter. They are just as frustrated with these units as I am. The biggest issue I've had over the years is the ignitors failing. There have been other issues as well. I'm exhausted with not having heat in the dead of winter (Christmas morning, 3 degrees out, no heat). I have zero interest in going back to oil heat or some other fossil fuel. What kind of boiler do you have, and what has your experience been like? I'd really appreciate some honest appraisals. I may just end up replacing this unit.


Post a picture of your igniter.
I may be able to guide you where to buy

It's quite simple. There are only 3 brands available in the US
Windhager, Froling and Okofen - IN THAT ORDER 😊
All Austrian brands.
Steer clear of anything else you come across


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## Waterboy (Apr 11, 2022)

Looking for information on central boiler maxim 225 pellet boiler in looking to buy one to replace my central boiler 6048 wood boiler


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## BansheeTwin350 (Apr 13, 2022)

Waterboy said:


> Looking for information on central boiler maxim 225 pellet boiler in looking to buy one to replace my central boiler 6048 wood boiler


I purchased a Maxim in January. This was my first OWB. I've been very happy with it. It's ability to go idle and restart itself has worked very well. Mine heats a 7000sqft house and I've never had it set to run over 65% of it's max capacity. I would say it holds 1.5-2 tons worth of pellet ash. So doesn't need emptied very often. Keep in mind the mindset of the 6048 and Maxim are different. 6048 you want hot burns. The maxim you want it running in medium (40-50%) as it's the most efficient. Two things I would recommend. 

One, be most efficient with everything. Use the best insulated lines, insulate your lines inside where you would normally not insulate them. You really want to be able to extend your idle times out as much as possible for the shoulder season. Also you will notice any wasted heat, compared to your 6048, as you are putting in bags instead of just cutting and throwing more wood in.

Second, familiarize yourself with the back burn set up on the maxim. By back burn I'm talking about when the maxim goes idle, the string of pellets in the feed auger can smolder and burn back through the auger. CB has done a really good job at implementing protections for this. These protections weren't there in the early years of the maxim and people had fires in the hopper. I have had back burns happen, but the temperature switch a few inches into the auger has always triggered the first safety protocol which has always handled and recovered automatically. If I weren't watching closely or monitoring it with the wifi module, I wouldn't even know it happened. That's how well my Maxim has handled back burns. But there are things you can do to minimize them like turning on "clean out" mode for a few minutes each week. Also, the back burn safety protocols require electric to the unit to function. So just know if you lose power, you'll want to clean out the burn chamber so it doesn't smolder back into the auger.

Overall I've been very happy. Since you have a 6048, if you don't have the thermopex lines, get them replaced. I have the additional 48 bushel hopper which works flawlessly. Other then having to load more pellets into the hopper, I could get away with ignoring the Maxim for many weeks. But I don't as I enjoy the process.


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## Waterboy (Apr 13, 2022)

BansheeTwin350 said:


> I purchased a Maxim in January. This was my first OWB. I've been very happy with it. It's ability to go idle and restart itself has worked very well. Mine heats a 7000sqft house and I've never had it set to run over 65% of it's max capacity. I would say it holds 1.5-2 tons worth of pellet ash. So doesn't need emptied very often. Keep in mind the mindset of the 6048 and Maxim are different. 6048 you want hot burns. The maxim you want it running in medium (40-50%) as it's the most efficient. Two things I would recommend.
> 
> One, be most efficient with everything. Use the best insulated lines, insulate your lines inside where you would normally not insulate them. You really want to be able to extend your idle times out as much as possible for the shoulder season. Also you will notice any wasted heat, compared to your 6048, as you are putting in bags instead of just cutting and throwing more wood in.
> 
> ...


Thanks how many tons of pellet s do you go through


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## BansheeTwin350 (Apr 14, 2022)

2 for January, 1.8 for February, and 0.9 for March. I had some areas (attic) that were not insulated and just recently got that fixed. So my usage should be lower next season.


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## Waterboy (Apr 14, 2022)

BansheeTwin350 said:


> 2 for January, 1.8 for February, and 0.9 for March. I had some areas (attic) that were not insulated and just recently got that fixed. So my usage should be lower next season.





BansheeTwin350 said:


> 2 for January, 1.8 for February, and 0.9 for March. I had some areas (attic) that were not insulated and just recently got that fixed. So my usage should be lower next season.


im in northern Ontario and going through 60 stove cords of unseasoned wood  , so I’m trying to figure out how much pellets I’m going to use and a pain in the butt I’m guessing it’s going to be 30 tons , if anyone has a clue and can help ou it would be great ive looked at the conversion tables an still can’t get it


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## sloeffle (Apr 15, 2022)

Waterboy said:


> im in northern Ontario and going through 60 stove cords of unseasoned wood  , so I’m trying to figure out how much pellets I’m going to use and a pain in the butt I’m guessing it’s going to be 30 tons , if anyone has a clue and can help ou it would be great ive looked at the conversion tables an still can’t get it


At roughly $200US per ton and going up * 30 tons.  

If it was me, I'd swap the 6048 out for a HM G7000, get ahead on your firewood so it can season, and do some insulation upgrades. You'll burn about half to 60% less wood with a gasifier and even less with insulation upgrades. IMHO - you'll be money ahead in the long run, as I'd expect the price of pellets to only continue to go up. Especially with the EU weaning itself off of Russian NG.


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## salecker (Apr 15, 2022)

Waterboy said:


> im in northern Ontario and going through 60 stove cords of unseasoned wood  , so I’m trying to figure out how much pellets I’m going to use and a pain in the butt I’m guessing it’s going to be 30 tons , if anyone has a clue and can help ou it would be great ive looked at the conversion tables an still can’t get it


60 stove cords?is that like the "Face Cord"
Most everyone equates a cord of wood as 4'x4'x8', that is the legal definition and then you can compare apples to apples.
face cords can be anything that is 4'x8' and could be 1'deep or 4' deep or more depending on the length of wood you stove will take.


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## Waterboy (Apr 15, 2022)

We call 4x4x8 bush cord so I burn 20 bush cords and trying to figure how many ton of pellets


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## Waterboy (Apr 16, 2022)

Sorry it’s 8 foot square 4 feet high


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## salecker (Apr 16, 2022)

Waterboy said:


> Sorry it’s 8 foot square 4 feet high


So actually 2 cords ...


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## Waterboy (Apr 16, 2022)

I burn 20 bush cords


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## Tonty (Apr 16, 2022)

Wow, that’s a lot of wood. If I understand you right, that would be 40 “standard” cords. Do you burn year round?


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## Waterboy (Apr 16, 2022)

Yes I’m not sure how much people wood , ever one seems to have a different meaning , I burn one full transport load and a half when I get it they say there’s 48 stove cords on a truck  witch is 4 foot tall 8 feet long and 16 inches  wide  , I don’t cut mine 16 inches i cut mine at 30 inches  . No I don’t burn all year round from nove till middle of April . I’ve been  burning wood since I was a kid and would like to go to pellet boiler  . And would love to know how many  tons of pellets it’s going to equal


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## Tonty (Apr 16, 2022)

I do not know wood to pellet conversion. I’ve never used pellets. Those who do will need to know the amount of standard cords you currently burn. The other thing that might work would be if you weigh the wood you use and also know the moisture content. According to the info I found, one pound of dry yellow birch would have approximately 6,397 btus. One pound of pellets would be approximately 8,250 btus per pound.


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## BansheeTwin350 (Apr 21, 2022)

1 ton of pellets would contain around 16 million btu's. It looks like 1 standard cord (4x4x8) would average around 20 million btu's. So there's at least some confusion on my end on how many standard cords (4x4x8) you are using per year. Once you know that number, basically increase that number by 25% to get the number of tons of pellets you would use. Of course that isn't taking efficiency into account. The efficiency of your 6048 vs a Maxim. Also doesn't take into account any other efficiency items (insulated lines) that you can improve along the way.


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## dmq400 (Nov 8, 2022)

mainahTJ said:


> Hi All, I'm new to this forum and Hearth. I wanted to reach out and get some opinions from ya'll. I had a Kedel boiler installed in 2016. I knew there was going to be a learning curve with it but thought it would settle in and eventually pay for itself. I've had all kinds of issues with it over the years. My local guys who installed and service the boiler have been out here a zillion times this winter. They are just as frustrated with these units as I am. The biggest issue I've had over the years is the ignitors failing. There have been other issues as well. I'm exhausted with not having heat in the dead of winter (Christmas morning, 3 degrees out, no heat). I have zero interest in going back to oil heat or some other fossil fuel. What kind of boiler do you have, and what has your experience been like? I'd really appreciate some honest appraisals. I may just end up replacing this unit.


Hi - hope your still on the board here.  I too have a Kedel installed in 2015 and problematic to say the least.  Ran good all last winter but it just quit again.  And now I find out Evan, my go-to Kedal guy in Portland, has closed up.   Did you find anyone else to help figure things out....or did you just toss it and get another?    Thanks  -Dan


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## mainahTJ (Dec 3, 2022)

dmq400 said:


> Hi - hope your still on the board here.  I too have a Kedel installed in 2015 and problematic to say the least.  Ran good all last winter but it just quit again.  And now I find out Evan, my go-to Kedal guy in Portland, has closed up.   Did you find anyone else to help figure things out....or did you just toss it and get another?    Thanks  -Dan


Hi Dan,
Yeah, I still have the Kedel. My latest problem is the vacuum completely died and I'm told there are no parts or even getting another vacuum. So I have a silo with 3+ tons of pellets that I need to find some way to get from there to the hopper. Boiler and hopper auger are working fine (knock on wood). Just need to try and get through this winter, go through these pellets and then look into something else. I've had it with this lemon. Don't know where I can just get a vacuum? I'm using the shop vac to get them from the auger and then dumping them by hand, but it's a ton of work/time.


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## dmq400 (Dec 4, 2022)

mainahTJ said:


> Hi Dan,
> Yeah, I still have the Kedel. My latest problem is the vacuum completely died and I'm told there are no parts or even getting another vacuum. So I have a silo with 3+ tons of pellets that I need to find some way to get from there to the hopper. Boiler and hopper auger are working fine (knock on wood). Just need to try and get through this winter, go through these pellets and then look into something else. I've had it with this lemon. Don't know where I can just get a vacuum? I'm using the shop vac to get them from the auger and then dumping them by hand, but it's a ton of work/time.


Yeah…I wonder how many of these Kedels were actually sold.  And I see the manuf NEB in Denmark has come a long way in design with their NEB line.  Have you been in touch with Alvin Hernandez in Denmark?  He is still supporting the kedel and in fact has recently sent me a new control…..another $900.  Ugh.  If your not aware he is at  alvin@nbe.dke    .  My job today is to get all my questions in order about how to put this new controller in for a phone call to Alvin tomorrow.  The 6 hr time diff is a big PIA.     -Dan-


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