After a long delay the RHI has arrived for domestic users. I wasted no time in getting the necessary Green Deal Assessment and started my application as soon as the scheme was available. After a bit of teething troubles with the website my application was accepted. The application process was done quickly online and any issues were quickly and efficiently dealt with. It was approved within a matter of days. When you make your application you can track the progress online easily and once approved it gives the schedule of payments due for the duration the scheme.
In essence it will pay back the grant and loan I received for the installation. It will also go a long way to covering heating costs for the next seven years. After years paying over the odds for LPG it will redress the balance a bit.
I have been advised that I have to have an audit carried out on the system. It seems to be a case of checking that I actually have an accredited boiler and that I paid for it, get it maintained and put fuel in it. Watch this space.
Thursday 15 May 2014
Friday 21 June 2013
2013 part one
Boiler system working ok so far this year. Used a lot more pellets than I did last year, hardly surprising given the winter that we have been through. Even May had much higher than normal usage but June so far has been well below what it was in the last two years.
Looking into bulk pellet storage to save the hassle of filling up the hopper twice or even three times a week in winter. I will probably keep the small hopper and vacuum pellets across from a bulk tank as required. I have had a survey done to see if a delivery truck can access our house so all I need now is a storage tank and some kind of transfer system. Watch this space.
Looking into bulk pellet storage to save the hassle of filling up the hopper twice or even three times a week in winter. I will probably keep the small hopper and vacuum pellets across from a bulk tank as required. I have had a survey done to see if a delivery truck can access our house so all I need now is a storage tank and some kind of transfer system. Watch this space.
Monday 17 December 2012
October, November and December 2012
No problems so far (touch wood) this winter. Using a lot of pellets this year so far, more than last. Regular cleaning required but seems to be burning ok. No longer getting half burnt pellets in the ash but there seems to be a lot of klinker in the burn pot each week. Adjusted the boiler temperature to range 65 to 80 degrees C. It was set to 62 to 75 over the summer. Seems to be using the same amount of pellets despite the higher running temperature.
Subsequently - discovered the compressor to be switched off at the back of the unit. Switched it back on and the burn pot is now Klinker free as the self clean is working again.
No problems so far (touch wood) this winter. Using a lot of pellets this year so far, more than last. Regular cleaning required but seems to be burning ok. No longer getting half burnt pellets in the ash but there seems to be a lot of klinker in the burn pot each week. Adjusted the boiler temperature to range 65 to 80 degrees C. It was set to 62 to 75 over the summer. Seems to be using the same amount of pellets despite the higher running temperature.
Subsequently - discovered the compressor to be switched off at the back of the unit. Switched it back on and the burn pot is now Klinker free as the self clean is working again.
Friday 12 October 2012
April, May and June 2012
Used a lot less pellets in the warm weather in March than we used in April. Turned the heating off completely when we went on holiday. It fired up ok when we returned and soon got the house up to a liveable temperature. Regular cleaning and ash removal seems to be keeping it running well.
Boiler serviced in June and optimised for Puffin Pellets. Found that the chimney had som water in it due to the plug being left on at the base. This may have caused the build up of damp soot in the baffles. Time will tell.
Used a lot less pellets in the warm weather in March than we used in April. Turned the heating off completely when we went on holiday. It fired up ok when we returned and soon got the house up to a liveable temperature. Regular cleaning and ash removal seems to be keeping it running well.
Boiler serviced in June and optimised for Puffin Pellets. Found that the chimney had som water in it due to the plug being left on at the base. This may have caused the build up of damp soot in the baffles. Time will tell.
Wednesday 4 April 2012
March 2012 - One year on
One year and six tonnes of wood pellets later. It has been an interesting time. I have learnt a lot about Biomass and all the pros and cons. The downside has been the amount of cleaning and lifting involved. The advantages have been the not inconsiderable cost savings and a move away from non renewable fuel. This was highlighted when I got a letter from Calor Gas that the price of LPG is going up to 62.37pence per litre. a rise of about 7%. One year on I still have the tank which has been showing empty since the new boiler went in but cooking doesn't use much. Calor also want paid to take it away!!!
I need to look at ways of making the cleaning and lifting tasks easier. Bulk storage would be great but so far the only systems I have seen seem to based around ugly looking large hoppers. There must be a market there for units more suited to a house and garden.
One year and six tonnes of wood pellets later. It has been an interesting time. I have learnt a lot about Biomass and all the pros and cons. The downside has been the amount of cleaning and lifting involved. The advantages have been the not inconsiderable cost savings and a move away from non renewable fuel. This was highlighted when I got a letter from Calor Gas that the price of LPG is going up to 62.37pence per litre. a rise of about 7%. One year on I still have the tank which has been showing empty since the new boiler went in but cooking doesn't use much. Calor also want paid to take it away!!!
I need to look at ways of making the cleaning and lifting tasks easier. Bulk storage would be great but so far the only systems I have seen seem to based around ugly looking large hoppers. There must be a market there for units more suited to a house and garden.
Tuesday 28 February 2012
February 2012
Comparing the burner with photos in the handbook I noticed that the burner chamber was missing an endstop plate. Didn't see it when it was cleaned last month. This may be causing the high build up of ash most of which seems to be charred pellets. Probably means that I am burning more pellets than I should. Savings over LPG in January are still good though being 51% lower than LPG was.
A couple of days later I found the missing endstop buried in ash at the back of the boiler chamber and took out the burn pot to replace it. Discovered that there was a hole in the side of the burn pot where it looks as though the steel has melted through. The manufacturers are replacing this under warranty and have advised that it is safe to use it in the meantime.
All ok otherwise. With regular cleaning it seems to run better. Ash level lower now that the endstop is on. Heating on a lot more due to the cold weather so burning a lot more pellets. Still making a considerable saving over LPG. Ordered another ton of pellets. This time they sent a smaller lorry which was able to get up the drive. Just as well as the rain came on as I started to move the bags into the store. Didn't take too long.
A couple of days later I found the missing endstop buried in ash at the back of the boiler chamber and took out the burn pot to replace it. Discovered that there was a hole in the side of the burn pot where it looks as though the steel has melted through. The manufacturers are replacing this under warranty and have advised that it is safe to use it in the meantime.
All ok otherwise. With regular cleaning it seems to run better. Ash level lower now that the endstop is on. Heating on a lot more due to the cold weather so burning a lot more pellets. Still making a considerable saving over LPG. Ordered another ton of pellets. This time they sent a smaller lorry which was able to get up the drive. Just as well as the rain came on as I started to move the bags into the store. Didn't take too long.
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