Wood / pellet boilers

[Rivvy]

Our boiler packed up last night and I'd like to replace our old oil boiler with a more eco friendly boiler.

I have come across a boiler that burns logs but also has a pellet back up system that kicks in if the log fire goes out.

Does anyone know anything about these boilers as I'm finding it very difficult to get information from anywhere?

Thank you

No idea sorry , but interested

Try looking on Green Building Forum. There are loads of posts there about this very topic and is well subscribed to. Also consider a wood stve with a back burner.

There are lots of things out there - ceramic stoves are another option, the advantage being that you have one burn a day for about half an hour and then it runs heating & hot water all day from that.

Pellet boilers are supposed to be quite dear to run, the pellet fuel is relatively expensive in UK, although it's said to be MUCH cheaper if you buy it direct from sawmill.

I've always been a bit dubious about the energy needed to make the pellets as well, no-one actually seems to give you a straight answer when you ask (not saying they are definitely bad, just wondering).
Friends who have redone their house have just put in a woodburning Rayburn with gas boiler retained as back up for leaving on timer when they go away & so on (and solar heating water panels too for the summer). I thought that was a nice compromise but of course it depends on having the £££s!

I have the impression that in the USA, the sawmills have to by law make their sawdust into pellets (for ease of disposal). So it is an environmental benefit to burn them there, anyway (rather than landfill).

They are very good - I have seem them installed in several houses. The only issue is storage + delivery of the pellets. You do need some space + make sure that you have a reliable source. Good luck - I think that they are ace!

Thanks, I was looking at one that burns logs most of the time and just uses pellets as a back up if the main fire goes out.

However it's very expensive so now looking to replace oil boiler with a new one and back it up with a back boiler on the log burning stove.