Pellet heating systems work to keep people warm, cozy, and comfortable. The fuel source for pellet heating is compressed wood pellets that are delivered to the house through a system of underground pipes. Pellets can be purchased in bulk or smaller packages for delivery on a more regular basis. Let’s go over the basics of how these systems work!
Pellet Systems
The Basics of Pellet Systems
A pellet home heating system is a big furnace that works to keep your house or business warm. The pellets are fed into the furnace. Here they are burned at a very high temperature to heat the water in an internal boiler.
This hot water can then be distributed throughout the building using piping, radiators, and fan coils. The essentials of straw pelleting systems include a room for storing the pellets, a large storage hopper, an auger to move the pellets from one place to another, and a boiler.
As the weather changes and demands for heat change, more or fewer pellets will be needed.
The Boiler
The water heating system is powered by electricity or natural gas. In terms of cost savings, pellet heating systems are nearly identical to other types of heat sources. Similar are oil furnaces and electric heating. The monthly costs of pellet heating are very competitive with its counterparts. They are usually less than traditional oil furnaces and propane systems.
During the time that you are using your pellet system to heat your home or business, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by about 20% over other types of fuel sources that are used to produce heat for residential homes. This helps the environment as well!
The Pellets
Pellets are made from compressed sawdust. These are obtained from timber processing operations like milling lumber, furniture manufacturing, paper mills, plywood manufacturers, etc… During the grinding process at these facilities there comes a lot of sawdust that can’t be recycled back into products. This is because it has become too small to use again.
The pellets can take these sawdust particles and compress them into a reusable fuel source. They have the same look, feel, and smell as wood.
The Process
Sawdust is first collected from mills and other facilities where it has been generated. This material is then dried out in large warehouses that have dryers that use steam or electricity for heat.
Next, the dried sawdust goes through a milling machine called a hammer mill. This takes the larger boards down to small pieces about ¼ – ½ inch in size. These little pieces can then be put into an auger feed hopper. This transports the fine sawdust up to the top of storage tanks. These tanks hold about 10 tons of material at one time.
A computerized system then dispenses the right amount of sawdust into a conveyor belt. This belt runs at about 200 feet per minute. This long, fast-moving conveyor belt powers the pellets to the transportation hopper. Here they are ready to be fed into the furnace or boiler.
The pellet heating system provides efficient and clean-burn combustion. This means reduced out-gassing of unburned hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide emissions, ash emissions, and other harmful chemicals.
More On Carbon Dioxide Reduction
According to pellet industry experts, this type of fuel source has NO net greenhouse gas emissions. This is because it does not produce carbon dioxide when burned. When you compare that statistic with conventional fuels like oil furnaces and electric heating systems, there’s a huge difference in the number of greenhouse gasses emitted.
This can help reduce greenhouse gasses that are known to contribute heavily to global climate change!
The Main Benefits Of Pellet Systems
Pellet heat is reliable and efficient, there are some other benefits to heating your house or business with pellets. The initial cost of installing a pellet furnace in your home will generally be more than the price of oil heating units in many cases. However, over time this investment pays for itself in reduced fuel bills!
Buying pellets is just like buying firewood at your local store. This type of system can easily fit into any budget. Installing these types of furnaces also saves the environment because they reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 20%. This makes them environmentally friendly systems that protect our planet.
Fewer Expenses
Pellets do not require an extensive piping network like gas or oil furnaces. Therefore, the installation process is much simpler and will save you money by eliminating those extra expenses. The pellets themselves are also efficient. They are a clean-burn fuel source that has very little out-gassing and harmful emissions. There’s no danger of carbon monoxide build-up or other hazardous situations.
Heating Efficiency
Pellet systems can heat homes just as efficiently as oil furnaces and electric heating systems. However, they cost less because there is no need for ongoing fuel delivery. The total process from harvesting sawdust to refining it into pellets, producing heat with pellets, and then managing ash emissions all contributes positively towards green initiatives today. Pelleting systems have been used successfully throughout Europe for decades. It is time more homeowners discover what these advanced pellet home heating systems have to offer!
How To Store Pellets
Pellets are dry. They can be stored in an open area on a typical concrete floor. Especially if the room is covered in plastic or another moisture-proof material. It is always smart to buy pellets in bulk because it cuts down on transportation costs that would have been used during the delivery of small packages.
Try buying your pellets from a dealer that will deliver them straight to your home! You’ll save fuel and get more for every dollar you spend. You also need to make sure your pellet furnace has enough room for storage before you buy pellets. They do not store easily like firewood – they should be kept indoors at all times.