Following the high temperatures of the last week no-one would blame you for not thinking about your biomass boiler, however it’s amazing that after 28°C and above, 18°C can suddenly seem on the cool side.
With summer in full swing, now’s the time to get your regular boiler maintenance done. Some of this you may be able to do yourself; for some of the more technical aspects you may wish to use a biomass boiler company that can complete all of the necessary checks.
The things that need to be inspected and can be done safely are below but PLEASE remember that you should NEVER enter a bulk pellet hopper or silo as there is a risk of suffocation from carbon monoxide. However, you can:
- Check that outside stores are watertight as excess moisture can be soaked up by the pellets causing them to break down, turn to dust or stick together causing potential issues with the conveying systems.
- Checking mechanical handling systems for signs of excess wear and tear.
- Remove any build-up of dust/fines as theses can block up the fuel conveying systems and increase the load placed on motors and gearboxes. During the winter if your home uses 4-5 tonnes of good quality ENPlus A1 grade pellets, you should see no more than about 2 to 3 kilos of dust and fines per annum.
The one thing that all pellets dislike is travelling long distances, particularly via ship and through commercial port handling systems.
During transportation, the pellets knock against each other, increasing the amount of dust, fines and broken pellets that you have in your hopper and fuel conveying systems. So, the less travelling your pellet does the better.
If you are having to empty bags into your boiler, try and have the bags situated as near as possible. The more times you handle the pellets the greater the chance of dust and fines and a bad back. Try to ensure you can lift the bags easily and safely remembering to bend your knees not your back.
Here’s our May quality report for you to peruse: