Maintenance of solid fuel boilers
Log, wood chip and pellet stoves.
Maintenance of solid fuel boilers
Log, wood chip and pellet stoves.
Preparing solid fuel boilers for the heating season
In this section, we will talk about solid fuel stoves. These are log, wood chip and pellet stoves.
These stoves actually need the most maintenance and should be inspected several times a year. And at the end of the heating season, they should be serviced regularly. Now is the last time to do this, as moisture combined with soot can cause corrosion of the firebox and flue passages, which will cause the boiler to deteriorate more quickly.
Cleaning the firebox is essential as tar deposits build up on the firebox walls and reduce heat transfer to the water being heated. Here is an example of an improperly cleaned firebox. Every millimetre of cladding represents six per cent of heat loss. These deposits build up most quickly when fuels are used improperly and boilers are oversized, leading to incomplete combustion.
In principle, cleaning can be done yourself, using brushes, scrub brushes or an ash vacuum cleaner. For less dirty fireplaces, there are also chemical agents that lower the combustion point so that the residues burn off in the stove.
Chimney sweeping services are provided for by law. Each appliance must be inspected once a year and, in addition, solid fuel boilers must be cleaned four times a year. When the chimney sweep comes, he should check that the door is tight, that the draft regulator is adjusted, that the flue damper is adjusted and that all safety devices are checked.
ASK US
For further information, please contact our freephone number for Slovenian region only.
