Solid Biofuel: Cordwood Boilers

Wood Pellet BoilersWhat it is:

These boilers use cordwood instead of wood pellets. Wood is fed to the boiler once or twice a day during the heating season. The boiler is fired very hot to get the best efficiency by minimizing unburned gasses, and soot and creosote buildup from cooler fires. Because the boiler is fired hot and relatively quickly, the heat is moved to a holding tank, where it is drawn off throughout the day as needed.

Past, present, future:

Cordwood boilers have been in use for many years, and they will have a place in the heating market in the future as well. They make sense when cheap fuel is necessary, or where cordwood is the only possibility.

Advantages:

  • Fuel is cheap
  • Boiler does not take up living space

Disadvantages:

  • Wood is a bulky fuel
  • Wood boilers need to be manually fed once or twice a day
  • These boilers can degrade more quickly than pressurized boilers
  • Not as efficient as indoor boilers. 

    Ecological Impacts:

    No major impacts. CO2 neutral.

    Interested in getting more information on cordwood boilers? Simply fill out our short online request form and we can help with design an EcoHeat solution that's right for you.

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    EcoHeat Quick Fact:

    In 1850, 90% of the energy for heating US homes and businesses came from logwood,
    10% from coal.