Pellet Basic

Pellet Basic

Pellet Heating Systems: Mature Technology

Today, pellet heating systems are well established and based on mature technology. There are pellet heating systems for every output range – be it pellet stove, pellet boiler, small-scale private heating system, commercial heating station or municipal heating plant. The systems from leading manufacturers have been tried and tested.

A Worthwhile Investment

A pellet heating system pays for itself very quickly! Depending on the current prices for heating oil, you can save over 1,000 euros per year when compared to oil heating.

Pellet Boilers for Small-scale Heating Systems

Pellet boilers for small-scale heating systems with an output of approx. 10 to 50 kW operate fully automatically and provide central heating and hot water for single- and multi-family houses. A pellet boiler is installed in the cellar or a boiler room. Boilers have a built-in storage container, or “day hopper”, which is automatically fed with wood pellets from a storage room or silo via auger or vacuum system. A small auger transports the pellets from the day hopper (buffer) to the actual combustion chamber.

Pellet Stoves

Pellet stoves are available in a wide range of designs, applying various technical concepts. Space heaters radiate pleasant warmth in individual rooms. Pellet stoves with back boilers have a heat exchanger for the hot water system. They can even be used as the sole central heating system in a low-energy house. All stoves are fully automatic. A small auger delivers pellets from the rear hopper to the combustion chamber. Using a vacuum feed system, the hopper is filled automatically from the pellet fuel store, which can be located up to 20 metres from the pellet stove.

Industrial Facilities

Heating Systems with Higher Output

In the higher output range, heating stations or smaller biomass combustion plants can also be fired with wood pellets. The output is between 50 and 1,000 kW. Therefore, entire residential complexes or commercial units can be powered by wood pellets.

Delivery

On-time Delivery, Clean Filling Process

Your FireStixx supplier is responsible for the reliable and dust-free filling of your storage area with bulk pellets. The filling process is as easy and straightforward as that of heating oil.

Whether it’s your first delivery or a reorder, your FireStixx partner will provide competent support and reliable delivery. A weighing system is used for weighing the delivered pellets to the exact kilogram. All data are recorded in the transport log. This is how your FireStixx partner guarantees a consistently high level of quality – from careful transport to the low-dust filling of the storage area.

You also have the option of having your pellets treated with pelprotec®.

95% Less Dust When Filling Storage Area

With Firestixx Premium Pellets, you won’t have to deal with dust when refuelling.

  • Prior to delivery, any remaining dust and fine particles are thoroughly sieved off.
  • Before the first pellets are blown in, the driver hooks up an exhaust ventilator. This system establishes a slight vacuum in the storage area during the entire filling process.
  • With the special pelprotec® finishing process, 95% less dust is produced when the pellets are being blown into the storage space (compared to other DIN pellets), guaranteeing problem-free heating.

All data are recorded in a transport log, which is kept until the delivered goods reach the customer. This is how your FireStixx partner guarantees a consistently high level of quality – from careful transport to the low-dust filling of the storage area.

Reliable Supply Any Time of Year

Fill your storage area in the summer! This is when there is the greatest availability of pellets; the production of wood pellets is in full swing because sawdust – the raw material for pellet manufacturing – is available in large quantities. FireStixx guarantees you a reliable supply – all year round.

Convenient and Practical: FireStixx Also Available in Bags

FireStixx Premium Pellets are available in bags of various sizes for use with pellet stoves. For purchases of at least one full pallet of bagged pellets, FireStixx offers delivery to your address anywhere in Europe for a standard flat rate. Smaller quantities can be purchased at select retailers.

Storage

Be sure to observe the following instructions and tips for proper pellet storage:

1. Ventilation

Storage rooms and silos must be ventilated! For most storage situations in standard home storage units, the use of special ventilation caps on the filling and extraction nozzles is sufficient.

2. Children

Be sure to keep all doors to the pellet storage area locked at all times! Keep children and other unauthorised persons away from the pellet storage area!

3. Safety

Pellet storage rooms should only be entered for cleaning and maintenance work. The pellet boiler must be switched off. Before entering, the storage area must be aerated thoroughly for at least 15 minutes! When a person is working in a filled storage room or silo, a second person must always be present outside of the room/silo for safety reasons!

4. Fire and Naked Flames

Smoking and the use of open flames and other sources of ignition are strictly prohibited in rooms in which pellets are stored!

5. Large Storage Rooms

For storage rooms with a capacity of more than 10 tonnes, special safety regulations apply. Rooms of this size should only be entered by trained professionals.

6. Storage Room Design

The problem-free operation of your heating system will depend not only on pellet quality but also on the design of the storage room.

7. Extra Tip: Alternatives to Storage Rooms

If you do not have a separate storage room available, you can store your wood pellets in a factory-made container. A fabric silo or storage tank can be used for storing pellets indoors, or an underground tank can be installed for outdoor storage.

Premium quality

Premium quality

FireStixx Pellets: Quality Makes the Difference

Not all wood pellets are the same. The differences in quality can be immense, with serious consequences for heating performance. High-quality wood pellets are essential for ensuring the smooth operation of heating systems. Therefore, you should never take risks when it comes to purchasing pellets.

FireStixx wood pellets are certified in accordance with DINplus and ENplus A1. The premium quality of FireStixx pellets even surpasses all applicable norms, which is the best guarantee for cost-effective, problem-free and reliable heating.

The advantages of FireStixx Premium Pellets at a glance:

  • Low heating costs due to a high level of efficiency
  • Long service life of burners and boilers
  • Commendably low emissions
  • Very little ash production
  • Minimal dust formation
  • Higher level of heating comfort

 

FireStixx Criteria

The following are several of the parameters that influence the quality of wood pellets:

  •  A low abrasion value means that the pellets will have superior mechanical durability and abrasion resistance. Pellets produce less dust and fewer fine particles in the fuel-storage area, meaning improved flow characteristics and air circulation in the pellet burner. The advantages: higher level of efficiency and cleaner flue gases.
  • The low moisture content increases the calorific value, thereby reducing heating costs.
  • The reduced ash content means cleaner combustion and therefore less maintenance.
  • Owing to their higher bulk density, the pellets have a higher volume weight and therefore a higher energy density.

ENplus

FireStixx

Advantages

Length distribution

3,15 ≤ L ≤ 40 mm

precisely defined length distribution

optimal flow characteristics ⇒ low mechanical stress

Calorific value

4,9 ≤ Q ≤ 5,3 kWh/kg

approx.
5,3 kWh/kg

more energy ⇒ higher cost efficiency

Moisture

≤ 10 %

approx.
6-8 %

higher calorific value ⇒ lower heating costs

Mechanical durability

≥ 97,5 %

≥ 98,5 %

less abrasion, less dust ⇒ reduced maintenance

Ash content

≤ 0,7 %

≤ 0,35 %

up to 50% less ash ⇒ cleaner combustion, less maintenance

 

Rated best by Stiftung Warentest (1.7)

According to the German consumer association Stiftung Warentest, FireStixx Premium Pellets offer exceptional wood-pellet quality, as well as the best combustion properties of all tested brands of wood pellets (special issue on energy “test Spezial Energie” from 30 May 2009)

  • Combustion properties: very good (1.5)
  • Heating properties: good (1.7)
  • Additional environmental characteristics: very good (1.2)
  • Declaration: satisfactory (3.0)
  • Overall rating “Good” (1.7)

FireStixx Pellets DINplus and ENplus

FireStixx Premium Pellets are certified in accordance with DINplus and ENplus A1. The European norm guarantees consistently high pellet quality from the production facility to the customer; thanks to ENplus, there is now a certification system for pellet trade as well. Therefore, the whole supply chain can be covered by a single certification system.

Only pellets certified by DINplus or ENplus guarantee problem-free heating system operation. In many parameters, FireStixx Premium Pellets even exceed the requirements of the norm.

Good for the Environment

Good for the Environment

Firestixx Premium Pellets – Good for the Environment

FireStixx wood pellets are produced exclusively from raw materials sourced from sustainably managed forests. This guarantees the preservation of the forest as a habitat for humans, animals and plants.

The environmental advantages of wood pellets:

  • CO2-neutral combustion
  • Lower emission of pollutants than with oil, coal or firewood
  • No risks associated with transport or storage (no tanker accidents or burning oil platforms)
  • Less energy is required for manufacturing than with fossil fuels
  • Higher efficiency, and therefore less energy loss during combustion
Pellet Prices

Pellet Prices

Pellet Prices Remain Stable and Favourable

The cost of the raw material, sawdust, accounts for the largest portion of the pellet price.

How will the prices for pellets develop in the future? Wood pellets are significantly cheaper than oil or gas, and their price will remain stable in the long term. Unlike fossil fuels, wood pellets are made from an abundant and renewable resource. Furthermore, pellet prices are not influenced by political and global crises, i.e. pellets are not a commodity subject to economic speculation.

The price for FireStixx pellets is made up of the following costs:

  • Costs for raw materials: approx. 40%
  • Costs for storage, logistics and sales: approx. 30%
  • Production costs, i.e. drying of the raw materials and palletisation: approx. 30%