Stability of operation is guaranteed! Universal boiler on gas and wood: pros and cons

A combination boiler is a heating unit, capable of running on two types of fuel.

Typically, it uses gas and solid fuel: wood, coal, wood briquettes and wood pellets.

If you are just planning to install gas in your home, then such a boiler is… the optimal choice.

Pros and cons of a gas and wood fired boiler for home

The double-circuit heating boiler on gas and wood has a number of advantages:

• Economy — in the warm season, if you need to dry the house from excess moisture, it is not necessary to connect the gas in the boiler. It will be enough if you just heat the room with logs for some time. This will reduce the costs of blue fuel, and therefore - the costs of payment.

• Autonomy - if for some reason the gas supply is cut off, you will not be left without heating. During the time when the gas is absent, you can heat the premises with firewood.
• Many possible solutions — devices can be vertical and horizontal, floor and wall mounted. Heating equipment stores usually have a large selection, so you can choose a solution for your needs.
• High efficiency - for some models it can reach 90%.

There are downsides. First of all, this is:

• Large weight and dimensions — combining two boilers in one increases the size of the unit, which leads to an increase in weight, since such devices are made of steel or cast iron. Additional strengthening of the foundation may be required.
• Difficulty of installation — installation and connection are performed by a qualified specialist.

The device of a universal boiler

In general terms, the scheme combination boiler looks like this:

• At the bottom is combustion chamber.
• Directly above it is located nozzle.
• Between the upper and lower doors there is a fan, forced air for combustion.
• Located next to the nozzle space for loading solid fuel.
• Behind the solid fuel chamber are located heat exchangers.
• Not far from the vault are located flue gas flaps.
• On the front part of the lid there is controller, allowing you to monitor the indicators.

Photo 1. The device of a combined heating boiler on wood and gas. The internal structure and external appearance are shown.

How does combination heating work?

The principle of operation of the device:

• The device has two compartments.: the burner is located in the lower one, and firewood is loaded into the upper one.
• When the heating appliance switches to gas, the remaining firewood also burn out due to additional heating.
• If the wood is already burning in the upper compartment, the gas is turned off, which allows to reduce its consumption.
• Since both the primary and secondary heat exchangers are located inside the device, the coolant (usually water) heats up faster.
• Heat loss is significantly reduced due to the insulation of the body.
• Some models also have hobs and boilers, which allows them to be used for heating water and cooking.

Due to the complete combustion of unburned wood, a heat-insulated body and internal heat exchangers, the efficiency of such a boiler can be more than 90%.

Firewood is the main fuel for the unit. The burning time is approximately 4-5 hoursAs soon as the wood begins to burn out, the gas burner located below is turned on.

It burns the remaining firewood and maintains the set water temperature. To avoid unnecessary gas consumption, you need to load firewood as soon as the firebox goes out.

Sometimes there are models that can operate on low-pressure gas or liquefied fuel. Then the device is connected not to the gas pipeline, but to a special cylinder with propane or liquefied natural gas.

This will slightly increase the clogging of the chimney, so after a long power outage It is worth checking the chimney and cleaning it if necessary.

Useful video

Watch the video, which explains how to properly connect the boiler to the heating system.

Safety precautions when using heating equipment

• Clean your chimney regularly — due to the use of solid fuel, the chimney of such a device becomes clogged faster than that of a boiler that uses only gas. If the chimney is not cleaned, then over time the draft may disappear, which leads to poor combustion of the fuel, the formation of a large amount of carbon monoxide, smoke in the room and the risk of poisoning.
• Do not use painted, laminated or treated wood. — combustion by-products formed during the combustion of impregnation or coating increase the pollution of the chimney, which leads to the consequences indicated above. In addition, the products of their combustion are toxic in themselves, and the entry of smoke containing them into the room further increases the risk of poisoning.
• Use firewood with a moisture content of does not exceed 20%.
• For the use of a gas-wood boiler it is necessary to allocate separate room.

• The room where the device is planned to be placed must be equipped with concrete "cushion" and ventilation.
• The device must be isolated from living quarters.
• Firewood should be stored separately from the device. in a dry, ventilated area.
• When installing a combination boiler, it is better to choose a place where there will be access to gas, electricity and running water.
• After connection Check the tightness of all connections.
• The automation is connected via a separate cable, which must be grounded.
• Start-up and adjustment of the boiler It is advisable to entrust it to a specialist.