Lighting with wood embers helps the fire catch quickly
Technology has also advanced significantly in heating systems. At our research centre, we look for ways to improve all our products, including wood boilers, every year. The control electronics fitted to every modern boiler help with combustion, efficient burning and lighting. Lighting a boiler correctly takes some knowledge and experience. This article shows you how.
Important factors in combustion
Which factors play a key role when lighting a wood boiler? For proper combustion, the boiler must be connected to a chimney with sufficient height and draught. Always check the boiler's operating manual for the required parameters and consult a service partner and chimney sweep.
Buffer tank
A buffer tank with an OVENTROP mixing unit is another important part of the combustion system. The tank limits the formation of tar and acids, which can extend the service life of the boiler and chimney. It helps the boiler discharge accumulated heat. Otherwise, once the boiler reached the target temperature, its output would need to be reduced to prevent overheating. This reduces efficiency and leads to tar formation.
Good-quality fuel matters
Good-quality fuel is essential for the proper operation of any appliance, and a wood boiler is no exception. For proper combustion, use wood with a moisture content of 12 to 20%. Store it for at least one to two years before the heating season. Burning wood with a moisture content above 20% creates tar that settles on the walls of the boiler and chimney. Tar worsens combustion, blocks the chimney and can seriously damage the boiler. The boiler also produces less heat, uses more fuel and operates less efficiently with such wood. Wood with a moisture content below 12% is overdried and loses its proper structure and properties as it degrades.
The following method works best for ATTACK SLX boilers in PROFI and Lambda Touch versions.
1. Lighting for the first time
For the first fire, use smaller pieces of wood, paper and kindling. Light the paper, leave the loading door slightly open and wait about 10 minutes for a layer of glowing embers to form. Fill the loading chamber with wood. Close the upper door, and the boiler can burn for up to 8 hours without further loading.
For lighting, you need paper, kindling and larger logs.
Place larger pieces of wood, paper and kindling in the loading chamber. Light the paper and partly close the door to improve the air supply. Wait about 10 minutes for a layer of glowing embers to form.
Once the embers form, fill the loading chamber with wood and close the loading door. Thanks to its large chamber, the boiler can burn for 8 to 12 hours without refuelling.
2. Lighting again
When lighting the boiler again, first switch on the flue fan using the boiler controls to reduce dust in the room. The wood embers in the loading chamber are important. Clean the chamber and set aside the larger embers to use for lighting.
First, push the paper through the nozzle into the ash pan.
For effective lighting, place paper in the loading chamber, put wood embers on top and add smaller pieces of wood.
Fill the loading chamber with wood and light the paper through the ash pan. Leave the loading and cleaning doors slightly open for about a minute, then close them. The boiler will quickly reach the required temperature and can burn for another 8 to 12 hours without refuelling.
Service support for our customers
Our technical support team helps service partners throughout the year. You can contact a service partner with questions, reach us on social media or email us at support@attack.sk. You can also choose a service partner for maintaining a heating system or installing a new one based on completed installation references. Our service partners can also help with the Zelená domácnostiam programme, which offers grants of up to €3,400. More than 700 service partners.
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