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Rating of solid fuel boilers in 2023 (top 15)

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  •  Solid fuel boilers are popular among the inhabitants of Russia – they are favored primarily by their low cost, reliability and independence from heat and power networks. Moreover, a modern solid fuel boiler is not a portable potbelly stove, but a complex device with excellent characteristics, designed with the latest science and technology.

  •  I present to you a rating of the best solid fuel boilers in 2023, as well as tips on how to choose the right model for your home or garden.

The best solid fuel boilers for long burning

5. WIRT Smart 15

• For space heating up to 150 sq. m
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 420 h 600 h 1230

  •  WIRT produces good long-burning boilers – at least two units are included in the ranking of the best. Smart 15 – small, elegant, with a beautiful red body (the paint is resistant, does not burn).

  •  As marketers say, the reason for the long combustion of fuel is the large volume of the furnace, into which it is convenient to load material through a wide window. If desired, you can install a control panel, a heating element unit, a thermostat on it, and also put a second circuit to heat water. Customers are satisfied, note the reliability and efficiency of the design.

Pros and cons compactness reliability room for modifications no

4. WIRT Classic 20 T

• For space heating up to 200 sq. m
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 460 h 790 h 1050
• Management: mechanical

  •  Despite the fact that the boiler is of a classic type, on the mechanics, if desired, you can convert it into a semi-automatic one by purchasing additional equipment: a controller and a fan, as well as a heating element unit.

  •  A capacious ash drawer allows you not to mess around with ash too much, and thick walls (from 4 mm, steel) serve as a guarantee of a long service life.

Pros and cons quality of workmanship and materials thick walls convenient fuel loading no

3. Kupper PRAKTIK-14 1.1

• Heating of premises from 70 to 140 m²
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 630 h 420 h 630

  •  In the ranking of solid fuel boilers for long burning, this is one of the most inexpensive options. True, it is intended for rooms that are not too large – up to 200 sq.m.

  •  Despite the cheapness, the boiler is quite versatile – it can be made the basis of both closed and open heating systems, as well as an addition to an already installed water heating system.

  •  The device is small, so no special fuss with the room is required – except to ensure the necessary fire safety. True, the low price costs thin walls – get ready that after some time the boiler will have to be changed.

Pros and consCompact sizePriceLow compared to other service life

2. Thermocraft Zeus 16

• Room area, sq. m. – 120-160
• Combustion chamber type:
• Installation: wall mounted
• Sizes: 665 h 390 h 865

  •  Compact boiler of small dimensions with an enlarged fuel channel. Thanks to this, the fuel is not only convenient to load, but it can also be loaded more, which naturally affects the burning time.

  •  The efficiency of the boiler is quite high for solid fuel – more than 86%. The device is quite unpretentious and can use coal of different grades.

Pros and cons small size extended fuel channel high efficiency no

1. ZOTA Topol-32VK

• Heated area: 320 m²
• Combustion chamber type: open
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 440 h 870 h 1005
• Non-volatile: yes

  •  One of the best solid fuel boilers for long burning. Not only does it cost a little, but it is also easy to care for. You can heat it in any way – through the top with coal, lay firewood through the middle door.

  •  On average, it takes about 10 hours to burn one coal bed. A nice addition is the built-in thermometer. In general, ZOTA Topol-32VK is an excellent choice, balanced in terms of price and features. Another small but important advantage is that the production is not Chinese, but Russian.

Pros and consQuality of materials and execution Simplicity and reliability of construction Duration of burning External electronic control can be connected No

Rating of solid fuel boilers classic

5. Teplodar Kupper Practice 20

• Heated area within 200 sq.m
• Combustion chamber type: open
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 490 h 690 h 690
• Non-volatile: yes
• Management: mechanical

  •  In the list of the best solid fuel boilers for a private house, the Teplodar models will meet more than once. Russian buyers love them for their unpretentiousness, ease of use and, at the same time, quick heating.

  •  Kupper Praktik 20 has a deep firebox, where logs up to 40 cm long fit, the coolant heats up quickly. If necessary, you can buy a draft regulator to automatically adjust the intensity of combustion, and automation on the heating element – the control panel PUBT-03 or PUVN-10.

Pros and cons

4. ZOTA Enisey 18, 18 kW

• Area: up to 180 m2
• Combustion chamber type: open
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 450 h 715 h 775
• Non-volatile: yes
• Management: mechanical

  •  A very good budget Russian boiler, which has earned positive user reviews. One of the reasons for people's love is his unpretentiousness; "Yenisei" can consume anything, from firewood to anthracite.

  •  And a deep chamber can absorb poles up to half a meter, which is not so common. At the same time, the boiler itself is not very large and looks compact.

Pros and cons

3. Teplodar Kupper Pro-28 2.0, 28 kW

• Heating area: up to 280 sq.m.
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 415 h 1150 h 805
• Non-volatile: yes
• Management: mechanical

  •  In the ranking of solid fuel boilers, Kupper Pro occupies a special place – it is a real all-rounder. With a slight movement of the hand (or rather, by purchasing a heating element unit), you can turn it into a combined one and use either solid fuel or gas.

  •  If desired, you can install a pellet burner – the boiler works fine on it too. Still satisfied customers note a capacious firebox – thanks to its volume, cleaning can be done even if the boiler is running.

Pros and conspossibility of modificationsfuel burns up to 12 hours (coal) no

2. FACI Base 15, 15 kW

• Heated area: area: 150 m²
• Combustion chamber type: open
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 550 h 1200 h 1800
• Non-volatile: no

  •  A small, compact single-circuit boiler with electronic control, which, despite its size, is capacious (especially buyers are pleased with the capacity of the ash drawer). According to the manufacturer, crushed biomass can be used instead of pellets.

  •  It is easy to maintain and manage, but there are some conveniences – for example, a built-in fan for blowing air and a display that displays data about the boiler and the processes that take place in it.

  •  There is overheating protection, power-on indication and even automatic diagnostics if something went wrong.

Pros and cons

1. Protherm Beaver 50 DLO, 39 kW

• Heated area: up to 390 sq.m
• Combustion chamber type: open
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 440 h 935 h 1040
• Non-volatile: yes

  •  A simple, reliable, cast-iron and single-circuit device with mechanical control – there is practically nothing to break here.

  •  This is one of the best options in terms of reliability, it also has a high efficiency – 90.2%. According to experts, the reason here is in the special alloy and design of the heat exchanger.

  •  It takes both coal and firewood, however, the latter should be small in size – up to 30 cm long. Here, either sawing yourself, or buying already sawn ones, and this will cost more.

Pros and cons reliable easy to operate high efficiency short logs are needed

Top pyrolysis solid fuel boilers

5. Lavoro Eco K-12

• Heated area: 50 – 120 m²
• Combustion chamber type: open
• Installation: floor standing
• Dimensions: 480 x 550 x 1180 mm
• Control: without control panel

  •  Unlike other boilers of the rating, who prefer black or radical red colors, "Lavoro" flaunts a bright neon green. This is a non-volatile boiler, which, for ease of maintenance, also received a third door – to make it easier to control and clean it. The efficiency is quite high – up to 85%; can work both on wood and on pellets (optional).

Pros and cons build quality and materials thick walls high efficiency bright body color no

4. Dragon TA-15

• Heated area: 170 m²
• Combustion chamber type: open
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 500 h 1250 h 830
• Non-volatile: yes

  •  The best pyrolysis-type solid fuel boilers have a heat exchanger, as a rule, a technical one – this means that the heat from gases, combustion products, will be used to the fullest. And Dragon TA-15 is no exception.

  •  The heat exchanger has thick walls – the manufacturer indicates that it is from 4 to 6 mm; this means that the boiler can last at least 15 years. And although the boiler body is painted in elegant red, you should not be afraid that it will lose its aesthetic qualities from operation – the paint is heat-resistant.

Pros and consQuality of workmanship and materialsEfficiency of 88% for firewoodLean loading of fuelSimple mechanical controlNo

3. Suvorov Ultra K-15U

• Heated area: 170 m²
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 875 h 560 h 1210

  •  This Suvorov model bears the title of "Ultra" for good reason – a number of ingenious engineering solutions were used in its design. As a result, the burning time of firewood was increased even more, which means that the efficiency became higher – according to company representatives, with dry firewood, an impressive figure of 94-95,7 can be achieved.

  •  True, you will have to pay for the quality – among the pyrolysis boilers, the Ultra K-15U model is one of the most expensive.

Pros and consvery high efficiencyfirewood burn up to 65 hoursfuel briquettes burn up to 120 hoursfuel must be dryprice

2. Suvorov M K-10

• Heated area: 120 m²
• Combustion chamber type: open
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 990 h 535 h 780
• Non-volatile: yes

  •  This is a single-circuit boiler with an impressive firebox, where firewood up to half a meter long fits. However, they must be dry – humidity is not more than 25%, otherwise the efficiency drops.

  •  With dry firewood, the efficiency reaches 90%. If desired, the pyrolysis boiler can be converted into a combined boiler by connecting heating elements and even a DHW circuit.

Pros and cons long burning high efficiency fuel must be dry

1. Bourgeois-K "Modern-12"

• Heated area: 120 m²
• Installation: floor standing
• Sizes: 1130 h 420 h 900
• Non-volatile: no
• Management: mechanical

  •  The first place in the top of pyrolysis-type solid fuel boilers is occupied by a representative of the popular series, which successfully combines both a reasonable price and high efficiency, as well as independence from electricity.

  •  The efficiency of the boiler can reach 92% – which is a very good result for domestic boilers. It can work on any fuel, even at a humidity of 50% (the efficiency drops, but not by much).

Pros and cons simple and reliable design high efficiency easy to operate requires a chimney at least 7 meters high

How to choose a solid fuel boiler, types of boilers

Work principles

Solid fuel boiler: there is a combustion chamber where fuel is loaded. It is set on fire (automatically or manually – these are already options). A coolant flows inside the walls of the chambers, which, being heated by the energy released by the burning fuel, already carries heat through the heating system of a house or industrial premises.

  •  Combustion cannot go on without oxygen, i.e. the boiler needs constant air access, which is carried out through a blower in the lower part of the boiler. The combustion force also depends on the level of air supply (it is regulated by a thermostat, which for conventional models rotates manually).

  •  Two more important components are the chimney (the products of combustion must be removed somewhere), and solid waste is poured into the ash box from below.

Types of boilers

The most common type of solid fuel boilers is the classic: simple as a concrete pillar, and reliable as a cast-iron slab. To break – you have to try hard. When installing such a boiler, you do not need to bow to the administration and obtain permission, as, for example, with gas. And it is inexpensive, and fuel is cheap.

Pros and cons simple and reliable design low price there are both double-circuit and single-circuit low operating costs easy to maintain no problems with documentation additional areas for fuel storage are needed require regular loading of fuel and supervision carrying and loading of fuel pollutes the premises when burned, the fuel emits a characteristic odor

  •  Even on the Russian market, they offer improved models of solid fuel boilers that can work either on solid fuel or on gas. This is achieved by installing a gas burner in the boiler. Moreover, many wood-burning boilers with electronics already come with their own block of heating elements, which are very convenient – they heat the house, for example, at night, when the firewood has already burned out and there is no one to throw new ones – everyone is sleeping. They are more expensive than classic ones, but not by much.

Long burning boilers: The main difference from the classical ones is the burning time. The efficiency of such boilers is higher (about 85-90%, while the classic models with constant reloading are only about 75%). True, you will have to pay for convenience – you will have to pay a tidy sum for “long-term” boilers. Long-burning boilers work best on coal.

Pros and cons flooded and forgotten high efficiency many models are non-volatile larger in size than classic ones are more expensive require high-quality coal or charcoal

Pyrolysis boilers: reach an impressive efficiency figure of 95%. The reason for this is an improved combustion process, where gases from conventional solid fuels in one chamber (they are formed with a limited supply of oxygen) are removed to another (the so-called afterburner chamber), where they burn without residue. That is, the fuel does not fly out into the pipe, but is used by almost 100%. However, in this barrel of honey there is a grain of ash – the gas does not pass into the afterburner in a natural way, but is supplied by electronics. That is, without electricity, the boiler will not work. Judging by the reviews, pyrolysis boilers work best on wood. Many pyrolysis plants are still technically complex, they are controlled through automation or even an application on a smartphone.

Pros and cons high efficiency effectively work on wood fires not all pyrolysis boilers run on coal energy dependence price

Heat exchanger material

Most often you can find steel heat exchangers – they are light, inexpensive, insensitive to temperature changes. However, they are vulnerable to high temperatures – they can burn out or melt. And they can rust, even with a special coating. Boilers with such a heat exchanger do not live long: 12-18 years is their limit. It is worth paying attention to the wall thickness – the thicker the better. In any case, at least 4 mm.

The second option is cast iron. Such a boiler is not so easy to drag and install. However, it will faithfully serve you for at least 25 years, and maybe more, and is also resistant to burnout – which means it will “accept” any type of coal, including anthracite that flares up to high temperatures. However, such a colossus requires not only transportation costs, but also imposes increased requirements on the quality of the floor – it must be very durable in order to withstand a weight of 100 or more kg. And a sharp access of cold air can cause cast iron to crack, so in such conditions it is recommended to take care of the safety of the boiler and install a three-way valve.

Single-circuit or double-circuit?

Single-circuit boiler – for heating the room and only him.

double circuit – if you also want to take a hot shower or walk on the warm floor. It will cost, of course, more expensive, but not much (usually a third more), and is associated with certain difficulties. For example, a feature of "solid" boilers is the cyclical nature of the fuel supply: it either flares up or fades out, and this affects the degree of water heating. This is bypassed by installing a system with a heat accumulator (it is also a buffer tank that equalizes temperature drops). Apparently, because of this, there are not so many double-circuit models of solid fuel boilers – they are found only among the classic ones.

Automation

  •  Economy models of solid fuel boilers are manually controlled. More expensive models already ignite the fuel automatically, they have special systems that increase efficiency, ensure uniform combustion, and so on. Of the benefits – automation can be bought separately. It will cost about 70% of the price of the economy model of a "solid" boiler.

How to calculate power

  •  For a full calculation of the boiler power, it is recommended to contact a specialist, however, an approximate calculation is as follows:

• If the house or cottage is poorly or moderately insulated, the wall thickness is 2 bricks, the ceilings are up to 3 m high, then 1 kW per 10 sq.m is enough for such a house.
• For everyone, it’s better to take it with a margin, add about a quarter of the power – what if it’s frosty?
• If you need to put a double-circuit boiler or heat accumulator, it is better to add 30%.

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