Unique characteristics and advantages of the "System of Free Gas Movement" allowed Igor Kuznetsov, a famous Russian stove designer and developer of the System, to formulate basics for design and construction of highly efficient wood burning boilers. Many years has passed since the first boiler was built. Hundreds of his masonry boilers have been built since then in Russia and Europe. Boilers showed exceptional results and remain in daily use greatly appreciated by their owners.
A relationship between STOVEMASTER and Igor Kuznetsov, started in 2002, brought information about these boilers to the North America. A boiler can be designed and built according to client`s needs. We have experience in design and construction of boilers with output up to 500000Btu.
It should be noted that although it is a well-developed technology that shows outstanding results, its use in North America is still problematic for the following reasons:
- Custom heat exchangers cannot be UL or ULC listed and as such may not be accepted in such applications by local building authorities. If such heat exchangers are treated as "pressure vessel" they also get under jurisdiction of a very strict boiler code. It may be difficult to get such boilers approved.
- Property insurance companies may refuse to insure a building with any wood-fired hydronic boiler.
- We do not provide design for the distribution system, and we find that many North American HVAC specialists don`t have enough knowledge to design a proper and safe system for high-mass boilers.
- Heat exchangers installed inside boiler`s chamber right in the gas flow create potential safety risk if the system is not designed or used properly. Extent of potential liability of all trades involved in design and construction of such boilers is another big restriction for wider spread of the technology.
All these facts are the reason why anyone offering an optional hot water coil for masonry heaters does it only on the basis of client using it on their own risk and assuming full responsibility for the installation. The same applies to our wood-fired boiler technology. Stovemaster can help you to design and build a wood-fired boiler, but only if you take full responsibility for the unit and all consequences of its use/misuse.
It is also worth to note that cost of heat exchangers plus all other system components such as valves, pumps, pipes, controls, and storage tanks can be quite high up to several thousand dollars. This cost doesn`t include labor that can also add quite a bit to the final cost. Sure, any boiler needs a distribution system, however, a 95%- efficient Wiessmann state-of-the-art condensing gas boiler costs about $7000, whereas even a small masonry wood-fired boiler cannot be built for such money considering cost of custom heat exchangers and the chimney.
Here is one of Kuznetsov boilers:
|
