Outdoor Wood Pellet Silo

Chimpster

Hi,

Anybody have an experiences with either the Biobin by Emerald Composites or with JFC's outdoor Wood Pellet Silo offering?

The JFC looks a more robust unit to me though BioBin seem to do their own fitting service. If anyone has had an experience with either of these units I'd appreciate any feedback.

AckwelFoley

I have no exp with either of them. that JFC are a fine company providing good product.. this silo of theirs mus be new, because i didnt know they did one.

The problem is, that most of the outdoor silos are expensive

ircoha

The overriding concern with any form of externally sited storage for wood pellet boilers is the risk of the pellets getting damp and sticking in the silo.

I cant comment on either unit.

links
http://www.jfc.ie/index.asp?active_page_id=88

http://www.biobin.ie/biobin.html

Just to clarify what I am trying to say here: I dont know if external, single skinned woodpellet stores have been proven to work in our damp environment.

The other consideration is on a very sunny day like today, the build-up of heat in such a silo might create condensation from the existing moisture contained in the pellets

Chimpster

ircoha wrote: »

The overriding concern with any form of externally sited storage for wood pellet boilers is the risk of the pellets getting damp and sticking in the silo.

I cant comment on either unit.

links
http://www.jfc.ie/index.asp?active_page_id=88

http://www.biobin.ie/biobin.html

Just to clarify what I am trying to say here: I dont know if external, single skinned woodpellet stores have been proven to work in our damp environment.

The other consideration is on a very sunny day like today, the build-up of heat in such a silo might create condensation from the existing moisture contained in the pellets

I agree irocha...

But the size of my garage wont allow me to incorporate an indoor silo. To be honest I had a good look at the JFC one over the weekend and I am happy enough with the quality of the product. Condensation is a risk alright, the silo will be on the southside of the garage so it will get quite a bit of sun.

My own issues with these silos are...

- how easy are they to clean out?
- Will they continue to allow pellet feeding even when you are done to you last quarter of a tonne?
- Can the area where the auger meets the silo be sealed correctly?

JFC satisfies these for me anyway.

cantwbr1

Has anyone any experience with the kedco combined boiler and pellet storage units

NickTellis

I'd second that request - anyone any experience with the Kedco combined pellet boiler and outdoor (or indoor) storage units. How much do those wooden storage sheds cost and does anyone have any opinions on them (i.e. someone who has one as opposed to someone who doesn't like the look of them) ?

Dehef2006

I have the kedco outdoor silo,3.5 tonne, and have it fitted as per their recommendations, but in the last 4 months i have had to empty about .25 tonne out because the pellets keep getting were damp, they have got damp about 5/6 times. Its a nuisance every time and takes about 1 1/2 hours work to empty auger and fill back up again. I would def recommend going for indoor silo

gears

Are BIOBIN still in business ? I heard they'd closed down, could be wrong though.

Simon Bell

I understand Biobin are indeed no longer in business.

I have a biobin......unfortunately

I have had no issues with damp, my pellets have remained dry. However my problem is that the pellets do not fall into the collection point at the bottom but stay piled up around the edges and corners so once I'm down to the last tonne or so I have to continuously rake the pellets down into the collection point.

Kedco did offer a fix but that hasn't helped so its back to them tomorrow to get it sorted.

I think the design of the Biobin is fundamentally flawed. The slopes inside are too shallow and being made of fibre glass the rippled finish offers too much friction so the pellets don't slide down as they would if it was sheeted in aluminium or smooth plastic.

All a tad irritating when you arrive home to a cold house and spend the evening trying to sort it out in -3 temps.

I would be interested to hear experiences of other pellet stores.

Simon Bell

dopey4

Hi, I am a newbie but I cannot find updated threads on this topic. Has anybody recent experiences of DIY indoor pellet silos or indeed the canvas ones which seem a good idea.

Evergreen

dopey4 wrote: »

Hi, I am a newbie but I cannot find updated threads on this topic. Has anybody recent experiences of DIY indoor pellet silos or indeed the canvas ones which seem a good idea.

A bag silo is very handy in terms of how fast it is to put together, is great for keeping dust to a minimum during pellet delivery and really looks the part.

Downsides - it is expensive (approx EUR 2250 plus VAT) and takes up a bit of space (2.5m x 2.5m x 2.5m for 3.6 tonne storage).

Hope this helps?

dopey4

Thanks Evergreen. I am researching all possibilities, outdoor or indoor. The JFC bin seems good but I am worried about dampness and condensation, also they are expensive too. I may go down the road of self-build (terrified). I have a 20 X 10 portacabin which can be braced. There are some designs on the internet and advice from COFORD which looks good. Anybody try similar?

Evergreen

The JFC bin works fine. To avoid condensation you just need to place it in a location that prevents the bin receiving too much direct sunshine. Condensation is mostly a problem during Summer months and not during the heating months. TBH becuase it is a plastic bin there will be very little chance of condensation anyway.

There are many deals to be had for a JFC, for example Leinster Pellets sell the bin for EUR 1850 plus VAT and will throw in a free tonne of pellets if you order three tonnes of pellets at the same time.

Firestixx and TimberPro also have a range of bins that would be worth checking out.

In my opinion the best out door bin on the market is the McAree V-Mac Pellet silo. It is a twin skinned tank with insulation between each skin - costs a bit though.

dopey4

Thanks, a lot to consider. That is a good deal from Leinster Pellets.

b.g.p

Try woodpelletstorage.ie for a really good bin, they make indoor and outdoor, they are a stainless steel bin and you can make them whatever size you want if you buy a 3 tonne one this year you can go back again and add on to it, i know off the guys that are selling them and they actully had a lot of expierance in the industry before they started making these things. best thing about them is they are good value and really helpful. you can contact them on the landline advertised on there website(if you ring the mobile you will get tru to timberpro, they sell pellets not bins but also very helpful people) hope this helps

dopey4

Hi all, still mulling over what to do about silo. (using bags up to this). Spoke to somebody(fitter) who suggested he would make an indoor silo out of galvanised sheeting (6 cubic metres). I am wondering if anyone has any idea what thickness sheets would need to be. There are some galvanised silos on the web but all seem v expensive.

Evergreen

dopey4 wrote: »

Hi all, still mulling over what to do about silo. (using bags up to this). Spoke to somebody(fitter) who suggested he would make an indoor silo out of galvanised sheeting (6 cubic metres). I am wondering if anyone has any idea what thickness sheets would need to be. There are some galvanised silos on the web but all seem v expensive.

Thickness of the sheet is not as important as the amount of suppoer that you give the sheet. A guy I have dealt with over the years built his own using angel iron and what looked like to me as a fairly standard sheet of glav steel.

It might be easier and cheaper to build from timber. Use 4 x 2's for frame and support and 3/4" ply on the inside. For an indoor pellet store it is important that you seal all edges so that you do not have an storm of dust in the garage/shed when your pellets are being filled.

dopey4

Thanks again Evergreen, I was thinking of a DIY solution and the cost of the fittings i.e. pellet access hatch, Camlocks, Vent pipes, Damage limitation mat etc can run up to 400 euro before I start at all. Beginning to understand why the price of these silos are so high. As I am using a stove (CH) with a 40 kg hopper attached I will be manually filling it. The difference in using bags and using the silo (3tonnes) will take at least 4 yrs to equalise, obviously depending on other factors of course. So still mulling!

brendan_donegal

Did anyone actually go with an external bin? How did you get on?

I am in the same situation now, looking for an external storage option, would prefer to have the space in the garage for storing other stuff, have space just outside garage back wall for silo.
But also I am concerned about condensation and effect on the pellets?
Anyone have any positive experiences they would like to share?
Any new products on the market lately?