Craikmore

Craikmore, Craik, Roberton, Hawick.

AKVA 1500E accumulator linked to Baxi Solo Innova 30 log boiler (32kw).

Owned and operated by Ian Robson, forester and firewood supplier.

Commissioned November 2009.

The wood boiler supplies heat and hot water to a 3 bedroom residence. The boiler and Akvaterm tank are installed in a detached boiler house. The heating and domestic hot water system of the residence is connected to the Akvaterm tank by a two core proprietary insulated pipe laid underground.

The Baxi log boiler heats the Akvaterm tank in a stratified manner to about 87^oC using a Laddomat 21 loading unit. The AKVA 1500E is able to store approximately 75 kwhrs of useable heat energy. The flow temperature to the heating system is regulated to 60^oC by a Thermomatic K temperature controller which operates on a 3 way mixing valve. The flow to the heating circuit is blended with the return from the heating system to produce the required flow temperature.

The owner produces his own firewood and air dries it in external covered stacks that allow good air circulation. He has monitored firewood consumption since commissioning and consumed 4,189kg of wood over the six month period beginning 30^th November. The average consumption during the coldest month of the winter was 31.5kg per day.

The boiler has a firebox chamber volume of 135 litres and can accommodate about 30kg of firewood, depending on species. The AKVA 1500E has proved to match the output of the boiler well, storing about 75% of the heat generated during the firing cycle (3 hours), the remaining 25% going directly to the heating and hot water system.