What is better: firewood or peat briquettes? Firewood and coal versus fuel briquettes: identifying the strongest. Briquettes or firewood: which is better and more economical?

Despite the widespread construction of gas pipelines, there are still many settlements and places in Russia where there is simply no gas. People have to use alternative sources heat, for example solid fuel boilers. These units operate on wood, but lately for them began to be produced more modern views fuel is fuel briquettes for heating stoves. Let's look at them in more detail and find out their advantages and disadvantages.

In this review we will look at:

Disadvantages of classic firewood;
Fuel composition;
Main types of briquetted fuel;
Pros and cons of briquettes for the stove.

After reading the review, you will be able to make a choice in favor of traditional firewood or in favor of more modern briquette fuel.

Fire wood stoves

Wood burning stoves provide efficient heating residential and non-residential premises. They are represented by many models, differing in their technical characteristics and device. They use the most ordinary firewood as fuel - they can be purchased by the truckload. But this fuel cannot be called modern and efficient. And today it has been replaced by fuel briquettes for heating stoves.

To clarify, let's look at the main disadvantages of traditional wood fuel:

Ordinary firewood must first be chopped and then placed in neat woodpiles. This is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming process.

It is inconvenient to stack firewood in neat stacks - if they same size and format, then that’s not so bad. But if some logs are thin, while others are thick, and even knotty, then the masonry will be crooked and oblique (although a lot depends on the “curvature” of the hands);
Firewood needs to be split - it often comes in the form of round logs that require chopping. Swinging an ax in cold weather is a dubious pleasure (although useful);
Firewood is often damp - seeking for their own profit, lumberjacks sell the wood in a raw state, without first drying it. Compared to almost dry fuel briquettes for heating stoves, they will not be easy to light;
Low calorific value – a cubic meter of firewood produces less heat than the same wood briquettes of the same volume;
They give firewood large number ash - the same wood briquettes practically do not clog the stoves;
Wood burns with clicking and crackling sounds, burns unevenly, clearly inferior to briquettes in this regard.

Firewood is the most common and cheapest solid fuel for heating furnaces and boilers. But fuel briquettes are superior to them due to their convenience and high calorific value.

What are fuel briquettes made from?

Wood fuel briquettes are made from wood waste– roughly speaking, these are pressed sawdust that have undergone certain preparation. The preparation process includes grinding and drying. As a result, raw materials are born, ready to go under the press. Some sawdust does not need drying at all, since it is almost dry.

Most often, this type of fuel is produced from ordinary sawdust.

Safe organic compounds act as binders in fuel briquettes for heating stoves, and some types of European firewood are made without adhesive base. The prepared raw materials are sent under the press, forming dense, neat bars, ready for further application. Firing can be used as an additional processing - it all depends on the manufacturer and the technologies he uses.

The resulting wood briquettes for heating stoves are sent to consumers - they are suitable for heating houses and non-residential buildings, and are used to light fireplaces. They can also replace firewood for a picnic, but in this case you will not hear the sound of crackling firewood. But you will get an even flame, without flying embers and sparks.

Advantages and disadvantages of fuel briquettes

Let's see what good fuel briquettes are for heating stoves, and what are their main pros and cons. Let's start with the positive features:

Ease of storage – thanks to its neat shape, Euro firewood and other briquettes can be stacked in neat, even stacks;
High calorific value of fuel briquettes - if we compare them with ordinary firewood, they provide one and a half to two times more heat. Due to this, you can save on fuel when firing stoves and boilers;
Briquettes are fuel long burning for stoves of any type. Pressed sawdust burns one and a half to two times longer, reducing the number of approaches for adding new portions of fuel. If there is a regular stove in the room that burns with wood for 2-3 hours, then with fuel briquettes this time will increase to 4-5 hours;
Uniform burning, without unnecessary noise and embers shooting in all directions. In addition, fuel briquettes used to fire stoves emit less smoke and produce less ash, reducing labor costs for cleaning;
Low formation of resins - this reduces chimney clogging;
The storage duration of fuel briquettes for heating stoves varies from 1 year to 5 years - it all depends on the manufacturing technology;
High environmental friendliness - no chemicals are used in the production of briquettes;
Volume consumed per one heating season briquetted fuel is 1.5-2 times less than the volume of firewood used over the same time period.

Fuel briquettes intended for heating stoves burn smoothly and softly, releasing a large amount of heat. They do not clog stoves and chimneys and burn almost 99%.

If your home has a long-burning stove or boiler, you will feel additional benefit from the use of briquetted fuel - the combustion duration will increase by another 1.5-2 times, reaching 12-16 hours or more (depending on the model of equipment used).

Unfortunately, it was not without certain disadvantages:

Fuel briquettes used to fire stoves are not afraid of dampness. At the same time They still don’t like direct contact with water.;
Some types of briquetted fuel do not tolerate long-term storage - their shelf life is limited to one year from the date of manufacture;
The cost of purchasing fuel may be higher than purchasing regular firewood - it all depends on the manufacturer;
In some regions and populated areas purchasing fuel briquettes for heating boilers and stoves is more difficult than buying a truckload of ordinary firewood;
The cost is slightly higher than the cost of ordinary firewood. But due to the high calorific value and long combustion, you can save a little.

Despite all this, briquetted fuel continues to gain popularity.

Popular types of wood briquettes

We have already talked about the production of fuel briquettes for heating boilers and furnaces, as well as their key advantages and disadvantages. It remains to figure out what types of briquettes are presented on the domestic market.

This fuel resembles appearance bricks of white or wood color (the shade varies widely). RUF briquettes are made from dry sawdust by pressing under high pressure. As a result, Euro-firewood is born, which can be used in any type of stove. Their distinctive feature is the inscription RUF, extruded on both sides at once.

RUF fuel briquettes for heating furnaces are characterized by the release of a large amount of heat - they are almost one and a half times more profitable than firewood . They are easy to load combustion chambers and store them in stacks. Pressed bars are not afraid of moisture, but there is also no need to expose them to direct water. This fuel is supplied by many manufacturers - a typical example is a company called Olezhka. By the way, it also sells many other types of solid fuel.

An interesting feature of these Eurobriquettes is their unusual shape– they resemble square pencils from which someone has taken the lead. That's why they are called "pencils". In order for it to burn with the release of a large amount of heat, a hole is made in it, increasing the draft. The “pencils” themselves look dark, as they were fired. This procedure makes them more durable and removes excess moisture.

The disadvantage of PINI KAY fuel briquettes for heating stoves is that they are more expensive than firewood and even more expensive than any other types of fuel. But they burn well, releasing a large amount of heat. They are also convenient to transport and store. Thanks to their shape, they are ideal for lighting fireplaces. Some people take them with them into the wild to use PINI KAY bars instead of wood for a fire.

Simple cylindrical briquettes

The simplest fuel briquettes for heating stoves are also on sale - in the form of cylinders. They are made from pressed sawdust and small wood waste. All this is pressed under slight pressure using a non-toxic adhesive base, after which the finished bars are sent to consumers. This fuel is cheap, but has one distinct drawback - low strength. It easily disintegrates and crumbles and does not withstand exposure to moisture.

Fuel briquettes from coal and peat

Peat and coal fuel briquettes for heating stoves are made from peat and coal, respectively. Source materials molded into small cylinders. The fuel can be used to light stoves and solid fuel boilers. Coal products give high temperature combustion, but are characterized by high ash content. As for peat fuel, it is ideally suited for long-burning stoves, but it also produces a lot of ash.

If you have a stove that needs something to heat, we recommend that you use PINI KAY or RUF fuel briquettes. They are distinguished by their convenience and high calorific value, form a minimum of ash and provide long-lasting combustion.

Video

Made from pressed sawdust and shavings.

Fuel briquettes (eurowood) are a modern, convenient solid fuel for all types of stoves, boilers, fireplaces.

1 ton (1.5 cubic meters) of fuel briquettes provides an amount of heat equivalent to 5 cubic meters (dump truck) of naturally dried birch firewood.

Briquettes in packages of 10 kg. in film, on pallets.

1 ton = 100 packages. 1 ton occupies 1 m2 of area.

In our company you can buy fuel briquettes in Moscow from one package.

Fuel briquettes price

Peat briquettes

Stone coal

Wholesale supplies fuel briquettes with delivery throughout Russia.

Low prices for delivery of fuel briquettes in Moscow and surrounding areas (see DELIVERY section). Free download! You can buy fuel briquettes from our company at low prices, as well as European firewood wholesale!

Delivery of Euro firewood at a time convenient for you, as well as sale of fuel briquettes with shipment from a warehouse in Moscow. You can pick up paid goods from the warehouse in parts. Special conditions for wholesalers. Discounts are provided for fuel briquettes depending on the order volume.

Storage conditions

The shelf life is not limited, but it is necessary to protect Eurofirewood from moisture. RUF briquettes, Nielsen briquettes, Pini Kay briquettes should be stored indoors (in a barn, garage, under a shed) or covered with film.

Characteristics

Heat transfer 4500-5000 kcal/kg,

Humidity<8%,

Density 0.9 - 1.2 g/cm3,

Ash content<1%

EUROWOOD is more convenient and profitable than firewood and coal, because:

In terms of heat transfer per unit weight, wood fuel briquettes are 2-3 times superior to ordinary firewood and are almost equal to coal. When purchasing fuel briquettes at a minimum price (from 1 ton), Euro firewood will cost you less than an equivalent amount of firewood in terms of heat transfer.

The duration of combustion and smoldering is 2-3 times higher than that of ordinary firewood.

This is always ready-to-use fuel—no need to saw, chop, or dry anything.

EUROWOOD is a factory product with constant characteristics (weight, humidity). Unlike ordinary firewood, you will not be deceived with volume, humidity, etc. You know exactly how much you are buying and can buy any required amount of fuel from one package. And for this reason, the price for Euro firewood is more favorable, in contrast to ordinary firewood.

Euro firewood (including ruf briquettes, pini kay briquettes) is safer - it burns odorless, does not shoot or spark, and practically does not produce smoke, soot, carbon monoxide and other harmful substances, unlike firewood or coal. Not explosive during storage, unlike gas, diesel fuel, etc.

Convenient and clean packaging. Space saving - 1 ton occupies 1m2 of space, the fuel supply can be stored next to the boiler/stove.

When burning euros, firewood (fuel briquettes) produces a minimum of ash - 20 times less than firewood and 40 times less than coal. As a result, cleaning the stove or fireplace is greatly facilitated. Ash can be used as fertilizer.

Fuel briquettes are not subject to mandatory certification in the Russian Federation and therefore the price of fuel briquettes is quite low. Our briquettes are manufactured using German equipment and comply with the DIN standard adopted in Germany. This is confirmed by certificates and conclusions based on the results of various laboratory tests.

Comparison of fuel briquettes with other types of fuel

Calorific value:

firewood with natural humidity (40-55%) ~1500 kcal/kg
dry firewood (humidity 25%) 2160 kcal/kg (pine), 2600 kcal/kg (birch)
brown coal 3910 – 4600 kcal/kg
briquettes from wood waste 4500-5000 kcal/kg
anthracite coal 6100 - 7500 kcal/kg

Ash content:

When burning brown coal, 40% of ash is produced

When burning black coal, 20% ash is produced

When burning wood briquettes, 0.5-1% ash appears

The ash from Eurowood can later be used as a mineral fertilizer.

CO2 emissions during combustion of briquettes:

10 times less than natural gas

30 times less than coke

50 times less than coal

When using European firewood, the boiler power increases up to 50% compared to conventional firewood.

Sulfur release during combustion of Eurowood<0,08%, что позволяет в 3-4 раза реже чистить дымоход, чем при использовании дров или угля. Существенная экономия на услугах трубочиста!

The production of Eurofirewood occurs at high pressure and temperature. The binder is lignin, which is found in the wood itself.

The duration of burning and smoldering of briquettes is on average 2-3 times longer than that of ordinary firewood, and they also ensure constant temperature during combustion. This means that, compared to conventional firewood, it can be put into the stove 2-3 times less often. Briquettes are easier to feed into the combustion chamber compared to firewood and coal. They flare up well, burn long and evenly, and do not produce sparks or soot.

Euro firewood is well suited for barbecuing or grilling. When fat gets on them, they do not ignite, but continue to smolder or burn with an even, low flame. Sale of fuel briquettes is one of the activities of our company.

Briquettes have a density on average 2.5 times higher than firewood, which means they take up less space. It is a convenient and clean product for storage and transportation.

It is for these reasons that in our country the sale of fuel briquettes is gaining momentum every year.

The high density also prevents rotting and briquettes can be stored for a long time, protected from moisture.

When burned, briquettes do not have a negative impact on the environment.

Fuel briquettes (euro firewood) are a convenient, economical and environmentally friendly type of fuel. Widely used in Europe for over 20 years!

Firewood and fuel briquettes are fundamentally different types of fuel. Using firewood is the most ancient and proven method of heating a home.

While briquettes appeared relatively recently, they became a worthy alternative to firewood, for which they received the second name “eurofirewood”. Which material is the best and more profitable? We will try to give a detailed answer to this question in our article.

Eurodrova

Briquettes are made from waste from the food and wood processing industries: sawdust, seeds, buckwheat and rice husks, straw, peat and herbal plants.

The briquette composition is subjected to strong pressing and drying. Burning fuel briquettes does not harm human health, since they do not contain chemicals. There are three main forms of fuel briquettes: , pini-kay and nestro.

They differ from each other only in maximum density, which directly depends on the shape, but there are no fundamental differences in the composition and calorific value of the material. Advantages of fuel briquettes:

Low humidity and high density of the material, which ensures high heat transfer and long burning time (up to 4 hours).
Compared to firewood, they are more compact to store due to their regular geometric shape.
They do not spark or shoot when burned, emitting a minimal amount of smoke.

Flaws:

Briquettes take a long time to warm up due to the high density of the material and leave a fairly large amount of ash.
In the room where the stove is heated with briquettes, there is a pungent, specific burning smell.
Fuel briquettes have very low moisture resistance and crumble under improper storage conditions.
They are very unstable to mechanical damage, which makes them impossible to use further.
Lack of aesthetic component when lighting a fireplace. Fuel briquettes can burn with a barely smoldering flame.

Heating with wood

Firewood has an undeniable advantage over other types of fuel - it is the most environmentally friendly material that does not have any odor. Our ancestors have been heating stoves with them for a long time.

firewood quickly flares up and gives off heat, which makes the process of heating the room quite fast;
low cost, especially when the preparation of firewood for the winter is carried out independently;
not subject to mechanical damage;
well-dried firewood has very high heat transfer;
when wood burns, beautiful flames appear, which is very important when operating a fireplace;
In the process of burning firewood of different tree species, essential oils are released that have a beneficial effect on the human nervous system and respiratory tract.

Important to know: The best combustion product is two-year-old wood that has been stored under the right conditions.

firewood, as well as fuel briquettes, require special storage conditions. They should be protected from the slightest moisture and ensure good ventilation of the room.

This material will help you figure out what you need to make fuel braces from sawdust:

Which is more profitable?

Let's compare the price per cubic meter of briquettes and firewood.

Thus, a cubic meter of fuel briquettes costs approximately 6 thousand rubles, while the price for the same volume of wood is approximately 3,000 rubles. The price of firewood is approximate and directly depends on the number of wood species in each specific region.

Take note: in the total mass of firewood, 20-30% is firewood that has been well-dried for several years, up to 50% is wet firewood, 20-30% is stale firewood. While in fuel briquettes the mass of water is no more than 9%.

The difference in price between firewood and briquettes can vary between 2-4 thousand rubles. Thus, the cost of briquettes is approximately 2-3 times more expensive than firewood.

Through numerous experiments and comparisons, the following facts were established:

Fuel briquettes burn for 2 hours, while firewood burns for 1 hour.
The heat transfer of firewood is significantly higher than that of fuel briquettes, which is especially noticeable when approaching the stove (fireplace).
There is ¼ less ash after briquettes than after firewood.

Thus, fuel briquettes are more suitable for long-burning stoves. For fireplaces, time-tested firewood is still the ideal fuel. Comparing by price and taking into account the moisture content of the firewood, we can say that there is no fundamental difference between firewood and briquettes.

Fuel briquettes- a type of solid fuel, an alternative to conventional firewood or coal. Due to their correct shape and uniform size, they are also called Euro firewood. They can be used in fireplaces, stoves, solid fuel boilers and other heating devices that burn solid fuel.

Next, let's look at what briquettes are made of and what types they come in? What are their advantages and disadvantages over firewood? Do briquettes really provide more heat and burn better? Is it profitable to use them? And also how to choose high-quality briquettes.

What are briquettes made from?

Briquettes are made from waste from the wood processing and food industries - sawdust, rice husks, buckwheat or seeds. They also use accessible and inexpensive materials that have energy value: straw, peat or tyrsa (herbaceous plant).

The briquettes do not contain glue or other binding elements. The briquette gains strength and shape through strong pressing and maximum drying. Therefore, burning them does not harm human health.

Advantages of fuel briquettes

The main advantage of briquettes is that the combustion temperature is 1.5-2 times higher than that of firewood. At a humidity of 20%, the calorific value of wood is 2500-2700 kcal/kg, briquette - 4500-4900 kcal/kg.

And there are simple and logical explanations for this:

Briquettes have low humidity. The lower the humidity of the firewood, the higher its heat transfer. Normal wood moisture content when properly stored is 15-20%. For briquettes, the humidity is 4-8% and is achieved through forced drying - a mandatory stage in their production.
Briquettes have high density. Why does oak firewood burn hotter than poplar wood? Because of the density. The density of oak is 0.81 g/cm3, poplar is 0.4 g/cm3. That is, each cm3 of oak contains more useful and combustible woody matter than poplar. Briquette density is 0.95-1g/cm3. Their combustible content per unit volume is even higher than that of oak. Accordingly, the calorific value is higher.

Low humidity and high density are the key to the success of briquettes. If you dry firewood to a moisture content of 4-8%, then its calorific value will be comparable to briquettes.

Other advantages of briquettes:

Take up less space.
Burn more evenly and longer.
Made from waste. If you care about the environment and the environment.
Due to low humidity, briquettes emit less soot and pollute the chimney less.

Flaws

Price. At first glance, fuel briquettes are more expensive than firewood. In fact, this should be taken into account the cost of a unit of heat obtained from firewood and briquettes. Next we will examine this issue in more detail.
Fear of moisture. Wet briquettes crumble. Storage conditions are critical for them: in a closed, ventilated area.
There are bad briquettes. When purchasing briquettes, it is not always possible to be sure of the material from which they are made. Anything can be added to wood briquettes: soft wood, rotten, old, low-quality or chemically treated wood, and so on. This creates volume, but reduces the quality of the briquette.

What types of fuel briquettes are there?

Briquettes differ in shape and material of manufacture.

Differences in shape

There are three main forms of fuel briquettes: pini-kei, roof and nestro. Their difference is only in the maximum density that can be achieved in each form. There are no differences in chemical composition or mass calorific value between eurowood No.

Fuel briquettes pini-kay

The highest density is from 1.08 to 1.40 g/cm3. Section shape - square or hexagon. There is a through hole in the center, which provides better air movement and combustion of the briquette.

Fuel briquettes RUF

Fuel briquettes made from roof sawdust, in the form of a brick. They have a small size and the lowest density - 0.75-0.8 g/cm3.

Briquettes Nestro

Fuel briquettes have a non-stro cylinder shape and an average density of 1 - 1.15 g/cm3.

Peat briquettes

For fuel peat briquettes a special form, not similar to the others. And due to the high ash content and the presence of other harmful impurities in the composition, they are not recommended for use at home. Such briquettes are suitable for industrial furnaces or boilers that can operate on low-quality fuel.

Peat fuel briquette

Differences in material

Eurodrova made from sawdust, seed husks, rice and buckwheat, straw, tyrsa, peat and other materials. The material affects the calorie content of the fuel briquette, ash content, amount of soot emitted, quality and completeness of combustion.

Below in the table is a comparison of the characteristics of briquettes made from different materials - seed husks, rice, straw, tyrsa and sawdust. Such an analysis shows not only that briquettes made from different materials differ from each other. But also the fact that even briquettes from the same material differ in quality and properties.

All data is taken from real test reports of fuel briquettes.

Calorie content, humidity, ash content and density of fuel briquettes made from different materials.

Comments on the table

Seed. The highest calorific value of briquettes made from sunflower seeds husks is 5151 kcal/kg. This is due to their low ash content (2.9-3.6%) and the presence of oil in the briquette, which burns and has energy value. On the other hand, due to the oil, such briquettes pollute the chimney more intensively with soot, and it has to be cleaned more often.

Tree. In second place in calorie content sawdust wood briquettes– 5043 kcal/kg at 4% humidity and 4341 kcal/kg at 10.3% humidity. The ash content of wood briquettes is the same as that of a whole tree - 0.5-2.5%.

Straw. Straw briquettes are not much inferior to sunflower seeds or sawdust and have good potential for use. They have a slightly lower calorie content - 4740 kcal/kg and 4097 kcal/kg, and a relatively high ash content - 4.8-7.3%.

Tyrsa. Tyrsa is a perennial herbaceous plant. Such briquettes have a fairly low ash content of 0.7% and good heat transfer of 4400 kcal/kg.

Rice. Briquettes made from rice husk have the highest ash content - 20% and low calorific value - 3458 kcal/kg. This is even less than wood at 20% humidity.

Two important conclusions

1. Different ash content

Two samples of straw briquettes have different ash contents - 4.86 and 7.3%.

Ash is mineral substances in wood that either have little energy value or simply do not burn. Therefore, the more ash in the wood, the less its heat transfer.

Different ash contents of fuel briquettes indicate different quality of production and source materials. One manufacturer does not clean the straw well enough to remove dirt and external ash. Another is adding foliage and other materials for volume. At the output, this greatly affects the quality, calorific value and burning time of the fuel briquette. And this situation can happen with any briquettes, not just straw.

2. Different humidity

The moisture content of the briquettes and their seed husks is 2.7% in one case, and 8.51% in the other. Some wood briquettes from sawdust the moisture content is 4.1%, for others it is 10.3%.

This means that the humidity of fuel briquettes is also different. Their strength and calorific value depend on this: at a humidity of 4.1%, the heat transfer of a briquette is 5043 kcal/kg, and at 10% — 4341 kcal/kg.

So in the end it’s cheaper – firewood or briquettes

The main thing about firewood is not the weight and cost, but the cost per unit of heat. You can burn 5kg and 10kg of different wood, but still get the same amount of heat. Let's do a simple calculation (figures as of winter 2013):

1 m 3 of firewood weighs 500-600 kg and costs 550 UAH;
1 m 3 of briquettes weighs 1000 kg and costs 1800 UAH;

1 m 3 of wood contains 40-50% less real fuel than the same volume of briquettes. Let's determine the cost of 1 ton of firewood.

1 ton of wood = 1.66 m 3. Its cost will be 550 * 1.66 = 913 hryvnia.

Now let’s calculate the cost of 1W of heat generated by firewood and briquettes

As a result, it is clear that the difference is insignificant - 4 kopecks per 1 watt of thermal energy. It turns out that the effect of firewood and briquettes is almost the same, despite the seemingly significant difference in price.

It is important to consider:

Inadequate quality of firewood. Often, when buying firewood, you can come across freshly cut wood with a moisture content of 40-50%. The calorific value of such firewood is even less
Firewood takes up more space, which means transporting it will cost even more.

Questions and answers

How much do fuel briquettes weigh?

The weight of a briquette depends on its density. With a pini-kay briquette density of 1.08 – 1.36 g/cm3, one cubic meter weighs 1080–1360 kg. For comparison: 1 cubic meter of oak firewood at a humidity of 20% weighs about 800 kg, birch 750 kg, and pine 520 kg.

Burning time

The burning time of fuel briquettes depends on the same factors as the burning of firewood: traction force and ignition method. If you do not close the damper in time and supply a lot of air to the briquettes, they will burn very quickly.

On the other hand, if you carefully stack the briquettes, set them on fire correctly and provide the minimum amount of air required for combustion, then due to their high density and low humidity they will burn longer than firewood.

The photo shows pini-kei fuel briquettes. They are neatly stacked and burn evenly from left to right.

To choose the best fuel briquettes for home use that will burn well and efficiently, adhere to the following principles:

Give preference - sawdust wood briquettes. In terms of combustion quality, they are as close as possible to firewood, burn well, have low ash content and high heat transfer. Briquettes made from sunflower seeds husks also provide a lot of heat, but due to the oil, they more intensively pollute the chimney and heating appliance with soot.
Calorific value of fuel briquettes from hard and coniferous wood is the same, because they are based on the same wood substance. But coniferous wood briquettes contain resin, which more pollutes the chimney with soot.
Do not believe in words about the calorific value, humidity and ash content of briquettes. Ask the seller for test reports that indicate the main characteristics of the briquettes. But be prepared for the fact that they may not be there.
Choose briquettes with maximum density. The higher the density, the more evenly and longer the briquettes burn, and also do not crumble and leave a lot of hot, long-smoldering coals. Pini-key briquettes have the highest density, Nestro briquettes have an average density, and Roof briquettes have the minimum density.
Before buying a large number of briquettes, take 10-20 kg samples in different places. Check them for strength: if the briquette breaks and crumbles easily, then it is poorly compressed or contains a lot of moisture. Burn each sample in a heating apparatus. Pay attention to the heat, how long and at what level do the briquettes burn? The lower the draft at which briquettes are capable of burning, the better. Look at the coals they leave behind. Do they hold their shape or do they fall apart into little coals? This is the only sure way to choose quality briquettes for heating.

Conclusions

Fuel briquettes are an alternative type of solid fuel to firewood or coal. They are suitable for fireplaces, solid fuel boilers, stoves and other heating appliances.
Briquettes are made from production waste: sawdust, rice husks, seeds or buckwheat. Inexpensive and accessible materials are also used - straw, peat or tyrsa. The quality of combustion of the briquette and its calorific value depend on the material.
Briquettes come in three forms: roof, pini-kei and nestro. The shape does not affect the chemical composition, but only the maximum permissible density of the briquette. The highest density is in pikin-kay, low in ruf.
The two main advantages of briquettes over firewood are higher heat transfer and ease of use. Due to the minimum humidity and ash content, the calorie content of briquettes is higher. And thanks to the correct shape and high density, the briquettes fit tightly to each other and take up less space in the volume.
Not all briquettes are of equal quality. Even briquettes of the same shape and from the same material can differ in ash content, humidity and combustion temperature. Everything greatly depends on the quality of preparation of the starting materials, the degree of drying and pressing, as well as storage of the finished briquettes.

Everything about fuel briquettes: types, the better the firewood, advantages and disadvantages, recommendations for choosing

To heat a room, you need to install a heating device whose technical characteristics meet all the requirements. You can use either firewood or briquettes as fuel.

Firewood

As for firewood, this is a classic option that is still in demand today. A stove heated with wood can heat the entire house, filling the room with a special atmosphere of comfort and warmth. Quite often, even firewood is used for fireplaces. After all, the natural aroma of wood can serve as a kind of air freshener. And in a modern interior, a bunch of logs will look harmonious.

The tree is sawn into approximately equal pieces, which in turn are split into small logs. You can equip a rack for storing firewood from either wood or metal. When constructing this structure, the following requirements should be taken into account:

the bottom shelf should be located at a certain height from the ground;
firewood should not be stacked very tightly, thereby ensuring natural air circulation;
It is better to divide the woodpile into several sections, so that in the future it will be convenient to choose firewood for kindling;
A canopy must be built to protect the “warehouse” from natural precipitation (rain, snow).

The woodpile can be either a separate structure or an extension to a house or barn. The most suitable shape of the structure is rectangular with side walls. The main thing is to follow fire safety rules to prevent an accidental fire.

There are several ways to store logs:

stacked;
cells;
a shock.

Advice: It is better to bring firewood into the house in the amount needed for heating for the day. It wouldn’t hurt to build a small indoor woodpile near the stove so that the wood can dry out a little before lighting.

Briquettes

Briquettes are a relatively new type of fuel, the raw materials of which are sawdust, shavings, peat, agricultural waste, charcoal and much more. The manufacturing process involves pressing components under high pressure using special equipment. In this case, a certain temperature regime is observed.

Advantages

Despite the fact that briquettes are a processed product, there are a number of undeniable advantages of this fuel compared to analogues, including firewood:

relatively low price;
environmental friendliness;
high heat transfer rate;
ease of storage;
no condensation;
long burning life;
minimal ash content (the oven can be cleaned much less frequently).

In addition, instead of destroying the forest, you can use briquettes, thereby burning a processed product made from waste at forest harvesting enterprises. We previously wrote about and advised you to bookmark the article.

Note: Fuel granules and pellets are also distinguished. The differences between these species are only in size and manufacturing methods.

Storage and transportation

Due to the fact that briquettes are produced using special equipment, they have a fairly compact shape of the correct dimensions. This allows not only to carefully transport, but also store fuel. In addition, a small storage room can be used as storage.

Unfortunately, the production of fuel briquettes is not well established, which slightly complicates the speed of order delivery. In addition, during transportation you should be extremely careful not to damage the packaging material. After all, briquettes can simply crumble, become damaged and absorb unnecessary moisture.

Video: comparison of firewood and briquettes

It is difficult to give a definite answer to the question of what is better - firewood or fuel briquettes. Everyone chooses the type of fuel that is most suitable in terms of price and technical characteristics. Many people prefer to use coal in tandem, which as a result provides much more heat, and it lasts much longer.