Electric boiler Dakon Daline PTE 10 (not supplied)

In specialized stores selling climate control equipment, the buyer is presented with a huge number of different models of heating devices, which differ from each other in price, power, ease of use and many other parameters. But experts in this field invariably choose the Dakon solid fuel boiler, which is an example of uncompromising quality and efficiency.

Dakon is a leading European manufacturer of heating equipment

History of the development of the brand

The Dakon company was registered in 1949 in the Czech Republic. The company was not founded out of nowhere, but was formed as a result of the merger of several manufacturing companies engaged in the production of various climate control equipment. The concern began to specialize in the production of heating boilers only in 1965.

The company has existed for more than half a century

However, after 5 years, thanks to skillful leadership, Dakon occupies a leading position in the domestic market.

The range of boilers produced by the company includes the following models:

• solid fuel boilers Dakon (classic and pyrolysis);
• heaters running on liquid fuel;
• gas climate equipment.

At that time, production volumes did not exceed 30 thousand units per year, and the power was 30 kW, that is, the heaters could be used exclusively for heating small and medium-sized residential buildings.

The next 20 years were marked by explosive growth for the company. By 1990, the number of boilers produced exceeded half a million; the range included models used for heating industrial complexes and commercial buildings.

Note! The population of a small country - the Czech Republic - is concentrated mainly in cities. Therefore, the domestic market could not absorb such a quantity of products, and therefore most of it was initially intended for sale abroad.

The photo shows the production center of the enterprise

In 1994, the country switched to a market economy. It was then that the enterprise was sold into private hands, but this did not in any way affect the quality of the boilers produced or the volumes.

This is evidenced by the company's continued success on the Czech and international markets:

• in 1995, the company acquired the assets of the Italian manufacturer of climate control equipment - Unical;
• in 1996, the company's production centers produced the first solid fuel boilers Dakon, in which a pyrolysis fuel combustion scheme was implemented;
• in 1998, the company mastered the production of wood-burning heaters with cast iron fireboxes, which have increased strength and a long service life;
• in 2000, the company launched condensing boilers on the market, characterized by increased efficiency;
• in 2003, Dakon became part of the international concern Baderus, which is part of the world-famous German holding Bosch.

However, given the worldwide popularity of the Dakon brand, the management of the German corporation decided to preserve the brand. And now the company’s production centers produce Dakon solid fuel heating boilers, which continue to delight consumers around the world.

One of the stages of assembling Dakon boilers

Types of Czech-made solid fuel boilers

DOR series

A special feature of these boilers is the possibility of using wood with a moisture content of 20 to 35% as fuel.

In addition, the special design of the burner makes this heating unit universal, because in addition to classic firewood, the device can function:

• on brown and hard coal;
• on coking coals;
• on coal briquettes.

Wood is an excellent fuel for DOR series boilers

Such a solution comes at the cost of a fairly low efficiency and low power: the equipment can produce no more than 45 kW of thermal energy.

In addition, the Dakon DOR line of boilers has the following features:

1. The device can be part of a closed heating network with both forced circulation of liquid (water pumps are used) and a gravitational system (the flow of coolant is organized due to the difference in its temperature and density).
2. The firebox is constructed of high-strength fire-resistant steel and protected by a layer of special baked clay (chamotte), capable of withstanding high-temperature open flames.
3. The special design of the grate bars, which are rotated using a lever, allows you to clean the combustion chamber yourself without opening the door.
4. The power of a solid fuel boiler is increased or decreased using a thermostat that regulates the volume of supplied air.

Note! The temperature valve operates completely without electricity, so the boiler is a completely autonomous climate control equipment and continues to heat the house in the event of a power failure.

1. It can heat the coolant circulating in the system with minimal pressure (2 atmospheres). The minimum operating water temperature is 65 degrees Celsius, the maximum is 95. The instructions for using the boiler also provide for less heating of the liquid, but in this case condensation will appear on the heat exchanger, reducing the service life of the boiler.

Boiler Dakon series DOR

1. For ease of use, the firewood loading channel has the shape of a tapering funnel . The door is located in the upper (horizontal) part of the boiler.
2. In order to improve the appearance of the climate control equipment, the firebox door is lined with a decorative panel, which is also a heat insulator.

DOR F series

This range of Dakon boilers is not much different from the equipment modification described in the previous section. Some improvements did occur, and they were beneficial, improving the ergonomics of operating the units.

The full list of changes is as follows:

1. The firebox door no longer has lining. Although this somewhat worsened the appearance of the boiler, it greatly increased the ease of use of the equipment.
2. The exterior has been slightly modified to reflect new trends in industrial design.
3. The system for fastening the heat-insulating layer and the ash pan door was redone. Now, accidental opening of the damper during operation of the boiler is absolutely excluded, thereby increasing the safety of the person servicing the unit.
4. Solid fuel boilers Dakon DOR F are equipped with pipes with a cross-section of 1.5 inches, so that pipelines transmitting coolant can be connected without the use of additional fittings.
5. The minimum boiler power has been increased. Now this value is 13.5 kW (with a maximum of 45 kW).

DOR F – modernized line of heaters

The engineers of the Czech company also worked on the mass. Now the weight of the most powerful boiler is 320 kg. The maximum operating time depends on the fuel used and is about 12 hours.

Series FB D

This is a fundamentally different line of heating equipment.

The main differences are as follows:

1. The body of the unit and the heat exchanger itself are cast not from steel, but from cast iron.
2. The boiler can operate not only on solid fuel, but also on gas or diesel fuel. However, in order to use an alternative energy source, you need to upgrade the burner using the equipment included in the delivery kit.

Dakon FBD – cast iron reliability

Now let's look at the main consumer properties of the equipment:

• minimum power 17 kW, maximum 42 kW (this value varies depending on the energy carrier currently used);
• air enters not only through the grates from the ash pan, but also through the grate in the combustion chamber damper (an adapter is mounted here through which the diesel fuel supply system is connected);
• the door for loading solid energy is located not on the top, but on the side of the device;
• flame power is regulated using a damper that increases or decreases the amount of air supplied to the combustion chamber (the system is as simple as possible, but energy-independent and reliable);
• the boiler can operate in heating networks with a pressure reaching not 2 (as in previous lines), but 4 atmospheres;
• the maximum temperature to which the coolant can be heated is 90 degrees Celsius;

Note! The boiler at the factory is not equipped with thermal insulation and decorative cladding. They arrive separately and are fixed to the equipment after it is installed in the boiler room.

Convenient firebox door facilitates maintenance

It should also be noted that, despite the use of cast iron, the weight of the boiler remains within reason. The weight of the older model is only 30 kg more than the Dakon DOR F and is 350 kg.

FB2 series

This is also a line of cast iron boilers that can operate on two types of fuel. (See also the article Natural circulation heating system: features.)

However, there are also differences:

• the maximum humidity of the firewood used should not exceed 20% (less dried wood can be placed in the chamber, however, you will not be able to achieve the power stated in the accompanying documentation);
• the possibility of using energy sources such as brown coal and pallets is completely excluded.

Firewood and coke are loaded from the front end. The air enters through the blower, the damper of which is controlled by a mechanical thermostat. The boiler operates without the use of electricity.

Apart from a large and comfortable firebox, FB2 boilers do not stand out in any way

A huge disadvantage of this type of equipment is the minimum operating time on one load of firewood. It lasts 2-5 hours, which forces you to constantly monitor its operation, even at night.

As in the previous line, the combustion chamber door is equipped with a flange for mounting a burner that burns gas or diesel fuel.

As for the coolant parameters, they are completely identical to those of FB D boilers and there is no need to dwell on them separately.

KP PYRO Series

As the name suggests, these heating devices operate on the principle of pyrolysis. And only firewood can serve as fuel for them.

Dakon KPPYRO – Czech-made pyrolysis boiler

The operating principle of pyrolysis boilers is as follows:

1. In the upper firebox, wood is burned in conditions of lack of oxygen. Thanks to this, so-called pyrolysis gas is formed, and the firewood is processed into fine ash, which requires removal no more than once every 5 days.
2. The resulting flammable gas enters the lower chamber, where it is afterburned.

Thanks to this scheme, the maximum efficiency for solid fuel boilers is achieved - up to 85 percent. In addition, a special electronic system allows very precise power control over a wide range of values. You can create more comfortable conditions by adjusting the temperature in the rooms depending on external conditions, and also significantly save fuel, which reduces the cost of purchasing it.

Note! You also need to pay something for such consumer properties. In particular, it is allowed to burn wood whose moisture content does not exceed 20% in a pyrolysis boiler.

Let's look at the remaining characteristics of KP PYRO:

1. Can only be installed in heating systems with forced circulation of coolant.
2. Fuel is loaded from the end. Firewood is used extremely economically. For the smallest boiler this figure is 5.7 kg per hour, for the most powerful - 10 kg per hour (it produces 38 kW of thermal energy).

Simplified diagram of the operation of a pyrolysis boiler

1. The boiler must be connected to an outlet. The fan that removes combustion products and the pump that circulates air consumes about 55 watts. With their help, the operating parameters of the equipment are adjusted.
2. For precise control of the boiler, it can additionally be supplied with a thermostat with external temperature sensors or an electronic control system that allows you to program certain parameters taking into account the air temperature and time of day.
3. The maximum coolant temperature is 95 degrees Celsius, pressure 2 atmospheres.
4. One load of fuel allows you to maintain combustion for 10 hours.

KPPYROF

This is a modernized series of pyrolysis boilers, in which the shortcomings identified during operation have been eliminated.

The list of changes is as follows:

1. The fuel chamber is protected by ceramic plates. Thanks to this, the service life increased to 4200 hours (this is about four years of standard operation), but the efficiency decreased slightly (to 78%).
2. The power of the fan that removes combustion products has decreased. Now its minimum power is one third of the rated one.

DakonPyroF – convenient and economical boiler with electronic control

1. The combustion chamber damper became larger, which could not but affect the ergonomics of using the equipment, in particular, the loading of fuel.
2. The electronic control unit of the device has been modernized. A situation where the return flow of water enters at too high or too low a temperature is eliminated. Now the water pump, controlled by a microprocessor, will operate until the coolant reaches the specified parameters.
3. The minimum power of the Dakon KPPYROF solid fuel pyrolysis boiler is 21 kW.

Dakon KP Pyro boiler – pros and cons

The positive aspects of this rather well and neatly made boiler (this is a nod towards some domestic products - they could do the same):

• The Dakon boiler has a large fuel loading chamber, which immediately increases the operating period without attention from the owner or the stoker.
• The Dakon Piro boiler is designed for burning logs whose diameter does not exceed 130 millimeters. The maximum length of logs is directly dependent on the size of the combustion chamber in the boiler used.
• The Dakon KP Pyro boiler has a ceramic nozzle, which significantly improves combustion processes by burning pyrolysis gases in the upper combustion chamber.
• The Dakon heating boiler is very easy to regulate - for example, adjusting the primary air does not cause any problems even for beginners who are not familiar with the processes.
• The Dakon Piro pyrolysis boiler has a unique modern design.
• You can remove ash from this heat generator once over a period of time from 3 to 7 days.
• The large loading chamber allows you to increase the time intervals between fuel loadings.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of advantages. The downside is that the price is not the most humane, especially now when dealers are forced to increase prices for their boilers due to the difficult economic situation in the industry.

Advantages of solid fuel boilers from the Czech Republic

The history of the Dakon brand goes back decades. And during this time, the company’s specialists have learned to make heating boilers that are truly reliable and easy to use.

Having analyzed the reviews of people who have already purchased and used the products of the Czech manufacturer, we can highlight the most strengths of these heaters:

1. A special funnel-shaped opening and a wide flap blocking access to the combustion chamber make loading firewood easier.
2. The presence of special grates allows not only to burn fuel with a high level of humidity, but also to easily clean the combustion chamber from the ash accumulated there.

Special rotating grate bars facilitate cleaning of the combustion chamber

1. The use of special non-asbestos insulation makes Dakon boilers safer for humans and the environment.
2. Modern design meets the most progressive trends in this area.
3. Automatic power control using mechanical non-volatile thermal valves or high-tech electronic climate control systems makes the use of boilers not only convenient, but also economical.

And finally, we need to note the cost. Despite their high technical characteristics and consumer properties, Dakon boilers belong to the middle price category.

The minimum cost of a steel boiler with horizontal fuel loading starts from 40 thousand rubles. More economical and reliable cast iron varieties will cost you from 65 to 95 thousand rubles.

Well, the most advanced pyrolysis models cost from 111 thousand rubles.

The low cost of boilers and moderate fuel consumption allow for significant savings

This is much less than similar products from other European brands. You can only buy equipment from domestic manufacturers cheaper, and, sadly, it is not very popular yet.

Steel boilers Dakon DOR F

Hot water boilers of the DOR F type are modern products of a new design, designed to operate on solid fuel. Combustion efficiency is ensured by the use of a new grate system and a new design of the combustion chamber using primary and secondary air together and with the ability to adjust the supply of additional air.

Advantages of DAKON DOR F boilers:

• large loading funnel with an expanding entrance to the firebox;
• a new grate system that allows you to burn even lower-quality fuel in a continuous cycle, with dust-free sifting of ash, and joint regulation of primary and secondary air;
• use of new non-asbestos materials for boiler thermal insulation;
• automatic power control with a direct-acting draft regulator;
• modern design.
• equipped with a thermomanometer to monitor temperature and pressure in the heating system.
• complete autonomy (independence from electricity)
• use of alternative fuels.

Water heating boiler DAKON DOR D is designed for burning wood.

The main advantages of DAKON DOR F boilers are the possibility of using alternative types of fuel, the use of firewood with a humidity of up to 35%.

Technical parameters of Dakon DOR boilers

Conclusion

If for some objective or subjective reasons you have firmly decided to use firewood or other solid fuel as the main energy source, then you will not find better boilers than those produced by the Czech company Dakon. There are better and more innovative models, but their cost is much higher. You can learn more about climate control equipment from European manufacturers from the video below.

Did you like the article? Subscribe to our Yandex.Zen channel