Prevent Scaling in Your Steam Boiler with These Tips
A steam boiler can be a crucial part of your water heating and overall heating system. Generally, boiler systems use steam or water to generate the heat you need in your space. And while steam boilers are typically sturdy, resilient and durable, they aren't entirely infallible. Over time, a few things may go wrong, causing your boiler to break down. Therefore, always pay attention to the signs that your boiler is faulty, which aren't usually hard to detect. Usually, boilers break down because of leaks, thermostat issues, radiator faults, pressure issues, etc. However, scaling is another crucial issue you will likely experience with your boilers. It forms when dissolved solids build up in your boiler system, impeding proper heat transfer and causing energy and system inefficiencies. Therefore, here is what you can do to prevent this.
Boiler Water Treatment
Many boiler problems like scaling originate from feedwater quality. Generally, low-quality feedwater can easily contribute to scale build-up. That's because low-quality water may contain minerals that contribute to hardness and deposition, resulting in scaling. Therefore, pre-treating your feedwater can be your first step to preventing scaling. It involves analysing the quality of water flowing into your boiler system and taking appropriate measures to treat it based on the analysis results. Typically, the pre-treatment will involve the removal of the dissolved or suspended solids through softening, filtration, demineralisation or deaeration.
Water Softening
Treating hard water is another practical way to prevent scaling. Therefore, if you don't have a pre-treatment plan for your feedwater, you can consider using water softeners instead. Therefore, you can install water softeners or water softening tanks designed to capture dissolved solids in the water, preventing them from entering your steam boiler's feedwater system.
Cooling Water Inhibitors
Installing cooling water inhibitors can also help prevent scale build-up in your steam boiler. They work by increasing the solubility of the dissolved minerals or salts, ideal for preventing scaling.
Regular Maintenance
Poor maintenance will cause steam boiler issues. Therefore, it would help to have proper maintenance procedures in place. For instance, consider routine water testing for hardness. You can also invest in hard water detection systems that help you monitor and control the level of water hardness to prevent scaling.
Regular chemical cleaning and frequent blowdown operations are other ways to help remove scale formation in your boiler, allowing it to continue functioning efficiently. Usually, chemical cleaning is ideal for extensive scale build-up while blowdowns are perfect for low-degree scaling.
For more information on steam boilers, contact a company near you.
