This article will provide a guide on how to perform a boiler inspection. A functioning boiler will enclose heat and have an operating heat transfer system to turn water into heated, water vapor, or steam. Their purpose is to generate power, help production, or regulate temperatures. The successful maintenance of a boiler requires proper mechanical procedures to be done and for effective chemical water treatment to be utilized. Steam boilers fall under two common categories: water-tube and fire-tube.
Which Boiler Parts Should You Inspect?
External Area
- Address possible safety concerns. Remove any flammable materials from the site.
- Ensure proper insulation is present, consider utilizing a heat map if you want to be extra considerate.
- Test the safety valve as it plays a crucial role to maintain the pressure inside the boiler when it is needed.
- Make sure there is an open pathway for air to escape and for fresh air to enter the boiler.
- Look for obvious surface damage such as cracking, bulging, burns, etc.
Refractories
- Examine the steel supports for any possible damage.
- Look for problems with the man-ways and inspection doors.
- Take notice of the tubes in the economizer. This is where most of the failures are likely to occur.
Tubing
- Check to make sure there are no visible or hidden leaks on the boiler tubes.
- Listen for unusual noises such as “kettling” in the boiler. This may sound like a tea kettle and can echo throughout the tubing. It is a sign of high-pressure buildup.
- Test the thermostat to make sure it is giving accurate readings.
- Feel if the condensate piping is frozen. This may happen during below-freezing weather, and since the condensate pipe has condensation built up in it, it can succumb to this.
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Flames
- Look closely at your furnace, it requires a clean flame sensor to regulate the flames. If it is dirty the flame sensor will not be able to recognize it and it will impede operations. Regular cleaning is necessary for this.
- See if the oiler strainer has contaminants on it. You will need to keep this clean to allow for fuel to properly flow throughout the system. These contaminants will need to be cleaned frequently.
Stack
- Watch out for excess air being used. A tune-up should be utilized to control the amount of this that is going out into the air. Controls from oxygen/carbon monoxide trimming adjust for this. Make sure the right amount of air and fuel is utilized in the boilers for the turndown ratio.
- Asses for surface damage such as corrosion, scaling, etc. as that is the most common type of problem that stacks face.
Steam Drum
- Evaluate surface damage inside the drum. This is one of the most expensive components of a boiler system. There is a large area in which the drum stores steam and water and may succumb to surface area problems. Examples of these are scaling, corrosion, and problems with the water leaving contaminants behind.
Silencer
- Perceive unusual noises such as “kettling” which may be an indicator of high pressure being present in the system. This high pressure may be caused by a circulating pump that is set at too high of a speed.
- Study if there are loose components that have loosened over time. It should be able to control noise at similar levels and it could be worth using a decibel meter to notice changes over time.
What Boiler Problems do you need to look for?
Priming / Foaming / Carry Over
This occurs when water gets transferred into the steam delivery along with contaminates that were evaporated with it. The surfaces are then likely to be contaminated. This water can also have alkaline salts, which eventually make their way into the distribution system, which raises the boiling point of the water and expedites corrosion.
Corrosion
The metal surfaces of the boiler become damaged and deteriorate. Corrosion coupons can be utilized to detect this over time.
Fouling / Scaling
Deposits of unwanted materials are left on the surfaces of the boiler. This greatly decreases the surface tension, which impedes heat transfer abilities.
Water Leaks
Visible or hidden leaks can pose significant problems for your boiler systems. Along with wasted water, these leaks can cause water damage to equipment, flooring, walls, etc. A water meter is a useful tool to detect this.
Pressure Leaks
These types of leaks can be visible or hidden and impede a boiler’s ability to build up pressure efficiently and effectively.
Reach out to the boiler water treatment experts at Chardon by clicking here. We provide quality service that considers all of the complicated procedures of a boiler system.
The American Petroleum Institute has also released additional detailed guidelines related to boiler inspection which are under the API RP 573.
