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Sagamore Mechanical Services

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Fall Heating Boiler Checklist

Get ready for hot Baltimore summers - Sagamore Mechanical HVAC

Make sure these items are included in the checklist from your boiler service provider:

ü  Check the water level. The leading cause of heating boiler failure is 'low water.' It usually starts with a small leak, which may be creating a barely noticeable damp spot or puddle on the floor.


Even if the boiler's safety devices are working properly, this leak will cause problems over time, requiring repair. If the safety devices aren’t working properly, serious problems, including system failure, are imminent because 'low water' in a boiler is like an engine without oil.

In addition to checking safety devices, repair or replace any leaking pipes or fittings located on the boiler (and throughout the heating system) to prevent a loss of water.

 

ü  The safety relief valve should be tested for freedom of operation. As mentioned previously, the boiler must not be fired if the safety relief valves are inoperative or defective. This valve should be tested once a month while in service.

 

ü  Clean the water level gauge glass. As simple as it sounds, this is the easiest way to see if the boiler has the proper water level at all times.


ü  Insulate water lines. Water lines exposed to freezing temperatures should be insulated to prevent freeze-up. Also insulate steam and condensation-return lines to prevent heat loss. Insulation will reduce fuel bills and eventually more than pay for itself.


ü  Disassemble the low water cut-off and make-up water feeding devices. All parts should be thoroughly cleaned and reconditioned as needed, then tested before the boiler is used for the season. While in service, the cut-off should be tested once a week.


ü  Clean boiler water spaces if possible. Not all boilers are designed to permit cleaning of the water spaces. If access is available, use a manufacturer-compatible chemical treatment where needed, to minimize new build-up of scale deposits and to prevent corrosion.

 

ü  All boiler equipment should be cleaned and adjusted. Doing so provides maximum efficiency and reduces fuel consumption. The boiler heating surfaces, firebox, ash pit, casing and ducts should be cleaned of all deposits. Dirty internal surfaces not only waste fuel and dollars, but also can lead to the burning, bulging, cracking, corrosion and even explosion of the boiler.


ü  Check all pressure and temperature controls and gauges. These should be inspected for adequate operation and adjusted or replaced as necessary.


ü  Check all other mechanical equipment. Fans and pumps, especially, should be checked for smooth operation and proper lubrication.


ü  Keep the boiler room dry and clean. That way, it’s easier to spot leaks that may occur from multiple parts and lines.


ü  Create a maintenance schedule with corresponding service records. A written record of boiler maintenance should be established and updated with service notes throughout the season. This ensures longer life for boilers and a reference for next year’s pre-season, tune-up.

For a copy of this checklist, email: nwitthauer@sagaserv.com.


Source: The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company

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The Importance of Heat Exchanger Inspections

There are many designs of furnaces, old and new, so there’s no one right method for testing every system. For an effective inspection, a technician needs to be familiar with the heat exchanger’s make and model.

This knowledge lets the inspector know how the gases flow through, and how to access specific areas to look for flaws.

Have a certified technician perform these tests and measures:

Flame-deviation test. A furnace’s burner flame moves when the circulator blower comes on. If the flame does deviate, there may be a crack or perforation, the heat exchanger seams could be leaking, or the metal may have pinholes caused by rust.

Visual inspection. An inspector will assess the condition of burner chamber area, and exterior of heat exchanger, using a flashlight with high candlepower.

External spray water testing. This is performed by spraying water, or a light oil mix, on the outside and looking on the inside of the heat exchanger for leakage. 

Measuring for carbon monoxide in the plenum (air chamber). This test  involves spraying a solution directly into the burners and placing a halide detector probe into the plenum to check the supply air. The heat and salt vapor of the flame escapes through the cracks, making contact with the copper ring on the halide torch, causing the flame color to change. If the flame turns green on the halide detector, there is a leak.

Measuring undiluted flue gases. Incomplete combustion can quickly be determined by assessing carbon monoxide concentrations using an electric combustion meter. Generally, if excess air is less than 30 percent, the unit should be cleaned and adjusted.


Sources: www.contractortalk.com, www.hvac-talk.com, and Iowa Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering

Combustion Analysis

Part Of the Fall Gas Boiler Start-up Checklist

Honeywell e-Mon units at Sagamore Mechanical Combustion analysis is a key part of the fall boiler start-up checklist. Before being put into service, it’s important to verify a boiler’s combustion is working properly to: 


Improve fuel efficiency. Heat energy (dry gas and latent heat) that escapes through the system exhaust flue (stack) is often the largest culprit of lost fuel energy.

While some flue loss is inevitable, an equipment tune-up, using combustion analysis, can pinpoint heat energy loss sources in need of repair. Thousands of dollars in fuel costs can be saved annually by reducing heat loss. 

Reduce unwanted exhaust emissions. Burning fossil fuels causes toxic emissions (carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides), which contribute to acid rain, smog and respiratory problems.

Combustion analysis is performed to monitor toxic and acid rain-forming emissions to meet federal, state and local regulations (e.g., the Clean Air Act). These regulations are administered by entities such as the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Ensure the safety of fuel burning equipment. Combustion analysis, during fall start-up maintenance, enables the boiler technician to fully verify equipment is operating per manufacturer specifications for safe, efficient operation.

Many boiler manufacturers recommend monthly flue gas analysis checks because boiler adjustments that affect combustion tend to vary over time, such as:

  • Wind conditions and seasonal changes in temperature, and barometric pressure, can cause a system’s excess air to escalate by several percentage points.
  • Conversely, a reduction in excess air can cause a rapid increase of highly toxic carbon monoxide and explosive gases, resulting in rapid deterioration in system safety and efficiency.
  • Low draft pressures in the flue can cause these gases to build up in the combustion chamber or to vent indoors.
  • Excessive draft pressures in the flue also can cause turbulence in the system. This can prevent complete combustion and pull explosive gases into the flue, or trigger flame impingement, resulting in damage to the combustion chamber and to heat exchanger material.

How is Combustion Testing Performed?

First, certified technicians measure one, or all, of the following:

Flue gas concentration. A probe is placed into the exhaust flue and a gas sample is taken to measure gas concentration.

Exhaust gas temperature. A thermocouple is used to measure the highest reading of gas heat exhaust.

Draft pressure. Draft is the differential pressure between the inside and outside of the exhaust flue.

Soot level. Soot is measured from a gas sample drawn off the exhaust flue.

After taking these measurements, combustion efficiency and excess air levels are evaluated against acceptable limits. Further analysis is performed to determine the concentration of any undesirable exhaust emissions.

To have a Sagamore technician perform combustion testing for a gas boiler, email service@sagaserv.com.

 

Source: TSI Inc. (an HVAC design and measurement organization)

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Coil-Cleaning Savings Example

 A typical business may operate its HVAC system for 16 hours per day, 5 days a week (52 weeks each year), for a total 4,160 operating hours per year.

Then, let’s say (before coil-cleaning): the average volume of the system is 1000 CFM, and the pressure drop across the coil is 1.5 inches of water. Post-cleaning, the pressure drop was 1.0 inches.

Based on a very conservative kilowatt-hour charge range of $0.068 to $0.070, the cost to operate the dirty coil at 1.5 inches of water (for the entire year) is $12,483.

Conversely, air flow of a clean coil needs across only 1.0 inches of water, costing $8,429: saving $4,054 yearly.

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 Sagamore Mechanical Services
 11521 Cronridge Drive | Suite A |  Owings Mills, MD 21117

 call 410.356.3667
 email service@sagaserv.com 

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