Water Treatment and Boilers: Weathering The Storm, Part 1
(you can find the next part here)
Engineered Energy Equipment Provides Boilers, Burners and Auxiliary Equipment in Florida
Maintaining and optimizing your boiler in the state of Florida presents a number of challenges when your boiler room is operating in the Sunshine State. Namely, it’s hot! It’s humid! And our water quality (or lack thereof) is known for impurities that create scale in boilers.
Florida Weather Requires Water Treatment
With Tampa’s elevation less than 50 feet above sea level, many boiler rooms are located in basements. Most are below sea level and prone to flooding. Add to that our annual storm season and some might say Florida boiler rooms present some of the most challenging environments in the United States. And unlike the boiler rooms in Las Vegas casinos, most are not air-conditioned.
The Engineered Energy Equipment (EEE) team was born and raised in Florida. Their offices are located in Lakeland, where they have faced all that Mother Nature brings to the Sunshine State.
During Florida’s Hurricane Season (June 1 – November 30), EEE works closely with clients to make sure their stack can withstand up to 100 mph winds. Also, they make sure that they have back-up fuel in the case of power outages. Working with a number of hospitals from Homestead to Winter Park, EEE recognizes the vital need to maintain the ability for medical facilities to produce steam. It’s used for sterilizing instruments for everything from surgery to general cleaning. A boiler can literally be the “lifeblood” of a hospital.
Softening the Water As Water Treatment
Regardless of where your boiler room is, the water that runs through a boiler must be “soft.” Florida is known to have hard water with high calcium and magnesium content. It requires comprehensive water treatment services.
“Water chemistry is one of the most important elements in maintaining a boiler,” said Kevin Warren, EEE Director of Sales. “You need a water softener no matter where you’re operating a boiler,” he added.
According to R2J Water Treatment in Tampa, “Boilers are water-containing vessels that transfer energy from a fuel source, such as oil, to heat the water and create steam. The steam is then piped to equipment, where it can be used in [commercial or] industrial processes…Because the entire process is reliant on water, poor water quality can have myriad negative effects not only on the boiler itself, but also equipment throughout a facility. Proper boiler water treatment for Tampa Bay area businesses is essential in preventing corrosion due to water impurities as well as ensuring continuous heat exchange and the production of high-quality steam.” https://www.r2j.com/boiler-water-treatment/
Maintain Quality
In addition to lowering the efficiency of the boiler itself, Warren explained that failure to treat and maintain water quality in the boiler can become dangerous. This affects the workers in the boiler room and everyone in and around the building.
“One day we got a call that there was a boiler out in the middle of the highway in Lakeland. We couldn’t believe it. The boiler had become so scaled from poor water quality that it blew up! It went through the wall and out onto the road,” said Warren.
When asked how the scale (from water sediment) could create an explosion of that magnitude, Warren explained. The scale prevented the boiler from releasing the energy so that the heat couldn’t be absorbed.
“If you’re buying a boiler, buy a water softener in addition to a chemical formulation and any required treatment accessories.”
Inspections are Essential
EEE performs annual inspections and provides ongoing service and support for their clients who purchase boilers, burners, and auxiliary equipment for their boiler rooms. As part of an EEE annual service, technicians check the fire side and water side of the boiler (where signs of scale and corrosion can be seen). Most insurance companies require regular boiler inspections.
Let EEE Help with Your Boiler Needs
With over 100 years of combined experience in the boiler business, the EEE team helps their clients choose the equipment that can weather the storm while producing steam for applications from hospitals to theme parks to factories to distilleries throughout the state of Florida For more information about the manufacturers represented and products provided by Engineered Energy Equipment, go to https://eeeinc.net/products/.
