We provide cost-effective solutions for your business’s steam and hot water applications at Engineered Energy Equipment, Inc. (EEE). Many of our services involve pretty complex steam boilers. Do not worry. This article will answer your steam boiler questions!

What is a Steam Boiler?

An article on the IQS Directory website, a list of OEM industrial manufacturers and suppliers, defines a steam boiler as “a steam producing heating system.”

How Does a Steam Boiler Work?

The Spruce, a website that offers home and garden information, describes the function of a steam boiler system with clarity by writing, “A steam boiler system distributes heat via steam. The boiler furnace heats the water with a gas or oil burner, and the water is turned into steam. The steam is then pushed into the radiators in each room.”

What are the Parts of a Steam Boiler?

Each kind of steam boiler possesses several common elements.

A burner injects fuel, such as oil, gas, or pulverized coal, and air into the combustion area. The air evenly circulates the burner as the fuel ignites inside

The combustion chamber holds the reaction created by mixing the fuel with air, using it to produce steam, causing heat. The compartment must be adequately insulated to avoid heat loss through radiation. The same IQS Directory article writes, “Efficient combustion is an essential part of boiler operations.” Finally, the top of the chamber on the surface of the boiler absorbs the heat.

Heat exchangers allow the fluids to exchange heat without letting them mix. Gas or heated liquid goes through a pipe in the heat exchanger immersed in water and heats it.

The expansion tank, “helps to maintain the pressure in a boiler by providing a place for water to expand, absorb the pressure, and regulate the pressure,” according to the IQS Directory article on steam boilers.

Steam temperature control elements prevent thermal stress. Chardon Laboratories, a water treatment company, based in the Midwest, says thermal stress, “or thermal shock, also known as thermally induced stress cycling, occurs when your boiler undergoes a rapid temperature change.”

Safety or pressure relief valves ensure that a buildup of pressure in the boiler is appropriately relieved to prevent a catastrophic event from occurring.

The low-water cutoff is another essential safety element of steam boilers. It turns off the boiler if the water level gets too low.

How do you Size a Steam Boiler?

To correctly size a steam boiler, you must know how much heat the boiler can contain, or British Thermal Units per hour (BTUh). Calculating the correct size of a steam boiler is different from measuring the size of a hot water boiler. Please visit https://bit.ly/3G7iuIR to learn more.

How do you Clean a Steam Boiler?

It is best to clean your steam boiler with one pound of trisodium phosphate for every fifty gallons of water. After adding TSP to the water, heat the boiler to 180 degrees Fahrenheit and keep it at this temperature for two hours. It is vital not to allow the boiler to create steam while cleaning. Then, drain the boiler and refill it with fresh, clean water.

How Long Does a Steam Boiler Last?

It is essential to take care of your steam boiler properly by checking the water levels weekly, flushing out the sediment weekly, and calling professionals each season to check the system. If you routinely complete these three steps, the article from The Spruce mentioned above says, “Steam boilers are generally reliable and can run for 15 to 30 years or more.”

The IQS Directory article mentioned above writes, “Steam boilers have been identified as potentially dangerous and unsafe devices,” writes the steam boiler article on the IQS Directory. If you need assistance with your steam boiler, please call Engineered Energy Equipment for our expert assistance.