Steam Boiler Maintenance Ultimate Guide

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Setting up a steam boiler is not the final task when owning one. Steam boiler maintenance is actually a lot more important if you don’t want to end up with a faulty device all the time and constantly paying for the repair, Linquip is here with an ultimate guide to steam boiler maintenance, enabling you to see each and every item you need to take care of, for your residential, industrial, and commercial steam boiler maintenance.

Steam boiler maintenance checklist

First of all, you need to have a steam boiler maintenance checklist to know what to look for when you want to take care of the system on your own. Every mechanic who knows the way around a steam boiler can easily check each and every item on the list so it’s good to consider having a specialist to check your set up whether an annual or a monthly check. But if you are one of the people who like to do the task all by yourself, you should look for the below-mentioned in your steam boiler:

Automatic Water Feeders and Water Boiler Maintenance

Regularly check the automatic water feeders to make sure everything works alright and nothing blocks the process. Water feeders eliminate the need to manually add water to your steam boiler so you need to make sure it works with the same efficiency as always. Also, you should check to ensure the water level reaches the pre-determined level of the steam boiler. If this is overlooked, the boiler leaks and requires replacement. So, it’s better to spend for steam boiler maintenance than to replace the whole thing.

Steam Boiler Annual Maintenance Checkup

If your steam boiler has probe style low water cut-offs, it should be flushed at least once a year. Plus, you need to set an appointment with your technician for annual oil burner service and cleaning. Do not try to do this yourself or you might end up hurting yourself or compromise the system. But keep in mind that your boiler’s design might need a quicker flush in the heating season. So ask a technician to know how many times a year your unique steam boiler should be flushed.

Weekly Owner Maintenance and Fall Checkups

Yes! Not only does your steam boiler need an annual maintenance checkup, but it also requires weekly maintenance checkup by yourself and a special fall maintenance checkup by a skilled technician. If overlooked, you might end up needing to replace the whole thing.

Make sure you have proper tools for your steam boiler’s weekly maintenance. Boiler bucket, heavy work gloves, screwdriver, etc. And don’t forget to wear the right clothes when you want to work with the boiler. Wear something that dirty boiler mud wouldn’t ruin it and make sure you have the right shoes for this and not your comfy flip flops.

Monitor the Steam Boiler

Put monitoring your steam boiler on your weekly routine list. The most important device designed with this purpose in mind is the gauge glass. You can find the gauge glass on the side of your steam boiler which is a glass tube to help you monitor the boiler regularly. You can see the water level with it which enables you to avoid overfilling water and also to ensure it’s not below the desired level.

Try to use filtered water

It’s better to fill the boiler with filtered water to keep salt and chlorine out of the steam boiler. These two can ruin the boiler quickly.

Deal with surging and skimming

When the boiler is on and the water in it bounces around more than regular, it’s called surging and the main cause for this is dirty water. So again, we see the importance of using filtered or distilled water.

The hardest one: skimming, which means getting the oil and grease out of the boiler. You need to be patient and spend a decent amount of time for correct skimming since it needs to be done slowly so the top layers of water drip into a bucket. You might also need to let some of the water from the bottom level of the boiler flow if possible for heavier unwanted material inside the system clean out. You can also use different chemicals to clean the oil from the steam boiler.

Steam Boiler Inspections

The law states that how water boilers must be regularly inspected for safety. It enables you to identify if there are any corrosion or failures around the system.

Steam Boiler Maintenance Costs

The costs differ from place to place, but we give you a rough estimation to know the estimated budget you need to set aside for your steam boiler maintenance.

Boiler Service and Repair Costs

On average, repairing the steam boiler costs around $373 to $600. Although if some parts need to be replaced and some other factors might increase, the cost goes up to even around $1000! You should also pay a minimum fee for services as well the technician you are working with.

The repair cost varies greatly. It can be $150 or even more than $1000! But if you keep your steam boiler maintenance routine going, you shouldn’t worry too much and your steam boiler can work efficiently for more than 20 years. Don’t forget regular inspections done by a professional if you want to get the most of the steam boiler.

Boiler Inspection Cost

The inspection cost is somewhere between $100 to $300. Don’t overlook the regular inspections. Some problems need a skilled inspector or they may get worse through time and leave you with a broken boiler.

Annual Boiler Maintenance Cost

Annual boiler service and maintenance cost are usually from $200 to $500. You can do it in mid-winter or early spring in the off-season when it costs a little less.

Ask a Pro!

Don’t hesitate to call a pro and ask for help when you think the task is a little trickier and you can use a hand to handle the task.

Those were the most important things you need to consider for your steam boiler maintenance. Industrial steam boiler maintenance is almost the same but at a greater scale which usually rquires an expert. Please keep in mind that your checklist might differ depending on your steam boiler age, so feel free to ask technicians for advice about weekly steam boiler maintenance. If you own a steam boiler, let Linquip know your routine for maintenance checkups and learn from your experiences. Have a question to ask? Feel free to sign up and our technicians will be there for you to solve your problems.