Industry insight
www.heatingandventilating.net
Steve Warne, national sales manager at Ideal Heat Solutions, asks what can be done to ensure valuable plant is running effi ciently and what if, in the worst-case scenario, it fails completely?
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f a boiler is not monitored regularly over time for effi ciency when deposits including scale and bacteria build up inside the appliance, it may go unnoticed. The link between the amount of gas that the appliance is burning, and the monthly cost of that gas can easily be missed, especially if costs are increasing incrementally at the same time. We are seeing an increase in the failure of metal pipework systems all because they haven’t been maintained properly. Poor water quality is a hidden killer of systems. Preventative maintenance plans that include the regular monitoring of water quality could extend the life of a system because it can detect issues early before they become truly problematic. When metal pipework systems begin to fail, plantroom equipment becomes less effi cient and requires more fuel to run, which in turn increases costs.” Ineffi cient boilers can cost a lot more than the
cost of a new boiler in the long term if it is badly maintained. Steve always recommends monitoring as a fi rst cause of action. “Facility Managers should be proactive and have heat meters on their appliances to monitor the effi ciency of their plant; they should also ensure water quality is regularly checked. Having a planned maintenance and replacement schedule ensures plant is working at its best for as long as possible. A ‘disaster plan’ is also essential,” advises Steve.
A ’disaster plan’ should: identify where temporary
plant can be safely sited, how it can be connected to the existing system, and where pipe work will run. This means that if the worst should happen and plant fails completely that they are ready to act, reducing a facility’s downtime to hours rather than days. Working on live systems also increases the risk of
worker injury. “Working on any live system is innately dangerous, it is safer to work in a plant room that is
Boiler maintenance and contingency planning: Are you prepared?
cold and has its power isolated because otherwise one error can have fatal consequences. Of course, strict safety measures are put in place, but you can never account for human error, so there is always a residual risk. By using a temporary boiler, you can eliminate that risk. If something were to go wrong whilst working on a live system, a facility could be forced to close,” points out Steve. By taking plant offl ine and using temporary solutions people can save time and money in the long run. On a large site where there may be underground pipework which can be diffi cult to get to, we are able to breakdown the loads to take the site on and offl ine, helping to maintain the system and avoid
“We are seeing an increase in the failure of metal pipework systems all because they haven’t been maintained properly. Poor water quality is a hidden killer of systems. Preventative maintenance plans that include the regular monitoring of water quality could extend the life of a system because it can detect issues early before they become truly problematic.”
18 December 2022
having to turn off large parts of the network. This allows managers to keep their buildings and facilities running,” explains Steve. Heat exchangers within a boiler allow heat to be
transferred between two fl uids or substances, usually water and gas, without mixing the two together. This means they are essential components within a boiler. Deposits can form a layer on a heat exchanger slowing down heat transfer making it less effi cient and potentially causing it to fail completely. Ensuring the heat exchanger is cleaned regularly as part of a maintenance programme is essential. We regularly clean the heat exchangers in our
temporary boilers to ensure that when they are needed by our customers that they are working effi ciently and not adding to any issues. We also monitor our temporary plant when it is in situ so we can quickly respond to any issues that arise. We have our own maintenance schedules, and we build resilience into them. By building resilience into a maintenance plan, facility managers can be prepared for the worst- case scenario and have a strategy in place to avoid unnecessary closures and expensive downtime.
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