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Top 4 Reasons Your Boiler Won’t Keep Up 5/10/2018

Let’s keep this simple.  Here are four things to check if your boiler isn’t keeping up:

  • Do you have a tubeless-type boiler with internal flews? Do you clean them yearly as required by the manufacturer?  If not, clean them (and be sure to put on your soot suit when you do).
  • Check your water temperature.  If the temperature is too high, the boiler slows down significantly.  Keep the water around 180 degrees.
  • Check your return tank for city make-up water.  Most tanks have a float valve to maintain the proper water level by adding city water to compensate for water loss.  If the tank is constantly being filled by city water, your boiler is trying to boil much colder water extending the boiling point and holding down operation pressure. (Plus your water bill is probably high too.)
  • Makeup air is important for proper combustion, so make sure you have enough.  The rule to follow is 1 square inch per 1,000 BTU’s.
If the first four haven’t helped your boiler problem, then have it checked out by a qualified technician.  Be sure they check all the required settings like burner gas pressure, free air, and burner adjustment.  But 90% of the time, these four reasons apply.  So regularly check your boiler and increase production and improve energy efficiency.  If you have boiler issues that you simply cannot solve, feel free to contact us for additional support.