Tag Archives: boiler energy savings

Annual Tune-ups are Necessary and Save You Money

Just like your car runs best with scheduled maintenance, your boiler can significantly benefit from a boiler service tune-up. In addition, annual testing is required to maintain compliance with local air board regulations. To keep your boiler systems in top shape and remain in compliance with all applicable regulations, call upon the experts at San Jose Boiler Works.

Cost Saving Benefits
San Jose Boiler Works has the experience needed to thoroughly inspect and tune-up your boilers so that they run more efficiently allowing you to save on energy costs, extend the life of your systems and prevent expensive repairs before a sudden breakdown occurs. Efficiency is particularly important because the annual fuel cost for your boiler equipment is likely to represent a significant portion of your operating budget.

Avoid Compliance Headaches
In addition to these important cost saving benefits, Bay Area AQMD Regulation 9, Rule 7, requires that boilers, steam generators and process heating equipment undergo an annual combustion test to verify compliance with the emission limits designated for the equipment. As part of your annual tune-up, San Jose Boiler Works will perform this analysis on your behalf and provide you will all the necessary documentation so that you have it on hand should you get audited for compliance.

What’s Included
An annual tune-up consists of a full combustion test of your system including tuning your burner to adjust the fuel/air ratio with a combustion analyzer so that your system operates safely and efficiently. When you have a tune-up, there is a lot included in the service. Our service technicians arrive with a complete list of items to inspect, test, adjust, clean and possibly replace if needed. There are wide variations in boiler types and the associated required maintenance; but in general the following key items are addressed in an annual tune-up:

Visually inspect the flame pattern and characteristics of the flame throughout the modulation sequence to verify that it is operating safely as well as per design
Check pre-ignition interlocks
Check running interlocks
Check for proper draft
Inspect and replace filters (if applicable)
Lubricate all motors and linkage
Perform a combustion efficiency test with a calibrated combustion analyzer and provide a print out strip of the final curve tuning at every point of modulation

To schedule a boiler tune-up and annual inspection, use the Request a Quote form or call us at (408) 295-5235.

Six Ways to Improve Boiler Room Efficiency

Boiler operation costs and overall efficiency are major concerns in our current business climate. While there are many solutions on the market that claim to help improve efficiency, determining the most advantageous products and techniques to employ on your particular system can be daunting. To help give customers the information they need to take the next step, San Jose Boiler Works has compiled a list of six tried and true methods to achieve greater efficiency.

1. Preventative maintenance – Keeping your boiler system periodically maintained is key to ensuring that performance is as efficient as possible. Steady maintenance will catch potential issues and resolve them before interrupting service, and regular blowdown procedures will help rid your system of any particles or sludge that would slow down your system.

2. Economizers – Implementing economizers to a boiler system drastically reduces steam waste and repurposes it to preheating the boiler feedwater, increasing efficiency and lowering operating costs.

3. Lead lag system – Lead lag systems determine how many boilers to bring into operations depending on the momentary load requirements. Only using boilers that are necessary to production reduces overall wear and tear while increasing efficiency.

4. VFDs – Variable frequency drives, or VFDs, detect when loads are lower and reduce and accelerate the speed of the motor accordingly, helping to only use the energy actually necessary for production. Like the lead lag system, only using what is necessary helps to save on fuel costs as well as making the system more efficient.

5. O2 Trim – During production, boiler systems require oxygen during the combustion process, and often the result is excess air in the combustion stream. O2 trim systems continually monitor the flue gases and regulate the air supply, helping to save on fuel costs while increasing overall efficiency.

6. Deaerators – Deaerators remove excess oxygen and other dissolved gases from the feedwater, helping to reduce rust and other potential corrosive issues. There is no need to use chemicals to clean out the boiler when using deaerators, and the boiler doesn’t have to work as hard when free of any undesirable substances, increasing overall efficiency.

It’s important to note that while all of the products and techniques discussed above can help reduce operating costs while increasing efficiency, not every one of them may be advantageous for your particular boiler system and configuration. If you are interested in learning which products will help to make your boiler system as efficient as possible, contact San Jose Boiler Works today.

Featured Product: Temp-a-Trim

Air density is constantly changing – even the temperature differences between night and day can significantly affect boiler system performance. When air temperature is not maintained at an ideal level for combustion, the boiler system cannot operate at optimal efficiency, and combustion stability can degrade. With the relatively high cost of boiler system replacement, it’s important to safeguard your existing investment with tools and technologies that will not only help your system run as efficiently as possible, but also help save in operating costs.

Temp-a-Trim from Webster Combustion is an enhanced auto air density trim system that can help customers do just that. With Temp-a-Trim, the fuel to air ratio is constantly monitored by a variable frequency drive (VFD) that will detect anomalies and automatically modify the fan speed, ensuring the environment is always at the ideal level for combustion. In addition, Temp-a-Trim can be easily installed on any brand, model, and size of commercial and industrial burners, and it is fully compatible with both linkage and linkageless control systems, making it one of the most flexible products on the market.

With Temp-a-Trim, the benefits are numerous. Customers can expect significant energy savings of up to 30%, while fuel savings can be decreased by up to 3%. With such a sharp reduction in energy usage, customers will also become eligible for energy rebates, further reducing operation costs. And by minimizing the need for seasonal burner tune-ups, Temp-a-Trim also allows customers to spend more time up and running while minimizing the labor hours normally spent on burner maintenance.

If you’re ready to save on fuel and energy costs while increasing the overall efficiency of your boiler system, it’s time to take action. Contact San Jose Boiler Works today and discover more about how this innovative product can work for you!