Share this:
Anyone and everyone who lives in a house and has hot water, knows what a boiler is. It is the device that heats up you water. A cylinder that holds water and heats up so you can have a hot shower. It’s almost like the central nervous system of the home and you get different types for different reasons besides heating water, there is also a boiler-based power generation, central heating cooking, and sanitation.
Boiler technology has been evolving since the 19th Century. The reason behind their many names are that they were coined after the inventor or principal manufacturer, and so one cannot identify the specifications simply from their different names.
Boilers can be classified into a few different types for a few different reasons:
Pot boiler: also named the Haycock boiler after it’s originator. An old model design ‘kettle’ where a container is heated from the bottom using fire. Popular in the 18th century, these can burn wood or mainly coal. This type of boilers efficiency was very low. Learn more about these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiler
Fire-tube boiler: in this design, the water fills into the container partially, but not to the top so as to accommodate the steam, also known as the ‘steam space’. This one was used primarily in all steam engines. The heat source came from inside a heater that had to be kept permanently surrounded by water so as to maintain the overall temperature which was usually below boiling point.
Water-tube boiler: this design integrates tubes filled with water, which are arranged inside a furnace. These tubes are usually connected to large drums, where the lower ones contain water and the upper ones contain both steam and water. There is not much capacity in this model but it does have a high-steam to water ration. They can be quite big or small depending on the space to be installed and are majority of the time, square in shape.
Flash boiler: this boiler is a more specific type of boiler. The tubes are closer together and the water is pumped through them. Here the tube is kept considerably hot and the water is fed quickly and turns into steam where its heated even further. This kind of boilers were slightly popular in the 19th century and used in vehicles, up until the 20th Century, but now seldom used.
Sectional boiler: Also known as a ‘pork chop boiler’ it is made out of cast-iron and the water is kept inside this in different sections.
There are so many components that belong to any kind of boiler from your traditional house-hold variety to the more complicated ones used in industrial areas, that one must wonder how to clean them? Cleaning and maintenance of your boiler, whatever type it is, is of utmost importance especially if you want a fuel efficiency lifestyle. Not only can it lower your heating costs but it will also extend its lifespan. And we all know the costs involved in replacing or fixing a broken boiler. How to tell if your boiler is broken? Read some helpful information here.
Boilers are continually working because without them we would not have heating in our homes especially hot water, which is provided by the boiler. Just like your kettles being constantly in use, there is build up that needs to be cleaned. As a result, there can be dust and grime build-up that can also clog its pipes and tubes and blockage means it will not be running at 100% efficiency.
Nowadays there are multiple different sources to turn towards to clean your boiler. And if you are stuck for options, there are tons of online videos that show you how to do it or show you what to use to help you clean it. For instance a boiler tube cleaning demo is one option to consider.
Here are some Steps to cleaning your boiler:
• Turn it off
• First scrub the boiler unit and clean all the tubes
• Once you know where everything belongs reassemble it
• Restart the boiler and let it return to its normal temperature
• Lastly check to see if it is working properly
What to check:
• Check for blockages in air-vents or in the flues
• Make sure the water level is maintained and not too full or too little
• Check the boiler for any leaks there may not be very visible
• Make sure it is lubricated properly so it runs efficiently
• Check for condensation, which can freeze your boiler
• Once in a while flushing it, will help to remove any dirt or grime from inside it (lime-scale etc)
• Check the pressure
• Check for ‘bleeding’ in the radiator.
• Last but not least, check if the gas or electricity is working.
Sometimes it can be the simplest solution.