Boiler Service Recommendations

Glen Aspen_2

While I have my preferred list of duties the first time I set foot in a boiler room I thought I would ask the brilliant bunch that lurk on and just off the wall for their preferences. I have been asked to present a seminar on commercial and industrial boiler service; and if you are willing to share your procedures I would appreciate it. Do you have favourite tools that make your life as a boiler tech easier? A checklist that is used each and every time you PM a boiler/burner? Digital or analog? Reporting software that you can't live without? My thanks in advance.

Al Letellier_21

boiler service

I used to be the service ops manager for a local HVAC company that was affiliated with a national franchise group. Our service contracts were based on a set maintenance routine that was based on the manufacturer's recommended procedures and it worked very well. We had the advantage of a large network of contractors and service history that gave us a huge data base for all the standard HVAC equipment made. But every boiler job and boiler room is different. Control systems vary and operational schemes vary from job to job.

I would recommend gathering all the manuals of the equipment you will be servicing, list all the required tasks and the ones you think will complement it, and create your own tasking for that particular job. Not all steps need be taken on every service visit, unless you only go once a year. Some tasks need more attention than others, so you can spread out the work over the year.

May sound like a time consuming job, but well worth the effort if you are working on a professional level and really want to service and maintain your customer's equipment properly. And it will impress the hell out of them. We did this in a century old 100,000 sq. foot 4 floor office building, developed a service plan, did all the major recommended repairs up front, and saved them 60% on fuel and 75% on maintenance cost in just under two year, paying for all the repairs and upgrades in the first heating season....(it was a steam job)

Proper prior planning prevents poor performance....and poor efficiency. Good luck with your seminar.

Glen Aspen_2

thanks

sorry for the slow response - my son was married over the weekend - it was a great party. You offer good advise re developing a strategy for each mechanical room - and the specific equipment. FWIW I noticed that our boilers here at the college did not arrive with service manuals - instead we were expected to download them off the net. Times are changing.