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FAQ
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What Are Commercial HVAC Services?
From new construction projects and contract work to existing commercial facilities and businesses of every industry and size, we provide sales, service, pm agreements, installation, set up, and design you can depend on for all of your heating, cooling,requirements. Our capabilities and unwavering commitment to quality makes Blackall Mechanical the only name you need to know for all your commercial and industrial HVAC needs.
State-of-the-Art Products
At Blackall Mechanical we offer a comprehensive selection of energy-efficient air-conditioning systems, heating products, air filitration, rooftop units, plumbing, zoning systems and split systems. From replacement parts to entire industrial systems we provide it all for any commercial and industrial application.
Quality Policy
Blackall Mechanical’s commitment to excellence is a commitment we deliver to our customers every day. We put the customer first when performing every transaction. Integrity and honesty are not just words to us; we live and conduct our business using these principles as our guide. We will strive to exceed your expectations by delivering a service that’s right the first time. Thank you for choosing Blackall Mechanical.
What is a PMA?
Preventive maintenance agreements (PMAs)
PMA’s are agreements between you and your mechanical contractor for scheduled inspections and maintenance of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. PMAs are generally scheduled inspections to maintain peak efficiency, prevent utility overpayment, and avert pre-mature system failures through predictive maintenance that can help extend the life of your HVAC system. Sometimes PMAs are also referred to as “planned maintenance agreements,” “start and checks,” or “preventative service agreements.” PMAs usually consist of pre-determined scheduled sessions for a service technician to go through your entire HVAC system preparing it for the upcoming season in a proactive approach before system failure and prior to overpaying your utility company.
WhY do i need preventative maintenance on my HVac equipment?
Energy Consumption
The HVAC system is most likely the single biggest use of energy in your facility. In commercial applications where refrigeration is applied (combined with the HVAC systems), huge amounts of energy are used. In fact, over 1/3rd of the energy used in the United States is used to heat and cool buildings. According to the Consortium of Energy Efficiency (CEE) up to 50% more energy can be saved with proper installation, sizing, and maintenance of commercial HVAC Systems.
Savings
PMAs (preventative maintenance agreements) typically more than pay for themselves through higher efficiency, less utility overpayment, and contractor discounts. PMA customers typically receive preferred pricing on all parts and services performed during the entire year.
Peace of Mind
Predictive maintenance means fewer system failures, optimized efficiency and a longer life for your HVAC equipment.
Priority Service: Should a system failure occur during the heat of the summer or the cold of the winter, customers with PMAs will receive priority service.
Why do i need professional coil cleaning?
Even if your air ducts are shiny and clean, ignoring a dirty or contaminated air handler or evaporator coil can be a costly mistake in terms of:
- Pre-Mature equipment failure
- Equipment life span
- Energy efficiency
- Occupant’s comfort level
- Indoor air quality
- Loss of rated capacity
A dirty air handling unit can cause a multitude of potential health-threatening situations involving bacteria and or fungal growth.
why do i need an oil analysis on my equipment?
The compressor is an integral part of an air conditioning unit. With only the analysis of its oil, we can get a “look inside,” without tearing it completely down. When unacceptable wear conditions develop inside the compressor, a corresponding detectable change in the characteristics of the oil will become evident. An oil analysis typically test for the following properties:
- Metal Wear
- Moisture
- Acidity
- Viscosity
- Aniline Point
- Solid Residue
An oil analysis report, plus the related knowledge of a qualified and experienced service technician, will provide valuable information about the internal condition of a compressor.
what is a retrofit Project?
A retrofit is the modification of your existing equipment using parts developed or made available after the time of original manufacture. We look at your requirements for a building, a room, or whatever type of structure you have and help you re-design and implement the system necessary to create proper and consistent environmental needs per any changes to your building, compliance laws or for the purpose of increasing energy efficiency . Not only will we design the systems necessary, but we will also install & maintain them for you.
One of the benefits of working with Blackall Mechanical is that we are capable of completing your job in a turn-key fashion.
Every system is different. You may need a system that keeps a room at a specific temperature or humidity. Or your needs may not be that complicated. Whatever it is, we’ll help you to determine what systems and controls are most appropriate. The following are some example customers and types of projects that we typically perform:
- Commercial Office
- Comercial Industrial
- Manufacturing Plants
- Clean Rooms
- Computer Rooms
- Operating Rooms
- Tenant Improvements
- Control Systems
- Ventilation Systems
- Air Distribution
- Unit Replacements
- Retrofit Or Change-Outs
How to achieve better indoor air quality (IAQ)
Blackall Mechanical uses the Building Air Quality Guide, developed by the EPA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, to provide practical suggestions on preventing, identifying, and resolving indoor air quality (IAQ) problems in public and commercial buildings. We use the EPA guide to:
- Provide you with information on factors affecting indoor air quality
- Help you develop an IAQ profile of building conditions
- Create an IAQ management plan
can blackall service our computer or data centers?
Computer room environments and data centers have become an increasingly critical component of building operation. We have partnered with two of the best companies to bring you the highest quality and reliable solutions for your data center environmental control needs. Please contact us (972.380.0880) today if you would like more information on these solutions.
Liebert
Emerson Network Power, an Emerson business and the global leader in business critical continuity, serves the needs of telecommunications networks, data centers, health care, and industrial facilities worldwide with a full spectrum of reliable power solutions. Emerson Network Power solutions bring together industry-leading technology brands in power systems, connectivity, embedded power, outside plant, precision cooling and monitoring and service, including Liebert. Liebert Adaptive Architecture™ creates a power and cooling infrastructure for IT systems that can meet the highest availability requirements, enhance operating flexibility and reduce cost of ownership.
Data Aire
In the beginning, it was clear that “people comfort” air conditioning systems were unable to meet the high sensible heat loads required without over-drying the air.
Problems with paper sticking, head crashes, and static electricity needed to be stopped. Humidity fluctuations, electrical and mechanical failures resulted in costly and unacceptable downtime. And, as developing technology packed more components into less and less space, the problems escalated dramatically.
Precision environmental control had become a necessity! Data Aire’s innovative solutions have solved these problems in thousands of mission-critical applications.
what are building automation controls?
A Building Automation System is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as a system that optimizes the start-up and performance of HVAC equipment and alarm systems. A Building Automation System greatly increases the interaction between the mechanical subsystems of a building, improves occupant comfort, lowers energy use, and allows off-site building control.
Building Automation has many different components that are designed to interoperate as one centralized system, giving building managers and engineers more control over their buiilding. These controls can pass information to these managers, allow changes to be made from a centralized location or allow the managers to set points and schedules. At the highest level there are three necessary elements: sensors, controllers and controlled devices.
- Sensors
Some of the most common include: air quality, fire, smoke, temperature, humidity, pressure flow rate, lighting level and power.
- Controllers
This component of the system receives a signal from a sensor and compares it to a desired setpoint. Depending on the results the controller may then send out a signal to the controlled device for action.
- Controlled Devices
This is the terminal device that receives the signal from the controller in which action would occur. These might include: air dampers, mixing boxes, control valves, fans, pumps or motors.
about Commercial and industrial Chillers
The Modern Industrial Chiller is essentially a cooling system that removes heat from one element (water) and deposits into another (ambient air or water). The standard design is a system that cools 60 F water (water/glycol, or air) to 50 F and deposits the heat into the ambient air at 95 F (or water at 85 F).
This chilling technology is used by various industries to cool down the process machinery and the process using a freon chiller to cool a medium like air or water. To learn more about chillers in general and to help you make an informed decision about your own cooling problem, we are going to begin with a definition of a chiller and then move on to learning what a chiller can do for you, how to buy a chiller and what to look for when buying a chiller.
The function of controlling the temperature in manufacturing and process equipment can be achieved in four ways – 1) a cooling tower that supplies water at 85 F or higher and by using chillers that supply water at 60 F or lower. 2) a portable chiller, 3) a packaged chiller, 4) a central chiller system.
What are the categories of chillers
A portable chiller – is a single pump chiller, can be supplied with either air or water cooled condensers, used to cool one or two machines, process water flow limited to 2.4 gpm/ton, this limits the use of this type of chiller.
A packaged chiller – is a two pump system, one pump for the evaporator, the other for the varying process, can be supplied with either air cooled or water cooled condensers, no process water flow restrictions but this type of chiller is not expandable as plant cooling load increases.
A central chilling system – is where one or more central chillers are connected to a common two pump tank set, stand-by pump (s), can be added, and chillers can be added to the maximum cooling capacity of pump tank.
A central cooling tower system – is where one or more cooling towers are connected to a common two pump tank set, standby pump (s), can be added, and towers can be added to the maximum cooling capacity of pump tank.
Central tank sets allow various types of chillers air, water cooled, makes and tonnage to work together on the same chilling system. As well, different types, makes, and tonnage of cooling towers to work together on the same tower system.
While most industrial operations use a combination of these cooling solutions, most will involve a chiller. So, what is a chiller?
What exactly is a chiller?
When people first encounter the term “chiller they invariably think of something that cools the surrounding air like an air conditioner or maybe even a refrigerator. In either case, there will be six main components involved:
Evaporator – cools the water, water/glycol or air by transferring the heat to the refrigerant which is turned into a gas.
Compressor – takes this gas and increases its pressure so that ambient air or water can remove the heat.
Condenser – rejects heat gained by the gas using ambient air or cooling tower water to condense the gas back to a liquid for use again by the evaporator.
Holding Tank – holds the circulating coolant, usually water (can be water/glycol), tank is sized large enough to prevent turbulent flow in tank causing pump cavitations.
Pump – circulates coolant from the holding tank to the evaporator and from the evaporator to the machine or process being cooled and back to the tank.
Control Panel – houses temperature controller, compressor contactor, pump starter, 3-phase fuses, control transformer, safety controls, run and fail lights.
A basic chiller has two circuits: the water circuit, and the refrigeration circuit:
In the water circuit, a pump circulates the water from the holding tank to the evaporator which cools the water by transferring the heat to a refrigerant, the water then goes on to the process in a portable chiller or back to the tank in a packaged or central chiller.
In the refrigeration circuit, the evaporator boils the liquid refrigerant into a gas cooling the water, the compressor increases the pressure of the refrigerant gas to a pressure (200 to 220 psi for freon 22) so that the condenser can condense the gas back to a liquid (remove the heat gained) using ambient air at 95 F or cooling tower water at 85 F.
In the case of an industrial chiller, the principle is the same. Water is pumped to the chiller normally at 60 F and cooled to 50 F, when using water/glycol solution can be cooled to 20 F. The heat is removed from the condenser either by a plant cooling tower water system, or outdoor air for remote condenser and outdoor air cooled chillers, or by plant air for portable or indoor heat reclaim chillers.
Why would i need a chiller?
With cooling expenses accounting for 30% to 50% of your total energy costs and rising fast, and the impending phaseout of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerants, there is a rapidly growing need to replace large commercial air conditioning and refrigeration systems with a modular chilling system.
What are the types of chillers?
Centrifugal chillers
Centrifugal chillers are used for cooling large buildings in a centralized air conditioning system. There are other types of chillers using screw compressors and reciprocating compressors. These are usually smaller in size.
Centrifugal compressors use one or more rotating impeller to increase the refrigerant vapor pressure from the chiller evaporator enough to make it condense in the condenser. Unlike the positive displacement, reciprocating, scroll or screw compressors, the centrifugal compressor uses the combination of rotational speed (RPM), and tip speed to produce this pressure difference. The refrigerant vapors from the chiller evaporator are commonly pre-rotated using variable inlet guide vanes. The consequent swirling action provides extended part-load capacity and improved efficiency. The vapors then enter the centrifugal compressor along the axis of rotation.
The vapor passageways in the centrifugal compressor are bounded by vanes extending form the compressor hub, which may be shrouded for flow-path efficiency. The combination of rotational speed and wheel diameter combine to create the tip speed necessary to accelerate the refrigerant vapor to the high pressure discharge where they move on to the chiller condenser. Due to their very high vapor-flow capacity characteristics, centrifugal compressors dominate the 200 ton and larger chiller market, where they are the least costly and most efficient cooling compressor design. Centrifugals are most commonly driven by electric motors, but can also be driven by steam turbines and gas engines.
Depending on the manufacturer’s design, centrifugal compressors used in water chiller packages may be 1-, 2-, or 3-stages and use a semi-hermetic motor or an open motor with shaft seal.
Screw Chillers
Power input performance for screw chillers has been improving over the years as a result of better designs and compressor configurations. Overall mechanical and compression efficiencies vary with the compression ratio (absolute discharge pressure divided by suction pressure in psia). These efficiencies range from 75 to 82%, including the losses associated with the hermetic-type refrigerant cooled motor.
At ARI Standard rating conditions (44°F leaving chilled water, 85°F entering condenser water), typical chiller operation will be about 40°F evaporating and 100°F condensing gauge pressures. A modern screw compressor has an energy efficiency ratio (EER) in the 14 to 17 range, equal to 0.85 to 0.70 kW per ton at full load. But remember, chillers don’t operate at full load that often and screw compressors are more efficient at part load. Integrated part load performance (a weighted average operating condition) for screw units can be as low as .42 kW per ton.
The chiller’s power requirement is likely to be rated in brake horsepower (bhp) in air-cooled applications. To convert from bhp to electric input in kW, estimate the motor efficiency (typically about 90 percent efficient) and use the following example of a 100 bhp rating. It would translate to:
(100 bhp x 0.746 kW/bhp) = 82 kW.
.9 eff.
Assembled into air-cooled chiller packages or split units in the 20 to 200 ton capacity range screw chillers can be expected to perform at about 9 to 10 EER, equivalent to 1.15 to 1.06 kW per ton with an average of about 1.1 kW per ton.
While they tend to cost more than reciprocating units, air-cooled screw chillers offer better efficiency, infinitely variable capacity control, and a higher tolerance to liquid refrigerant entering the compressor.
Scroll Chillers
The scroll compressor uses one stationary and one orbiting scroll to compress refrigerant gas vapors from the evaporator to the condenser of the refrigerant path. The upper scroll is stationary and contains the refrigerant gas discharge port. The lower scroll is driven by an electric motor shaft assembly imparting an eccentric or orbiting motion to the driven scroll. That is, the rotation of the motor shaft causes the scroll to orbit – not rotate – about the shaft center.
This orbiting motion gathers refrigerant vapors at the perimeter, pockets the refrigerant gas, and compresses it as the orbiting proceeds. The trapped pocket works progressively toward the center of the stationary scroll and leaves through the discharge port. Study this time lapse series carefully to see how the trapped gases are progressively compressed as they proceed toward the discharge port.
Scroll compressors are a relatively recent compressor development and will eventually replace reciprocating compressors in many cooling system applications, where they often achieve higher efficiency and better part-load performance and operating characteristics.
Absorption Chillers
Absorption chillers differ from the more prevalent compression chillers in that the cooling effect is driven by heat energy, rather than mechanical energy. The simplest absorption machines are residential refrigerators, with a gas flame at the bottom, ice cubes at the top and no electricity involved. An absorption
chiller is larger and more complicated, but the basic principle is the same.
Reciprocating Chillers
Most cooling systems in use today rely on reciprocating piston-type compressors. Reciprocating compressors are manufactured in three types:
- Hermetic – compressor-motor assembly contained in a welded steel case, typically used in residential air conditioners, smaller commercial air conditioning and refrigeration units.
- Semi-hermetic – compressor-motor assembly contained in a casting with no penetration by a rotating shaft and with gasketed cover plates for access to key parts such as valves and connecting rods.
- Open – compressor only with shaft seal and external shaft for coupling connection to belt – or direct-drive using as electric motor or natural gas engine. These are largely used for ammonia refrigeration applications as hermetic designs cannot be used with ammonia refrigerant, and for engine-driven units.
As the piston nears the bottom of its stroke within the cylinder, the intake valve opens and the refrigerant vapor enters. As the piston rises, the increased pressure closes the intake valve. Then as the piston nears the top of its stroke, the exhaust valve opens permitting the vapor at the higher pressure to exit. Reciprocating compressor capacity is a function of the bore and stroke of the piston-cylinder configuration as well as the speed of the machine, and the clearance tolerances. Compressor capacity is also related to the compression ratio.
The mechanical design is rugged and reliable but has one significant limitation. Reciprocating compressors are designed to handle vapors, not liquids. When liquid enters the cylinder on the intake stroke, it tends to damage the valves on the compression stroke and possibly the compressor itself. This is why chillers incorporate liquid-to-suction heat exchangers, which assure some level of vapor superheat at the compressor suction. Capacity is controlled by multiple staging of smaller compressors or in large multiple cylinder reciprocating compressors by unloading banks of cylinders on the compressor. This tends to make the machine most efficient at full load. Therefore, for maximum efficiency recips should generally be operated at full load. This is the reason small compressors are cycled on and off in most residential and small commercial applications.
What Are Cooling Towers?
A cooling tower is a heat rejection device, which extracts waste heat to the atmosphere though the cooling of a water stream to a lower temperature. The type of heat rejection in a cooling tower is termed “evaporative” in that it allows a small portion of the water being cooled to evaporate into a moving air stream to provide significant cooling to the rest of that water stream. The heat from the water stream transferred to the air stream raises the air’s temperature and its relative humidity to 100%, and this air is discharged to the atmosphere. Evaporative heat rejection devices such as cooling towers are commonly used to provide significantly lower water temperatures than achievable with “air cooled” or “dry” heat rejection devices, like the radiator in a car, thereby achieving more cost-effective and energy efficient operation of systems in need of cooling. Think of the times you’ve seen something hot be rapidly cooled by putting water on it, which evaporates, cooling rapidly, such as an overheated car radiator. The cooling potential of a wet surface is much better than a dry one.
Common applications for cooling towers are providing cooled water for air-conditioning, manufacturing and electric power generation. The smallest cooling towers are designed to handle water streams of only a few gallons of water per minute supplied in small pipes like those might see in a residence, while the largest cool hundreds of thousands of gallons per minute supplied in pipes as much as 15 feet (about 5 meters) in diameter on a large power plant.
The generic term “cooling tower” is used to describe both direct (open circuit) and indirect (closed circuit) heat rejection equipment. While most think of a “cooling tower” as an open direct contact heat rejection device, the indirect cooling tower, sometimes referred to as a “closed circuit cooling tower” is nonetheless also a cooling tower.
A direct, or open circuit cooling tower is an enclosed structure with internal means to distribute the warm water fed to it over a labyrinth-like packing or “fill.” The fill provides a vastly expanded air-water interface for heating of the air and evaporation to take place. The water is cooled as it descends through the fill by gravity while in direct contact with air that passes over it. The cooled water is then collected in a cold water basin below the fill from which it is pumped back through the process to absorb more heat. The heated and moisture laden air leaving the fill is discharged to the atmosphere at a point remote enough from the air inlets to prevent its being drawn back into the cooling tower.
The fill may consist of multiple, mainly vertical, wetted surfaces upon which a thin film of water spreads (film fill), or several levels of horizontal splash elements which create a cascade of many small droplets that have a large combined surface area (splash fill).
An indirect, or closed circuit cooling tower involves no direct contact of the air and the fluid, usually water or a glycol mixture, being cooled. Unlike the open cooling tower, the indirect cooling tower has two separate fluid circuits. One is an external circuit in which water is recirculated on the outside of the second circuit, which is tube bundles (closed coils) which are connected to the process for the hot fluid being cooled and returned in a closed circuit. Air is drawn through the recirculating water cascading over the outside of the hot tubes, providing evaporative cooling similar to an open cooling tower. In operation the heat flows from the internal fluid circuit, through the tube walls of the coils, to the external circuit and then by heating of the air and evaporation of some of the water, to the atmosphere. Operation of the indirect cooling towers is therefore very similar to the open cooling tower with one exception. The process fluid being cooled is contained in a “closed” circuit and is not directly exposed to the atmosphere or the recirculated external water.
In a counter-flow cooling tower air travels upward through the fill or tube bundles, opposite to the downward motion of the water. In a cross-flow cooling tower air moves horizontally through the fill as the water moves downward.
Cooling towers are also characterized by the means by which air is moved. Mechanical-draft cooling towers rely on power-driven fans to draw or force the air through the tower. Natural-draft cooling towers use the buoyancy of the exhaust air rising in a tall chimney to provide the draft. A fan-assisted natural-draft cooling tower employs mechanical draft to augment the buoyancy effect. Many early cooling towers relied only on prevailing wind to generate the draft of air.
If cooled water is returned from the cooling tower to be reused, some water must be added to replace, or make-up, the portion of the flow that evaporates. Because evaporation consists of pure water, the concentration of dissolved minerals and other solids in circulating water will tend to increase unless some means of dissolved-solids control, such as blow-down, is provided. Some water is also lost by droplets being carried out with the exhaust air (drift), but this is typically reduced to a very small amount by installing baffle-like devices, called drift eliminators, to collect the droplets. The make-up amount must equal the total of the evaporation, blow-down, drift, and other water losses such as wind blowout and leakage, to maintain a steady water level.
Some useful terms, commonly used in the cooling tower industry:
Drift – Water droplets that are carried out of the cooling tower with the exhaust air. Drift droplets have the same concentration of impurities as the water entering the tower. The drift rate is typically reduced by employing baffle-like devices, called drift eliminators, through which the air must travel after leaving the fill and spray zones of the tower.
Blow-out – Water droplets blown out of the cooling tower by wind, generally at the air inlet openings. Water may also be lost, in the absence of wind, through splashing or misting. Devices such as wind screens, louvers, splash deflectors and water diverters are used to limit these losses.
Plume – The stream of saturated exhaust air leaving the cooling tower. The plume is visible when water vapor it contains condenses in contact with cooler ambient air, like the saturated air in one’s breath fogs on a cold day. Under certain conditions, a cooling tower plume may present fogging or icing hazards to its surroundings. Note that the water evaporated in the cooling process is “pure” water, in contrast to the very small percentage of drift droplets or water blown out of the air inlets.
Blow-down – The portion of the circulating water flow that is removed in order to maintain the amount of dissolved solids and other impurities at an acceptable level.
Leaching – The loss of wood preservative chemicals by the washing action of the water flowing through a wood structure cooling tower.
Noise – Sound energy emitted by a cooling tower and heard (recorded) at a given distance and direction. The sound is generated by the impact of falling water, by the movement of air by fans, the fan blades moving in the structure, and the motors, gearboxes or drive belts.
What is a boiler?
A boiler is defined as “a closed vessel in which water or other liquid is heated, steam or vapor is generated, steam is superheated, or any combination thereof, under pressure or vacuum, for use external to itself, by the direct application of energy from the combustion of fuels, from electricity or nuclear energy.”
Also included are fired units for heating or vaporizing liquids other than water where these units are separate from processing systems and are complete within themselves. This definition includes water heaters that exceed 200,000 Btu/hr heat input, 200 degrees Fahrenheit at the outlet, or 120 gallons nominal water containing capacity.
About boiler classifications?
Equipment that falls within the scope of the Texas Boiler Law and Rules, that must be registered and inspected, is defined in both the law and rules. This means all types of boilers that are used in commercial and public facilities that produce steam (either low or high pressure), hot water heating for use in comfort air heating systems, and hot water supply for use in domestic water systems (such as showers, sinks, pools, or for miscellaneous use) which includes potable hot water heater type boilers. Boilers used for hot water supply or potable hot water supply can be further defined in the following two (2) categories:
- A hot water supply boiler means a boiler designed for operation at a pressure not exceeding 160 psig or temperatures not exceeding 250 degrees Fahrenheit at or near the boiler outlet if the boiler’s: heat input exceeds 200,000 BTUs per hour; water temperature exceeds 210 degrees Fahrenheit; or nominal water-containing capacity exceeds 120 gallons.
- A potable water heater means a boiler designed for operation at pressures not exceeding 160 psig and water temperatures not exceeding 210 degrees Fahrenheit if the boiler’s: heat input exceeds 200,000 BTUs per hour or nominal water-containing capacity exceeds 120 gallons.
Further classification and definitions can be obtained by accessing the Texas Boiler Law and Rules and referring to the definitions in both the law and rules or by calling (800) 722-7843 and a technical representative can assist you with any questions.
What causes most boiler accidents?
Boiler systems are designed for safety and efficiency. The boiler operator is the key to safe boiler operations. Having knowledge about boiler systems and maintenance can ensure years of safe, reliable service.
History has shown that without proper operation and maintenance, boiler conditions and safety deteriorate causing potential hazards due to neglect and misunderstanding. Routine maintenance is well within the ability of most boiler operators. Boiler tune up and repairs, however, are best left to trained professionals. Understanding when to turn to qualified professionals for assistance is one of the operator’s responsibilities and can save time and money. Some of the areas where trained professionals are needed are:
- Leaking safety and or safety relief valves
- Feed water to boiler
- Steam leaks (steam systems)
- High stack temperatures (excess of 350ºF)
- Insufficient heat for building
- Condensate dripping down stack or out the front of the boiler
- Constantly resetting of controllers and safety devices
Boiler accidents can occur when the boiler is allowed to operate without adequate water in the boiler. Proper functioning low water cutoffs are essential to prevent these types of accidents. Boiler damage can run from severe buckling and deforming of the boiler to complete meltdown or potential boiler explosions.
Another type of boiler accident and the most lethal is excessive pressure. These accidents occur when the boiler can no longer contain the excessive pressure allowed to build in the boiler. Excessive pressure accidents, even in small boilers, have been known to completely destroy a building.
Fuel related accidents usually occur when there is a failure to purge combustible gases from the firebox before ignition is attempted. Leaking fuel valves can also be the cause of these accidents. If the operator notices any gas odor, the boiler should be shut down and the fuel supplier notified immediately.
“Never bypass safety devices with jumper wires to restart your boiler. Unintended ignition of unburned combustion gases in the fire box is possible.”
What about boiler water treatments?
Boiler system (steam/water) loses water through steam and water leaks. Additional water called “make-up water” is added to the boiler to replace these losses. The amount of make-up water and the level of naturally occurring impurities in water will determine the type of water treatment required. Boiler heating systems that have very few leaks will require a simple water treatment program. Your boiler water treatment professional can assist you in developing an effective water treatment program.
All water contains dissolved minerals and these minerals, if allowed to reach high enough levels in the boiler water, will come out of solutions and form as a hard shell on the hot surfaces of the boiler. This hard shell is called “scale” and is often found on the outside of the fire tubes or the inside of water tubes. Scale insulates the heating surfaces reducing the ability of the fire tubes to transfer heat from the hot combustion to the boiler water. High stack temperatures or ruptured tubes are common problems related to scale build up. Boiler water also contains dissolved gases such as oxygen or carbon dioxide. These gases, in the presence of water and metal, can cause corrosion. Corrosion eats away the metal affecting the durability of the boiler.
Why you need boiler inspections
Much like your automobile, furnace, or air conditioner, a boiler requires an ongoing, routine maintenance and inspection program. Well trained maintenance personnel, boiler operators and boiler inspectors are important components to the safe operation of a boiler.
Routine boiler inspections are required by the Texas Boiler Law and Rules. The State and Authorized Inspection Agencies provide trained personnel throughout the state to perform the required inspections to be in compliance with the Texas Boiler Law and Rules.
A boiler should be examined internally and externally to determine the operating condition of the boiler and to ascertain the true condition of the boiler.
Boiler inspectors examine the structural integrity of the boiler along with the associated safety devices attached to the boiler. These devices must remain in good operating condition for the continued safe operation of the boiler.
The loss of water (low water), furnace explosion, over pressure and excessive temperature are the principal causes for boiler accidents and are primarily the direct result of the missing or inoperative controls and safety devices, lack of maintenance, untrained operators, and complacency. These are some reasons why boiler inspections are so important and what could result if boilers are left uninspected.
About boiler program responsibilities in texas
The Texas Boiler Law requires that all boilers operating in the State of Texas be registered with the department and, depending on the use, be inspected annually, biennially, or triennially. Additionally, department representatives review quality control systems for issuance of Certificates of Authorization to boiler and pressure vessel manufacturers, repair organizations, and state owner/user organizations.
What is a variable spEed drive?
Variable Spped Drives (VSDs) help balance building heating or cooling demands with the need to achieve optimum energy efficiency.
When your HVAC system requires less cooling or heating than the maximum load for which it was sized, VSDs allow the equipment to operate at a lower speed. Lower speed equals less energy usage and results in efficient part load operation and reduced operating costs. Carrier offers unique solutions to provide quiet, comfortable, energy efficient heating and cooling for hotels, healthcare facilities, and universities.
VSDs are specifically designed for the following HVAC equipment:
- Fan coil units
- Centrifugal chillers
- Air handling units
- Pumps
- Cooling towers
What is temporary or spot cooling?
Portable air conditioners are a versatile and economical solution to your cooling problems. Additionally portable air conditioners can be easily moved and used in various locations when the need occurs. Portable air conditioning units have a wide application-offices, factories, laboratories, computer rooms, residences, hospitals, warehouses, etc. There are a wide variety of solutions we have for all your portable cooling and spot cooling needs. Our experience and product lines provide the best resource anywhere for portable air conditioners and all of your temporary cooling needs. Knowledgeable staff will guide you in selecting the right portable air conditioners for your specific application. We always consult with you on making the right choice for your needs. We want to be your cooling solution provider, so when you need portable air conditioning for spot cooling, additional cooling due to inadequate main systems, temporary cooling, when a permanent system is not an option, for after hours supplemental cooling, as a less costly alternative, when installation becomes a problem, as an option for various locations or any unusual application contact us at 972.380.0880 and find out which portable air conditioning equipment will solve your cooling problems.