Heat is one of the many things people take for granted until they stop working. Your commercial heating system is certainly nice to have on a cold winter day, but if you don’t give it the attention and care it requires throughout the year, you may discover that it doesn’t work at some point.
Here’s how you can maintain your commercial heating.
Why Maintenance is So Important?
Much like a vehicle, your heating system or HVAC, is in need of care to ensure it continues to work smoothly. Without that care, you can expect it all to break down sooner or later.
To prevent your heat from suddenly going out, you need to do the proper maintenance. In this article, you’ll learn exactly what is required from you and what you can outsource to ensure your heating system is in top condition when you need it.
Steps to Maintain Your System
You ought to look after quite a few things when maintaining your heating system, but one of the most important is the annual inspection by a qualified technician.
Other tasks that you can manage on your own include:
Inspect the Thermostat
A poorly functioning thermostat can cause your boiler to work too hard or to turn on and off constantly. It’s a simple process to check that your thermostat is working well. Take the temperature in the room and then check that the thermostat reads the same temperature. If it is not giving an accurate reading, you’ll need to have a technician come in to sort things out.
While you are looking at the thermostat, consider installing a smart thermostat. This will detect when people are in the building and adjust the temperature accordingly, letting the building cool down when no one is there. It will also show you the amount of energy being used by the HVAC system.
Check Your Smoke Alarms
Another part of the system to keep maintained would be the fire safety side of things. You should have at least one smoke alarm close to the boiler. This will alert you if there is a fire outside the boiler and you’ll want to check the smoke alarm once a week.
Take the time to ensure the batteries are good (they should be replaced every three months) and clean the light source and receiver. You may also wish to test it every so often.
Clean Out the Ventilation System
The vents that bring the heat to you in air-powered systems can easily get filled with dust and cobwebs, making them less efficient. Take the time to wipe the vents down with a damp cloth to eliminate the dust at least once a month.
Once or twice a year, consider removing the vents to wash them in hot soapy water and then dry them and replace. The amount of grime that can build up in this amount of time is quite astonishing.
Keep a Maintenance Log
It’s a good idea to write down each and every repair or maintenance task that you complete, along with the date. This maintenance log helps with your records and should anything go wrong with the system, you can quickly check that you’ve completed the correct tasks.
All of these methods will help you keep the system running, but there’s more to it than the outer parts of the system.
Boiler Maintenance: What You Need to Know
The boiler is the heart of the heating system and it needs to be cared for. During the annual inspection by a qualified technician, you should expect the following tasks to be carried out.
- Inspect Fireside Surfaces: All fireside surfaces will be carefully inspected for flaws and then cleaned thoroughly.
- Check Refractory Material: The technician will go over the burner’s refractory material and make certain it has no cracks or flaws.
- Clean Condensate Receiver: This section of the boiler also needs to be cleaned for it to remain in good working order.
- Test System Valves: The valves will be checked for ease of turning and any sticking will be remedied. They will also be tested. This includes safety valves.
- Clean Low Water Cut-Off: The low water cut-off can become quite soiled and will be cleaned out and rebuilt as needed.
- Overhaul Pumps: The feed water pumps will be inspected and overhauled to ensure they will last another season.
- Check Operating Controls: The controls will be recalibrated to ensure they are properly set up and ready to use.
- Inspect Chimneys: The boiler chimney will be inspected and cleaned out to prevent soot build up inside.
- Check Electrics: All electric terminals will be inspected and cleaned if needed.
- Tune All Components: The boiler has a wide range of components and they should be inspected, tuned, and cleaned to ensure everything works well.
- Check fuel levels: Is there enough fuel oil? You’ll need to make sure this is topped off before winter comes and you need the heat again.
Ideally, the inspection will occur during the summer when the boiler is not needed. This will give your tech time to repair any issues found and to ensure the boiler is ready for the winter. All of these tasks should be done once a year, but other things need to be done more often.
Cleaning or Replacing Air Filters
Depending on your system, you may need to replace the filters completely. It’s a good idea to have a few extra filters to hand so you can switch them out easily. However, some systems feature the sort of filter that you can wash. If yours is of this sort, take out the filters, wash them with warm soapy water, and rinse well. You may need a brush to scrub out the sticky particles that catch in them but consult the owner’s manual before doing this.
Once the filters are dry, they may be replaced, ready to collect more dust.
It’s essential that you check the filters every month. If they are clogged, the system will have a very difficult time moving air through them. This causes the heating system or boiler to use more energy in an attempt to push the hot air along.
Clean the Oil Filters
For a commercial heating system, you’ll need to clean the oil filters every three to four days. This requires turning off the pump motor and cutting the power, closing the shut-off valve, and removing the filter. You’ll then be able to clean it and replace it in the housing.
Once the cleaned filter is replaced, you can set the strainer cap back into its place and restart the motor. The readings ought to be normal after a few minutes, ensuring the vacuum is good. You can then open the oil valve and watch the oil pressure once it reaches the burners.
Clean the Sight Glasses or Window
The little window on the side of the boiler is meant to show you the flame inside. This sight glass must be kept nice and clean so you can easily see if the burner flame is on and how well it’s burning. You’ll also note any carbon build-up, which you’ll need to check.
Flush the Low Water Cut-offs Weekly
The low water cut-offs will need to be flushed every week. You can do this while the burner is on and you can see the flame. As soon as you flush the unit, watch to see that the flame goes out. Once it’s out, wait until it lights again before moving on to the next low water cut-off.
While you are flushing things out, shut the lower isolation valve and flush the water-line heater by opening the drain valve. Be sure to perform these movements in reverse once you’ve flushed it.
Check Combustion
Every week, take a few minutes to inspect the burner and ensure it is working as it should. You may also take this time to look at the burner controls and check them for failures. The combustion is also important and should be checked weekly.
Clear Sludge and Sediment
Once a month, plan to flush out the sludge that collects in the system and use chemically treated water to refill. This may not be the most pleasant task, but it is very important if you wish to have the same boiler for as long as possible.
Taking care of your heating system is the best way to ensure it lasts many years. Commercial heaters are under quite a load of pressure, but it helps to have others doing the work, too. Consider delegating these tasks to the building manager, for example.
If you’re looking for a technician to handle your annual boiler or HVAC inspection, Mitchell’s has the experts you want. Contact us today to learn more.