Improving the Efficiency of Your Boiler

Your boiler accounts for a major portion of your electricity bill, however, if right care is taken, this bill can be considerably reduced. Most of the boilers have an average efficiency of 65 to 75 percent which means that a large portion of your bill is just going up the chimney for no reason at all. It is your negligence towards your boiler which is decreasing its efficiency and hiking the electricity bill at the same time.

Follow these boiler maintenance tips to improve the efficiency of your boiler and giving it a longer life:

Reduce Excess Air

The boilers which are operated properly need 10 to 20 percent of excess air so that complete combustion can be ensured. However, too much excess air can have adverse effects on the efficiency as well but having no excess air can cause poor efficiency, air pollution, fireside, and even explosive fuel gasses. Thus, to avoid all this, it is better to have a balance in the excessive air allowed inside the boiler. Keep monitoring the oxygen content, carbon dioxide content, and flue gas temperature so that the boiler is tuned finely and optimal efficiency is ensured.

Blowdown Heat Recovery

To reduce the sludge and the solid content, the blowdown of boilers allows the heat to go down. It is better to minimize the blowdown by following good water treatment. By installing a heat exchanger in the blowdown, one can easily allow the waste heat to be utilized in the preheating makeup. This is the most suitable way for continuous blowdown operations as it ensures the best water treatment program.

Preheat Combustion Air

If there is a huge difference between the boiler intake air location and the ceiling of the room of the boiler, the efficiency can be increased by either forcing the hot air down or extending the intake upwards. The difference in the temperature is the result of boiler and stack losses. By utilizing these options, one needs a fan and ductwork to carry out the processes. One may consider insulating the boiler if the hot air is due to the boiler wall loss.

Replacing the Burners

If you have an old and inefficient oil burner or if it is oversized, you might consider replacing your burner with a modern and fuel-efficient one. There are varied options in the market available at different rates and offering a number of fuel-efficient capabilities. You can go with the least expensive heating fuel option to cut down on your bill. You can also think of replacing oil burners with natural gas ones without having to change the boiler itself.

By following these boiler maintenance tips, one can easily improve the efficiency of their boiler cutting down the bill costs and definitely avoiding getting a new boiler in near future. The maintenance ensures a longer life for your existing boiler and that there is no compromise on its working and efficiency.