Commercial and residential boilers may be old heating technology, but they’re still a big part of life in American cities- popping up in factories, warehouses, and apartment buildings throughout cities like New York, Chicago, Cleveland, and others.
Most of the time, these boilers do their job safely- helping to keep their building residents warm by heating water into steam. As the steam expands, the pressure behind it forces the steam through a series of pipes and radiators throughout the structure.
To keep excessive steam and pressure in check, a series of safety systems exists to keep heat and pressure from building up and causing serious, explosion-type safety issues. Normally, there’s nothing to worry about, but when the people who maintain the boilers start looking for ways to cut costs, they might skip essential maintenance work. Doing so could turn that boiler into a potential time bomb- literally!
Dana Plant Boiler Explosion Video
Yikes!
If you find yourself managing a building that makes use of steam heat or boilers, the handy-dandy infographic shown, below, might allow you perform some quick visual checks on your own and help you to manage your maintenance staff. If you know what needs checking, you’ll be that much more capable of keeping your boiler room (and your tenants!) in tip-top shape.
Check it out, then let us know what other commercial building systems you’d like to learn more about in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Enjoy, and- as always!- try not to die.
