Boiler Room Safety

THBOILER 1 ROOM A CALM, COOL, AND COLLECTIVE GUIDE TO OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE Tucked away it helps make comfortable, the boiler room is a necessary the residential and commercial spaces aspect of a building's operations. It can also be a very dangerous place. Boiler room safety is often overlooked, but it is essential to the well being of both our buildings and our lives. THE DANGER OF BOILER ROOMS These are highly sensitive areas. Some dangerous components: Combustion gases High pressure steam Hot surfaces Moving machinery Chemicals Risk of explosion THERE ARE 4 MAJOR CATEGORIES OF BOILER ROOM FAILURE: MELT DOWN THERMAL SHOCK COMBUSTION EXPLOSIONS STEAM PRESSURE If cool water is added to a hot boiler in Although safety precautions exist to prevent this from occurring, gases can build up within the boiler and can be accidently lit by Excessive steam build up to a point the exceeds the boiler design pressure. When a boiler is operated in a low water condition, the metal surfaces a low water condition, the cool water of the boiler can overheat and melt; this creates a dangerous environ- may flash to steam and expand 1673 x its volume. This expansion may cause ment that can lead to other issues. over pressure and lead to an explosion. some ignition source. PREVENTING BOILER ROOM DISASTERS Proper protocol is the only way to assure boiler room safety. Here are some helpful tips: COMMUNICATION: V DUTY CHECKLIST: THIS HELPS MANAGE EACH PERSON'S ROLE, AND WHAT SAFETY CHECKS STILL NEED TO BE COMPLETED. THIS IS GOOD FOR ASSURING THAT TASKS ARE COMPLETED ACROSS DIFFERENT SHIFTS. BOILER LOG: THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOILER FOR THE GIVEN PERIOD. HOW IS IT RUNNING? WHERE IS IT LACKING PERFORMANCE-WISE? IF EVERY TASK AND NOTE IS LOGGED, NOTHING WILL SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS. V POINTS OF INSPECTION: WATER LEVEL: WATER TREATMENT: • UNTREATED WATER CAN BE HIGH IN NORMAL OPERATING WATER LEVEL SHOULD STAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAUGE GLASS. MINERALS, CREATING BUILD UP THAT CAN BLOCH AND CORRODE THE BOILER SYSTEM, MAKING IT MORE AN OPERATOR SHOULD ALWAYS ASSURE THAT THE BOILER MAINTAINS THIS LEVEL. SUSCEPTIBLE TO OUERHEATING. POTENTIAL PROBLEM: OXYGEN SCAVENGER CHEMICAL: PRIMING AND CARRYOUER: WHEN THE WATER LEUEL IS TOO HIGH, IT CAN BE SODIUM SULFATE IS CommoNLY USED TO TREAT THE WATER AND REMOVE UNWANTED OXYGEN AND MINERALS. DRAWN INTO THE STEAM PIPES. TRY COCHS: IF THE GAUGE GLASS IS NOT OPERATING, THE TAI-COCHS STEAM VALVES: MAY BE USED TO VERIFY THE BOILER WATER LEUEL. BLOWDOWN: PROPERLY INSPECT THE WATER COLUMN AND GAUGE GLASS TO INSURE MUD, SLUDGE, OR OTHER SEDIMENTS ARE NOT • THESE ARE USED TO EQUALIZE PRESSURE AND WAAM DOWNSTREAM EQUIPMENT. BLOCHING THE PATH. • THEY SHOULD ALWAYS BE OPENED SLOWLY. SAFETY VALVE: • THIS POPS OPEN AND RELEASES STEAM TO PREVENT THE PRESSURE FROM EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE WORHING PRESSURE. • MAHE SURE THE RELIEF CAPACITY OF THE SAFETY RELIEF VALUE IS CAPABLE OF RELIEUING WHAT THE BOILER CAN PRODUCE IN ONE HOUR. • THESE CAN BE TESTED BY LIFTING THE SAFETY RELIEF VALVE LEVER WITH THE BOILER PRESSURE AT A MINIMUM 78% OF THE RATED PRESSURE OF THE SAFETY VALVE. BURNER CONTROL SYSTEM: • THESE MONITOR CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF THE BOILEA FOR SAFE OPERATION AND WILL SHUT DOWN THE FUEL SUPPLY TO THE BURNER IF NO FLAME IS DETECTED. FLAME SCANNER TEST: • SIMULATE A FLAME FAILURE BY COVERING THE FLAME DETECTOR SENSOR. • WHEN THERE IS NO FLAME DETECTED, THE MAIN FUEL VALVES WILL SHUT AND A FLAME FAILURE ALARM WILL SOUND. MISCELLANEOUS SAFETY PRECAUTIONS: Always wear proper gloves, goggles, and other safety equipment. Have a fire safety plan in place, and rehearse it regularly. Have a chemical safety plan, and assure all chemicals are properly marked and stored. SOURCES: HTTP://WwW.AMERICANTRAINCO.COm HTTPS://WWW.OSHA.ORG AMERICAN TRAINCO"