Prepping for Winter: Preventative Maintenance for Your Boiler
Winter is coming—is your boiler ready to handle the chill?
Boiler Tips for Winter: What you Need to Know
Summer felt like it was just yesterday—how is it already time to crank up the heat? As the days shorten and the air begins to chill, the time to take care of your boiler is right now. Waiting until snow starts to fall is a recipe for a cold, harsh winter. But what’s the best way to prepare your boiler so it effectively heats your space? To prep your boiler for winter, boiler preventative maintenance is the easiest way to make sure you don’t fall victim to avoidable mechanical issues. In this blog, we’ll talk about how you can take the right steps now so that getting ready for the winter isn’t a last-minute concern.
Develop a Boiler Preventative Maintenance Schedule
If you’ve been putting off getting your boiler checked out, it’s time to reverse course and make it a priority. Commercial facilities frequently overlook monthly or annual inspections simply because everything is working just fine for right now. But what a week or two from now? It might seem like your boiler malfunctions are coming out of nowhere, but chances are high that the warning signs have been there for some time. You don’t have to perform daily boiler maintenance, but scheduling monthly inspections and routine maintenance is a solid way to avoid the avoidable.
At Brandt, our team performs routine inspections and audits to make sure your boiler system is in tip-top shape. Once it’s cold outside, there’s not much of a margin for error—you’re either going to stay comfortable or become extremely cold, extremely fast. Keep the cold weather at bay and start planning out your boiler maintenance checklist and schedule.
Turn it on; Test it Out
How confident are you that your boiler is in working order? Boilers can seize up and malfunction if they’re not used regularly. That doesn’t mean that you have to crank up the heat in the middle of July, but turning it on for 15-20 minutes every so often can give you plenty of information about the working order of your boiler. Make sure that you’re checking water levels, operating pressure, and the temperature of your boiler every day—if anything goes wrong, you don’t want to miss it. Most households and commercial facilities alike don’t turn on their boiler until October or November. This puts them in a tight spot if anything were to be amiss, with only a few short weeks until it gets significantly colder. Regular self-tests (meaning without the assistance of a contractor) can be a great way to keep you warm and comfortable throughout the entire winter.
Prepare the Pipes
Cold temperatures can freeze your external condensate pipes if you’re not careful, which can force the entire boiler to shut off. Insulating the pipes for your boiler is a simple, effective way to remove the chance of standing water freezing right in your pipes. Insulting your pipes ensures proper water flow, minimizes heat loss, and can actually reduce your energy bill.
Still Have Questions? Brandt has the Answers
What would it take to keep your HVAC equipment up and running this winter? It’s not as difficult as you think, as long as you’re working with the right contractor. At Brandt, we have the experience necessary to help your facility stay comfortable all year-round. Our team has worked with a number of different companies across countless industries, giving us the resources needed to tackle your boiler issues head-on. We’ve serviced companies in fields including:
- Healthcare
- Government
- Education
- Laboratories and Clean Rooms
- Public Assembly
- Hospitality
- And more!
Don’t wait until it’s too late—for all of the quality boiler services you need to keep your facility up and running, Brandt delivers on all fronts. From initial design and development all the way through to installation and ongoing maintenance, no one’s there for you more than Brandt. For more information on how our team can transform your HVAC and boiler equipment, reach out today.