Cleaning Marine Diesel Heat Exchanger

This video shows a hands on example of how to clean a marine diesel heat exchanger on a westerbeke. It's quite simple and easy to follow. Check it out.

Cleaning Heat Exchangers, Vents & Ducts with Dry Ice Blasting

Cleaning the heat exchanger, vents and ducts on the USN Pecos can actually be done using ice blasting technology as well. So, if you find it difficult to clean heat exchanger using water, you now know how to do it fast and efficient.

Cleaning Shell and Tube Crude Oil Heat Exchangers

As shown previous month about the shell and tube heat exchanger cleaning, here is a company that is an expert in the business. Tube Tech International proved that previous industry standards for cleaning such equipment with U bends were inadequate and, for the first time on this unit, Tube Tech gave not only the straight legs, but also the U sections a complete internal clean. It is actually a little tricky to clean a U tube bend.

Crude Heat Exchanger Cleaning - Tube Tech International

The video above presents a crude heat exchanger cleaning technique which was developed by Tube Tech International. It basically shows innovative solutions for removing crude fouling within blocked crude heat exchangers on the outer surface of the shell and tube heat exchanger. This method is applicable for cleaning crude heat exchangers in refineries world wide.

To learn more and also to review crude heat exchanger cleaning case studies, visit www.tubetech.com or call +44 (0)1268 786999.

Refinery Heat Exchanger Tubes Cleaning

Better Heat Exchanger Cleaning Through Technology

Maintenance of a platform's Waste Heat Recovery Unit (WHRU) and similar shell and tube heat exchangers can be an extremely dangerous process. It needs to be disconnected, taken off line, and moved to shore for repair. Shell and tube heat exchangers are made of coiled tubes and can become fouled with carbon deposits. The traditional methods for clearing the blockage include bypassing the fouled unit, cutting off bends and cleaning the tubes, then re-welding the U-bends, and complete unit replacement.

The old methods are becoming more outmoded due to advancements in technology. It is inefficient to bypass the unit. Just as it would be less efficient to run your car with 2 cylinders not firing. This inefficiency, of course, also increases operational costs. It is time consuming and costly to cut the U-bends and re-weld them. Sometimes it can be difficult or impossible to get access to reattach them.

Some of these new methods include the ability to clean areas with limited access, and clear deposits from U-bends without ever removing them. This can sometimes be done without even taking the unit offline, and usually takes less time and results in a higher degree of defouling. In fact, many units can be restored to near-factory efficiency. For big refineries, petro-chemical plants, or power plants, this can amount to six figure savings.

The U-bends themselves also retain many deposits, and continue to be a bottleneck to the system. Full replacement carries the cost of completely replacing equipment that, other than the heat exchanger tube fouling, is still in working order. This method also requires the unit be taken offline for the full duration of replacement. obviously this carries a heavy expense and serious loss of production.

Traditional heat exchanger cleaning methods and heat exchanger cleaning equipment have changed very little over the last few decades. Pressure jetting is still the primary means used by many companies, but it is slow, inefficient, and ultimately very costly. Additionally, many companies are skeptical of newer methods, falling back on the "that's the way it's always been done," chain of logic. They are also weary of trying new techniques that are not as "proven" to be effective. Finally, many have long term tube cleaning contracts that do not allow for a change in heat exchanger cleaning technique, unless the contractor were to adopt the new methods.

Newer heat exchanger cleaning equipment and techniques are more technologically advanced, and by extension, require a higher skilled laborer than old style pressure jetting. These new developments include the ability to clean tight radius bends, clean units while keeping them in place, and even while keeping them online. It has also resulted in faster, more efficient cleaning. Many tube bundles can now be cleaned more effectively than with pressure jetting, and jobs that used to take days may now take only a few hours. Difficult to access units are now accessible with these new technologies.

Some of the technology that has been developed includes special nozzles that can be used on tight bends, laser cleaning, and new "smart" metals that respond to changes in density and pressure to prevent damage to the tubes. With these methods, jobs can be finished with less downtime, because cleaning and descaling can be done more quickly. Equipment is also less likely to be damaged in the process. Many of these new processes are safer, create less waste, use no chemicals, and have a significantly reduced environmental impact.

Alex Parry writes about heat exchanger safety at his heat exchanger cleaning equipment site

Heat Exchanger Tubes Cleaning Basics

Clean your heat exchanger tube is a job everyone can do if they know how to do it. If you are a handy type of person, then you should have no problems with this task.
There are several methods for cleaning the heat exchanger tubes. Here are some of them; one of them is the use of chemicals for cleaning. Another is the use of water with high pressure in the system. The final method is to use mechanical cleaning with brushes of balls scrapers and abrasives. These are the best ways to clean the tubes.

Regular cleaning of the heat exchanger tubes should be the life of the whole unit. It helps to work at the heat exchanger maximum efficiency.

Many people use heat exchangers for heating swimming pools in nowadays. With the ability to clean by its own, heat exchanger tubes would be a good way to save money and your operating system.

It would be helpful to the clean the tubes of the heat exchanger every few months. At least check to see if they need to be cleaned. If they do not need to be cleaned, make sure that they are thoroughly cleaned twice a year.

To properly clean the heat exchanger tubes, they must be removed from the system. Remove all in bulk, near the ends of the pipes and inside of them. Use a brush and press down to the tubes as cleaning begins. The brush should be good strong nylon bristles. This help to resolve and remove all the material such as scale and debris in the tubes.

During the brushing process you will find material adhered to the wall of the heat exchanger tube. A plastic of metal scraper, will help eliminate, those unwanted thing stuck to the tube wall. Be careful not to damage the tube. Don’t use anything that is harder than the tube.

Try not to scratch the wall of the heat exchanger tubes in which the tube could not work. This will scratch the tube internally. This means, a plastic scraper is a good tool to be used.

As a final step, of cleaning the heat exchanger tubes, you can use jets to force out all loosen particles, which have been missed with the previous methods. If you have deposits of calcium in the tubes then you need chemicals to eliminate them.
Now you have the basics for cleaning your exchanger tubes. Collect as much information as possible before you do this work.

Chemical Cleaning - Methods and Applications

Chemical cleaning is a method relevant in freeing walls and surfaces of various equipment, heat exchangers, pipelines, vessels and kettles from unwanted residues and bacterial contaminants. It is also essential in water purification, treatment, disinfection and conditioning. With varying methods to its name, several industries benefit from the procedure.

The most important facets of chemical cleaning gear on providing environment-friendly alternatives to consumers. No matter where it is applied, the aim is to primarily free the surface from contaminants. Below are the different methods listed under this cleaning process.

Chlorine dioxide method

Biofilms and legionella are two of the most common microbes that reside in water. Biofilms are residences or havens for organisms that contaminate products in water solutions. Legionnaires disease is caused by legionella or a Gram negative bacterium.

With the aid of chlorine dioxide, the biofilm or legionella may be removed from the water system. It is a favored technique because it has the capacity to prevent future formation of contaminants plus it can also be used in both hot and cold water systems. Chlorine is proven to have a safer solubility in water and has the capability to destroy THM precursors. It also increases coagulation while it destroys phenols. It is not hazardous to health and does not have any distinct smell.

Ultraviolet radiation

Another proven chemical cleaning process for water disinfection is the ultraviolet or UV radiation. Aside from water, it may also disinfect air and solid surfaces contaminated by microbes. Its capacity to disinfect was reported since biology and light waves were introduced in the fields of science research.

Ultraviolet radiation has several advantages. It is considered safe because there is no need to monitor any dangerous chemicals thus the results of disinfection are quickly attained. Any household or business establishment does not need to spend a lot since the initial system and operating costs are very minimal. It does not change the taste and smell of water as well plus they are easily installed and maintained.

Ozone purification

Ozone is one molecule that contains three atoms of oxygen and is naturally produced by a series of chemical reactions. It may come from the ultraviolet rays of the sun as well as from waterfalls and thunderstorms. It is also a chemical cleaning process used in wide areas of water treatment and purification. It is used in potable water treatments and in the broader municipal wastewater sites. It is also being widely recognized in several industries.

Visit the US-European Industrial Directory and Portal (ForeignTRADEX.com) to find and compare Europe's leading manufacturers, exporters and suppliers of Industrial Machinery, equipment and other products for the industrial marketplace such as chemical cleaning as well as other goods and services.

Cutting Edge Cleaning

A five day shut down had been planned at an oil refinery to accommodate traditional pressure jetting and chemical cleaning methods to clean four crude train heat exchangers. Tube Tech challenged this route using an alternative innovative method to overcome the main disadvantages: Difficult to clean with lengthy downtime leading to expensive lost production.

The company was able to clean each bundle in a few hours without chemicals or high pressure water jetting, while the other three exchangers were kept running to maintain continuity of production, effectively ‘flat lining’ the production output. The cleaning procedure delivered a substantial Kj/C-hr improvement on just one bundle compared to all four bundles previously cleaned with either of the traditional procedures.
Cleaning technology

There has been little change over the decades in the methods and equipment used to clean and de-scale heat exchangers and pipelines. The low-tech approach of high pressure water jetting has kept it as a low skilled job with largely unimpressive and variable results.

Despite being armed with demonstrable evidence of being able to achieve better results than traditional methods, the company has faced an up hill struggle to get its innovative techniques widely accepted. It has not been easy persuading potential clients to consider trialling new techniques designed to improve substantially on traditional water jetting methods.

There has even been outright skepticism that Tube Tech’s claims can be substantiated. Persistence and determination were needed to change the industry mind set regarding the effectiveness of current cleaning methods. Long-term maintenance contracts can also act as a barrier to an investigation of the company’s advances.

The historical reliance on low tech, low skill water jetting for pipe cleaning has meant that clients have accepted that this is the best that can be achieved. This meant that there was often no quantifiable data against which Tube Tech’s improved results could be measured.

Setting out to devise a more scientific approach to the whole cleaning and de-scaling process,

The company has created more than 40 innovative techniques. This has led to several ‘firsts’ in heat exchanger and pipeline cleaning processes. These developments include:

• The ability to clean exchangers in-situ where previously they were pulled.

• The ability to clean and unblock hairpin bends.

• Speed cleaning difficult bundles in hours instead of days.

• Online cleaning of difficult heat exchangers.

The introduction of more sophisticated technology enables the cleaning and de-scaling to be carried out faster so there is considerably less downtime, and potential mechanical damage to equipment is eliminated. Less waste, dry processes and the elimination of chemicals provides a safer and more environmentally acceptable process.

The company has also taken traditional pigging methods and tailored them to achieve much better results. Operating in a tube and pipe environment from 2mm to upwards of 1m, equipment is modified to suit the consistency of deposit and pipe configuration. A wider variety of deposits can be removed by an innovative drift system loaded into large diameter pipes through a very small aperture which then expands to suit the diameter. It also has the ability to return back down the same line without creating an expensive loop system.

Aluminum tubes

The scale which builds up in aluminum furfural exchangers is notorious for being highly tenacious. The accepted wisdom has been that due to their delicate nature, aluminum hairpin heat exchangers can only be cleaned using 200bar (3625 psi) bar water pressure.

This low-pressure approach only removes 20% of blockages and scale with the additional problem that it tends to compact coke deposits on the U bends rather than remove them. Working with clients sample tubes, Tube Tech’s research and development team devised a combined mechanical and water jet system which used 2500 bar ( 40,000psi) to remove coke deposits and improve overall cleanliness to 90%.

The three-stage process included a sensitive mechanical hairpin-cleaning device coupled with exceptionally low volumes of water. First, each tube was cleaned using the Softdrill™ lance made from ‘intelligent’ metals to prevent damage to the tube wall. These soften on entering the U-tube and stiffen on extraction, while an oscillating motion drills the blockage using a mixture of water and an occasional infusion of food grade media at 12 * the pressure and four times the speed of the conventional approach. Finally, a micro turbine rotating under controlled hydraulic pressure was guided through each tube.

Not only were the results substantially improved but also cleaning was carried out in-situ, reducing downtime by 200% and avoiding possible handling damage, the cost of cranage and bundle pulling equipment.

A U-bend first

The inability of traditional water jetting to remove hard coke and oily sludge in the U bends in heat exchangers in crude oil distillation complex has produced a 70% cleaning standard.

After analyzing the nature and composition of the deposit and its dimensions, the Tube Tech approach was used. The result was:

• 99% of contamination removed.

• Hairpins cleaned for the first time ever.

• Heat exchangers returned to virtually as new condition.

• Cleaning operation completed in three times faster than the standard pressure jetting times, down from six to two days.

• Greatly improved throughput.
In-situ cleaning

Solving problems related to specific equipment often enables the company to further improve on its initial performance. The cleaning process for an important tube bundle In a catalytic cracker was initially reduced from nine days to six but this first experience subsequently lowered the barriers further. A smaller sister unit was subsequently cleaning in three hours instead of three days.

For the first time the operation was carried out in-situ, using a new turbine method, incorporating a low-pressure water jetting system avoiding the cost and effort of removing 10t of exchanger gaskets, scaffolding or cranes. In-situ cleaning lengthens the life of the bundles, which deteriorate through damage caused when they are removed for cleaning.

Mike Watson, Managing and Technical Director

Run by its founder and inventive visionary Mike Watson the company is supported by a wealth of hand selected department managers. With many years experience in developing engineered solutions to complex problems in industry, Mike’s belief is that convention should always be challenged in order to find a better way to achieve improved results. This “never say never” approach, led to him founding Tube Tech in the 1980s. Today, the company cleans the toughest cleaning projects the world can throw at it. Mike often says “If people say it can’t be done, its like a red rag to a bull to me. I will always find a solution”. Mike continues to invest in new technology development, leading the world in new cleaning methodology.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Watson

How Often You Should Clean Your Ducts

Researchers are learning more about the quality of indoor air. They are discovering that air in our homes can often be filled with dust and pollutants. As more people learn that indoor air pollution is a health issue of growing concern, they are looking for ways to keep their air clean. One method of improving air quality is cleaning air ducts.

Duct cleaning consists of cleaning various heating and cooling system components of forced air systems such as air ducts and registers, grills and diffusers, heat exchangers, heating and cooling coils, drip pans, fan motor, and the air handling unit.

Air ducts are susceptible to the following hazards:

- Ducts can be infested with vermin such as rodents and insects. Contaminants from their droppings can be blown through the ducts into a home where they may be inhaled.
- When there is moisture, bacteria and fungi can grow in air ducts where microorganisms and spors can blow through the home.
- Dust, dirt, and oil particles can build up in the ducts and be sent through the home.

You should have your ducts cleaned for the following situations:

- If you have a problem with moisture in your ducts. If the conditions causing the mold growth in the first place are not corrected, mold growth will recur.
- If you are moving into a newly constructed house. There may be construction debris in the ducts such as drywall dust, fiberglass pieces, and sawdust.
- If you are having trouble with furnace airflow.
- If there is an accumulation of debris in the air registers. Pet dander can often build up in the registers.
- If you or a family member are sneezing a lot or you see particles blowing though your vents, it is time to get your ducts cleaned.
- If you place your hand over a duct vent and the air flow is not very strong. Cleaning the ducts may restore proper airflow.
- If you detect an odour coming from the vents when the air is turned on

By having your ducts cleaned, you will improve air quality and reduce the amount of pollen, allergens, mold, and fungi from infecting the air. Not only will air quality be improved, but family member who suffer from asthma will breathe better. People with asthma are extremely sensitive to dust and allergens in the air. Clean air ducts will reduce the chances of family members developing allergies. It will be a much healthier environment for children and pets. Duct cleaning will also reduce energy costs and make it easier to keep the house clean.

It is recommended that you have your ducts cleaned every two years. The best time to get your ducts cleaned is in the late summer or early fall. If you have family members that are afflicted with breathing problems, you may want to have your ducts cleaned every year. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that people have their air ducts cleaned.

If you decide to have your ducts cleaned, it important to make sure you have a qualified service provider who cleans all of the components. If your ducts are not properly cleaned, there is an increased chance of recontamination. Service providers will use specialized tools to remove dirt and debris in ducts. They will then vacuum the ducts with a high-powered vacuum cleaner. Many companies are promoting their products and services as a means to improving the quality of your indoor air.

Preventing moisture, debris, and dirt from accumulating in your ducts is the best way to reduce the number of indoor air pollutants. By maintaining good quality air, you, your family, and pets will be healthier and breathe much easier.

Keeping your air ducts clean allows for a cleaner, healthier environment in residential and commercial structures. For quality air duct equipment and insulation blowing equipment, consider Heat Seal Equipment Ltd.

Keeping Cooling Towers and Heat Exchangers Clean

Filtration Systems Can Reduce Maintenance and Downtime.

To strike an interesting analogy, your cooling tower and heat exchanger is what the lungs and heart are to the human body; when either aren't working properly, it effects other parts of the body and your health suffers. Similarly, when your cooling tower and heat exchanger isn't clean, the heat exchange process doesn't work efficiently and the health of your production and process cooling system suffers.

Process cooling systems that rely on cooling towers to dissipate heat from process cooling water accomplish this by drawing massive volumes of air into the cooling tower as the water travels through the fill material on its way back to the basin. Through the natural evaporative process, heat is dissipated from the water before it reaches the water basin from which it is re-circulated through the chiller then through the heat exchanger and back again (kind of like when you sweat while working and letting the air evaporate the perspiration to cool you down). It is important to realize that cooling towers are gigantic air scrubbers that capture all airborne debris that happen to be floating nearby, and if your system doesn't have effective filtration, the debris can clog the fill and get circulated and trapped in the heat exchanger where it can build-up, restrict water flow and cause your process equipment to malfunction due to overheating.

An example of this is illustrated by a major automotive assembly facility that had faced periodic downtime due to their robotic welding systems not holding tolerances and causing quality problems. After the robotic technicians spent several days trying to initially solve the problem, one of the maintenance workers opened the heat exchanger and discovered that it was impacted with cottonwood seed, insects and other debris - flow had been reduced and the robotic equipment was running hot. Now you might be asking yourself, whey didn't they have some sort of filtration equipment? The answer is simple; at the time the facility was built, the ambient conditions in that area didn't require a filtration system. However, as the years went by and the area became more developed and cottonwood tree populations grew, the need eventually surfaced.

The interesting thing to note about this situation is that even though cleaning the heat exchanger got the robotic welding system back on-line and running at peak performance, it didn't solve the problem. In fact, cleaning heat exchangers is like taking a cold capsule to relieve the symptoms of a cold. Unless you treat the root cause of the problem, the cooling system will suffer time and again. The root cause in this case and in most heat exchanger fouling situations is the cooling tower - stop the debris from getting into the cooling tower and it will protect the entire process cooling system including fill, cooling water, chiller and heat exchanger. With the proper filtration technology, your process cooling system will stay clean and running efficiently all season long.

Selecting The Right Filtration System

It is important to realize that optimizing the ecology and operational efficiency of your evaporative cooling system is best accomplished by combining a chemical treatment regimen with some type of filtration. The reason is that chemical treatment specifically targets suspended solids and particulates of 40 microns and below, while filtration systems are designed to stop larger debris, especially the kind that causes system clogging and fouling.

For cooling tower filtration, there are two general technologies: Water Based Systems for which there are a few different variations and Air Intake Filtration Systems. With water-based systems, the choices include basic water strainers that remove debris by simply passing water through a mesh strainer; sand filtration systems that remove debris by passing the water through sand and centrifugal separators that spin the water and remove the debris through centrifugal action. In contrast, Air Intake Filter Systems remove the debris by filtering the air as it is being drawn into the cooling tower, keeping the debris out of the system in the first place. When considering your filtration options, the following questions should be asked.

• What is the cost associated with downtime due to heat exchanger or cooling tower fouling or clogging? (Knowing this will help you justify your filtration system cost)
• What type of debris is most problematic (can you see it or is it microscopic)?
• Specifically what part of the system does the filter protect?
• Which system provides the greatest filtration surface area (this can directly impact frequency of cleaning - the smaller the filter the more frequently it needs cleaning)
• Can the system be installed without shutting down the cooling tower? (If the cooling tower must be shut down for installation, you need to factor lost productivity into the cost of your filtration system if it's not being installed during shutdown periods.)
• What is the cost associated with both the filter and installation?
• How easy is the system to install and maintain?

Answering the above questions will help you to fully understand your options and to make the best choice for your operation.

In the case of the automotive manufacturer, the solution they selected was the Air Intake Filter system. The reason was that they needed a system that would protect their entire process cooling system including fill material, cooling water, chiller and heat exchanger. When they evaluated water-based systems, they discovered that the options provided varying degrees of protection for the chiller and heat exchanger but didn't protect the cooling tower where the root of their problem was. If they had selected a water-based system, their cooling tower would have still drawn airborne debris into both the fill and water where the water filter would have captured the debris before it circulated throughout the system. From a maintenance standpoint, that would have solved the heat exchanger problem but it would have done little to reduce maintenance on the cooling tower. Further, when they compared the cost of water based filtration versus air intake filtration technologies, Air Intake Filtration was found to be the more cost effective approach for their operation.

If you are not currently using a filtration system as part of your process cooling system, then any filtration technology will give you more protection than you have now, however, selecting a solution best suited to your operation requires that you know what kind of debris is the problem and where it is getting into the system. As a rule of thumb, " don't select a small debris solution to solve a large debris problem". Conversely, "don't select a large debris solution to solve a small debris problem". There is clearly a place for both water based filtration and air intake filtration - be sure you're selecting the right filtration for your specific need.

If you are looking to protect only your chiller and heat exchanger from airborne debris, then one of the water-based filtration technologies in combination with a good water treatment program can help you manage the debris that gets into the cooling water. If on the other hand, you're looking for full process cooling system protection, then you should look at Air Intake Filtration - It will stop the debris from getting into your system in the first place.

Air Solution Company developed and patented the first Air Intake Filter specifically engineered to mount to the outside of cooling towers and other HVAC equipment for purposes of stopping the debris before it entered into the system. Since that time, Air Solution Company has been manufacturing and has introduced a variety of other innovative filter systems including its new Fine Mesh Filter which is engineered for use on small and medium size refrigeration coils and machine fan intake housing units. Air Solution Company Randy Simmons is with Air Solution Company, author of articles can be reached at http://www.airsolutioncompany.com

The Basics of Exchanger Tube Cleaning

Tube cleaning is not a particularly popular subject. However, there are people who are looking for this type of specific information. Let us begin with some basics of this process. In order for heat exchangers to function, properly all of the tubes must be clean and free of any debris. This is why it is very important to keep the tubes clean at all times.

If any formation of debris or algae growth forms then the flow of any coolant and heat exchange through the tubes will be reduced. If tube cleaning is not done on a regular basis then it could lead to over heating and failure in the engines or in the plant itself. Simply put, it would be costly!

Now what causes the tubes to become dirty? One of the leading causes is dirty water and algae growth. You just cannot ignore your heat exchanger tubes. In order to avoid any issues with the tubes, it is essential that qualified individuals perform regular inspection of your heat exchangers. Preventive maintenance is better than un-planned shutdowns.

One particular type of cleaning unit follows these basic steps. The heat exchanger tubing cleaning consists of flushing water through the shaft to help remove any deposits inside the tube. A forward direction foot switch allows the operator to focus on the cleaning. It features large wheels for easy mobility. The amount of water used in the process can be controlled as well.

An electric tube cleaning device is environmentally friendly. In addition, they are compact and are easily movable. They have the ability to clean either a straight or a curved tube. A cleaning tool is attached to a flexible shaft and then inserted into the tube to be cleaned. This cleaning tool uses a rotary motion to clean the insides of the tube. Water is also passed through the shaft to help with the cleaning and flushing out of debris.

For more information on tube cleaning please, visit my website today!

Your guide to everything you have ever wanted to know about exchanger tube cleaning and water chillers. We also provide information on various types and brands of heat exchangers. Visit our site today! http://www.theheatexchangers.com
ByM. Applebaum

Annual Furnace Maintenance - A Homeowner's Guide

Most heating contractors, and furnace manufacturers will recommend that you have your furnace checked by a qualified HVAC technician every year, prior to needing to turn on the heat for the season. A reputable and qualified HVAC technician will have the experience and knowledge to know the operating specs or your heating equipment. He/she will also know the check the things that you will not know.

However, there are things you can do yourself, to catch problems before they become more dangerous or costly. This article contains some things that an average homeowner can do to help properly maintain a heating system. If you have a propane or natural gas furnace, you must exercise extreme caution.

Shut off the gas and power supplies before proceeding! Do not do anything to your furnace with the gas or power on. Only qualified HVAC technicians should ever test your heating system while it is running.

The most obvious thing that a homeowner can do to maintain a heating system is to replace the furnace filter. It recommended that you use a high quality pleated style filter. In some cases, you will need to find a compatible equivalent to your existing furnace filter. Furnace filters should be checked monthly. Depending on your local air quality, and the type of filter, some higher end furnace filters may last significantly longer.

One of the most common reasons people will call a technician complaining of having no heat is that they have a blockage in the drain system. All high efficiency furnaces have a drain hose and drain trap of some sort. Bacteria can grow into a slimy formation that restricts condensation flow through the drain system. You can pour household bleach into the drain lines to kill this bacteria.

Outside the house, check the furnace intake pipes and exhaust pipes to be certain that trees and shrubs are not growing into them. Remove the intake and exhaust pipe and check to see if there are any leaves or other obstructions in them. This is another major problem people have with their heating systems.

Check if any wire connections are loose or shorted. Test the plug harness connections to make sure that they are not loose. The blower compartments and burners can be vacuumed to prevent contamination of the blower motor and burners. If your blower motor requires oiling, you may need to call a qualified service technician. The blower assembly will most likely need to be removed in order to oil it on both sides.

It's recommended to have a service technician clean the burners and inspect the heat exchanger. The technician should also clean the flame sensor. People will often break the igniter thinking that it is the flame sensor. Have the technician check pressure switches, limit controls, and other safeties.

Although these steps may not seem like there is that much you can really do yourself, you should ask the service technician as many questions about your system as you can. Being informed about your heating system can be very helpful in diagnosing or even preventing a problem. Down the line, it will save you money.

Find out more about heat exchanger maintenance at my heat exchanger cleaning equipment site.

Heat Exchanger Safety - A Maintained Furnace is a Safe Furnace

Heat exchangers are pieces of equipment that are used for the transfer of heat from one fluid to another. When a heat exchanger goes bad, chances are, important things stop working. When your automobile engine is overheating, it's likely that the heat exchanger is the problem. You probably call it a radiator, but it's one type of heat exchanger. In your radiator, antifreeze cools air that flows past it. This air is then blown by a fan onto the engine to keep it cool. If the radiator doesn't work properly, you won't be driving very far until the situation is fixed.

Your home heating system also has a heat exchanger. In fact, nearly every piece of mechanical equipment that has a need to intentionally heat or cool part of a system does. Inside your furnace there is a combustion chamber. There is a metal wall that separates the internal combustion from the air that flows past the heat exchanger and on through the ductwork to heat your home. You need this separation because you don't want the toxic gases inside mixing with the air that is distributed throughout your home. In the previous example, a faulty heat exchanger could lead to a broken down automobile, but in your home you could be gambling with your life.

Carbon Monoxide can be present in the combustion gases. It's supposed to be contained inside, but as time goes on, it becomes possible for the heat exchanger in your furnace to crack or warp. Each time your furnace turns on, the metal wall heats up and expands. During the off cycles, the metal of the heat exchanger cools and contracts. Over time this repeated process of expansion and contraction of the metal takes it's toll. The metal can become fatigued, and eventually warp out of shape, or just plain break.

As I noted before, these metal walls were designed to keep the toxic combustion gases inside the heat exchanger chamber. Guess what happens if there is a crack? That's right, the toxic gases inside can mix with the forced air that is being blown through the ductwork and into your home. Having a reliable Carbon Monoxide detector is an inexpensive measure to protect yourself and your family from the danger of Carbon Monoxide poisoning, but you can also take some proactive measures to protect against any potential danger.

Give your furnace an annual checkup, just before the heating season, to check the condition of the burners, the heat exchanger, the furnace filter, and other components that can affect the performance of your furnace. I recommend have a certified HVAC specialist do this. Only a certified specialist will have the knowledge and experience needed to know exactly what to look for, and where to look for it, as well as knowing what the operating specifications for your unit should be.

If your furnace is over 10 years old, it is even more important to keep that annual checkup. This is the time period where the years of wear and tear on your heat exchanger make a failure of the heat exchanger wall significantly more likely. Keeping your furnace in good health can also help keep you and your family in good health.

Find out more about heat exchanger safety at my heat exchanger cleaning equipment site.

How to Clean Your Pellet Stove

Most of the time wood pellet stoves will run better and more efficient when they are clean. The air inside can move around better and this will allow the appropriate combustion in the firebox. You can clean your pellet stove yourself and it will not take much time or work at all. You will have to have a few simple tools in order to get a better clean and have an easier time as well.

A few things that you will need to clean your pellet stove are a paintbrush, paper towels, cloths, shop vac and the scraping rod that usually comes along with your stove. When you place a new bag of pellets into the hopper of the stove, it is a good idea to clean the heat exchanger. When you are cleaning this it will allow the heat to move from the firebox to your area a lot easier. It is best to use a good quality pellet to avoid cleaning more often.

When you shut your pellet stove off, you can then use the paintbrush to clean the dust that the stove produces. You can use any other type of duster or brush for this job too. The brush will have the ability to get into the small cracks and spaces that the dust can fall into. You will then be able to vacuum the ash out of the collection pan easily.

Doing simple cleaning each month will make it easier to do a thorough cleaning every few months or so. You can use your brush or shop vac to clean the tough to see areas that are going to need cleaned. Each year you should get a professional furnace cleaner check your gaskets and motors to make sure that they are running freely. They will be able to get into the tough areas and see if there is anything that looks like it needs replaced or fixed. Also have the firepot cleaned well wand test your battery back up system if you have one equipped on your pellet stove.

When it is time to shut your pellet stove off for the summer, you should take out all of the pellets from the hopper. Pellets that are left inside over the summer may accumulate moisture and not need feed properly when you turn your stove back on in the fall. You will have to unplug your stove to protect in if there are any lightning strikes or even a power surge can harm your stove.

You should also check your owner’s manual to see if there are any other recommended cleaning and safety tips to follow. It is always smart to use caution and common sense when you are using a pellet stove. When you follow the rules and the instructions, you will see that this is a great way to heat your home.

Copyright 2006 - Ivar Rudi. Ivar suggests you find great market for less by shopping online today. For more information and resources about this subject check out: http://www.pellet-stoves.org/ and also http://www.wood-pellet-stoves.com/ and http://www.woodburning-stoves.org/

Heat Exchanger Safety - A Maintained Furnace is a Safe Furnace

Heat exchangers are pieces of equipment that are used for the transfer of heat from one fluid to another. When a heat exchanger goes bad, chances are, important things stop working. When your automobile engine is overheating, it's likely that the heat exchanger is the problem. You probably call it a radiator, but it's one type of heat exchanger. In your radiator, antifreeze cools air that flows past it. This air is then blown by a fan onto the engine to keep it cool. If the radiator doesn't work properly, you won't be driving very far until the situation is fixed.

Your home heating system also has a heat exchanger. In fact, nearly every piece of mechanical equipment that has a need to intentionally heat or cool part of a system does. Inside your furnace there is a combustion chamber. There is a metal wall that separates the internal combustion from the air that flows past the heat exchanger and on through the ductwork to heat your home. You need this separation because you don't want the toxic gases inside mixing with the air that is distributed throughout your home. In the previous example, a faulty heat exchanger could lead to a broken down automobile, but in your home you could be gambling with your life.

Carbon Monoxide can be present in the combustion gases. It's supposed to be contained inside, but as time goes on, it becomes possible for the heat exchanger in your furnace to crack or warp. Each time your furnace turns on, the metal wall heats up and expands. During the off cycles, the metal of the heat exchanger cools and contracts. Over time this repeated process of expansion and contraction of the metal takes it's toll. The metal can become fatigued, and eventually warp out of shape, or just plain break.

As I noted before, these metal walls were designed to keep the toxic combustion gases inside the heat exchanger chamber. Guess what happens if there is a crack? That's right, the toxic gases inside can mix with the forced air that is being blown through the ductwork and into your home. Having a reliable Carbon Monoxide detector is an inexpensive measure to protect yourself and your family from the danger of Carbon Monoxide poisoning, but you can also take some proactive measures to protect against any potential danger.

Give your furnace an annual checkup, just before the heating season, to check the condition of the burners, the heat exchanger, the furnace filter, and other components that can affect the performance of your furnace. I recommend have a certified HVAC specialist do this. Only a certified specialist will have the knowledge and experience needed to know exactly what to look for, and where to look for it, as well as knowing what the operating specifications for your unit should be.

If your furnace is over 10 years old, it is even more important to keep that annual checkup. This is the time period where the years of wear and tear on your heat exchanger make a failure of the heat exchanger wall significantly more likely. Keeping your furnace in good health can also help keep you and your family in good health.

Find out more about heat exchanger safety at my heat exchanger cleaning equipment site.