Does Your Boiler Water Reflect a Spike in Iron Levels?
September 9, 2021
Did you get a surge in iron levels when you started up your boiler recently? This is an important question to ask because it can be a sign of potentially serious problems that may be easier to solve than you think!
Boiler startup—whether for the fall and winter heating season or simply for the launch of heat/steam dependent manufacturing processes—is a critical time when the influx of fresh makeup water (often unheated and not yet treated with the normal operating chemical program) can cause oxygen pitting. This is reflected by a spike of iron levels in the water. Not only does the surge in iron indicate metal loss from corrosion that could lead to leakage or clogging; the extra iron could also react with standard water treatment chemicals and undermine the effectiveness of the operational treatment program once underway.
The easiest way to circumvent these problems is by adding a Boiler Egg™
to the bottom of the steam drum, condensate return tank, deaerator, or feedwater tank at the beginning of layup. The Boiler Egg™ comes in an
easy-to-handle water-soluble pouch that is readily dissolved upon water contact, releasing the active ingredients as the boiler is being filled. These
chemistries work to scavenge oxygen and passivate metal to minimize the threat of oxygen pitting during the critical startup phase. In addition to
its ease and effectiveness of use, the Boiler Egg™ is also non-hazardous by OSHA Standard (OSHA 29 CFT 1910.1200), presenting an extremely user friendly profile.
If this fall has you groaning with the pain of a spike in boiler water iron levels, do not despair. Take it as an encouraging reminder that next year’s
startup can be better with something as simple as Boiler Egg™ application next time layup season rolls around. Learn more about the Boiler Egg™ here: https://www.cortecwatertreatment.com/product/boiler-egg/.
(For a comprehensive layup/startup kit, consider using the Boiler Lizard® Plus: https://www.cortecwatertreatment.com/product/boiler-lizard-plus/.)
Keywords: boilers, water treatment, seasonal layup of boilers, oxygen pitting, high iron levels in feedwater, oxygen scavengers, seasonal water system startup/shutdown protocol, boiler layup corrosion inhibitor, boiler corrosion, how to prevent boiler corrosion, cause of boiler corrosion
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