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Advantages of Renting a Mobile Boiler Room

Temporary steam will be necessary at some point in the lifetime of a boiler, so boiler owners should be prepared and know what rental boiler options are out there. Let’s review one of the most convenient rental boiler types available on the market today: The Mobile Boiler Room.

Mobile Boiler Rooms come in a wide range of sizes, typically ranging from 50 to 1,000 hp with design pressures of up to 290 psig. They are completely pre-piped and wired and incorporate all necessary auxiliary equipment for a functioning mobile steam plant. This typically includes a feedwater system, duplex water softener, chemical feed system, blowdown separator, and motor control center. Some units are dual-fuel fired, while others are natural gas only to achieve ultra-low NOx emissions compliance. In addition, Nationwide Boiler maintains multiple units that are pre-permitted for use in the SCAQMD to help simplify the air permitting process for our customers.

Mobile Boiler Rooms are often utilized in heavy commercial and industrial applications for added capacity or for supplemental steam. Some of the main advantages to this type of system include:

   - A Mobile Boiler Room is permanently mounted to a highway-legal trailer, so there is no time lost locating a suitable trailer
     for transportation.
   - Being permanently mounted to a trailer also avoids the need for cranes for loading and un-loading, saving both time and money.
   - Mobile Boiler Rooms are completely enclosed and fully weatherproof – no need for temporary enclosures.
   - No expensive and time-consuming foundations are necessary. Only a reasonably level surface is required.
   - All the necessary auxiliary equipment is included, pre-piped and wired. This saves valuable field time and expense.
   - Customers only connect the steam, fuel, water, and electricity drains, everything else is assembled and ready to go.

A Mobile Boiler Room is the closest you can get to a “plug-and-play” rental boiler system. They provide a packaged temporary steam plant that can be up and running in hours if an emergency need arises.  In fact, units have been installed and operational in just eight hours after arrival.

Visit our website to see all rental boilers available from Nationwide Boiler and give us a call today to assist with your next planned or unplanned temporary steam project.

The Cost of Renting a Boiler

The rental boiler industry is unique and operates nowhere near the e-commerce business model; you may find it near impossible to find and compare pricing online. With that said, how can a user understand the potential cost of renting a boiler in the preliminary stages of their project, before they are ready to start reaching out and gathering information and pricing from vendors?

To get you started on the journey, these six major costs categories should be considered when looking at renting a boiler.

Equipment. Your process, as well as the steam capacity requirement, will often dictate which type of boiler is best fit for your operation. A watertube boiler, often best for larger capacity needs, will run at a higher cost than a firetube. If additional equipment is required like a deaerating boiler feedwater system, water softener, or SCR system for reduced emissions, additional costs will be realized.

You can save on costs if you are able to connect to existing auxiliaries, however, that is not always an option. A mobile boiler room, which includes a firetube boiler installed with a feedwater system, water softener, and blowdown separator, is a convenient option for customers needing an entire steam plant. Because it is a complete, pre-piped and wired system, the cost would be higher than that of a boiler-only option.

Freight. Often coordinated and re-billed by the rental boiler supplier, this will be a separate cost billed after each time the equipment moves (from the storage facility to your site, and then back to the storage facility). Costs will vary based on number of shipments required and how far the boiler must travel. Some companies, like Nationwide Boiler, have multiple maintenance yards to help facilitate quick and lower-cost shipments.
 
Installation. This is a piece of the process that is typically coordinated by the end-user and with a third-party supplier. Installation costs can vary greatly depending on the size of a project. The cost to install a mobile boiler room for a temporary project, as close as you can get to a “plug and play” system, would likely be much lower than the cost to install a large watertube boiler. Watertube boilers are more commonly installed in industrial applications along with economizers, SCR systems, and ductwork – heavy equipment that requires forklifts and/or cranes for installation.
 
Start-up. Most often, your rental boiler vendor will supply a technician for start-up with costs billed on a time and material basis. It’s important to ensure that the equipment is completely ready for start-up with all utilities piped and available, to reduce extra time costs. You will also want to consider any time required for site-specific safety training.
 
Utilities. Obviously, the utilities are the responsibility of the end-user, however, it is an expense that should not be overlooked. You will incur costs associated with the fuel, water, and electricity required to produce steam. Rental economizers and blowdown heat recovery systems can be utilized to help reduce these costs.
 
Water Treatment. This is an extremely important part of maintaining a rental boiler, and if not done properly can lead to extreme costs for equipment repairs. The cost of contracting with a water treatment supplier will be much less than what it would be to replace or repair damaged rental boiler equipment.
 

Ultimately, reaching out to your supplier of choice and obtaining a detailed proposal will be the best way to understand all costs involved with renting a temporary steam plant. Call or email your trusted Nationwide Boiler sales representative for a detailed cost proposal at 800-227-1966 or info@nationwideboiler.com.

Ramping Up Our Stock Boiler Program

At Nationwide Boiler, we are known for our relationship with B&W as a partner and stocking distributor. The FM-120-124 B&W D-Type Package Watertube Boiler, also known as our “World Boiler”, is always in stock and has been sold to six of the seven continents in the world. In recent years, we have ramped up our stock boiler program to also include new Superior firetube boilers in a variety of configurations.

To start off, we added two specialized, factory integrated packages. These 47.5 hp and 119 hp skid-mounted package boilers are pre-piped and wired and include a duplex feedwater system and blowdown separator with after-cooler. The 47.5 hp boilers are pre-certified for use in the most stringent California air districts, while the 119 hp packages are PEER compatible for both the SCAQMD and SJVAPCD jurisdictions. Our 475 hp, 150 psi design Superior skid-mounted firetube boiler, equipped with a Webster 7ppm NOx burner, is also ideal for customers in the most stringent areas of California. All three of these systems are currently available from our shop in Fremont, CA. 

To round out our stock inventory of pacakge firetube boilers, we now have the following brand new Superior boilers available for quick ship and immediate needs: 

These stock boilers are pre-built with the burner left purposely un-mounted to allow for greater flexibility in matching the unique fuel, emissions, and combustion needs of each customer. The burner can be quickly mounted prior to delivery or installed at the site, based on customer preference. The boilers are designed for indoor and outdoor applications, with most currently being stored at the manufacturing facility in Hutchison, KS. All units are now available for immediate shipment upon customer request.

We also have our very first, zero emissions electric boiler now available for rent or for sale. This boiler, built to provide 50 hp steam at a design pressure of 150 psig, is another one of our factory integrated units, with feedwater system and blowdown separator pre-piped and wired as a skid-package.

In addition to the new boilers that we purchase specifically for our stocking program, our fleet of rental boilers and auxiliary equipment range in size and in age. We are always open to providing a solution from our rental fleet as well, if the opportunity arises. Be sure to check out or complete inventory of boilers available for sale to find a unit that fits your unique needs. 

Please give us a call at 800-227-1966 if you have an immediate boiler need that can be fulfilled from our stock of brand new boilers, reconditioned boilers, or equipment from our rental fleet.

And check out our latest Steamlines newsletter, to find this article as well as other recent project highlights, equipment spotlights, and company updates.

Giving Back When the World Needs it Most

In a time as challenging as what we are facing today, giving back is more important now than ever. Non-profits are being hit hard; annual fundraisers are being cancelled or postponed and donations are lacking due to the financial struggles of the economy. In fact, the team at Nationwide Boiler had to make the unfortunate decision to postpone the 40th Anniversary of our Charity Golf Tournament, an event that now raises an average of $50,000 each year. In 2019, the total raised was split between the ABMA Scholarship Fund and Make-A-Wish® Greater Bay Area.

Make-A-Wish® Greater Bay Area is one of the largest and most productive chapters nationwide. In 2019, they granted 347 wishes for local kids with critical illnesses and assisted with a record-breaking 110 wishes for kids from across the world. Since March, the organization has had the painful task of communicating to families that over 80 wishes are on hold until it is safe to commence.

As CEO Betsy Biern stated, “We’re far from alone in experiencing unprecedented challenges during this global pandemic. In a way, the entire world has become a wish family—we’ve received a terrible diagnosis and must put ordinary concerns aside as we face a new and sometimes terrifying reality. During a time like this, I take even more inspiration from our wish kids and their extraordinary resilience. Like them and for them, we will move forward with as much courage and grace as possible under the most difficult of circumstances. There simply is no other option.”

While the organization is currently postponing wishes, they are still taking and processing wish referrals and have definite plans to grant those waiting wishes. They are even looking into ways to grant children’s true wishes virtually.

With the tournament cancellation a reality, we at Nationwide Boiler were determined to find a way to continue our tradition of giving back. Two months after the original scheduled event and time spent analyzing the effects of the pandemic on our business, Nationwide Boiler is excited to be in the position and able to donate $10,000 to Make-A-Wish® Greater Bay Area. Furthermore, three companies who committed early on to sponsoring our tournament have also chosen to contribute their funds, bringing the final endowment to $12,000. A big thanks to Alzeta, DJ Conley, and Wilkinson Companies! If you are interested and able to help support the cause, too, visit www.sf.wish.org.

Nationwide Boiler’s 40th Annual Charity Golf Tournament is now scheduled for May 6 – 7, 2021 at the Pebble Beach Golf Links. We will resume with our “Back to the Eighties” theme as planned, and all funds raised will be in support of both the ABMA Scholarship Fund and Make-A-Wish® Greater Bay Area.

If you are interested in attending our tournament next year, contact our Tournament Chair, Chelsey Ryker, at golf@nationwideboiler.com to be included in our invite list.