Boiler Blog | Nationwide Boiler Inc.

Companies require rental equipment for several reasons. By understanding the rental process and following the guidelines below, it is possible that the result will be both cost-effective and technically successful.

Steam Requirements - Up front planning is the most important stage when renting equipment. First, the maximum potential steam load needed must be calculated. Your steam requirement is expressed in either boiler horsepower (hp) or lb/hr (one boiler horsepower is equal to 34.5 lb/hr steam at 212°F).

Accessible Location - A location must be selected that is easily accessible for the delivery and setting of heavy machinery and one which has easy access to the building or equipment in which the steam will be required.

Utility Connections & Supply - Fuel, water and electric power connections must be easy to access and are of sufficient size to meet the needs of the rental unit. Typically, rental boilers fire natural gas, No. 2 oil, or heated No. 6 fuel. It is also important to make sure that there is sufficient fuel capacity to supply any existing units and a temporary boiler.

Equipment Supplier - When evaluating a supplier of rental equipment it is important to know if the company is a full-time, dedicated rental company with the experience, equipment and capabilities you require. In addition, the location of the company's equipment is important, helping to minimize transportation costs and travel time. It is also important to determine if the company provides start-up and installation services.
Here at Nationwide, we have boilers located throughout the United States and our service department is available 24 hours a day for technical support.

Reputable rental companies will provide complete drawings and equipment specifications in considerable detail. Such items include the total capacity and operating characteristics of the boiler, water treatment needs and requirements, emissions requirements, weather protection, performance testing, and ASME code requirements.

Proposal Evaluation - When evaluating a proposal, normal factors including payment terms, change-of-scope clauses, liability coverage, and transportation costs need to be addressed. A well written proposal should address the rate and term on the rental unit, freight costs, time and travel charges for technicians, and should specify appropriate responsibility for installation and removal costs. You should also get the warranty statement for the rental equipment.

Operating Permits - Before installation of the equipment can occur, it is necessary to arrange for any operating permits required from regulatory agencies. This includes special permits that may be required in those areas where emission limits are strictly controlled. Areas in California including the San Joaquin Valley and the South Coast require sub-10 ppm NOx requirements.

Nationwide Boiler took the lead in equipping our units with Low NOx burners and SCR systems (the CataStak). Users facing 5 ppm NOx can rest assure that we have an immediate solution.

Maintenance - To ensure continuous, safe, and trouble free performance of the unit, there are a number of regular checks and maintenance tasks which must be performed. It is important that a log sheet be kept on site for the recording of every routine check and maintenance items completed. Daily checks include an examination of all safety devices, followed by an inspection of the low-water cutoff during every shift. The entire system should also be checked for leaks and corrected immediately. The flame pattern of the burner must also be inspected to make sure the combustion devices are working efficiently. Moreover, proper boiler performance is highly dependent on following the proper feedwater treatment and correct blowdown techniques. Failure to maintain proper water chemistry is a major cause of damage to rental boilers and the single biggest rehabilitation expense.

Return Shipment - Lastly, there are certain steps that must be taken to ensure safe return of a unit to the rental company's facility. It is the responsibility of the user to have plant or local boiler shop personnel disconnect equipment after use, which includes draining and flushing all boiler lines with clean water to help minimize any chance of corrosion. A final check of the condition of the boiler should be properly documented, recorded and sent to the rental company once the equipment is shipped.

As long as you plan in advance, budget accordingly, verify connection sizes, address permitting issues, properly train operators, frequently monitor the feedwater quality, and take responsibility in maintaining the equipment once it is installed, you can be confident that the risks associated with renting equipment will be minimized and that your project will be a success.

It is amazing to know that a package boiler can be shipped anywhere in the world within a number of days. Last month Nationwide Boiler supplied a late model 70,000 pph trailer-mounted watertube boiler to Powerhouse Equipment & Engineering Company, our East Coast Partner, for a sale to a ConocoPhillips LNG plant in Australia. The boiler, along with a new Powerhouse supplied 75,000 pph skid-mounted watertube boiler was airlifted on the Antonov AN124-100 aircraft from San Francisco International airport to Darwin, Australia. It took a total of three days for the boilers to reach their final destination, having to stop for re-fueling in Alaska, Russia and the Philippines.

Over the last seven years, the Antonov has also been used to ship our boilers to New Brunswick and the Philippines. Also, five of our boilers have been shipped to Wales, Israel, Venezuela and Malaysia and several of our trailer-mounted watertube boilers have gone to China and Scotland for rental projects (via special transport ship).

By air, land, rail and sea, you can depend on Nationwide Boiler to deliver quality equipment and cost effective solutions anywhere in the world. 

We know that renting boilers, whether in an emergency, for scheduled maintenance, or to meet peak-season demands, can be full of surprises. Frequently, even experienced renters are surprised by what isn't included with most rental boilers. And most surprises are expensive - both in time and money.

Before you make a rental commitment call Nationwide Boiler, the "No Surprise" boiler professionals and ask if the above items are included, then call our competitors. We will do whatever it takes to make sure your rental project is a success, without any unpleasant surprise!

1.    Boiler Inspection
Have you inspected the boiler for plugged tubes, age, electrical etc? Some people rent boilers like calling a used car lot, negotiate price and then make a deal over the phone. This can be disastrous.

2.   Freight
Are the freight charges firm? Some boilers may have to take indirect route (road clearance problems) costing many thousand of dollars extra.

3.    In-transit Rental
When does the rent start and stop? On rail shipment, delays are common and your rent can keep running for three or four weeks in each direction adding one-two month's of unexpected rent.

4.    Steam Header Valve
Is one included with the boiler? New ones cost between $2,000.00 and $8,000.00 each.

5.   Blowdown Valves
Are they included? New ones cost $200.00 to $1,000.00 each. Are they mounted or shipped loose?

6.   Voltage
Is the boiler set up for proper voltage prior to shipment? Is the fan starter included? These items can save you money on fieldwork.

7.   Smokestack
Is one included and does it have properly sized transition pieces? Does it have to be shipped on separate truck? Freestanding stacks can be a real problem installing and removing. This can mean considerable fieldwork and expense.

8.   Control Panel
Is the panel mounted on the boiler or shipped loose? Is it weatherproof? Considerable time and expense in field wiring and tubing is common with remote panels.

9.   Guarantee
What will the boiler company cover on parts and callbacks? Some companies say return the broken part to the factory and you pay freight and installation labor.

10.   Economizer
Is one included and is it pre-piped? Do you need separate support and transition pieces? Will it be costly to install and remove?

11.    Blower
Is the blower on the boiler or shipped loose on a separate truck? This could be expensive for freight and installation costs.

12.   Weather Proof
Is the boiler designed for outdoor use? If not, additional cost will be involved to build an enclosure. Electrical controls could be water soaked during installation and shipping.

13.   Hydrostatic Test
Will you be charged for a hydrostatic test when the boiler is returned?

14.   Shipping Damage
Will you have to go back to the carrier to cover broken parts, etc. during shipment or will the rental company assume responsibility?

15.   Loading & Shoring of Refractory
Will you be charged for loading at the storage location including blocking of the firebrick? This can cost $2,000.00 to $5,000.00 and the same when you load out at job-site. This could mean $4,000.00 to $10,000.00 of unexpected cost.

16.   Safety Valves
Are the boiler safety valves set at the proper pressure to protect your steam system? If not, you may need new valves costing $200.00 to over $1,500.000 each or have them reset for $200.00 to over $600.00 each.

17.   Oil Pump
Is a pump set needed and is it included in the rental price? Is it pre-piped and wired as an integral part of the boiler unit? If not included, this could cost $500.00 to $5,000.00 material and labor over the rental cost.

18.    Testing
Has the proposed rental boiler been test fired recently? Is it coming direct from another job without shop check out? If this is the case many start-up problems can develop causing delays.

19.   Maintenance
Will you be charged for routine maintenance when boiler is returned to storage? Some charge for new gaskets, gauge glasses, painting, cleaning, washout, and flat tires on trailer and refractory repairs.

20.   Catwalks & Ladders
Is the boiler supplied with catwalks & ladders? These items can save you valuable time and money during installation and operation. Savings of $500.00 to $2,000.00 in man-hours are not uncommon.

The removal of dissolved oxygen from boiler feedwater is absolutely necessary to protect your boiler equipment from severe corrosion. To ensure trouble-free boiler operation, a good deaerator is essential.

Deaerators in industrial steam systems are mechanical devices used to remove air and other dissolved gases from boiler feedwater in order to protect the system from corrosion. Dissolved oxygen in boiler feedwater will attach to the walls of metal piping and other metallic equipment and will form oxides (rust). It also combines with any dissolved carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid that causes further corrosion. A dissolved oxygen level of 5 parts per billion (PPB) or lower is needed to prevent corrosion in most high pressure boilers, accomplished by reducing the concentration of dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide to a level where corrosion is minimized.

The two major types of deaerators are the tray type and the spray type. In both cases, the major portion of gas removal is accomplished by spraying cold makeup water into a steam environment.

Tray-type deaerating heaters release dissolved gases in the incoming water by reducing it to a fine spray as it cascades over several rows of trays. The steam that makes intimate contact with the water droplets then scrubs the dissolved gases by its counter-current flow. The steam heats the water to within 3-5º F of the steam saturation temperature and it should remove all but the very last traces of oxygen. The deaerated water then falls to the storage space below, where a steam blanket protects it from recontamination.

Nozzles and trays should be inspected regularly to insure that they are free of deposits and are in their proper position.

Spray-type deaerating heaters work on the same general philosophy as the tray-type, but differ in their operation. Spring-loaded nozzles located in the top of the unit spray the water into a steam atmosphere that heats it. The steam heats the water, and at the elevated temperature the solubility of oxygen is extremely low and most of the dissolved gases are removed from the system by venting. The spray will reduce the dissolved oxygen content to 20-50 ppb, while the scrubber or trays further reduce the oxygen content to approximately 7 ppb or less.

During normal operation, the vent valve must be open to maintain a continuous plume of vented vapors and steam at least 18 inches long. If this valve is throttled too much, air and non-condensable gases will accumulate in the deaerator. This is known as air blanketing and can be remedied by increasing the vent rate.

For optimum oxygen removal, the water in the storage section must be heated to within 5º F of the temperature of the steam at saturation conditions. From inlet to outlet, the water is deaerated in less than 10 seconds. Call us today is you have additional questions about deaerators and how important they are to your entire system.