RAUW energy

Contents of RauwLetter September 2009

1. September is Here
2. Maintaining Boilers and Furnaces
3. Cost Effective and Maintenance Free
4. Hope for the Current Recession
5. Rauw Energy Launches the Basement Campaign
6. Referral Program
7. Customer Coupon

Maintaining Boilers and Furnaces

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, www.energysavers.gov, regular heating system maintenance is essential to maintain efficiency. Efficiency translates into money saved and energy conserved.

System maintenance should be conducted by a heating professional and should include the following:

• Check the condition of your vent connection pipe and chimney. Parts of the venting system may have deteriorated over time. Chimney problems can be expensive to repair, and may help justify installing new heating equipment that won't use the existing chimney.
• Check the physical integrity of the heat exchanger. Leaky boiler heat exchangers leak water and are easy to spot. Furnace heat exchangers mix combustion gases with house air when they leak—an important safety reason to have them inspected.
• Adjust the controls on the boiler or furnace to provide optimum water and air temperature settings for both efficiency and comfort.
• If you're considering replacing or retrofitting your existing heating system, have the technician perform a combustion-efficiency test.

In addition, forced-air systems should include the following:

• Check the combustion chamber for cracks
• Test for carbon monoxide (CO) and remedy if found
• Adjust blower control and supply-air temperature
• Clean and oil the blower
• Remove dirt, soot, or corrosion from the furnace or boiler
• Check fuel input and flame characteristics, and adjust if necessary
• Seal connections between the furnace and main ducts.

Hot-water systems should also include:

• Test pressure-relief valve
• Test high-limit control
• Inspect pressure tank, which should be filled with air, to verify that it's not filled with water
• Clean the heat exchanger.

And, finally, steam systems should also include:

• Drain some water from the boiler to remove sediments. This improves the heat exchange efficiency
• Test low-water cutoff safety control and high-limit safety control
• Drain the float chamber to remove sediments. This prevents the low-water cutoff control from sediment clogs
• Analyze boiler water and add chemicals as needed to control deposits and corrosion
• Clean the heat exchanger