On the rules for using domestic heating boilers
Emergency reports received during the cold season regularly include information about burnt-out or destroyed private houses, as well as victims of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The explosion mechanism is simple
The risk zone mainly includes boilers that do not operate continuously but episodically. Weak points where the heating system can be "frozen" by ice include expansion tanks, circulation pipes, and cold rooms such as attics.
The main reason why boilers explode is the freezing of the heating system. Water in the pipes stops circulating. The fuel continues to burn. Water boils inside the cast-iron sections of the boiler or pipes. As a result, the steam pressure inside the system begins to rise very rapidly. At some point, a critical pressure point will be reached that the metal cannot withstand – and the consequences of damage to the pipes and boiler sections are unpredictable. The fact is that a very large volume of steam-water mixture is simultaneously released into the confined space. The pressure inside the room rises rapidly. In the best-case scenario, it will end with blown-out windows. In the worst-case scenario, the building structures will be destroyed.
If an ice plug has formed...
The installation and commissioning of the heating system should only be carried out by specialized organizations.organizations. At the same time, their employees must conduct training for boiler users and make a note of this in the unit's passport.
Before starting the boiler, the homeowner must ensure that the shut-off devices are open on both pipelines - the supply and the return. All shut-off devices installed on the heating system must also be opened. Remove accumulated condensate from the lower section of the chimney. This will help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Regularly check the chimney cap and flue channels. Before lighting the boiler, open the system make-up line and the expansion tank filling control line. It will become clear that the system has not frozen when water starts to flow from the control line.
But let's imagine the following situation: water does not flow from the control line. What should be done in such a case? If the pressure in the boiler is constantly increasing and has reached the level of the water supply network, it indicates that the heating system has frozen. In such a situation, lighting the boiler is strictly prohibited. Do not hope that steam will break through the ice plug - along with it, the increased pressure will destroy the pipe and the boiler. It is necessary to determine the approximate location of the heating system freeze, thaw it, and check if water flows from the control line when the supply is open. And only after this has happened, start lighting the boiler, while monitoring the pressure gauge readings. If the pressure approaches the maximum allowable level, immediately stop the fuel supply and remove it from the boiler to a safe place. As this indicates that the heating system is NOT thawed.
Rarely, but it also happens that the boiler itself freezes in the attic. Like the pipe, it should be thawed with an open flameabsolutely forbidden. This can be done using, for example, hot water. However, if during heating you notice that water is coming from the heating surface, this means that the boiler has lost its seal. And it has only one destination - a repair workshop. In this condition, it is unfit for further operation. Steel boilers will be re-welded by specialists, while damaged sections of cast-iron boilers will be replaced and repacked.
Do not let "Kulikibins" near
Eight boilers that exploded in the last five years were homemade. Folk craftsmen cobbled together heating units somehow. But it is clear that this creates a high risk of problems with heating surfaces, fireboxes, stagnant zones... Ultimately, this results in water overheating and the boiler rupturing. Furthermore, keep in mind that homemade units typically do not have thermometers, pressure gauges, or safety valves installed.
Therefore, we warn you: do not use homemade boilers and do not entrust the installation of certified units to people who do not have special qualifications. The money you want to save on this may later result in a fire, significant destruction, or severe injuries.
So, is it worth risking your property, home, and perhaps even your health or life for the sake of savings?
The explosion mechanism is simple
The risk zone mainly includes boilers that do not operate continuously but episodically. Weak points where the heating system can be "frozen" by ice include expansion tanks, circulation pipes, and cold rooms such as attics.
The main reason why boilers explode is the freezing of the heating system. Water in the pipes stops circulating. The fuel continues to burn. Water boils inside the cast-iron sections of the boiler or pipes. As a result, the steam pressure inside the system begins to rise very rapidly. At some point, a critical pressure point will be reached that the metal cannot withstand – and the consequences of damage to the pipes and boiler sections are unpredictable. The fact is that a very large volume of steam-water mixture is simultaneously released into the confined space. The pressure inside the room rises rapidly. In the best-case scenario, it will end with blown-out windows. In the worst-case scenario, the building structures will be destroyed.
If an ice plug has formed...
The installation and commissioning of the heating system should only be carried out by specialized organizations.organizations. At the same time, their employees must conduct training for boiler users and make a note of this in the unit's passport.
Before starting the boiler, the homeowner must ensure that the shut-off devices are open on both pipelines - the supply and the return. All shut-off devices installed on the heating system must also be opened. Remove accumulated condensate from the lower section of the chimney. This will help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Regularly check the chimney cap and flue channels. Before lighting the boiler, open the system make-up line and the expansion tank filling control line. It will become clear that the system has not frozen when water starts to flow from the control line.
But let's imagine the following situation: water does not flow from the control line. What should be done in such a case? If the pressure in the boiler is constantly increasing and has reached the level of the water supply network, it indicates that the heating system has frozen. In such a situation, lighting the boiler is strictly prohibited. Do not hope that steam will break through the ice plug - along with it, the increased pressure will destroy the pipe and the boiler. It is necessary to determine the approximate location of the heating system freeze, thaw it, and check if water flows from the control line when the supply is open. And only after this has happened, start lighting the boiler, while monitoring the pressure gauge readings. If the pressure approaches the maximum allowable level, immediately stop the fuel supply and remove it from the boiler to a safe place. As this indicates that the heating system is NOT thawed.
Rarely, but it also happens that the boiler itself freezes in the attic. Like the pipe, it should be thawed with an open flameabsolutely forbidden. This can be done using, for example, hot water. However, if during heating you notice that water is coming from the heating surface, this means that the boiler has lost its seal. And it has only one destination - a repair workshop. In this condition, it is unfit for further operation. Steel boilers will be re-welded by specialists, while damaged sections of cast-iron boilers will be replaced and repacked.
Do not let "Kulikibins" near
Eight boilers that exploded in the last five years were homemade. Folk craftsmen cobbled together heating units somehow. But it is clear that this creates a high risk of problems with heating surfaces, fireboxes, stagnant zones... Ultimately, this results in water overheating and the boiler rupturing. Furthermore, keep in mind that homemade units typically do not have thermometers, pressure gauges, or safety valves installed.
Therefore, we warn you: do not use homemade boilers and do not entrust the installation of certified units to people who do not have special qualifications. The money you want to save on this may later result in a fire, significant destruction, or severe injuries.
So, is it worth risking your property, home, and perhaps even your health or life for the sake of savings?