Boiler Blog | Nationwide Boiler Inc.

It's that time of year again for our annual freeze protection reminders. As you know, winter can bring extremely cold weather conditions, especially in Canada, the Northeast, Midwest, and Upper Midwest. To reiterate what we have been saying for years, here are a few things to consider to protect your rental boiler and auxiliary equipment (deaerators, water softeners, etc.) from damage due to freezing temperatures this winter.

1. If you are renting a trailer or skid-mounted firetube or watertube boiler and installing the unit outdoors, these systems are completely exposed to the environment. User's should consider enclosing the front and/or the rear end of the boiler, or build a temporary enclosure around the entire system. An external heating source should also be used. 

2. Install the proper heat tracing (steam or electric) and insulation on all main lines and piping components, regardless of whether the boiler (or auxiliary equipment) is in operation or sitting as stand-by. This should include the following lines: 
      - Sensing lines for all transmitters
      - Primary and auxiliary low-water cut-offs
      - Water column and connected piping
      - Bottom blowdown and surface blow-off piping, depending on the length of the piping runs. These valves should also be left open. 

At Nationwide Boiler, we maintain a purpose-built fleet of over 100 rental boiler systems from as small as 47.5 hp to as large as 200,000 lb/hr. We have multiple configurations including mobile, trailer-mounted boilers, complete mobile boiler rooms and mobile steam plants, skid-mounted firetube and watertube boilers, factory-integrated skid packages, and even electric boiler systems. With a rental fleet as versatile as ours, we can always find a solution when a customer comes calling.

It is not uncommon for a rental boiler to return and need repairs. A unit might need parts to be replaced, an acid cleaning or even a complete retube, but the worst-case scenario would be the need to scrap a boiler entirely due to damage beyond repair. But if a boiler is properly maintained, as we have said before, it can last a lifetime. A boiler retube can transform a system and bring it back to like-new condition. And, with so many different types of boilers in our rental fleet, we have found other ways to transform, reuse, and recycle when our equipment still has years of life left. 

Nationwide Boiler's first Steamlines Newsletter of 2021 is out and available for viewing! Read up on the latest happenings at Nationwide, industry news, technical tips, and more, including... 

A SOLUTION TO STEAM SUPPLIER OUTAGES
Nationwide has nearly 55 years of experience responding to emergency needs, and there is no doubt that we are able and ready to dispatch equipment in a moments notice. What may come as a surprise to some is that unplanned and emergency rentals make up a smaller portion of our business than planned outages. And at times, rental boilers are used for process steam when the outage is planned by the steam supplier next door.

REMOTE WORK: IS IT THE FUTURE?
Since the pandemic forced many companies (including NBI) to move to a temporary remote work model, some corporations like Google, Dropbox, Facebook, and Salesforce are going all in with remote work as a permanent way of business. But is remote work for everyone, and is it the future? Hear from our President & CEO, Larry Day, for his take on the matter.

GETTING TO KNOW OUR STORAGE YARDS
Nationwide Boiler has a purpose built rental fleet featuring firetube and watertube boilers, mobile steam plants, and boiler auxiliary equipment. Partnering with multiple distinguished companies in our industry for the storage & maintenance of this equipment allows us to offer a quick and cost effective solution when a temporary steam need arises.

CALIFORNIA EMISSION RULE UPDATES
More changes are upon us here in California, and at Nationwide Boiler we make it a priority to stay abreast of AQMD emission rulings that will affect our customer base. The three areas of focus at this point are the South Coast AQMD, San Joaquin Valley APCD, and San Diego APCD.

REP SPOTLIGHT: COMBUSTION SYSTEMS, INC.
With headquarters in Indianapolis, IN, Combustion Systems, Inc. (CSI) is the exclusive Nationwide Boiler representative covering the territories of Indiana, Illinois, and most of Wisconsin. Check out this edition of our representative spotlight to learn more.  

NEW RENTAL BOILERS FOR THE FLEET
With over 100 rental boilers currently in our inventory, we still find the need to add new units to fill in the gaps, replace sold equipment, or to boost our numbers for equipment that is often in high demand. Learn about some of the new equipment currently being built for our rental fleet.

View this current edition and past editions of our Steamlines Newsletter, on our website now!