What Constitutes A Boiler Emergency?

Boiler systems were one of the first forms of business heating beyond just burning wood in a stove or fireplace. The reason boiler systems have stuck around for so long is the fact that they are so efficient, resilient, and reliable. If you have a boiler system in your place of business, you should probably consider yourself pretty lucky. These things can last forever and provide you with steam power in addition to heat, which can be highly beneficial in industrial settings. 

Occasionally, however, boiler systems can have problems, and when these massive units have problems, they need almost immediate attention. There are even some situations when getting your boiler repaired or tended to will be an emergency situation. What constitutes a boiler emergency? Here are a few examples. 

Your boiler unit is uncontrollably leaking steam pressure. 

Steamrolling out of the boiler is never a good sign. Every once and a while, steam issues can be from a bad seal on a baffle or exhaust pipe, but these will be common and not a concern like a major loss of steam. If your boiler is losing so much steam that it is leaving a cloud of condensation in the air, you need to shut down the unit immediately and get in touch with a professional. 

Your boiler is leaking massive amounts of water from the holding tank. 

It is not uncommon for older boilers especially to spring leaks in the water holding tank, but these will usually be pinhole leaks that can be easily mended. If you approach your boiler and see a steady stream of water flowing from the tank in any area, this can definitely be deemed an emergency situation. Some boilers hold hundreds of gallons of water, and to see all of this leaked out could cause massive damage to your facility. 

Your boiler is running as usual, but you have no heat or steam pushing through lines. 

If the boiler is functioning perfectly well, but you are getting no heat through the radiator lines or no steam to power equipment, this is not a good sign. Shut down the boiler and call a professional. All that pressure that should be moving through the lines is likely accumulating in the boiler unit. While there are safeguards in place to relieve the pressure, a major blockage can still cause a boiler to combust because it cannot alleviate the pressure fast enough.