Ray's Boiler Articles

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The following articles were featured in Engineering Systems Magazine. To read the article, please click on the title of the article.

• Replacing the Engine on Your Boiler System
• Connecting New Boilers to Old Pipes
• Are There Hidden Problems in Your Hydronic Boiler Project?
• Question Everything When Replacing Commercial Boilers
• Increasing the Energy Efficiency of Old Boilers
• Hybrid Hydronic Systems
• Replacing a Steam Boiler
• Common Boiler Mistakes
• The Butterfly Effect: Common Steam Boiler System Mistakes
• Designing a Steam System for a Brewery
• Overcoming Unanticipated Boiler Room Setbacks
• Boiler Maintenance: The Effect on Lifecycle Costs

• The following is a link to the articles I wrote for Plumbing & Mechanical Magazine
• The Importance of Safety in a Boiler Room
• Performing a boiler combustion analysis
• Using a flame safeguard control
• Boiler room myths
• Boiler choices
• Boiler safety controls
• Understanding barometric dampers
• Have you read the installation manual?
• What can you do to affect the performance of your heating systems?
• Learn from the mistakes of others to avoid startup disasters
• Saving clients energy and money doesn't stop when the install is complete
• Should you reuse existing flue and chimney when replacing a boiler?
• 10 reasons why boilers are still excellent heating systems
• Understand proper boiler maintenance
• The worst boiler accident
• Carbon monoxide dangers in the boiler room
• Combustion analysis tips
• Can the boiler breathe?
• The flooded boiler room
• How to maintain low-water cutoffs
• Things to consider about hydronic system water
• Should you own a combustion analyzer?
• Why is the relief valve leaking?
• Understanding boiler controls
• Farewell Bill
• A dangerous situation
• 6 lessons learned about boiler water treatment
• The case for 2 psig
• Trouble shooting hydronics
• Consider a hybrid system
• Boiler room detective
• Trouble Shooting hydronic systems
• Tips for high efficiency boiler replacement
• Plumbing & Mechanical Magazine

• These two articles are featured on Brewing with Steam and discuss how to care for your boilers during and after the pandemic
• Steam boiler care during the pandemic
• Getting the steam boiler ready after the pandemic

In addition to Engineered Systems and Plumbing & Mechanical Magazines, I have written for 

RSES, National Board, and Master Brewers. The articles are down below.

• Understanding Carbon Monoxide Dangers

The really cool people at HeatingHelp.com have some of my articles posted on their site. These are the boiler articles:

• The relief valve is leaking
• Troubleshooting Steam Heating Systems
• Steam is coming from the vent. Should I be concerned?
• How to set and adjust the boiler pressure control
• Can you lift condensate?
• Safety in the boiler room
• How boiler maintenance affects life cycle costs
• Boiler jacket loss
• Are boilers dangerous?
• Six boiler replacement mistakes
• Four things to look out for in steam pressure controls
• Great opportunities to increase the safety of our clients buildings
• Why did the boiler fail so quickly?
• Boilers outside the box
• Question everything when replacing commercial boilers
• Connecting new boilers to old pipes
• Why boilers are still great
• Learn the difference between safety and relief valves
• Boiler venting considerations
• Boiler startup dangers
• Boiler safety lessons in a school
• More power
• Understanding the boiler gas train
• Controlling an existing hydronic boiler
• Are manufacturer's representatives and distributors becoming extinct?
• When was the last time you read the installation manual?
• Are there hidden problems in your next hydronic boiler project?
• Are modulating burners really worthwhile?
• Two pipe systems
• Steam, the original bad boy
• What is a barometric damper?

In this one hour class, Ray talks about how you can use detective skills to discover the hidden problems inside a boiler. He uses humor to teach the class and know you will enjoy the class and learn something. 

Boiler Room Detective Webinar

This is a link to my blog on BrewingwithSteam.com. It features articles about steam systems for brewers.

Brewing with Steam

Ray Wohlfarth has two podcasts that may be interest. The first, Boiler Room Myths, is with the American Boiler Manufacturers Association or ABMA. It discusses how boilers are still a great way to heat and compress it with refrigerant and airside systems. 

ABMA Talk Boiler Room Myths

The second podcast, Lessons Learned, is with Erin Haskell of Heating Help. It talks about the industry and the lessons I learned and hopefully help you avoid the same mistakes. 

Heating Help Lessons Learned