The Case for Constant Attendance In the boiler room

Automatic Controls Cannot take the place of a qualified Engineer It’s the Stationary Engineer who maintains the automatic safety controls! Automatic control can only shutdown equipment not maintain it, not smell it, not hear it, not see it Stationary Engineers ‘take ownership’ and learn the normal performance characteristics of their facilities A ‘roaming’ Engineer can only respond to one facility at a time Video monitoring can’t see everything that can go wrong in the plant

‘Saving’ money by installing computerized monitoring may put building occupants at risk. The safety of the building occupants depends on properly operating electro- mechanical devices Electronic monitoring was created to alert on-site personnel to dangerous situations, not replace them The Stationary Engineer must be available to respond Despite advances in safety controls, even the smallest steam plant requires hands on attention

Inexpensive short term gains may not outweigh the long term expenses Safety should be the primary concern While short term financial gains sound good, replacing faulty unmaintained equipment does not. Improperly maintained equipment can be dangerous It only takes one ‘event’ Lack of proper maintenance reduces equipment life Removing the Engineer certainly puts facilities at greater risk of failure

Common Dangers in the Boiler Room

Low water when steam production is in high demand De-aerator high and low temp leading to feed-water issues Feed-water control valve problems Feed-water pump cavitation Boiler water dropping below the heating surface (irreversible damage is common)

High Water Carryover (water leaving with the steam, small) Priming (water leaving with the steam, large) leading to water hammer and possible piping network rupture. Damage to the piping network can result in an excessive pressure drop without a corresponding drop in temperature. This leads to boiler explosions

Fuel Oil Systems Fuel Oil Heater leaks Burner nozzle clogs (Boiler can react violently) Fuel oil duplex strainer clogs Fuel oil impingement (flame telegraphing to the heating surface)

Natural Gas Train Gas leaks during (pilot trial for ignition- PTI) Gas leaks during main gas valve operation Vent between main gas valves (Block and Bleed). Commonly fail and because they fail in the open position, raw natural gas fills the boiler room through make-up air supply

Tube / Flue Issues Tube leaks, water on the floor Water evaporating in the flue gasses

Boiler Room Make-up Ventilation Damper issues draw the boiler room into a negative pressure (Dangerous Carbon Monoxide issues)

The Licensed Stationary Engineer Is more than a boiler operator Is the first point of contact in an emergency Interacts with emergency responders Understands the facility mechanical and electrical systems Knows where the isolation valves and electrical disconnect switches are in case of emergency Understands the operation of the Fire alarm system Knows how to shutdown operating equipment safely in the event of an emergency The Engineer must be on-site to perform these duties

Older facilities require more maintenance, not less! Steam leaks Gas leaks Water leaks Floods Faulty valves Aging mechanical devices Aging electrical systems On site personnel mitigate the negative effects of each

Unqualified personnel can contribute to a disaster Improper maintenance or faulty repairs

Boiler Room Incidents Some examples

Star Elementary School Spencer, OK. 1/19/1982 “An explosion tore through the kitchen of an elementary school today, raining bricks, glass and metal on children eating lunch in the cafeteria. The police said that five children and one teacher were killed and 35 children were injured.” - AP The state boiler inspector listed four main causes: - Lack of proper controls and safety devices - Lack of proper maintenance - Improperly trained maintenance personnel - Failure to inspect on a regular basis An 80 gallon water heater was to blame

Bates Middle School Annapolis MD. 6/2/2013 “The boiler exploded a little before 9 a.m. The two adults suffered respiratory and surface burns and were taken to Bayview Burn Center in Baltimore.” - ABC The State of MD requires boiler operators to be licensed but does not require constant attendance.

University of Wisconsin Whitewater Campus 4/17/2008 Boiler explodes at UW-Whitewater injuring 1 “All of the boilers in the university’s power plant were shutdown after the explosion and as a result, the campus will be without heat and hot water for the next few days, the statement said.” – Badger Herald

Continuous Monitoring came about through hard lessons….. Don’t let this happen to your school

Listed are a few other cities who have continuous monitoring written into the municipal codes: Dearborn Washington DC New York City Buffalo Denver Chicago New Orleans Erie Pittsburgh Memphis Seattle

On-site Engineering staff provide a safe environment