Not being prepared will be a recipe for diaster for your heating system

Mother Nature, whom many of you may refer to, as Mother Earth is a term used to embody the powerful, life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature. With all of the Meteorological Technology that is used to predict Mother Nature, she still has the ability to outwit us whenever she is good and ready. Sometimes, I think she's testing us as she zooms by changing the seasonal trends or meteorologist predictions, at will. As we have seen with historical storms of our not so distant past, such as: Katrina, Gloria and Irene. Meteorologists do their best to prepare us for the worst, as our own natural instincts for sheer survival kick in and we automatically began to move ourselves and our families out of harm's way. We are instructed to stock up on food, check our generators - if you have them and make sure your flashlights are in perfect working condition. That's when you remember; you forgot to replace your old flashlight. So you rush down to the store only to find out all the flashlights are gone...along with the batteries. A sinking feeling begins to stir in the bottom of your stomach as you realize how important a flashlight is to survival. If only you would have prepared your survival kit in advance as instructed you would be prepared for whatever Mother Nature has coming. As a building owner, Not Being Prepared will be - "A Recipe for Disaster." However, this can be prevented if you listen to the experts in your industry on specific topics and information that is essential to the proper operation of your building. One simple forgotten step can lead to a costly emergency that your current budget is not prepared for. Although October 1st is the official day the heat has to be turned on, now is the time to crank up those systems to make sure they are in good working condition. By checking the following systems and components you can prevent costly emergencies, which we see quite often, during this heating season. First check your Vacuum System: When start ups are not pre-planned before the heating season begins, this system will be will be your number one problem. Trial runs will allow you to quickly make changes or coordinate repair. Be proactive with your heating system, do not wait one to two weeks before the heating season begins to examine the vacuum system, tanks, condensate pumps, vacuum pumps, float switches, check valves, steam traps and the control panel. Preparing for the ongoing maintenance of your heating system will help you remain within your budget guidelines and prevent those unwanted emergency repairs. Also, don't forget to inspect the condition of the vacuum system. Make sure you check the tanks for corrosion and leaks; listen to the pumps for loud noises, which usually indicates the pumps need to be overhauled, and test the electrical components of the system and control panel. Next, check the three components of the vacuum system that will substantially increase your cost and are often difficult to diagnose, which are the check valves, float switches and steam traps. These components will increase your energy consumption, or cause additional repairs to other system components if the following conditions exist. If the check valves for the vacuum pumps do not hold, the second pump will work twice as hard thus wearing the pump out twice as fast. If the check valves for the condensate pumps do not hold, water will return into the condensate tank instead of the boiler which will cause the tank to overflow; consequentially the building will not have heat as an ending result. Another tip - if the float switch is stuck in the wrong position, this will cause the pumps to constantly run, therefore the tank will run dry and the pump seals will burn out. If the float switch is stuck in the off position the boiler low water alarm will come on and the tank will overflow. Finally, check the Steam Traps. These are usually overlooked but are the key to a healthy working heating system. A Steam Traps life span is three to five year's max. If you have passed this time frame, they are not working properly and can send steam into the vacuum system destroying the vacuum and condensate pumps. Malfunctioning steam traps can cost from a few hundred dollars to thousands depending on your energy consumption. You must change your steam traps during the off-season while all of the heat is off at the same time. If not, the steam will travel up the return lines and destroy the newly installed traps as they are replaced. For antiquated Vacuum Systems that are beyond reasonable repair now is the time to replace them. During the off-season your delivery time will substantially decrease and the new system will be accepted as a capital improvement that will allow for tax exemptions. Do not overlook the importance of the boiler room sump pumps. Check the functionality of the pumps with freshwater and make sure the pits are clean and free of debris that would cause pump failure and flooding. Pump & Motor provides free estimates to check your systems and provide detailed corrective action reports if required. Don't wait until you have a problem, call us today or submit a request for an estimate or repair from our customer friendly website www.pumpandmotor.com. Gus Johanson is VP at Pump & Motor Corp., Westbury, N.Y.