We find it hard to focus on working efficiently when our surroundings are too chilly or cold. It makes us feel dry, lazy, and sleepy. So, to make us comfortable and warm, boilers are incorporated into our building. But what should you do when the only source of heat in our building, the only boiler in the building, needs to be repaired?
As an alternative, you may opt to rent a boiler for your building while yours is under maintenance. In that way, the increasing heat demand due to business growth and seasonal changes can still be met. But before you sign any boiler rental agreement, you must ensure to consider the following vital factors:
Reasons For Renting
Before you rent a boiler for your building, you must first determine your reasons and purpose for renting to know the type of boiler you should choose to rent, the duration of the rental, and to know how much you should allocate as a budget for your boiler.
There are various reasons you must rent a boiler. The most common is that it would serve as a temporary alternative to utilize for your building while yours is under maintenance or repair. It may also serve as a capital expense alternative as you give yourself time to find funds to purchase a new one.
Types of Boiler
Boilers are heat or steam generators that are used by multiple companies in their businesses and buildings. It consists of three main parts: the water tank, the smokestack, and the furnace where the fuel is burned. Boilers come with two main types, including:
Firetube Boiler
A firetube boiler is a boiler that utilizes combustion gases that pass through the several tubes that run through a water-filled tank. The heat from the combustion gasses is transferred to the tubes’ walls, heating the surrounding water to produce steam.
Water-Tube Boiler
The Water-tube boiler has the opposite features of the fire-tube boiler. This boiler type contains water-filled tubes that are enveloped by the combustion gasses in the tank. The combustion gasses in the tank come from the burning of fuel in the furnace of the boiler. A Water-tube boiler is ideal for operations that have high-pressure demands.
Fuel Source
One of the factors that you must consider before renting a boiler for your building is the fuel source that is used for this apparatus to operate. The boiler burns the specific fuel source in the furnace as a process of combustion. The combustion process produces hot gas that heats the water in the tank, producing steam. The most commonly used boiler fuel sources include:
Coal
Coal is one of the most reliable fuel sources that can be used in boilers. It is easy to burn entirely and produces high energy in combustion. It is also the most affordable among the other fuel sources. However, the use of coal as a fuel source can have negative impacts on our environment. It can cause air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Natural Gas
Natural gas such as methane is a fossil energy source that can be used safely as a fuel for boilers. It is environment-friendly to use as it burns cleanly and does not emit gasses such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxides. It is also less expensive than others. As Heatable states, natural gas such as methane is a fossil energy source that can be used safely as a fuel for boilers, commonly in one of the most popular types of boilers known as combination boilers. It is environment-friendly to use as it burns cleanly and does not emit gasses such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxides. It is also less expensive than others
Biomass
Some boilers use biomass or combustible plant materials as fuel sources. Biomass can be in the form of corn husks, wood construction debris, waste, etc. Although biomass as a fuel source can reduce waste, it has some adverse and harmful environmental impacts.
Storage Space
Boilers vary in size and capacity. So, it would be best if you consider where you should adequately put or store it while your original boiler is under repair or maintenance in the boiler room. Your storage space must depend on the rental type of the boiler. For instance, if it is an electrical type of boiler, you must ensure that it is installed indoors and is stored in a sizable room or area.
Rental Agreement
Before you sign the rental agreement, it is essential to read, clarify, and understand all the terms and conditions written in the document as a sort of contract. Ensure that you fully grasp all the specifics, including the billing options and charges, your maintenance responsibilities, the protocols in installing and returning the boiler, etc., for you to avoid unnecessary conflict or issues along the way.
Takeaway
Since boilers are useful apparatuses that are continually being used, they can be inevitably subjected to malfunction. When the boiler in your building undergoes malfunction and needs to be repaired, the most effective solution to meet your company’s heat demands is to rent a well-functioning boiler. When renting, you must ensure to consider checking the factors mentioned above to get the best alternative for your building.
According to Boiler Central, it’s important to remember that if you are having issues with your current boiler, it might be best to purchase a new boiler.
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