Designing a steam system for a brewery can be frustrating, as the logic of low-pressure steam is opposite that of other HVAC systems.

Life is filled with unintended consequences and sometimes so are boiler rooms. When you’re tasked with designing and/or installing a replacement boiler for a customer, you’re certainly performing your due diligence, but there may still be problems that you do not anticipate.

The following are some common mistakes and tips to avoid problems on commercial boiler projects.

Understand the thinking behind a system that blends condensing and non-condensing boilers, from the attack on oversizing to a controls strategy that shifts with the weather.

Famous mathematician Edward Lorenz coined the phrase “The Butterfly Effect,” which is the belief that some small occurrence could create devastating results in another location far away.

Does maintenance save money? Many numbers get thrown around when it comes to estimating the savings achieved by performing certain maintenance activities.

When designing or replacing a low pressure steam boiler, throw out everything you know about hydronic boilers. A steam system is closer in operation to an air conditioning unit than it is to a hydronic boiler. If you design a steam system using hydronic design methods, it will not operate properly. 

The public’s taste for regional and local beer has flourished in recent years, but crafting a proper steam boiler system for its production can be sobering task. Pull up a bar stool and contemplate at least 23 design and maintenance facets to ensure that what’s brewing is all beer and no trouble.

Pumps, flues, valves, sizing, maintenance ... there’s a lot more to consider than just the boiler. Keep the car metaphor in mind, and your next replacement might not drive you to despair.