Boiler Blowdown Explained: Should You Go High-Fire or Start a Second Boiler? - The Boiling Point

🔥 What’s the right way to blow down a boiler?
On this episode of The Boiling Point, Ritchie Ware and Steven Taylor break down one of the most misunderstood topics in boiler operations: blowdown, water chemistry, and managing fire rate during extended blowdown periods.

This episode answers real viewer questions — including whether you should let a boiler hit 100% fire, or bring on a second boiler to help with the load during conductivity-control blowdown.

We also walk through how to explain blowdown to new technicians, what chemical providers expect, and the biggest mistakes techs make when trying to set blowdown rates on their own.

If you're a tech, maintenance pro, facility operator, or new trainee — this episode will help protect your boiler, extend tube life, and avoid expensive downtime.

🔥 Chapters

00:00 – Intro
00:10 – Richie + Steven return to The Boiling Point
00:22 – Continuing the Top Boiler Room Topics series
00:30 – “Ask a Question, Get a Hat” reminder
00:37 – This week’s topic: Boiler blowdown
00:43 – Viewer question from Daniel Johnston
01:11 – Should you let a boiler hit 100% fire during blowdown?
01:26 – When blowdown increases fire rate
01:45 – When to bring a second boiler online
01:59 – Soft water issues and solids buildup
02:12 – Relief valve considerations
02:32 – Splitting load between two boilers
02:48 – Why blowdown is so important
03:04 – What scaling looks like inside the boiler
03:22 – How to explain blowdown to new technicians
03:39 – Top mistakes techs make with blowdown rates
04:13 – Why chemical providers should set the schedule
04:32 – Over- and under-blowdown dangers
05:08 – Viewer shout-out + hat giveaway
05:29 – Boiler Expo 2026 reminder
05:53 – Follow/subscribe + outro


🧰 Parts & Support
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🔥 More WARE Videos on Boiler Blowdown

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