How to clean soot from a boiler

Heating boilers are the heart of the heating system. Without them, it is impossible to imagine comfortable living in any home. But boilers, like any other device, require attention. Periodic maintenance is required. One of these types of work is cleaning. Soot accumulates inside the combustion chamber, which needs to be removed. What's the best way to do this? What methods do professionals use?

How to clean soot from a boiler

When using any fuel, combustion products remain. Some of them come out through the chimney along with the smoke. But a lot of them remain in the firebox or combustion chamber. If the accumulated soot is not removed, the boiler output will gradually decrease. The efficiency of the device will also begin to decrease. This means that the money spent on fuel will simply “go down the drain” without bringing any benefit. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically clean the boiler from accumulated combustion products.

How to do it? There is little choice here. You can entrust this work to professionals. In this case, the cleaning will be carried out efficiently. The disadvantage of this method is the need to spend additional funds.

The second option that homeowners most often choose is to do all the work themselves. In this case, the advantage is saving money.But there is also a drawback. To carry out cleaning, it is often necessary to disassemble the device, which not everyone can do.

Boiler cleaning methods

If the homeowner decides to carry out maintenance of the heating device of the heating system himself, then first he needs to decide on the method that he will use. There are several ways to clean boilers. A virtually cost-free mechanical method can be used. Until recently, almost everyone used this method. As technology has advanced, other options have emerged. Today, cleaning is carried out using chemicals or hydrodynamic devices.

Chemical cleaning

Special preparations are used here. Chemical cleaning can be done in two ways:

1. In the first case, the product is poured directly into the firebox during combustion. This method is suitable for boilers operating on liquid and solid fuels. During combustion, substances are released that destroy soot and remove it with smoke.
2. In the second option, they use products that wash all the parts. Most often, acid-based preparations or those containing solvents are used for cleaning.

Important! When working with chemicals, you must remember safety. All operations are carried out wearing protective gloves and goggles.

Mechanical cleaning

The cheapest way. There is no need to purchase special products for cleaning. All manipulations are carried out using brushes or scrapers. Often the necessary tools are already included with the boiler.

When carrying out mechanical cleaning, care must be taken. Some parts may be sensitive to scratches.If their surface is damaged, the boiler will soon require expensive repairs.

Hydrodynamic cleaning

It will not be possible to remove accumulated soot in the boiler using this method without additional equipment. Hydrodynamic cleaning uses a special device with a water tank. It creates high pressure pressure, which removes accumulations on the walls of the boilers.

This method has a number of limitations. Firstly, those containers that need to be cleaned must have sufficient strength. Otherwise, the walls may be damaged. Secondly, the outlet openings must be free. Water needs to come out of the boiler under pressure so as not to “tear” it.

Hydrodynamic cleaning is used in cases where the thickness of the accumulations is small. If there is a lot of soot, then this method is not suitable. At the same time, the cleaning itself occurs quickly and efficiently.

Booster cleaning

Here, just as in the case of hydrodynamic cleaning, additional equipment is needed. This device is called a booster. The equipment is a water pump with a container. Also, to increase efficiency, boosters are equipped with heating elements.

This cleaning method can be considered part of the chemical method. Here, aggressive substances are most often used instead of water. Hydrochloric and orthophosphoric acid or solvents are used. Additional heating of the aggressive liquid significantly increases the processing efficiency.

The operating principle is simple. The booster is connected to the boiler and to the entire heating system. When the device starts, the heated aggressive liquid circulates and corrodes all deposits that are discharged into the tank.

Attention! Since flushing is carried out under pressure, it is necessary to choose the right booster. It is important to select the optimal pump power and a sufficient tank volume for the flushing liquid.

How often should the boiler be cleaned?

Maintenance of any device should be carried out according to the schedule recommended by the manufacturer. According to general recommendations, cleaning the heating system boiler should be carried out at least once every two years. This is enough for almost all modern devices. A boiler breakdown during winter can lead to serious consequences. To prevent this, experts recommend cleaning before each heating season.