Your boiler is at the heart of your brewery business. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most dangerous pieces of equipment if it is not used correctly or if parts of it are damaged. Here are some simple safety tips to ensure that your brewery boiler operates safely without risk to your workers.

Training 

Firstly, never let anyone use the boiler without proper training. Ideally, a new employee should shadow someone more experienced for a period of time before attempting to use the equipment themselves. You should also have a written procedure of how the boiler is operated and what safety checks need to be made so that there is no doubt about how to use it safely.

Safety testing

Your boiler has a number of safety features, but they are not useful if they are not working properly. You should therefore ensure you have a regular testing schedule. It is particularly important that the low water safety controls are tested every week. These are cut-outs that will stop the boiler from working if the water falls to a certain level. You should test this by draining the boiler and making sure that it turns off when the water reaches too low a level. A second feature that you need to check is the flame detector, which you should test every month. This feature ensures that the boiler will shut off if a flame is not present, and so avoids a build-up of fuel inside the boiler that could cause it to explode. Make sure you have a written record of these tests and do not attempt to use the boiler if it fails.

Maintenance

It is also important that your boiler is checked regularly by a qualified maintenance service. Boilers have a number of parts that will need to be inspected and kept in good condition, and which may be wearing out. You may not realise that the valves are wearing out, for example, but a maintenance service will test them and replace any that are faulty. If you do notice a problem, you should never ignore it but should always arrange to have it repaired as soon as possible.

Brewery boilers are quite safe as long as they are used correctly and kept in good condition. If you are in any doubt about how to operate your boiler, just talk to your installer who will advise you on its safe use.

To learn more, contact a company like East Coast Steam today. 

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