Heating season is here, and that means you need to start keeping an eye out for various issues that can affect your heating system. The last thing you want is for your heater to break down in the middle of a cold day, after all. With that in mind, let’s take a look at one of the most damaging boiler system problems—kettling—and what to do about it.
What Is Kettling?
Kettling is when your boiler makes a deep rumbling sound during operation. Many homeowners describe it as sounding like the system is about to explode. Fortunately, that’s highly unlikely. Most boilers are outfitted with a great many safety features in order to prevent that kind of occurrence. However, kettling is still a major threat to your boiler system.
Kettling is caused by lime scale, which is the result of hard water. Hard water deposits small amounts of minerals on the walls of your boiler’s heat exchanger as it flows through the system. Over time, these deposits build into lime scale, which starts to restrict the flow of water. This traps water inside the boiler’s heat exchanger for too long, causing it to evaporate into steam. Water expands thousands of times over when it evaporates, putting immense pressure on the boiler’s heat exchanger that it wasn’t designed to handle. If the pressure is not relieved, the heat exchanger might burst. This can cause thousands of dollars in water damage to the surrounding area, not to mention the repair costs for the boiler itself.
If you notice your boiler kettling, you should call for repairs as soon as possible. We can scrape the lime scale out of your boiler system, ensuring proper flow and relieving the pressure on the heat exchanger.
If you need boiler repairs, call Rentmeister Total Home Service. We provide boiler repair services throughout Ogden, UT.