The improvement of the welfare of the population of Belarus, the development of technologies, and the availability of trade relations have enabled the rural population of the republic over the past 20-25 years to switch from stove heating, with an efficiency of 10-15%, to the use of domestic boilers, which provide higher quality heating of residential and other premises, in order to create comfortable living conditions in houses and cottages.
The improvement of the welfare of the population of Belarus, the development of technologies, and the availability of trade relations have enabled the rural population of the republic over the past 20-25 years to switch from stove heating, with an efficiency of 10-15%, to the use of domestic boilers, which provide higher quality heating of residential and other premises, in order to create comfortable living conditions in houses and cottages. Similar boiler units, used for heating and hot water supply and installed in rural shops, pharmacies, and other premises, with comparable power and operating principles, have served and continue to serve as an example for the population. Based on the principles of misunderstood economic interests, for the sake of known cost reduction, "thrifty" homeowners, and sometimes heads of small organisations, order boilers to be manufactured by "amateur handy craftsmen", without giving any thought to the dangerous consequences that the same physical processes ensuring the operation of boilers can cause, which under certain conditions become a formidable force, destroying everything in their path. The threat of the development of such processes and the occurrence of dangerous consequences for the environment is posed not only by homemade boilers but also by boilers manufactured in accordance with all rules and standards by specialised organisations, in case of deviation from the operating rules. Here are a few examples that most clearly demonstrate possible accidents with the indicated heating equipment. It is known that the beginning of the heating season in Belarus is characterised by positive air temperatures during the day. This contributes to a decrease in vigilance and a weakening of owners' control over the condition of boilers and pipelines. However, at night, frosty weather sets in, and frost leads to the complete or partial freezing of uninsulated pipelines and expansion tanks of heating systems. Their freezing already causes the absence of heat transfer fluid (e.g., water) circulation in the pipeline system, and this in turn causes an increase in pressure.
explosions in boilers, which lead to domestic boiler explosions, causing fatal injuries to people, destruction of residential buildings, bathhouses, and other premises. For this reason, boilers have exploded in residential buildings more than 60 times over the last 10 years. Of course, among the exploded boilers were factory-made ones, equipped with safety devices – safety valves, thermometers, and other means of automatic control, but the accidents with such boilers are solely due to their owners' negligence and violation of elementary operating rules. The vast majority of incidents were made possible by the operation of homemade boilers, which lack the safety devices and other means of automatic control designed to prevent pressure surges. The explosions of these boilers destroyed houses and other buildings, but most importantly, the accidents with these boilers resulted in the deaths of 5 people and injuries to 21 people.
A characteristic operational feature of small boilers in the recent past was the use of solid fuels for their operation, for example, wood mass, peat, etc. However, a sufficiently low efficiency, the desire for domestic comfort, and the development of the gas supply network have led many owners to want to purchase boilers that run on gaseous fuel (whose efficiency, according to manufacturers' claims, reaches up to 95-98%). However, such boilers, due to the dangerous substance used for their operation, natural or liquefied gas, must be operated strictly according to the instructions and require a certain level of preparedness from their owners. We would like to strongly advise all those wishing to purchase boilers that run on gaseous fuel for heating purposes to categorically exclude cases of installing boilers that do not have conformity certificates, are not included in the register of gas supply organizations, as well as the operation of boilers by their owners without undergoing appropriate training.
When preparing a boiler for the heating season, it is necessary to:
Study the boiler's operating manual.
Check the condition of the thermal insulation of the expansion tank and the connecting pipe between the tank and the return pipeline, which are usually installed in the attic, while checking for drafts that could freeze the tank or pipe and rectifying any deficiencies.
Check for the presence of a safety valve on the closed-type expansion vessel.
Check that the boiler is fitted with a safety valve to prevent pressure build-up inside the boiler and ensure its operability. Make sure there are no shut-off valves between the safety valve and the boiler.
Check that the boiler is fitted with:
a pressure gauge – for monitoring pressure in the boiler;
a thermometer – for monitoring the temperature of the heated water.
Check that the boiler's inlet and outlet pipelines are fitted with shut-off valves, the condition of which indicates whether they are open or closed (ball valves or control handles), and a test cock to check the presence and fill level of the expansion tank.
Check that there is a condensate drain pipe from the lower pocket of the chimney for boilers operating with natural draught.
If faults are detected in the chimneys and ventilation ducts, lighting the boiler is prohibited!
In freezing weather, chimney heads must be inspected to prevent them from freezing over and becoming blocked.
It is prohibited to:
Light a gas boiler without ventilating the combustion chamber and gas ducts;
Use flammable liquids (petrol, kerosene) to light a solid fuel boiler;
Allow boilers to operate with unstable combustion and an unadjusted "fuel-air" ratio;
Operate boilers with gas leaks in the fittings, burner, and gas supply pipeline;
Operate faulty boilers;
Top up the boiler with water if water has been lost from it;
Independently disconnect safety devices, safety equipment, and audible alarms;
Use an open flame when detecting gas leaks from gas-consuming equipment and pipelines;
Store flammable, lubricating, and wiping materials near the boiler;
These recommendations will help to avoid emergency situations during the operation of heating systems during the heating season, as well as during the inter-heating period.