CF ChatterFix
Preventive Maintenance

Boiler Start-Up & Combustion Check

Combustion tuning is where boiler efficiency and boiler safety meet. A burner drifting rich wastes fuel every hour it runs and produces carbon monoxide; the safety interlocks are what stand between a fault and a very serious incident.

Interval Semi-annual
Est. Duration 2.5 hrs
Steps 4
Applies To Facilities & Property Management, HVAC & Building Services Contractors

The Procedure

The steps ChatterFix schedules for this PM. Every step is a checkable item on the work order — a technician can speak their way through it without touching a keyboard.

  1. Inspect burner, electrodes, and flame sensor; clean as needed
  2. Perform combustion analysis and record O2, CO, and stack temperature
  3. Verify low-water cutout and pressure relief operation
  4. Check water treatment chemistry and log results

Why This PM Exists

Combustion tuning is where boiler efficiency and boiler safety meet. A burner drifting rich wastes fuel every hour it runs and produces carbon monoxide; the safety interlocks are what stand between a fault and a very serious incident.

What Skipping It Looks Like

Rising fuel cost that gets blamed on rates, sooting that accelerates further, and — the serious case — a low-water cutout or relief valve that has never been proven to work.

Setting the interval

Before each heating season, with combustion readings logged so you can trend them. Statutory pressure-vessel inspection is a separate obligation with its own schedule.

Equipment This Covers

Common Questions

How often should this PM run?
Semi-annual. Before each heating season, with combustion readings logged so you can trend them. Statutory pressure-vessel inspection is a separate obligation with its own schedule.
How long does it take?
Budget about 2.5 hours for a technician working to the standard procedure. ChatterFix uses that estimate for capacity planning, then learns your plant's actual time from completed work orders.
What happens if we skip it?
Rising fuel cost that gets blamed on rates, sooting that accelerates further, and — the serious case — a low-water cutout or relief valve that has never been proven to work.
Can I use this checklist in ChatterFix?
Yes — this exact procedure ships in the Facilities & Property Management and HVAC & Building Services Contractors industry pack. Pick your industry at signup and it is scheduled on the right assets automatically, with no configuration.

Related Procedures

Stop Retyping Your PM Library

This procedure — and every other PM for your industry — is already built into ChatterFix. Pick your industry and it lands on the right equipment, on the right interval, in about three minutes.