When it comes to the operation of your heating system, your steam boiler plays an integral role in ensuring that your home is kept toasty and warm on even the coldest of winter days and nights. Keeping your boiler clean is an essential part of maintaining your system and keeping it running at its optimum. Follow these cleaning instructions for the best results:
Step 1: Pour some trisodium phosphate (which is a general cleaning agent) into your boiler, adding about one and a half cups of the solution for about every 200 litres of water. Instead of trisodium phosphate, you could also use sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate.
Step 2: Turn up the heat of your steam boiler until it is about 80 degrees Celsius; leave it like this for around 2 hours, making sure that it doesn’t start producing steam (this shouldn’t be too difficult, as water doesn’t actually boil until it reaches about 100 degrees Celsius).
Step 3: Completely drain the boiler to get rid of the cleaning solution and to prevent running it through your heating system. You can then refill it, making sure that the pH levels are between 7.0 and 8.5 before you finish up.
If you want to clean up the outside of your steam boilers, you could give it a careful wipe with a soft damp cloth followed by a soft dry cloth to remove any dust and dirt. You must be extremely careful, however, as the boiler will be hot and could burn you if you slip. This is, of course, completely optional and will not affect the cleanliness of your system in the slightest.