Commercial Heating
Types of Commercial Heating
Forced-draft or "Warm Air Heating" Commercial Heating Systems
This type of commercial heating is usually the most cost effective means of heating large commercial spaces. Air is heated via a boiler or heat exchanger and circulated throughout the building through specially designed vents. This method is far more cost-effective for the larger organisation than traditional radiators and boilers.
- Heat is circulated instantly and is therefore easier to control
- Warm-air heating produces a drier heat that removes moisture in the air
- Particularly well suited for organisations with large amounts of computer equipment
Wet Heating Commercial Heating Systems
Some commercial building may not suite warm air heating, particularly if they have one large open space with high ceilings and little insulation. In such cases, wet heating systems may be more cost effective and economical to run.
Wet heating systems operate in a similar manner to most domestic heating systems. Water is heated via a boiler and pumped through a sealed radiator system to heat rooms.
Large Open Space Heating
Very large buildings such as factories, exhibition halls, leisure centres, museums and galleries and other open plan buildings require carefully designed heating installations; these can include Powermatic space heating equipment for which we are now approved service and installation agents for UK South.
Under Floor Heating
With huge advances in heat pump technology, underfloor heating is becoming a much more popular way to heat newly built commercial buildings. It is cheaper to install underfloor heating than traditional wet heating systems. This efficient heating system involves feeding heated water through under floor pipes to distribute heat evenly into each room.
Types of Commercial Boilers
Fire Tube Commercial Boilers
A fire-tube boiler is composed of a housing containing the entire boiler's apparatus. Within this housing are a series of pipes threaded through a holding tank. Beneath the pipes and holding tank is the burner apparatus, which is powered by natural gas, oil or wood chips.
When the burner is lit, air is heated. The heated air passes through the closed system of pipes again and again, passing its heat to the surrounding water. As the water boils, the steam passes through a separate network of pipes to heat the house, passing under floorboards and into radiators where the heat is given off. The steam condenses upon cooling and returns to the boiler, where it's heated again.
This type of boiler is very energy efficient in its working, but since it is a closed system, the pressure under which the system works must be monitored closely. As more steam is created, it causes the pressure within the pipes to build. If the pressure goes too high, the pipes can rupture.
Water-tube Commercial Boilers
The water-tube boiler is a reversal of the fire-tube concept, though it's not found so commonly. Essentially, the shell contains a series of pipes through which water flows in a closed circuit. Around these pipes is a chamber where the heated air stays, continuously replenished by the burners. The pipes heat up and the water they contain slowly turns to steam.
The steam rises up to the top of the pipes (they're vertically aligned), where it passes through the same network of under floor heating pipes and radiators that a fire-tube boiler has. Though the pressure in these boilers is not as great, the continuously flowing water tubes are capable of creating a greater volume of steam than their fire-tube counterparts, meaning they're ideal for large buildings and commercial structures.
Maintenance
Commercial and Industrial Boiler Maintenance and Repair
Good maintenance is essential in order for your heating or process system to be kept operating efficiently and safely.
We offer comprehensive planned preventative maintenance and servicing and we have expertise in all types of systems including:
- Atmospheric gas boilers and heating plant
- Forced draft gas burners
- Large industrial blown gas and pressure jet applications
- Radian tube heaters
We offer maintenance contracts and will arrange service visits automatically when they are due. With our maintenance contract our specialist engineers are available to you 24/7 providing a full breakdown and repair service. A summary of our services includes:
- Industrial heating / boiler service
- Commercial air heater / boiler service
- Gas tightness testing
- Burner and combustion controls service
