When maintaining industrial equipment, proactive maintenance is more than just a cost-saving measure; it is an investment in the long-term service life of your heat exchanger, condenser, or boiler. The hidden cost of waiting — and thus having to clean and repair reactively — hits not only your wallet but also your equipment.
“Out of sight, out of mind” is too often a philosophy applied to industrial equipment, and facility managers and operators frequently don’t realize the declining health of their equipment until it’s too late. Neglected cleaning and maintenance lead to pesky scale buildup and reduced heat transfer efficiency, which can hike utility bills and, at a deeper level, corrode the internal components of industrial equipment. This neglect over time can potentially cause leaks, overheating, and even complete equipment failure. The result is equipment lasting only a fraction of its intended service life.
The best strategy for preserving industrial equipment is scheduled preventative cleaning, preferably with a non-corrosive descaling agent. Harshly acidic descalers can accelerate equipment corrosion, but frequent cleaning with milder, eco-friendly solutions significantly increases equipment lifespans while keeping energy costs consistent. In many cases, this proactive care can help companies avoid equipment replacements entirely.
Consistent equipment maintenance and cleanings inevitably come with up-front costs. However, investing in biodegradable descaling solutions and scheduled cleaning cycles helps reduce overall expenses over the equipment’s entire service life. In the short term, reactive descaling cycles cause equipment and production downtime, as well as costly emergency fixes. These can easily snowball and often necessitate expensive equipment replacements sooner than desired. Alternatively, the costs associated with consistent cleaning tend to save companies thousands in reactive repairs and subsequent operation interruptions.
Merrick Wheelhouse Industrial Solutions believes in helping its clients invest in the future of their industrial equipment, not just present operations. By offering an array of descaling and industrial sanitation solutions, the team at Merrick Wheelhouse Industrial Solutions provides expert insight on when and how to best care for your heat exchangers, boilers, and condensers at every stage of their service life.