It seems like there is no industry in today’s world that isn’t affected by supply chain issues. For many process, manufacturing facilities, and hospitals, their boilers are critical to their day to day operations. From boiler room to boiler room, there are some similarities in parts, but the truth is that no two boiler rooms are alike. It’s important for these facilities to understand their critical spare parts inventories and where there might be shortcomings in today’s supply chain. The parts that were so common and on the shelf last year may not be available today.
Commonly Replaced Parts
There are many common items that will get replaced when each of these facilities do their routine maintenance. Handhole and manway gaskets, fireside rope and blanket, ignitors, sight glass and even relief valves can be changed out every year or in some cases, multiple times a year. It’s definitely critical to have these common items on hand as the capital cost of the spares is minimal when compared to not having them. In most cases, we’re talking about a few hundred dollars that could save the facility thousands of dollars if they just have the proper stock.
Review Critical Parts Inventory
Outside of the routine maintenance, it's critical to review the key failure points of your boiler system and have an idea on what the plan will be if these items fail. For example, if a boiler feedwater pump goes out, is there a spare? How long does it take to get one? In last year's market, many were on the shelf and could quickly ship within days. Today, many of the big name brand manufacturers are struggling with 16 week lead times on once common items due to small component shortages. Could your facility wait 16 weeks to get back up if there is a failure? This is why running an analysis of your mechanical components and ensuring you have a plan in place is critical. We do not anticipate many of our industry manufacturers to get ahead of this lead time curve for possibly another year. The example of a boiler feed water pump is an accurate one as of today. There are other items we are seeing shortages on currently: Low water cut off float heads, industrial gas valves, blower motors and blower wheels, modulating motors, and even common big name relief valves.
Tools, Parts and Supplies for Seasoned Technicians
For service companies and contractors supporting their customers, they also need to be aware of what is available and critical. While everyone has their own preferences on parts they stock based on their normal service workload, there are some necessities for every seasoned technician out there.
Many different manufacturers of boilers use various gasket sizes, so it’s useful to have a variety of sizes and pressure rating gaskets on hand. If you know you are replacing gaskets or other boiler parts at regular intervals, consider setting up a subscription on BoilerWAREhouse.com to ensure you always have the right parts on hand. Plus, you save time and money with our subscription discounts along the way!
With thousands of boiler manufacturers out there, it’s impossible for technicians to stock all of the different parts. And while these might vary from region to region, there are a few things that take care of a majority of them in the form of low water cut offs, relays, gaskets, mod motors, scanners, and flame safeguard controls.
It’s unrealistic for the end customer to expect their service company to keep every variation of boiler part on their truck, so it’s important to keep a spare inventory for themselves that is unique to their equipment. Another reason to review those critical items and commonly replaced parts.
Parts Lists on BoilerWAREhouse.com Make Keeping Track of Needed Parts Easy!
If you know you need particular parts for certain jobs, go ahead and set up a parts list on BoilerWAREhouse.com. Parts lists allow you to quickly find the parts you need, eliminating the need to search every time. Additionally, you can order all of the parts on your list at once, saving you time and efficiency. Parts can be added to lists by clicking the star icon on product list pages or individual product pages.
Staying stocked on the parts you need the most ensures you always have the right tools and parts to do the job right the first time. Using features like product subscriptions or parts lists on BoilerWAREhouse.com makes this even easier!
If you need help with your review of your critical spare parts inventory, the BoilerWAREhouse.com staff can help you identify those critical items and quote you on current industry stock levels and lead times.