Dela
Boiler Tuesday is a reminder that industrial water treatment exists to protect heat transfer efficiency. For day two of Industrial Water Week 2026, Trace Blackmore, CWT, connects feedwater preparation, condensate quality, and treatment distribution to the everyday decisions that keep steam systems working.
Feedwater quality sets the stage
Trace starts with a practical measure of boiler performance: how much heat from the flame reaches the steam? Feedwater conditions directly affect that work.
He links inadequate feedwater heating with higher chemical demand, increased conductivity, and additional blowdown. For deaerators, he also emphasizes pressure. Together, these points reinforce the need to review feedwater conditions when evaluating treatment performance.
Follow contamination through the condensate system
Jake Elliott of HydroFlow recalls declining boiler alkalinity that eventually led to a plant room full of foam. A failed valve had allowed process material into the condensate return and feedwater tank, consuming alkalinity and forming soap.
Meanwhile, Trace shares a separate case involving oil contamination, boiler surging, priming, and deteriorating steam quality. The investigation traced the oil to a leak in a process condensate line. Recovery required isolating the affected return, cleaning the boiler, and withholding contaminated condensate while the plant corrected the equipment and process problem.
Both stories show why troubleshooting must include the process equipment connected to the condensate system.
Confirm that amine protection reaches distant equipment
James McDonald's scripted Detective H2O story, The Case of Not Going the Distance, examines a different condensate problem. Readings near the boiler house look acceptable, while distant sections show lower pH and corrosion.
The case explains amine distribution ratio as the relationship between amine in the vapor phase and amine in the liquid phase. It compares how morpholine, diethylaminoethanol, and cyclohexylamine travel through the system.
The detective reviews the blend and identifies satellite feed locations near long steam branches. Then he checks condensate pH at the same sampling locations after the changes. Early coupon observations support continued monitoring through a full exposure cycle.
Strengthen the fundamentals and celebrate the work
Frank Lecrone of AquaPhoenix Scientific shares a hardness testing mixup that reinforces the value of checking test instructions and using the correct titrant. Eric Johnson of Boilearn emphasizes learning boiler fundamentals and considers how future AI tools could help professionals interpret system data.
James Courtney of CSC Technologies closes the guest greetings with a story about returning to a familiar brewery boiler. To join the Boiler Tuesday celebration, share a photo with your boiler, deaerator, or feedwater tank using #IWW26. You can also guess the mystery guest voice on LinkedIn before Friday's reveal.
Sound boiler decisions depend on reliable testing, attention to connected processes, and evidence that treatment reaches the equipment it needs to protect.
Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
01:10 — Trace welcomes the Scaling UP! Nation to Boiler Tuesday and invites professionals to share their boiler work during IWW26.
02:50 — Trace defines the water treater's role as a heat transfer efficiency manager and connects treatment work to steam production.
03:40 — The discussion moves from softened water and returned condensate to feedwater quality, establishing the starting point for boiler performance.
04:00 — Trace links inadequate feedwater heating to chemical demand and blowdown, then emphasizes deaerator temperature and pressure.
05:30 — Frank Lecrone shares a hardness testing error that shows why the correct titrant and test instructions matter.
06:30 — Eric Johnson explains how boiler fundamentals help professionals understand system behavior and troubleshoot customer problems.
07:50 — Eric considers future AI tools for interpreting boiler, steam, and hydronic system data to inform operating decisions.
09:10 — Jake Elliott describes declining alkalinity and foaming caused by process contamination entering the condensate system.
09:50 — Trace begins a field story about boiler surging, priming, and lost steam quality that disrupted production.
11:20 — The investigation identifies oil entering the condensate return through a process line leak, revealing the source of the boiler upset.
12:30 — Trace describes isolating the affected return, cleaning the boiler, and withholding contaminated condensate during recovery.
15:00 — Detective H2O begins The Case of Not Going the Distance, a scripted investigation into corrosion in distant condensate lines.
29:50 — James Courtney shares the personal significance of returning to a brewery boiler connected to his family business.
30:30 — Trace invites boiler room photos with #IWW26 and encourages listeners to prepare their Cooling Wednesday photos.
Connect with Frank Lecrone
Email: frank@aquaphoenixsci.com
Website: Water Quality Testing Products | AquaPhoenix Scientific
LinkedIn: Frank Lecrone | LinkedIn
Connect with Eric Johnson
Email: eric.johnson@boilearn.com
Website: Boilearn I The Foundation of Boiler Training
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericjohnson2020/
Connect with Jake Elliott, PhD
Email: jakeelliott91@hotmail.com
Website: https://hydroflow.com.au/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hydro-flow/
Connect with James Courtney
Phone: +1 443 878 2407
Email: james@csctech2o.com
Website: https://www.csctech2o.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-courtney-cwt-leed-ap-379a6877/
Links Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
Industrial Water Week Scaling UP H2O Resource Page
460 Building Boiler Talent: Fundamentals, Online Training, and Better Partnerships with Eric Johnson
451 Building a Culture of Innovation and Customer Service with Frank Lecrone
467 From PhD to Pump Rooms: Jake Elliott on Wastewater, Efficiency, and Saying "Yes" Wisely
325 Rising Together: Conquering Challenges through Collective Support
394 Visibility and Value: Enhancing Sustainability in Water Treatment
445 Industrial Water Week 2025: Careers Friday
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