Miura’s New Quick-Ship Express Boiler Program Ends Need for High-Cost Rentals, Failing and Inefficient Boilers

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – When the call for help came into Jason Bell, Miura America’s regional manager for the Southeast division, he knew that he was about to make his customer very happy.

“We received a call from a popular soft drink manufacturer in Southern Florida,” recalls Bell. “They were having major issues with a boiler they had purchased from another company. Since we had already replaced another boiler from that company with a new one from Miura, we weren’t surprised that they would be calling us.”

But this request was different. The company had waited too long to change out their old, inefficient, problematic boiler and needed a new one fast. Typically, that might mean looking into a rental boiler, which could usually be delivered and installed in a week or two, but the company was hoping to avoid that and reached out to Miura to see what could be done.

“The customer was trying to find out if there was any way to get a new boiler delivered and installed in much less time than the industry-standard of a few months,” said Bell. “They were really in a bind, since their current boiler was scaling up badly and causing them all sorts of issues.”
Scaling up is a term that describes what happens when hardness in the water basically turns to hard calcium or scale, and then slowly destroys the inside of a boiler, minimizing the efficiency and increasing service calls along the way.

“They were getting all sorts of alarms and, while they could keep running the boiler to meet production demands, the fuel costs were becoming unmanageable because the boiler had become totally inefficient,” stated Bell. “They needed a new boiler fast and they figured they would just give us a call before biting the bullet on a costly rental unit.”

What the customer didn’t know was that Miura had recently launched the first-of-its-kind Quick-Ship Express boiler program, and could deliver and install a new unit in a week or two.

“Miura’s Quick-Ship Express program is a game changer,” states Paul O’Donnell, Miura’s vice president of Support Operations. “Now customers can have a new ‘zero to full steam in 5 minutes’ Miura boiler, from 50-600 horsepower, in the time it usually takes to install a rental unit.”

Typically, boiler rentals had been the solution to minimize downtime when the current boiler had been pushed to the limits or required extended repair. But rental boilers are often used boilers, usually less than 50 horsepower, housed in large trailers and driven to the renter’s facility where they require full installation, as well as uninstallation. This is often costly and time-consuming.

“Rental boilers still have to be wired and piped to a very similar piece of equipment that is already installed in your building,” adds Bell. “Of course, there was always a downside, since you’re basically installing a temporary piece of equipment with the same funding that you could be installing a permanent piece of equipment.”

In addition to eliminating much of the need for rental unit costs, Miura’s QSX program also makes it easier for buyers to “move on” from old inefficient boilers that burn too much fuel and need constant service.

“Some users just can’t let go of their aging, inefficient boiler, because they’d rather have some steam than lose productivity due to downtime,” said Bell. “It used to be a tough choice, but now instead of reaching for the duct tape, you can call Miura and get the most reliable, efficient and safe boiler in the time it would take to order and install a rental.”

And there was another benefit, since the soft drink company was so happy to hear that they could free themselves of their aging boiler without any real downtime, they decided to move ahead with another plan to step-up production.

“They took this opportunity to couple two ideas into one,” recalls Bell. “They replaced the scaled boiler (a 100 horsepower) in rapid fashion, as well as increased their production capability. We were able to deliver and install our LX-200 boiler to them within two weeks.”

LX-200 SG LX Gas/Low NOx Series, Low and High Pressure Steam Boiler use natural gas or propane and are available in a range of steam options (300 MAWP, 170 MAWP or 15 MAWP). Their compact size allows them to fit through a standard doorway, while their naturally low-NOx (nitrogen oxides) ratings are as low as 9 ppm depending on model. Hot water boilers are available depending on models.

The Miura LX Series design (available in boilers from 50-300 horsepower) consists of rows of vertical tubes sandwiched between two rectangular headers. Both headers are encased in a castable refractory with only the tubes exposed to flame and/or combustion gases. The upper header is attached to the lower header only by the tubes. As the tubes expand and contract, the headers float up and down accordingly.

“As one soft drink manufacturer learned, doing business with Miura offers many advantages,” adds O’Donnell. “Plus, Miura manufactures virtually every component needed for an on-demand steam solution. That includes a Colormetry Hardness Detection System that can be used with any boiler to extend its life.”

Typically, water-hardness levels are checked manually through the use of chemical reagents. Such measurements are time consuming and can result in incorrect readings. Colormetry solves all these problems by offering automated reagent injection, mixing and evaluation integrated into the boiler control system. Compactly designed, self-calibrating units automatically monitor water quality, control Miura’s water softeners’ regeneration if hardness is detected and provide alarm and fault history logging. Reagent replacement is easy, while the units connect to Miura’s remote monitoring system for added security and protection and interfaces with the boiler’s micro-controllers.