Miura water tube boilers offer innovative industrial steam technology that is safer, more reliable, and significantly more efficient than conventional fire tube boilers. However, because our compact water tube technology has only been around for a few decades, there is a lot of misinformation out there – especially from competitors who may not fully understand how water tube boilers work.
Today, we are tackling one of the most common misconceptions head-on.
The Myth: “Miura Boilers Need Complicated Water Treatment”
You may have heard the rumor: “Miura’s water tube boilers are highly specialized machines that require extra care and special water treatment that is far more complicated than conventional fire tube boilers.”
The Reality: Standard Treatment, Superior Monitoring
While Miura’s compact water tube boilers are designed differently than conventional fire tube boilers, their basic water treatment requirements are no different than any other boiler on the market.
If you retrofit your facility with a new Miura boiler and want to keep using the same water treatment solution from your previous boiler, you absolutely can. While we offer an excellent water treatment option called Boilermate®, its use is not mandatory.
Why does this myth exist? The confusion stems from the internal surface area of the boiler. Due to a Miura boiler’s compact size and low water content, there is less wetted heating surface area per boiler horsepower. With less surface area for bonding, scale tends to propagate more quickly. Because of this, water quality that might cause a 1/64” scale thickness on a typical fire tube boiler could form a 1/16” or greater thickness in a Miura boiler.
Does this mean Miura boilers require magically pure water or specialized chemicals? No. It just means that scale buildup must be monitored more closely. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean more work for your team.
Built-In Solutions for Ultimate Peace of Mind
Miura boilers are equipped with comprehensive monitoring systems that make it easy to identify issues long before they become problems. Our smart features include:
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MW Water Softener: A duplex tank design that seamlessly produces hardness levels of less than 1 ppm.
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Colormetry: An automatic hardness monitoring system that can independently switch resin tanks and initiate regeneration if hardness is detected.
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Automatic Blowdown: In the event of a hardness leak, the boilers automatically increase the blowdown percentage to prevent scale formation.
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Scale Monitor Thermocouple: Coming standard on every boiler, this monitors the surface temperature of a specific water tube to detect scale formation instantly.
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Remote Monitoring: Miura Online Maintenance (MOM) empowers certified technicians to remotely troubleshoot potential issues before they escalate.
Boiler Basics
The Importance of Water Treatment Water must always be treated before entering a boiler to remove any minerals or excessive dissolved solids added by municipal facilities. Proper treatment prevents solids from building up along interior surfaces and combats corrosive components that eat away at the metal.
Fire Tube vs. Water Tube Fire Tube Boilers: The pressure vessel’s cylindrical body is completely filled with water, which is heated via thermal conduction by a series of hot gas-filled tubes running through it. Water Tube Boilers: Instead of the tubes acting as the heat source, the tubes are filled with water and heated externally.
The Bottom Line
As with any major investment, the lifespan of your boiler depends on how well you and your water treatment service provider take care of it.
Basic water treatment for Miura boilers is no more specialized than any other system. Regardless of the boiler type, you need a high-quality softener for scale prevention and chemicals to prevent corrosion. The only significant difference with a Miura boiler is our relentless emphasis on proactive monitoring, ensuring that your facility stays online, efficient, and safe.
To learn more about Miura Boilers, call Miura Canada at 1-800-666-2182 or visit miuraboiler.ca.
To Speak with our team, call Miura Canada at 1-800-666-2182.
Founded in Japan in 1927, Miura Boilers has grown to be one of the largest industrial steam boiler manufacturers in the world. Miura Canada has been manufacturing boilers for North America since 1987 and has a team of experts who can help you with all your boiler room needs.