How Sandblasting Old Radiators Helps Your Business’ Bottom Line

Energy is one of any businesses’ main expenses. For your home office, office building, or industrial space, keeping the rooms well heated in the winter makes a big difference in productivity as well as costs. Keeping your radiator in good repair will extend its life and maintain its efficiency so you aren’t paying more than you need to for a high-performance heating system.

Radiators can be difficult to deep clean, especially if they are painted. Sandblasting is a process that uses an abrasive substance to blast-clean surfaces with a hose and nozzle system. A professional sandblasting service can disconnect your radiator unit during the warm months to give it a thorough cleaning at their shop.

Radiators are made of metal (frequently iron, steel, and aluminum) that heats up as steam is piped into the unit. To protect the radiators, they can be painted with a corrosion-resistant paint that won’t block the metal from radiating heat. Sandblasting is useful to completely remove old paint and prime the surface for a new coat to extend its life.

Keeping your radiator units, the boiler, and the pipe system clean helps each unit perform at its best. Giving regular attention to keeping them clean is part of a wider maintenance strategy that will keep your radiator efficiently heating your space and not wasting energy.

Make sure the air valve and water supply on the units are kept clean and clear. When supply valves aren’t fully open or closed, the water condensation from the steam doesn’t drain completely. This can result in water buildup that causes the annoying clanging that can happen when new steam is sent through the pipes. When the air valve isn’t clear, cold air builds up in the unit and results in unheated spots that prevent full-potential heating. Inefficient heating can then make the boiler have to work harder to maintain the temperature, requiring more energy use.

A professional blast cleaning can help avoid corrosive buildup over the long term. A coat of paint will also help prevent this, but when a radiator is sandblasted, any surface-level corrosive particles are lifted and removed before they spread. Removing corrosion and rust, cleaning the surface, and applying a coat of protective paint will extend the life of the radiator units and save substantially on the costs of repair and replacement.

Studies have shown that people do their best work when temperatures are comfortable. When it’s too hot or too cold, our bodies become stressed from regulating our internal temperatures. Keeping the workplace warm enough in the winter will keep you and your coworkers productive, focused on the tasks at hand and not the temperature.

Maintaining your radiators in good condition will allow you to get decades of use out of them. Radiator maintenance is just one part of facilities management that keeps your workspace up to code and up to your performance standards. ELCO Painting has been trusted in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts since 1980 for a variety of interior maintenance projects. Contact us today to set up a consultation!