Timber Company Protects Water Softener & Improves Boiler Efficiency

Timber Company Protects Water Softener & Improves Boiler Efficiency

Annual savings of over $7,000 in maintenance costs and $40,000 in fuel costs are made possible at the Simpson Timber Company in Arcata, California with the use of Lakos solids from- liquids Separators. Simpson Timber uses well water, conditioned by a water softener, in their steam producing boiler to dry some 50 million feet of lumber a year. Robert Williams, Maintenance Superintendent for Simpson Timber, says that before the Lakos Separator system was installed (see photo) sand in the water would plug the water softener’s regeneration valves.

“Every time the valves clogged, it cost $150 in labor to clean them and the valves could clog as often as every other day,” said Williams. In addition to the increased labor/maintenance costs, the sand-clogged valves subsequently allowed hard water to enter the boiler, resulting in a buildup of scale. “The scale created such an inefficiency in the boiler that our fuel costs increased by as much as $40,000 just to keep the system operating,” said Williams. Installed on the discharge side of the well pump, the Lakos Separators are able to remove sand before it enters the water softener, eliminating Simpson Timber’s filtration problems. The only maintenance required for the system is the occasional purging of the collected solids. Says Williams, “Lakos Separators are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”