Industrial Boiler Water Treatment Systems
We design and build custom, skid-mounted boiler feedwater treatment systems for industrial and commercial steam plants. Our pretreatment equipment removes hardness and iron (and alkalinity where needed) before they reach the boiler, so your tubes stay clean and your steam supply stays on schedule.
About Our Boiler Feedwater Treatment Systems
For over 65 years, Robert B. Hill Co. has engineered water treatment for facilities where steam supply can’t stop. A boiler is one of the most expensive assets in any plant, and the water feeding it decides how long it lasts.
Untreated makeup water carries calcium, magnesium, iron and silica into the boiler, where heat bakes them onto tubes as hard scale. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, scale just 1/32 of an inch thick can raise fuel use by about 2%, and scale containing iron and silica can push that loss to 7%. Scale also overheats tube metal, which leads to tube failures and unplanned outages. Our engineers size pretreatment around your boiler pressure, makeup rate and raw water analysis so scale never gets a foothold.
Our Boiler Water Treatment Solutions
Every boiler room has its own mix of raw water chemistry, condensate return and steam demand, so we don’t ship boxed softeners off a shelf for these jobs.
We start with a full water analysis and a review of your boiler size, operating pressure, peak makeup flow and current chemical program.
From there, we engineer a pretreatment system that fits your footprint, arrives on a structural steel skid and ties into your boiler room in days.
Boiler Feed Water Softeners
Softening is the foundation of almost every boiler water treatment program. Our boiler water softeners use ion exchange to remove calcium and magnesium from makeup water before it reaches the deaerator or feed tank.
For steam plants, we build twin-alternating, triplex and quadraplex systems so one vessel is always in service while another regenerates. Metered, volume-based regeneration keeps soft water available around the clock with no hard water bypass. Our twin-alternating SteamPrep Series softeners are built for exactly this kind of continuous duty.
Want the full picture? Read our guide on why a water softener for your boiler feed is essential.
Boiler Water Filtration & Iron Removal
Iron, manganese and sediment foul softener resin and leave deposits that chemical programs struggle to clean up. Well water and surface water supplies are the usual sources.
We design multi-media and greensand filtration skids that sit upstream of your softeners. For a wood products manufacturer building new boilers, we built four 48″ x 72″ multi-media filters to remove 2 ppm of iron at 300 GPM, ahead of a triplex softening system on its own skid.
Dealkalizers for Steam Boilers
A softener removes hardness but leaves alkalinity behind. Inside the boiler, bicarbonate alkalinity breaks down into carbon dioxide, which travels with the steam and forms carbonic acid in your condensate return lines.
A chloride-cycle dealkalizer sits downstream of the softener and strips out that alkalinity using salt brine for regeneration. That means less corrosion in your condensate system, and in most plants, less blowdown and lower neutralizing amine use. Facilities with raw water alkalinity above roughly 100 ppm usually see the fastest payback.
Reverse Osmosis for High-Pressure Boilers
As operating pressure climbs, feedwater limits for hardness, silica and dissolved solids get much tighter. A softener alone can’t remove silica or reduce total dissolved solids.
Our industrial reverse osmosis systems remove up to 99% of TDS, including silica, for high-pressure watertube boilers and plants looking to run higher cycles of concentration. A softener installed ahead of the RO protects the membranes from scaling and extends their service life.
Why Robert B. Hill?
Discover why we’re trusted by many!
Trusted Provider
We have earned the trust of America’s water industry for over 65 years.
Custom Solutions
We build exactly what your facility needs — no more, no less.
Highly Trained Team
Our experts will help you test, size, and install your system.
Boiler Feedwater Treatment for Every Type of Steam Plant
Our water treatment specialists will visit your facility, survey your boiler room and build a custom quote around your steam load.
We design boiler pretreatment for the following types of facilities:
Manufacturing & Process Plants
High-pressure steam drives production in these plants, so feedwater quality ties directly to uptime.
- Wood Products & Pulp: High-flow iron filtration and softening for process boilers, like the 300 GPM skid-mounted system we built for a wood products manufacturer in the South.
- Chemical & Biochemical Production: Multi-stage softening with counter-current polishing for very low-hardness feedwater.
- Plastics, Rubber & Metal Processing: Softened makeup water for steam used in molding, curing and process heating.
Food, Beverage & Breweries
Steam often comes into contact with the product or its packaging, so scale and carryover both matter. See our food and beverage water treatment.
- Breweries & Distilleries: Softening and dealkalization for boilers feeding brew kettles and jacketed vessels.
- Dairy & Food Processing: Feedwater pretreatment for steam used in pasteurization, cooking and clean-in-place systems.
- Canning & Packaged Foods: Reliable soft water for retort and sterilization boilers.
Hospitals, Universities & Campus Central Plants
Central plants run around the clock and often supply heating, humidification and sterilization from the same boilers.
- Hospitals & Healthcare: Consistent soft water for steam serving sterilizers and humidifiers. Learn about healthcare water treatment.
- Universities & District Energy: Large-capacity multiplex softeners for campus heating plants with high condensate return.
- Government & Institutional Buildings: Pretreatment for low-pressure steam heating systems in older facilities. Learn more about government water treatment.
Commercial Laundries, Hospitality & Multi-Family
Smaller boilers still scale up fast when makeup water is hard.
- Commercial & Industrial Laundries: Softened feed for boilers serving tunnel washers, ironers and dryers. See our laundry water treatment.
- Hotels & Resorts: Protection for steam and hot water boilers supplying laundry, kitchens and heating. Explore hospitality water treatment.
- Multi-Family & Commercial Buildings: Softening for central hot water and heating boilers. Learn about multi-family water treatment.
Ready to Protect Your Boilers?
Choosing pretreatment for a steam plant means balancing water chemistry, available space and your current chemical program. We’re here to help you sort it out.
Send us a recent water analysis and your boiler specs, or reach out for a no-pressure consultation today.
Boiler Water Treatment FAQ
What is the difference between internal and external boiler water treatment?
External treatment, also called pretreatment, removes impurities from makeup water before it enters the boiler. Softeners, filters, dealkalizers and RO systems all fall into this category. Internal treatment is the chemical program dosed into the boiler itself to control oxygen, pH and any residual hardness. A strong external treatment system lowers the load on your internal program, so your chemicals do less heavy lifting and your boiler needs less blowdown.
How much does boiler scale cost in wasted fuel?
More than most plants expect. DOE data shows that 1/32″ of normal scale increases fuel use by about 2%, and 1/16″ pushes that close to 4%. Scale containing iron and silica is worse, at up to 7% for the same 1/32″ layer. On a boiler burning $500,000 of fuel a year, a 2% loss adds up to $10,000 annually before you count acid cleaning or retubing.
What feedwater hardness should a boiler water softener deliver?
The target depends on your boiler type and operating pressure, so always check the manufacturer’s specifications. ASME’s consensus guidelines for industrial boilers set feedwater hardness limits well below 1 ppm, and those limits tighten as pressure rises. A properly sized and maintained softener should keep hardness leakage within that range. We recommend testing for leakage weekly during startup and monthly once the system is stable.
Do we still need a chemical treatment program if we install a softener?
Yes. Pretreatment and chemical treatment work together. A softener removes the bulk of the hardness, while your chemical program handles oxygen scavenging, pH control and any trace hardness that gets through. Good pretreatment usually lowers chemical consumption and lets you run higher cycles of concentration. Our team can work alongside your current water treatment provider.
When does a steam boiler need more than a water softener?
A softener handles hardness, but two other conditions often call for extra stages. If your water analysis shows alkalinity above about 100 ppm, a dealkalizer will reduce CO2 in your steam and corrosion in your condensate lines. If you run a higher-pressure boiler or your water is high in silica or dissolved solids, reverse osmosis may be needed to meet feedwater limits. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, blowdown can range from under 1% to well over 10% of feedwater depending on water chemistry, and improving feedwater quality reduces the blowdown required. Less blowdown means less heated water and fuel going down the drain.