What should be inspected if a boiler's stack temperature is higher than normal after maintenance?

When a boiler's stack temperature is higher than normal, it often indicates a problem with combustion efficiency, ventilation, or heat transfer. In the context of this specific situation, inspecting for defective or missing baffles in a water tube boiler is particularly relevant.

Baffles play a crucial role in directing the flow of hot flue gases through the boiler, ensuring that heat is efficiently transferred to the water. If baffles are defective or missing, it can result in improper gas flow, reduced heat transfer, and consequently, an increase in stack temperature as the gases exit the boiler at a higher temperature than intended. This inefficiency can also lead to other issues such as increased fuel consumption and potential overheating of boiler components.

In contrast, while factors such as insufficient fuel supply, dirty filters, or high pressure can contribute to boiler performance issues, they generally do not correlate directly with an increase in stack temperature in the same manner that baffle problems do. Insufficient fuel typically leads to incomplete combustion and lower temperatures, dirty air filters might cause issues with air intake but not directly explain elevated stack temperatures, and high pressure is more associated with steam issues rather than flue gas temperatures.

Therefore, focusing on the condition of the baffles in a water tube boiler is a vital