McKenna Boiler Works, Inc. is a fifth-generation, family-owned company founded in 1921, and its roots go back to 1887, when J.B. McKenna was servicing boilers in Los Angeles. Today McKenna designs, builds, installs, and services industrial firetube, firebox, and vertical boilers, feedwater systems, blowdown tanks and separators, and ASME tanks and vessels, built in its shop in California, and it services and repairs boilers from other manufacturers too. This page covers what is documented about that history and what it means for a plant engineer choosing a boiler company now.
Where did McKenna start?
J.B. McKenna was servicing boilers in Los Angeles from 1887, and the company was founded in 1921. It is family-owned and now in its fifth generation. McKenna still serves Los Angeles; the shop where equipment is built and parts ship from is at 2601 Industry Street, Oceanside, CA 92054.
McKenna both builds boilers and services them. That matters for one practical reason: the people who design and weld a boiler also see how boilers fail in service, and the people who service boilers in the field know what was built well and what was not.
What has changed in industrial boilers since 1921?
Three changes shaped every boiler built since McKenna started building them.
- Construction codes. The first edition of the ASME Boiler Code was dated 1914 and published in 1915, after a series of deadly boiler explosions in the United States. The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors was organized in 1919 so that states could adopt one standard and inspect to it. Today ASME Section I covers power boilers, Section IV heating boilers, and Section VIII pressure vessels, and repairs and alterations in service follow the National Board Inspection Code (NBIC). In California, Cal/OSHA’s Boiler and Fired Pressure Vessel Safety Orders (Title 8) govern inspection and the permit to operate.
- Emissions limits. California’s air districts set strict NOx limits for boilers. South Coast AQMD Rules 1146, 1146.1, and 1146.2, San Joaquin Valley Rules 4306 and 4320, and Bay Area Regulation 9, Rule 7 apply by unit size, and a new boiler’s burner has to be matched to the limit where it will run.
- Controls. Mechanical linkages that set fuel and air together have given way to parallel positioning, with separate servo motors on fuel and air, O2 trim, and burner management systems built to ASME CSD-1 or NFPA 85. These hold combustion closer to the setpoint across the firing range and make it easier to stay inside a permit limit.
What do McKenna’s code certificates mean?
A certificate tells you what kind of code work a company is authorized to do. McKenna holds these:
| Certificate | Issued by | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| S | ASME | Power boilers built to Section I (steam above 15 psig) |
| H | ASME | Heating boilers built to Section IV (steam up to 15 psig, hot water up to 160 psig and 250°F) |
| M | ASME | Miniature boilers built to Section I |
| U | ASME | Pressure vessels built to Section VIII, Division 1 |
| R (No. 11037) | National Board | Repairs and alterations to boilers and pressure vessels under the NBIC |
McKenna maintains a written quality control manual for its code work. Under each certificate, an Authorized Inspector reviews code work and signs the data report for new construction or accepts repairs.
What does McKenna build and service today?
McKenna builds firetube boilers, firebox boilers, and vertical boilers, plus feedwater systems, blowdown tanks and separators, and ASME tanks and vessels. Each can be a standard model or custom-designed to the customer’s specifications and to fit a specific room or footprint. New McKenna boilers come with Autoflame controls as a standard option and a burner matched to the boiler and the emissions limit where it will run. An electric boiler is in development; there is no release date.
On the service side, McKenna is a factory-authorized Autoflame Tech Center and Limpsfield Burner Tech Center, and it installs, sets up, and tunes burners and controls from any manufacturer, including a brand an engineer or contractor has already specified. Limpsfield, Autoflame, and Power Flame are what McKenna can recommend, but they are not the only options. McKenna also keeps rental boilers, some of which carry South Coast AQMD permits, and makes code repairs on boilers and pressure vessels from any manufacturer under its National Board R certificate.
McKenna serves Los Angeles and all of California, and does startup and initial commissioning in any state.
What to check when choosing a boiler company
Age alone does not tell you whether a boiler company can do your job. Ask these questions of McKenna or of anyone else:
- Which ASME certificates does the shop hold, and do they match the boiler or vessel you need (S for Section I, H for Section IV, U for Section VIII)?
- Does the service company hold a National Board R certificate for repairs to pressure parts? Ask for the number.
- What is the company’s California contractor license? McKenna’s is CA Lic. #1044490.
- Who does startup, commissioning, and combustion tuning, and will they tune to your air permit limit?
- Who answers the phone at 2 a.m.?
- Will the company work on the other manufacturers’ equipment you already have?
McKenna is not always the lowest price. The reason to choose it is one accountable company that designs, builds, installs, and services the boiler.
Common questions
When was McKenna Boiler Works, Inc. founded?
McKenna Boiler Works, Inc. was founded in 1921. Its roots go back to 1887, when J.B. McKenna was servicing boilers in Los Angeles. The company is family-owned and now in its fifth generation.
Where are McKenna boilers built?
McKenna boilers are built in California, in McKenna’s shop at 2601 Industry Street, Oceanside, CA 92054. Parts also ship from that shop.
Does McKenna only work on McKenna boilers?
No. McKenna services and repairs boilers from other manufacturers, makes code repairs on boilers and pressure vessels from any manufacturer under its National Board R certificate, and installs and tunes burners and controls from any manufacturer.
Does McKenna make electric boilers?
An electric boiler is in development. There is no release date yet.
What area does McKenna serve?
McKenna serves Los Angeles and all of California. It also does startup and initial commissioning in any state.
Talking to McKenna
For a new boiler, a repair, or a turnkey installation, call (323) 987-1816 or use the contact form. Code repairs are covered on the R certificate repair page.
