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Erin Hungate

Every year since 1991, BFS Industries has held a company-wide pig pickin’ in September or October. This year, the 35th annual pig pickin’ was hosted on October 25, 2025, at BFS Industries. This event is cooked in tradition, with a serious food lineup, awards, and fun for members of the whole family.

Diane Frances has been the head planner and coordinator of the event since 1996, a year after she joined the company. Her daughter-in-law, Amber, also joined BFS in 2016 and started helping Diane as a co-planner and coordinator in 2019.

“The goal of the pig pickin’ is to celebrate all of BFS’ accomplishments and to bring everyone’s families and friends together,” said Diane. “We can all meet, talk, and socialize outside of the work environment, even though we are still at BFS.”

True to its name, the pig pickin’ itself is a highlight and part of the event’s history. “For the first probably 30 pig pickins’, one of our employees, Howard Shaw, always cooked the pig,” said Diane. “He retired a few years back, but Ken McIlhenny had been helping for the past 10 years or so and has taken over cooking the pig. Bernice Williams was with BFS for 30 years and cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, and Italian sausage.”

Since Bernice retired, the famous in-house “Cook Position” hasn’t been replaced, but Gillis Catering out of Rougemount, NC, has done a great job providing fried and barbeque chicken, as well as sides such as mac and cheese, potatoes, slaw, baked beans, hush puppies, and green beans.

“Dan Weldon, a long-time employee, always leads a blessing before we start our wonderful feast,” said Diane. “He is our resident pastor and does this before we have any meal here at BFS.”

After dinner, Tom Garbarino, BFS Industries president, recognizes employee anniversaries with a well thought-out speech.

“As we approach our 80th year anniversary, the key to our success has always been our people,” said Tom. “We appreciate the loyalty and dedication of the entire BFS team and take time during our annual pig pickin’ to recognize milestone years of service. This year we were fortunate to recognize seven members of the BFS family for their many years of great service. Congrats to all – BFS appreciates your valuable contribution to our success!”

This year, these employees were recognized for milestone awards:

30 Years (1995-2025)
Jim Samborsky

20 Years (2005-2025)
Steve Hite
Ken McIlhenny
Shannon Lyman

10 Years (2015-2025)
Quincy Hargrove
Jay Nesbit
Ken Still

The employees with anniversaries received a plaque in appreciation for their service and a gift.

The event is fun for family members of all ages. Kids are entertained with a bounce house and face painting. There was also an ice cream truck passing out ice cream cones, cups, and pre-frozen treats – an idea from Michael Garbarino that Diane said was a “huge hit.” Lastly, many vendors donate gift cards and gifts, which are handed out to guests via a drawing.

After the dinner and awards, the employees end the night with a final tradition – a toast with a shot of Gentleman Jack.

“This was one of our Dad’s favorite whiskeys,” shared Diane. “So we ask that anyone who would like to participate may join us in having a toast to our Dad in honor of him and his memory.”

A big thanks to Diane and Amber for another fun pig pickin’!

For 26 years, Dan Weldon our dedicated Electrical Schematic Designer, has been an invaluable part of the BFS family. His journey with us began in the field as a panel fabricator, giving him a hands-on understanding of our systems. Today, he works closely with our engineers to design solutions that are not only functional but also practical and easy for our teams to maintain in the field.

Dan shared some of the wisdom he’s gained over the years: “During my first five years working as a panel fabricator, I had the opportunity to physically build control panels from nothing more than a box of parts. That experience became the foundation for everything I do today. When I transitioned into designing systems, I already understood how they came together in the real world. It taught me that the best designs don’t just look good on paper—they have to be practical, buildable, and reliable.”

He also shared a memorable anecdote from his early days: “When I first started working at BFS, I was in the office one day and there was a young boy, 11-12 years old, running through the office. I asked my boss who he was, to which he replied, ‘Be nice to him, he’s going to be your boss one day.’ Turns out it was a young Michael Garbarino. Truer words have never been spoken.”

When he’s not designing, Dan enjoys traveling with his wife, spending time with family, fly fishing, video games, oil painting, and tending to his family farm.

Next time you see Dan, ask him about his unique desk! It was built from our company’s pipework, with components from both oil and water systems integrated throughout. The work surface is the office door of the late Bob Garbarino, making it a fitting tribute and a fantastic workspace. Finished in flat black and distressed copper, the desk has a distinct steampunk feel.

We’re so grateful for Dan’s years of dedication and commitment to our company. Thank you for everything you do, Dan!

Deaerators are a critical part of any steam boiler room. Once the deaerator does its job and the dissolved gases are removed from the boiler feedwater, what happens to those dissolved gases?

All deaerators must have a venting system that exhausts the corrosive gases to the atmosphere in order to operate properly and complete the deaeration process.

The deaerator vent operation utilizes steam to act as a carrier gas as it flows toward the low pressure internal vent condenser area, carrying the dissolved gases with the steam flow.

Most deaerators are equipped with a manual vent valve. Typically, this is a gate valve with an orifice drilled through the gate. This ensures that the vent line can never be fully closed off, preventing proper venting. The orifice is sized based on the deaerator capacity and anticipated steam flow through the tank.

Also read: Why Do Steam Systems Need a Deaerator?

Deaerator Vent Pipe Installation and Sizing
Designing deaerator vent lines properly is key to keeping your system working efficiently and troubleshooting any issues. Once the vent flow leaves the deaerator, the vent pipe should be installed as vertically as possible and also as short of a run of pipe as possible. If the vent pipe is too long, the deaerator vent steam can condense and block the flow path. In cases where a horizontal run is necessary, we recommend including a drip leg and trap to get rid of any condensate that can build up in the horizontal pipe run.

A good rule of thumb: If you are venting properly, you should see a 2- to 3-foot high steam plume where the vent pipe exits the building.

How to Calculate Deaerator Vent Rate
The normal vent rate for a deaerator is ½% of the steam flow going into the deaerator. For example, for a 100,000 #/hr deaerator, the steam flow required to heat and deaerate the incoming water based on 100% cold makeup at 50˚ F is approximately 15,600 #/hr. So, ½% of this flow is 78 #/hr. As you can see, it does not take a lot of vent steam to do the job.

Custom-Designed Deaerators from BFS Industries
Letting BFS Industries design your deaerator system is the best way to ensure you have the right kind of deaerator venting system to meet your needs. Our ZER-O-PAC deaerators are the only line on the market to include all three types of deaerators, giving you the most flexibility. Contact us to get started on your custom solutions.

This summer, BFS Industries was a proud sponsor of Complete Boiler Systems’ 23rd annual golf tournament to benefit the Ulman Foundation, which supports young-adult cancer patients. We’ve proudly sponsored the tournament for more than 20 years. Two BFS employees, Mike Monville and Matt Lemons, attended the tournament.

“The event itself was incredible — everything from the food and drinks to the golf outing was top notch,” said Purchasing Agent Matt Lemons. “What made it even more special was knowing it all supported such a great cause. The course was beautiful and in excellent condition. I truly enjoyed playing alongside Mike Monville, as well as Matt and Chad from Hurst Boiler.”

The main sponsor, Complete Boiler Systems, is BFS Industries’ Maryland/DC representative and friend to the BFS team. Complete Boiler Systems supplies boilers, burners, deaerators, feedwater, and fuel oil systems to DC, Northern Virginia, Maryland, and surrounding areas in their territory.

The June tournament was held at Rendition Golf Course in Davidson, MD. The group was blessed with a partly sunny 75-degree day in the middle of a 100-degree heatwave week. The course was in great condition

Mike Monville, Vice President of Engineering, has attended the golf outing 11 times. “The best part of the tournament, for me, is being able to fellowship with the people who buy, sell, and install our equipment while raising money for a great cause,” said Mike. “I get to discuss jobs, meet new people from engineers to service techs, and see longtime friends in the industry.”

Matt Lemons described the event as a memorable experience. “I’ve been with BFS for three years now, and this was my first time representing the company at an event like this,” said Matt Lemons. “It was a fantastic opportunity to connect and have meaningful conversations with key people in our industry.”

BFS has a close working relationship with many of the tournament sponsors, including Siemens, UNILUX, and B&W. The sponsors are treated to a private dinner each year by Complete Boiler Systems’ owners, John and his son Mark McAuley.

A big thank you to our partner Complete Boiler Systems for hosting another great event.

 

BFS Industries’ tray type deaerator utilizes two distinct stages to remove dissolved gases from feedwater:

1. The pre-heater section

2. The stainless steel tray section

The feedwater should be heated to a temperature approaching that of the deaerator operating steam pressure. The heated, partially deaerated water then enters the second stage (tray section), where contact time with the counter-current scrubbing steam is maximized. This forces the remaining traces of oxygen and carbon dioxide to be released from the liquid. 

Tray Deaerator Operation

Stage One: Pre-heater Section

Incoming water enters the deaerator through spring loaded spray valves, directed downward into the steam atmosphere in the first stage pre-heater section. In the BFS tray type deaerator, this pre-heater section is fully enclosed within the stainless steel tray enclosure. There the water is heated to within a few degrees of the steam temperature in the deaerator. This is accomplished by spraying the water in a uniform, thin, continuous film. The surface tension of the liquid is broken, which facilitates the heating and the release of most of the non-condensable gases.

Stage Two: Stainless Steel Tray Section

The pre-heated water, containing traces of dissolved gases, then flows into the second stage, the tray section. Here, the water cascades down through the multiple layers of trays, with each tray pan spreading the water into a thin film before flowing down into the tray pans below. This mechanical scrubbing forces the remaining oxygen and carbon dioxide to the surface of the liquid, where they are liberated from the water. The process continues until the water reaches the bottom of the tray stack.

The steam enters this stage at the base of the tray stacks and flows upward through the space between the tray pans. The counter-current steam flow shakes loose the remaining dissolved gases, separating them from the liquid. Very little steam is condensed here, as the incoming pre-heated water has a temperature approaching that of the steam. The water leaving this stage – now completely deaerated and heated to the steam temperature corresponding to the saturated steam pressure within the vessel – falls into the storage section ready for use. 

A reduction in temperature and pressure in the vent condenser area is created as the entering water condenses the steam atmosphere. The steam flows naturally up through the tray stack toward the lower pressure area of the vent condenser, carrying with it the liberated gases. Here most of the steam is condensed in the heating process, and the remainder carries the residual gases through the vent to the atmosphere. 

Tray Deaerators from BFS Industries

Is a tray type deaerator right for your system? The BFS Industries team can create a custom-design solution from our ZER-O-PAC line of deaerators, whether tray type, packed column type, or spray type. Contact us today to get started.